Google+ unwrapping new features
http://bit.ly/udzoMR
Make sure you know how to connect with others this holiday season- see geeksoncall.com
Monday, December 19, 2011
New Google+ features: Customize your streams, and more
Touted in Google's official blog today, the enhancements are part of an ongoing effort to make Google+ more effective and more user friendly.
One of the tweaks will let you customize your Google+ stream. The more people you follow, the more cluttered your stream can become, increasing the odds of missing important posts. To help unclutter your stream, a slider at the top of a particular circle will let you control how posts from that circle should mesh into the overall stream.
The red notifications button at the top of your Google+ page tells you how many notifications are in the queue. But sometimes you need to click on a specific notification to get the full scoop on it. To reduce the time you spend clicking around, Google is adding "sneak previews" that quickly clue you in on what's new among your notifications.
Next on Santa's list for Google+ members are a range of changes to Google+ Pages. Since launching the business-oriented feature in early November, Google has been striving to improve it amidst some users complaints.
Tapping into one of the improvements to Pages, you'll be able to delegate up to 50 different managers to act as administrators for a certain page. A new "notification flow" will alert the managers to all activity on the page, ensuring that they stay abreast of the latest updates. And Google will show you a combined count of all the users who follow your page or +1 it, so that you can get a better sense of everyone who's connecting with it.
Finally, Google is tweaking its Google+ Photos feature. Clicking on a photo will display it in the Lightbox viewer, but now with better navigation and usability. A new photo tagging feature will let you more quickly tag individual people.
Google says that the new tweaks to Google+ will roll out over the next couple of days, just in time for the holidays. And the company is promising more in store for Google+ members with some resolutions for 2012.
One of the tweaks will let you customize your Google+ stream. The more people you follow, the more cluttered your stream can become, increasing the odds of missing important posts. To help unclutter your stream, a slider at the top of a particular circle will let you control how posts from that circle should mesh into the overall stream.
The red notifications button at the top of your Google+ page tells you how many notifications are in the queue. But sometimes you need to click on a specific notification to get the full scoop on it. To reduce the time you spend clicking around, Google is adding "sneak previews" that quickly clue you in on what's new among your notifications.
Next on Santa's list for Google+ members are a range of changes to Google+ Pages. Since launching the business-oriented feature in early November, Google has been striving to improve it amidst some users complaints.
Tapping into one of the improvements to Pages, you'll be able to delegate up to 50 different managers to act as administrators for a certain page. A new "notification flow" will alert the managers to all activity on the page, ensuring that they stay abreast of the latest updates. And Google will show you a combined count of all the users who follow your page or +1 it, so that you can get a better sense of everyone who's connecting with it.
Finally, Google is tweaking its Google+ Photos feature. Clicking on a photo will display it in the Lightbox viewer, but now with better navigation and usability. A new photo tagging feature will let you more quickly tag individual people.
Google says that the new tweaks to Google+ will roll out over the next couple of days, just in time for the holidays. And the company is promising more in store for Google+ members with some resolutions for 2012.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
How to set up an HDTV
http://bit.ly/usRZ87
get help with all your technology needs visit geeksoncall.com
http://bit.ly/usRZ87
get help with all your technology needs visit geeksoncall.com
How to set up an HDTV
cnet.com - 12/12/2011
Geoffrey Morrison
You found your perfect TV. You've driven/carried/dragged it home. You have this big cardboard box sitting in your living room. Now what?
Well, after you follow the instructions for getting the TV on its stand (if it isn't already), the real setup begins. There are countless settings, options, and potential issues between box and beautiful picture. This how-to guide should help you navigate the waters of TV technology.
Cables
If this is your first HDTV, you'll find that the cables have changed a lot since the last time you hooked up a TV (it also might be worth checking out our HDTV 101 Guide). Even if you're replacing an older HDTV, it's important to understand the HDTV cable of choice: HDMI.
HDMI cables carry high-resolution images and sound over one small cable. If you bought your HDTV at a store, you were likely pushed into buying expensive HDMI cables to go with your TV.
Expensive HDMI cables offer no benefit to the average consumer. If you paid more than $10 for your HDMI cables, you should consider returning them. Check out my article on why all HDMI cables are the same for more information. Then there's the follow-up Why all HDMI cables are the same, part 2.
HDMI cables are, however, vital to the overall performance of your television. There are only two ways to get an HD signal from your cable or satellite box to your TV: HDMI and component. Component cables are three attached cables identified with the colors red, green, and blue. Most are also labeled Y, Pb, and Pr. These only carry video. You'll need to add more cables for audio, most commonly a matched pair of analog audio cables.
The single yellow cable with white and red audio cables that comes with most products is not HD. Only VHS and the Wii can be hooked up with a yellow "composite" cable. DVD, Blu-ray, or cable or satellite boxes hooked up with a yellow cable will be significantly hampered in their performance.
If you haven't upgraded your other gear along with your new TV, component video is very common. If you've bought a new Blu-ray player or have a new cable/ or satellite box, HDMI may be all you can find.
Which brings us to...
