2012
Test 3G speed of a laptop versus a Playbook
I havent been RIM's biggest Playbook fan and even with their 2.0 OS upgrade, it feels unfinished and rough to use. I wanted to see how the Playbook would perform compared to a Windows 7 laptop when using WIFI sharing of my iPhone's 3G connection. THE SETUP I closed all the apps on my iPhone 4s, did a force shutdown and restard. I placed my phone 4 inches away from my Wilson cell phone booster and it had a full 5 bars.
HTTPS Everywhere helps you browse safely and securely
Whenever you browse the web, your internet browser uses a protocol called http. Now the secure version of this protocol is called https and head to any bank website and you’ll see them add the s to http when logging in. Why is this important? Anytime you enter sensitive information, you want to make it as hard as possible for the “bad guys” to steal it. By using https, you encrypt the data as it swirls through the internet. It is easy to see why you should like and use this more secure protocol when logging into your bank, facebook or webmail account.
iPad 3 announcement March 3
Let's not put on the party hats just yet, since nothing has come out from Cupertino. Most analysts and Apple watchers now believe the iPad will be announced at an event early March. Although we have seen all kinds of crazy rumors, the most reliable sources believe it will look like the ipad 2 but will contain a higher resolution display, slightly faster processor (A5x), an 8 megapixel camera and a bigger battery. Now we wait and see. What do you want to see?
Google bypasses Internet Explorer's privacy settings
Last week, researchers found that Google (and other online advertising services) had found a way to bypass Safari’s privacy settings. At the time, Google said it was using know functionality to delivery services to signed in Google users. Another week, another claim, this time by Microsoft. Microsoft claims that Google is using the same technique to bypass the privacy settings of its Internet Explorer browser. The Microsoft claim is that Google misrepresents its cookies allowing them to bypass Internet Explorer’s security settings.
Ghostery warns you about all the networks tracking your web habits
Anytime you talk a walk down the information superhighway, creepy companies track your every move so that they can offer more targeted behavior based advertisements. To pull this off, they need to track you as you move across the web. If you have ever wanted to know how many of those systems are tracking you, check out a free Firefox / Chrome add-on called Ghostery. Whey say “Ghostery tracks the trackers” and that is a great way to describe it.
Why I cancelled my Sirius XM Satellite Radio subscription
After having been a loyal XM radio Canada subscriber for many years, I finally decided to cancel my subscription, and I wanted to share my reasoning (hopefully someone from Sirius XM will read this). For those that do not know, Sirius XM is a premium satellite radio service that promises crystal clear sound, unmatched variety and commercial free programming on the music channels. Why I cancelled: Each subscription is attached to a single device. Because I subscribed to their service using my car’s built in receiver, I could not listen to the programming anywhere else.
Travel tips when travelling alone
Most business travellers and some leisure travellers are “stuck” travelling alone. Having spent many days abroad, there are a few steps I take every time I travel alone. Read the reviews Regardless of the type of trip, you should always do your homework and ensure you read as much information as possible about your destination. Read professionally written reviews (if available) but ensure you get a healthy dose of general traveller reviews to get the real picture. Many of these sites will allow you to post your questions and get answers before you leave.
Dell Voice offers free VOIP calling to most Canadian cities
Dell Canada has teamed up with Fongo to offer free VOIP based calling to many Canadian cities through it new iphone/Android/Windows (RIM coming next month) application. After you download the app, you complete a simple registration and validation process and voila, free calling. You also get a free telephone number, caller ID, voicemail and e911 service. Their long distance rates also seem very reasonable. Dell voice website. Android iPhone Windows
Google may launch online storage "soon"
As a traveller, I carry multiple photocopies of all critical documents (passport, credit cards, driver’s license, tickets, itinerary, etc.) In addition to the paper copies, I also store a copy of these documents on one of my online storage services just in case. There are dozens of online storage service providers but the most popular are the likes of Dropbox, and Box.net. Unfortunately most of these services charge a premium price when the cost of storage is dropping like a rock so imagine my excitement when the Wall Street Journal reported that Google would soon release its long rumored Google Drive service.
Wanderlite daypack review - A light packable backpack
As many of you already know, I am preparing for a 2 week business trip to China and will be reviewing some of the products I will be taking with me. In a later post, I will talk about my main luggage (the Red Oxx Air Boss) but in addition to that, I will be carrying with me a “special” backpack made by the fine folks at Barefoot (called the Wanderlite Packable Daypacks). The Wanderlite is a very affordable ($US 27) packable backpack that can be rolled up into a tidy little package, making it very easy to pack.
