Technology & Business
Canada's great north get's added to Google Street View
Google has taken one more step towards mapping this big blue marble we call Earth. In August, a team of Google Street View mappers flocked to the city of Cambridge Bay, in the northern most territory in Canada called Nunavut. Google says: To get a sense of what it’s like to live up in the north, you can walk down Omingmak Street, make your way to the bridge (where locals fish for Arctic Char) and head out to the Old Stone Church.
RetroUI - Bring back the Start Menu in Windows 8
I wrote an update to my article entitled : "Windows8 TIP - Bringing The Start Menu Back to Windows 8." I talk about RetroUI and why it may be the best Windows 8 app to bring back the start menu. I recommend you take a quick look at the update section of that article (at the bottom).
The Bing Top Searches of 2012 Report
Bing has just released its list of most popular searches for 2012. It has broken down its list into categories. Under its Tech > Consummer Electronics category, the top 10 searches were: iPhone 5 iPad Samsung Galaxy S III Kindle iPad 3 iPod Touch Xbox PlayStation 3 iPhone 4S Windows 8 It's interesting to note that the top 5 searched NEWS stories were: iPhone 5 2012 Elections 2012 Olympics Hurricane Sandy Honey Boo Boo Reality Show It is interesting to note that the release of the iPhone 5 was the top searched news story on Bing.
Nexus 4 available but not for Canadians
Google has started selling the 8GB and 16GB versions on the Google Play US store (which will likely sell out quickly again). Unfortunately Canadians will have to show patience and wait. How long will Canadians have to wait for the Nexus 4? You're guess is as good as mine. Google hasn't provided an ETA.
Double your monthly 3G or LTE allowance for free
Would you like to double your monthly data plan for free? Then go ahead an immediately download the FREE Onavo Extend for iPhone, iPad or Android. WHAT IS ONAVO EXTEND? Onavo Extend is a data compression service that works quietly in the background [anytime you are on 3G or LTE] to minimize the amount of data your smartphone consumes. It is completely transparent and magically works to reduce your overall usage. WHY DO YOU NEED ONAVO EXTEND? There are 3 scenarios where Onavo Extend really shines:
Get Crashplan unlimited online backup for $12 for 1 year (PROMO)
BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL If you need an online backup service for your computer files, Crashplan is running a crazy sale. (Price increases every 2 hours until the end of the promo). Right now you can buy the family unlimited plan (you can backup up to 10 computers online - unlimited storage) for $12US. https://www.crashplan.com/bigsale/ Its cheaper and better than Carbonite, Mozy or Backblaze
The story of how Windows 8 was designed
Jensen Harris was involved in the design features of Windows 8 and he recently presented the story at UX Week. He highlights Microsoft's core belief that if you give people enough good reasons, they will accept change (regardless of how radical it is). Let us not forgot that Microsoft has lead computing change over the last 3 decades : moving from DOS to Windows 3.1 moving from Windows 3.1 to windows 95 Moving from Windows 95 to Windows 8 Sure there were evolutionary changes in between but these represent the really big paradigm shift points.
Windows8 TIP - Get Windows Media Center upgrade for Free
In a moment of incoherence, Microsoft decided to break Windows Media center out of Windows 8 Pro and make it available as a separate upgrade package. Even if you don't connect your PC to a TV, it is still good to have because it includes the DVD playback CODECs (ie. you won't be able to play DVDs on a Windows 8 computer without it or another third party app). The upgrade will cost uses $9.99 but luckily Microsoft is offering it for free until January 2013.
Windows8 TIP - Keyboard shortcuts
There are several dozen keybaord shortcuts but I just wanted to share the bare minimum you need to know to be efficient. Windows Key - brings up the new Start Menu interface Windows Key + C - Brings up the charms bar Windows Key + D - Hide or display the desktop Windows Key + E - Open "Windows Explorer" Windows Key + F - Open the Charms Search for Files tool Windows Key + Q - Open the Charms Search for Apps Windows Key + R - Open the run dialog box Windows Key + TAB - Cycle through the Metro apps.
PicBackMan helps protect your pictures
Of everything I have on my home PC, nothing is more important than my pictures and I am sure many of you are in the same boat. In a previous article, I spoke about the 3-2-1 backup strategy to protect your irreplaceable files. So how do you "easily backup your digital treasures" onto multiple online services? Enter PicBackMan. It is a simple program that can help backup your social network pictures (locally) and at the same time backup your local pictures to one or more online services.