Sources
If you haven't upgraded your other gear, make sure your DVD player is ready for your new TV. Go into its setup menus and make sure it's set to output a 16x9-pixel image. If it's an older player, it could be set to 4x3 pixels (like old TVs). Matching this aspect ratio to your new TV will greatly improve its performance.
The same is true for your cable or satellite box. Make sure you switch this to 16x9. If it's capable of HD, take this moment to set it to output 1080i.
Just because the cable box is capable of HD doesn't mean youre getting HD. You need to pay your provider for HD channels (unless they're included in your current package) and you need to tune to the specific HD channels. For example, with my provider, channel 2 is SD, whereas channel 1002 is HD.
As I discuss in my article on whether to upgrade your home theater gear, if you have a new HDTV, you owe it to yourself to get a Blu-ray player. Nothing offers the picture quality of Blu-ray. Even if you have an older HDTV, you won't believe how good it can look when you watch Blu-ray.
Settings
Once you have everything plugged in (see the slideshow above for images of typical inputs and outputs), take a moment to check your TV's settings. Most modern TVs will ask you upon initial start-up if the TV is being used in a home or a store. Pick the one most appropriate to your environment (hopefully "home"; I'm not sure why you'd be living in Best Buy).
I go into more detail in my article on HDTV settings, but here's the CliffsNotes version. The TV will be its most accurate (in other words, most realistic) in its Movie or Cinema picture mode. It will appear brighter in its Sports or Vivid mode. The Contrast control adjusts how bright the bright parts of the image are, and Brightness controls how dark the dark parts of the image are. Also check out CNET's HDTV setup tips and Five tips for a better HDTV picture.
The initial settings for modern TVs are largely quite good, but none is perfect. Some fine tweaking, either by eye or using one of the great setup Blu-ray discs, will be worth the time spent.
If you want to get every possible amount of performance out of your TV, consider having it calibrated.
Flat panel TVs are also more susceptible to reflections than CRTs.
get help with all your technology needs visit geeksoncall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, gmail, productivity...
Geoffrey Morrison
You found your perfect TV. You've driven/carried/dragged it home. You have this big cardboard box sitting in your living room. Now what?
Well, after you follow the instructions for getting the TV on its stand (if it isn't already), the real setup begins. There are countless settings, options, and potential issues between box and beautiful picture. This how-to guide should help you navigate the waters of TV technology.
Cables
If this is your first HDTV, you'll find that the cables have changed a lot since the last time you hooked up a TV (it also might be worth checking out our HDTV 101 Guide). Even if you're replacing an older HDTV, it's important to understand the HDTV cable of choice: HDMI.
HDMI cables carry high-resolution images and sound over one small cable. If you bought your HDTV at a store, you were likely pushed into buying expensive HDMI cables to go with your TV.
Expensive HDMI cables offer no benefit to the average consumer. If you paid more than $10 for your HDMI cables, you should consider returning them. Check out my article on why all HDMI cables are the same for more information. Then there's the follow-up Why all HDMI cables are the same, part 2.
HDMI cables are, however, vital to the overall performance of your television. There are only two ways to get an HD signal from your cable or satellite box to your TV: HDMI and component. Component cables are three attached cables identified with the colors red, green, and blue. Most are also labeled Y, Pb, and Pr. These only carry video. You'll need to add more cables for audio, most commonly a matched pair of analog audio cables.
The single yellow cable with white and red audio cables that comes with most products is not HD. Only VHS and the Wii can be hooked up with a yellow "composite" cable. DVD, Blu-ray, or cable or satellite boxes hooked up with a yellow cable will be significantly hampered in their performance.
If you haven't upgraded your other gear along with your new TV, component video is very common. If you've bought a new Blu-ray player or have a new cable/ or satellite box, HDMI may be all you can find.
Which brings us to...
Sources
If you haven't upgraded your other gear, make sure your DVD player is ready for your new TV. Go into its setup menus and make sure it's set to output a 16x9-pixel image. If it's an older player, it could be set to 4x3 pixels (like old TVs). Matching this aspect ratio to your new TV will greatly improve its performance.
The same is true for your cable or satellite box. Make sure you switch this to 16x9. If it's capable of HD, take this moment to set it to output 1080i.
Just because the cable box is capable of HD doesn't mean youre getting HD. You need to pay your provider for HD channels (unless they're included in your current package) and you need to tune to the specific HD channels. For example, with my provider, channel 2 is SD, whereas channel 1002 is HD.
As I discuss in my article on whether to upgrade your home theater gear, if you have a new HDTV, you owe it to yourself to get a Blu-ray player. Nothing offers the picture quality of Blu-ray. Even if you have an older HDTV, you won't believe how good it can look when you watch Blu-ray.
Settings
Once you have everything plugged in (see the slideshow above for images of typical inputs and outputs), take a moment to check your TV's settings. Most modern TVs will ask you upon initial start-up if the TV is being used in a home or a store. Pick the one most appropriate to your environment (hopefully "home"; I'm not sure why you'd be living in Best Buy).
