Review
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
by James Connors
MinuteFix, a new startup based out of San Fransisco redefines what it means to get technical support. You just have to log into the website instead of bringing your machine into a shop and surrendering your prized possession to some 18 year old just waiting to search through your pictures, videos, and financial records. I think this service could be amazing and here’s why:
You pay by the minute - it is the namesake of the company. The first 5 minutes that you’re working with a technician are free - you don’t pay a dime. If your issue is resolved in that period, then grand, you just got some free work. Heck, you can ask questions for opinions and pick the tech’s brain for 4 minutes and 56 seconds without paying - just make sure you give some good feedback at the end. This system lets you pay only for what you use instead of other shops that will cost you $80 or more just to have someone look at it.
The techs are from around the world and tested safe! Each MinuteFix tech brings unique experiences and knowledge to the team. They help each other out and learn from one another. When you log into MinuteFix, you describe your problem and get hooked into the highest rated tech available in the category of your issue. That’s unheard of! Knowing some of these people, they’re all experts in their fields and they all want to help you out.
If your problem isn’t fixed, you don’t pay a dime - How many times have you brought your computer into the shop, pay the $80 for someone to look at it only to find out that they can’t!? Ridiculous! If a MinuteFix tech can’t fix your problem, you don’t have to pay no matter how long it took to get to that point. It’s really a great service.
I wrote another article about MinuteFix on my podcast blog over at CollegeTechCentral.
Monday, October 8th, 2007
by James Connors
So here’s the thing, college kids are lazy and very NOT-proactive about finances. Mint, a new web-based financial tool, makes it easy to bring into one place every financial account that a student is likely to have. This means you can pull in your credit cards, your bank accounts, loans and investments coming soon. They say they support over 1500 different financial institutions/services and it’s all as easy simply logging in.
I have a couple different bank accounts and a couple credit cards that I like to keep tabs on. Each account has a web-based interface where I can go online and check balances, reconcile accounts, or even pay bills. To use them with Mint, all I need to do is provide my log in credentials for those services. Within minutes, Mint has grabbed the account balances and recent transactions for those accounts and starts building a clear, central picture of your financial situation.
In the main screen, you get an overview of your bank accounts, the available money as well as the available credit. Furthermore, you’ll see your credit card balances and a debt to cash indication. This would be amazing enough but then Mint goes ahead and computes some very interesting information. First, they’ll establish your spending patterns and display them on a running basis where you can compare your current spending with average spending. They’ll then bring you alerts that you set for low balances, bills about to come due, major transactions, and even when checks clear. These can be sent via email or mobile alert to your phone. Finally, Mint brings some interesting offers to your door.
Every website needs to make some money and this is how Mint monetizes their service to pay the bills. By analyzing your spending trends and current financial situation, Mint presents a number of offers that can always save you money for which they may or may not give you a commission. Different offers provide Mint with different compensation or none at all but they pledge to always display offer that will help save you, the user, money even if they aren’t getting anything out of it.
I was so excited by this service that I had to write an article about it. Each of you should do some research and make sure that you’re ready to trust some websites with your information and then sign up and add some Mint to your diet!
Friday, July 27th, 2007
by James Connors
We all know that there are a number of browsers on the internet these days. Today, I want to take some time to discuss FLOCK, a socially oriented browser built on the Firefox platform. This unique browsing program combines a host of features from Blogging to media streams right into your browser, thus eliminating the need to browse to blogging interfaces or load special plug-ins. Though their market share isn’t even on the level of the big three, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari, FLOCK carves out a niche for socially minded, tech savvy users. Perhaps we will see more and more users from my generation using this tool as social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace become more and more popular. I think FLOCK is worth everyone’s time because of the accessibility, standardization, and tools that this wonderful browser has to offer.