Popular journal app Path uploads your personal contact information without notice
Well well… another day, another security issue with a popular mobile app. This time the culprit is a popular life journal app called Path. Arun Thampi discovered that Path uploaded his entire address book (names, numbers, emails) to Path without his prior consent. Arun highlighted the fact that the app never asked for permission to upload this type of sensitive info to Path. Path’s founder and CEO responded to Arun: “We upload the address book to our servers in order to help the user find and connect to their friends and family on Path quickly and [efficiently] as well as to notify them when friends and family join Path.
TSA agents may steal your belongings
Would you be surprised if I told you that some TSA agents have been caught stealing from passengers? The TSA is reporting that an agent at JFK may have stolen up to $5,000 in cash from passengers as their personal affects rolled down the screening conveyor belt. Another TSA employee, this time in Dallas, has been put on administrative leave because he may have stolen up to 8 iPads from passengers. MSNBC interviewed (Nico Melendez ) a TSA spokesperson who made some interesting recommendations for travellers:
Canada's WestJet to charge more service fees
Westjet is Canada’s second largest airline and it recently announced that it has found opportunities to double “ancillary revenue”. Ancillary revenue is income derived from non-ticket sources. One of the possible sources of new income “could be” checked baggage. The Westjet CEO said more specifically (according to Reuters) that they are carefully watching airline industry practice of charging passengers a fee as of the first checked bag (Air Canada charges $25 as of the first checked bag). This provides more motivation to be a onebag traveller.
How to travel light with only a carry-on
Travelling is usually an amazing adventure full of wonderful memories and experiences you will cherish for life. Only one thing stands in the way of your trip: air travel. Airlines seem to be charging more for less and nothing seems to exemplify this better than checked in luggage fees. Many airlines now charge fees from the first check-in bag. Add to that the fact that your luggage gets treated like a football, subject to theft by shady baggage handlers, usually takes 20-30 minutes to find its way on the conveyor belt and sometimes sent to the wrong destination.
Veho 360 Bluetooth speaker review
Although this is primarily a European product, it is often easily available on ebay and I wanted to conduct a quick review for my readers. I received this as a christmas gift and have been using it daily for about 3 weeks now. Quick look The Veho 360 is a small cylindrical battery powered speaker. It stands 5 cm tall and 4cm in diameter. The device has a 2.2 watt speaker that shoots sound out from the top. On the side, it has 2 ports: a charging port and a 3.
LifeProof Iphone 4/4s waterproof case review
I love my iPhone 4s and use it everyday. It has become one of the most important productivity tools in my arsenal and I would be lost without it. I’m always looking for ways to keep the little guy safe and happy so I jumped on the LifeProof case as soon as it became available. What is the LifeProof case? This is a thin case the company claims is waterproof, dirt proof, snow proof and shock proof. The fact is, I put the case through months of real world use before I wrote this review.
Should you keep your goals private?
My last article about goal setting can be found here. A researcher has an interesting proposition... KEEP YOUR GOALS SECRET.... What? this goes against everything we have heard in management theory for the last 20 years. Watch the above video and let me know what YOU think
Wozniak : believes some Android features are better than the iPhone
Before people start sending me hate mail, Woz still believes the iPhone is a better overall experience but believes Android performs some functions better. One of those features is voice commands and built-in navigation. With all the phanphare around SIRI, WOZ says the Android version performs better (for him at least). In case you missed it, WOZ went to the Google campus last month to take ownership of a freshly baked Google Nexus phone (although his Android phone of choise is still the Motorola RAZR).
OnLive Desktop brings Windows 7 to your tablet
OnLive is an innovative company that offers to stream console games to your TV, PC or tablet. So you can start a game on your TV, then move to the PC and continue playing them at the airport on your ipad as you wait for the plane. What amazes most people is just how smooth the graphics are for a remotely streamed offering. The fine folks at OnLive are now bringing their remote streaming expertise to the wonderful world of Windows.
Vizio entering computer business
We learned that Vizio will be releasing 5 computer in June 2012. For those that don't know, Vision hit the US market a couple of years ago with high quality but affordable TVs. Their executives said they will do for PCs what they did for TVs with unbelievable pricing.