I go into more detail in my article on HDTV settings, but here's the CliffsNotes version. The TV will be its most accurate (in other words, most realistic) in its Movie or Cinema picture mode. It will appear brighter in its Sports or Vivid mode. The Contrast control adjusts how bright the bright parts of the image are, and Brightness controls how dark the dark parts of the image are. Also check out CNET's HDTV setup tips and Five tips for a better HDTV picture.
The initial settings for modern TVs are largely quite good, but none is perfect. Some fine tweaking, either by eye or using one of the great setup Blu-ray discs, will be worth the time spent.
If you want to get every possible amount of performance out of your TV, consider having it calibrated.
Flat panel TVs are also more susceptible to reflections than CRTs.
get help with all your technology needs visit geeksoncall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, gmail, productivity...
Monday, December 12, 2011
Amazon responds to critics with Kindle Fire update
http://bit.ly/vRDnKt
need help updating your other systems... turn to geeksoncall.com
http://bit.ly/vRDnKt
need help updating your other systems... turn to geeksoncall.com
Amazon responds to critics with Kindle Fire update
msnbc.com - 12/12/2011
Wilson Rothman
The New York Times reported that Amazon will roll out a Kindle Fire update "in less than two weeks," citing a company spokesman. The cause for the update? Fixes for problems that have concerned many early users.
The update will be pushed to devices over the air, no syncing necessary, and will bring improved performance and multitouch navigation, says the Times. Furthermore, users will be able to erase recent activity for improved privacy. "No more will wives wonder why their husbands were looking at a dating site when they said they were playing Angry Birds," wrote the Times' David Streitfield.
Here's the full text of Amazon's statement, which we received directly from the company on Monday:
Kindle Fire is the most successful product we've ever launched -- we've already sold millions of units and we're building more to meet the strong demand. As with all of our products, we continue to make them better for customers with regular software updates -- in fact, in less than two weeks, we're rolling out an over-the-air update to Kindle Fire that will improve performance, touch navigation, and give customers the option to choose what items display on the carousel.
These particular issues are not ones I noticed when I reviewed the Kindle Fire, perhaps in part because I didn't do anything on the device that I wouldn't want my wife to see, and in part because I viewed the Kindle Fire as an excellent compromise: It's not a $500 iPad, but it's a $200 tablet that brings you the best of Amazon (along with the best non-Google Android apps. It works well in this capacity, and while the $250 Nook Tablet is a better device, what Amazon offers, beyond books, is hard to beat and getting better all the time.
Not all issues have fixes. As I pointed out in my review, there's a lack of physical volume buttons and an awkwardly placed power button, neither of which can be fixed with software.
There's one hardware concern that may have a software fix: The battery life on the Kindle Fire is not as good as the Nook Tablet or the iPad. Often, this has to do with how well the OOS can control the various processes of the core system and apps, and how much it can shut down when it goes into sleep mode.
Amazon did not answer my specific query about battery life, nor is it mentioned in the above statement, so it likely will not change with this update.
need help updating your other systems... turn to geeksoncall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, gmail, productivity...
Wilson Rothman
The New York Times reported that Amazon will roll out a Kindle Fire update "in less than two weeks," citing a company spokesman. The cause for the update? Fixes for problems that have concerned many early users.
The update will be pushed to devices over the air, no syncing necessary, and will bring improved performance and multitouch navigation, says the Times. Furthermore, users will be able to erase recent activity for improved privacy. "No more will wives wonder why their husbands were looking at a dating site when they said they were playing Angry Birds," wrote the Times' David Streitfield.
Here's the full text of Amazon's statement, which we received directly from the company on Monday:
Kindle Fire is the most successful product we've ever launched -- we've already sold millions of units and we're building more to meet the strong demand. As with all of our products, we continue to make them better for customers with regular software updates -- in fact, in less than two weeks, we're rolling out an over-the-air update to Kindle Fire that will improve performance, touch navigation, and give customers the option to choose what items display on the carousel.
These particular issues are not ones I noticed when I reviewed the Kindle Fire, perhaps in part because I didn't do anything on the device that I wouldn't want my wife to see, and in part because I viewed the Kindle Fire as an excellent compromise: It's not a $500 iPad, but it's a $200 tablet that brings you the best of Amazon (along with the best non-Google Android apps. It works well in this capacity, and while the $250 Nook Tablet is a better device, what Amazon offers, beyond books, is hard to beat and getting better all the time.
Not all issues have fixes. As I pointed out in my review, there's a lack of physical volume buttons and an awkwardly placed power button, neither of which can be fixed with software.
There's one hardware concern that may have a software fix: The battery life on the Kindle Fire is not as good as the Nook Tablet or the iPad. Often, this has to do with how well the OOS can control the various processes of the core system and apps, and how much it can shut down when it goes into sleep mode.
Amazon did not answer my specific query about battery life, nor is it mentioned in the above statement, so it likely will not change with this update.
need help updating your other systems... turn to geeksoncall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, gmail, productivity...
Friday, December 9, 2011
Windows 8 Store: 8 Ways It Beats Apple
http://bit.ly/tPGfTv
Windows 8 coming soon- we can help you make the switch- geeksoncall.com
http://bit.ly/tPGfTv
Windows 8 coming soon- we can help you make the switch- geeksoncall.com
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