Dominating the browser scene is the standard, meat and potatoes, Microsoft Internet Explorer. Despite a recent update, IE still fails to follow some basic web standards and is known to be vulnerable to many mal-ware exploits. Mozilla Firefox is the open source alternative giving IE its toughest competition. This browser combines an easily extensible platform with standards compliant engine and a healthy dose of non-conformism that has many younger users leaving Microsoft behind. Apple’s Safari browser should be familiar to every Mac user since it comes bundled with every Apple system much the same way IE takes over Windows. Steve Jobs boasts about Safari’s fast load times and full compatibility as two of the browser’s strongest point. Apple has even launched a Windows Beta aiming at promoting market share and providing development tools for Windows programmers to use on the newly released Apple iPhone. Unfortunately, none of these browsers can combine all of the bits and pieces of social media that I was looking for straight out of the box. Then came a mention of FLOCK on the CNET Buzz Out Loud podcast that brought this new browser to my door.
As I said earlier, FLOCK is built for those who have a large web presence, especially if that has to do with social networking and blogging. Being a 20 something and interested in technology, this was a natural step for me - perhaps just an extension of my long hours spent crawling through Facebook. In a nut shell, FLOCK brings all of the best things that I love about Firefox, ScribeFire, Sage, and live bookmarks into a single integrated interface. I’m going to focus on the two features I find to be the most convenient: blogging toolset and the Feed Sidebar.
The blogging tool set will automatically discover most internet based blogging interfaces such as Blogger, Wordpress.com, Livejournal, and more. Asking permission first, FLOCK can import your settings from these blogs and then offer you the ability to write a post straight from a button on the tab-bar. For me, it’s always been cumbersome to have to navigate to the back end of my wordpress blog and then post so this was a great time saving feature.
By entering the interface (a quill icon), the user gets a new window with full HTML support in which to craft their post. At this point, the user hasn’t needed to decide where it’s going. Upon finishing their work, the blogger gets a confirmation screen and chooses where to post their blog. I have to admit, sometimes when I start writing a blog post, I can get carried away and end up with a rant rather than something tat is designed for public consumption. Having the option of where to post the article allows me to easily tunnel to my rant blog and come back another time to write the intended article when I’m relaxed. All in all, it just works. The interface is easy and intuitive, such that I’ve recommended it to many of my non-technical friends.
The second feature I wanted to mention was the use of a sidebar feed aggregator. Those familiar with Sage in the Firefox browser will appreciate the simplicity of this nifty tool. Whenever you browse to a website that has an active RSS or ATOM feed attached to it, FLOCK will post a toolbar and ask if you want to subscribe to it. Assuming you choose to subscribe, you can then browse through all the available articles from the feed via a sidebar interface. The sidebar will show the number of new articles in the feed and, when clicked, opens a tab that shows you the feed in a Sage-esque sort of interface. The reader can choose the display to work with two or three columns, and decides whether to see headlines, excerpts, or the entire article. By default, FLOCK will mark the news items read as you scroll past them allowing you to scan the headlines for something of interest while leaving not requiring the user to check or click anything to proven that they’ve moved on from that given nugget of information.
The innovation just continues from here. Media feeds, visual bookmarks, and a trendy “in” feel brings FLOCK to the top of my list of browsers now. It’s as easy as Firefox but more useful for those spending lots of time on the social web. I appreciate all of you readers and especially Todd Cochrane’s mention on his Podcasting website, www.geeknewscentral.com. I listen to his witty conversation many times a week, so go on over and check him out. Stay glued to this feed for more web centric posts and all of your technology analysis!
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007
by James Connors
Intro
It wasn’t too long ago that Ubuntu launched their new open source linux release, Ubuntu 7.04 Fiesty Fawn. Later that day, the Ubuntu servers crashed under the unprecedented load from enthusiasts attempting to pull the new release. But what is Linux and what does it mean to be open source?
Definitions
Linux is an operating system (OS) similar in function to Macintosh OS X Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista. These programs run your computer and allow the user to interact with the machine and complete operations. Wikipedia defines Linux as: Linux (IPA pronunciation: /ˈlɪnʊks/) is a Unix-like computer operating system family. Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free software and of open source development; its underlying source code is available for anyone to use, modify, and redistribute freely. The kernel - or core - runs like Unix and has a similar reputation for stability. But Unix is text only so the latest version of Linux provide user interfaces that resemble those that Mac or PC users operate. In some cases, Linux interfaces are easier to use and customize than their corporate counterparts.
I’ve been saying a lot about open source on this blog, but what is it really? It sounds highly technical and scary - let’s try to clean it up a bit. Open source products are a different way of developing, designing, and ultimately releasing a software product. All programs run on a source code that is the backbone or spine of the application - it holds it all together and like our spinal cord, communicates or coordinates the many processes of a software program. Traditionally, corporate software designers like Microsoft opt to hold the source private so that others cannot duplicate or change the programs they distribute. This ensures market security but stagnates 3rd party development and kills customization.
Open source projects do just that, they “open” the source code and distribute it along with the program they’ve developed. Now 3rd party programmers and customers can view and alter the underlying code that runs their programs in order to customize their programs. A number of different software licenses are used by developers to control their products but this is beyond the scope of this article. Open source is gaining popularity throughout the world because it pulls on the expertise by many in a community feel to maintain and develop projects. You probably know a few open source projects. RedHat Linux, Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, Wordpress, and many more. All of these projects have huge user bases and programming community support that keeps them fresh - Ubuntu is no different.
Ubuntu
So let me talk about the crux of this entire post -> UBUNTU 7.04 Fiery Fawn! I just have to say that this Linux release is amazing. I haven’t had much experience with Linux yet just because all of my work has been on Windows PC’s and Apple Mac’s so far - I wanted to try it out. I’m really happy that I chose to launch into Linux with Ubuntu. The UI is flawless and easy to use - maybe even familiar. It features easy access to the terminal as well as customization and system control panels. But I think the best part is that it’s FUN! I can’t think of too many OS’s that I would call fun.
Right from the get go, I knew that this was a different kind of OS. Ubuntu is distributed in ISO disk image formats that you must either virtually mount to a drive or burn to a CD. These CD’s are what is known as LIVE-CD’s because they will boot and run the operating system from the CD-ROM drive without changing anything about your computer. I could try out the UI and use all of the features of the program before deciding to install. When I did decide it was time, Ubuntu did the installation right from the LIVE-CD interface rather than the nasty text interface that you have to install windows from. It was so easy.
15 Minutes later I was using Ubuntu on a crappy old Dell laptop. I didn’t need to find drivers, programs or anything - it was all there. As the computer booted into it’s new operating system, I was greeted by fresh graphics and fun sound effects. I wanted to play and play I did. I spent an hour just going through everything in the OS and trying to learn more and more. As of today I’ve even installed Flash into Linux and used it a number of times. So… what’s that’s about all I can muster right now, but I’ll be getting back to this and posting an update in the next week. I’m really excited to use this even more.
Conclusion
Ubuntu is a dynamic and refreshing departure from the standard graphical interface such as Windows and Mac. I was excited to play with it and learn and try out this new product. I know that I can take it for a ride any time I want or program modules and customize my own version. I could even sell it if I wanted. I suggest that everyone should take a few minutes and try it out - it’s so easy. There’s also a Server release that features customizations and 1 touch LAMP (Linux, Apache, MYsql, and PHP4) installation - something that every webserver needs.
This operating system is a huge step in the right direction for open source projects and I feel that if someone wants to step into the Linux/open source realm, this is a great first OS to play with.
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
by James Connors
Today Google announced that they would be launching capabilities to support presentations within the Google Documents & Spreadsheets service. This marks a major inroad into the world of document management and word processing. A ZDnet blog brings more details to the announcement. But what does this mean?
For one, Office might not be the top dog for too much longer, in the personal computing field at least. Currently, Microsoft owns 95% of the office productivity market, most of which is dominated by the business market. Corporations are usually much slower to adopt new technologies because of their need to test, harden, and secure most applications. The other reason MS has such a large market is that it’s products work well together - windows with office, office with exchange, exchange with Windows Mobile etc. Companies are going to need to branch out and take some risks if they are ever going to get out of the MS strangle hold.
There are many companies starting to test out these new technologies. Many cities and towns are starting to require that documents archive into an open source format. Massachusetts legislatures were among the first to convert to the open source formats - Hamburg, Germany is close to follow. Why are they moving? Well, open source products are earning more and more respect among the consumer and business groups. Google Apps provides an online office suite available free of charge to individuals and schools as well as a more robust premium version for enterprise. Open Office is another open source office suite - desktop based - that utilizes the now common and highly secure Open XML formats. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of Microsoft?
True, Redmond has tried to embrace the XML wave by releasing their Office Open XML format. BUT - this isn’t inter operable with other open source document programs. I, for one, feel that there needs to be more testing and proving built into the current open source productivity suites so that corporations will find more confidence in these solutions. By bringing more money and time into these technologies, the very solutions we’re working to improve will develop incredibly fast.
No matter what productivity platform you choose to use, I suggest everyone look into the open source solutions because they are making up more and more ground on currently available private software (Read as MS Office Suite). Check it out - GO OPEN!!
Thursday, March 29th, 2007
by James Connors
What do we look for in a hosting service? Are there any certain characteristics that one needs to consider when making their decisions regarding where they will land their homepage. Here are a few things that I thought about when I was looking for a hosting service.
- Price Value
- Reputation
- Customer Service
- Ease of Use
Price Value
What are you getting for what you’re paying for? This the measure that basically indicated what services you should be receiving for the money that you’re paying to the hosting service. These benefits would consist of, in their most basic form, the hard disk space provided, the bandwidth allowed, an interface panel, some mail services (maybe), and other assorted benefits. Many current hosting companies are engaging in something known as oversale advertising. That is to say that they are promising more benefits than any person could possibly use. A sample of a benefits page can be found here.
Reputation
This is the word of mouth opinions of others regarding the service, benefits, and the general feel of a company. Some people will look at websites such as http://finance.yahoo.com to research their companies while others will cruise to forums to discuss their experiences wtih others in forums like these DreamHost Forums.
Customer Service
Generally speaking, this is a topic that one can only research by asking other people about their experiences. Occasionally companies will post their support systems online or at the very least leave contact information for their support system. Things to look for here are the methods of contact - do they have support phone numbers or is it strictly email support? This is definitely a question that you need to ask because some users don’t have a tolerance for delayed response to support requests - Developers or web designers especially.
Ease of Use
Another personal tolerance characteristic. Most personal blogging or recreational users would rather have an easy to use interface that might not provide the “power user” interfaces that higher level developers would want. On the other hand, the power user will become rather frustrated if they don’t get the options that they need. Carefully consider what you need and choose accordingly. Some hosts have customizable interfaces that a user can choose which interface (technical or simple) they feel is most appropriate.
The moral of the story is to do your homework and choose wisely. It’s dangerous to believe all the hype and advertising without asking the questions behind the ad. Does the host have dedicated support? How has their customer satisfaction been over the last 5-10 years? What kind of uptime are they showing? Is there a SLA - a Service Level Agreement? What about dedicated servers? Think clearly and ask questions. As always, if you have questions, send me a message at james.m.connors@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to discuss or assist your hosting quest.
Monday, March 16th, 0200
by James Connors
I really dislike not knowing php as a language because it’s making it rather difficult to design this website into what I’m looking for. The issue is this: how do I make this website into a real website rather than just a blog? My answer was to actually use a static page rather than just using the posts page.
I want there to be a Blog page where the posts reside rather than the on the home page. Perhaps I’ll place a single entry at a time into the page, but other than that… I’m not really interested in throwing more into the beginning because I want this to be very professional. That is the idea.
So, for the last two hours, I’ve been learning - slowly - how to put in a static page. This is all above my head at this point, however I think I’ve found a way to do it that will suit my purposes. It’s going to be a technique that will take the elements of the theme by placing a home.php file into the theme directory that will redefine a static page and then refer to the index page as a blog stepping point.
The saga continues and the coolest part is that you, the readers, will be able to see the result. I’m going to have to make a decision at some point. Right now, I’m waiting for the replies of a number of developers. They would be able to help me out a bit - and especially when I’m looking to try to set up the website for success right from the beginning.
Stay tuned!