All jokes aside, the iPad drops this week, and we’ve got the skivvy on it.  Also, Scott explains the difference in multiple core processors, and JP has the round-up from this year’s April Fool’s Day internet invasion.  That and a whole lot more in Episode 48 of Computer 911 with PC Medic

In the News

• Here come the iPad
  • Early Reviews
  • App Prices to Drop?
  • Developer Support Soars
• Asus: iPad Rivals on the Way!
• Data sifted from Facebook wiped after legal threats
• Flash Player To Come Bundled With Google Chrome
• For Vast Majority, Driving and Cell Phones Don’t Mix
• April Fool’s Day Round-Up
• PC Pioneer Ed Roberts Dies at 68

Scott Puts You In The Know

• U.S. government taps the agency thet blew up two of their space shuttles to determine the safety of Toyota’s cars
• AMD develops a processor that actually get Windows Vista to run…..Barely
• Wanna fight that speeding ticket? There’s an app for that!
• Hey Apple, Ever hear of Karma??
• Downloaded a newer movie via torrent?, that’s a suing!

From the Bucket

From the Bucket is your chance to win a FREE hour of labor from PC Medic (a $60 value)!  Each week we will choose one question. If we read your question on the show, you’ll be that week’s winner.

Submit your questions via Email

OR drop us a Voicemail (906) 828-9183. Be sure to leave your contact info.

Mary in Harvey asks about some simple ways to help keep her computer running fast.

Totally Free App: Netflix for the iPad

Get Netflix on your iPad. Just download this free app and you can instantly watch TV shows & movies streaming from Netflix.

Its the first of our new podcast format.  And while we may have some kinks to work out, we invite you to submit your feedback.  Just hit up the comments section below.

Oh, and JP promises full Show Notes will be back next week.

In the News

• Verizon and Motorola officially announce the Droid
• Federal judge says e-mail not protected by Fourth Amendment
• Los Angeles adopts Google e-mail system for 30,000 city employees
• Microsoft pulls out of “Family Guy” special
• Happy Birthday Internet?

Calls

• Cecil from Calumet is still having problems upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7.  He is checking out Laplink PC mover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant. Let us know how you like it Cecil.
• Marti from Marquette had a Horror Story from Dish Network.  Her tip is to first and foremost, ask for a rep that has English as their first language.

Scott also likes the Microsoft Windows State Migration Tool. Microsoft has posted a video on moving from XP oto 7.

Twitter Fun This Halloween

Via Twitter:

Spooky things will happen when you use #trick or #treat in your tweet today.

When you send a tweet with either “#trick” or “#treat” you will see your Twitter feed become temporarily “Halloweenized.” And hey, while you’re there why not follow PC Medic on the Twitters?

One of several Twitter #Tricks and #Treats

Got any other online Halloween favorites? Leave them in the comments section below.

REVIEW: Xbox Live Update

The update is not terrible thanks mostly to the last.fm support (let’s face it, we’ve all already got Twitter and Facebook on our phones and laptops in the living room anyway, and seriously…who has those keyboard things?).  Last.fm on the TV in a user-friendly environment was actually the last straw since getting Netflix for the 360 that made me decide to cancel my cable subscription (now just add Hulu plz).

On the downside, the lack of selection and the steep price for content make the Zune Marketplace a bust for those who have moved past puchasing discs, and not a step in the right direction towards encouraging people to purchase, not pirate.

Also, breaking the functionality of non Microsoft storage? Really Microsoft?

Final Rating

2.5 / 5

Read JP’s full review on our site: http://pcmedic-911.com/wordpress/?p=297

Totally Free Download: Revo Uninstaller

Revo Uninstaller helps you to uninstall software and remove unwanted programs installed on your computer even if you have problems uninstalling and cannot uninstall them from “Windows Add or Remove Programs” control panel applet. Think of it like your Add/Remove Programs utility on steroids.

Times are tough all over, so why is it that some software companies feel the need to charge hundreds of dollars for their products?  Well we understand the problems we can all face when looking for a piece of software to accomplish a task only to be met with a ridiculous price tag.  That’s why Episode 19 of Computer 911 with Pc Medic is all about Open Source!

Also, join us on Facebook, for your chance to win the TWO Laptops and printers we’re giving away with Great Lakes Radio in the Back to School and Cool Giveaway!

In The News

• Yahoo and Microsoft agree to Truce…Or, “Yahoo Gives In to Microsoft, Gives Up on Search”

• AT&T Blocks 4Chan

• The President’s Safe House Location Leaked by P2P

• Researchers at DefCon Release WiFi Vulnerability to Install Malware

• Windows 7 Ultimate Activation Cracked Months Before Release
  

WinFail: You’ve Been iJacked

At Black Hat in Vegas a new iPhone Hack was released that brings vulnerability to SMS…Not so dangerous (more).

…meanwwhile at the iHall of Justice, its revealed this week that the iPhone’s security is not even close to being hack proof (more).

Apple responds by saying Jailbreaking is a threat to National Security (more).  Or pulls the old magician trick of saying, “HEY! Look over here, not at the trick!”

Feature: Open Source

Open source is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software’s source code. Some consider open source as one of various possible design approaches, while others consider it a critical strategic element of their operations. Before open source became widely adopted, developers and producers used a variety of phrases to describe the concept; the term open source gained popularity with the rise of the Internet, which provided access to diverse production models, communication paths, and interactive communities.

From Wikipedia.  So what are some of the best open source alternatives to pay software?

• Photoshop → The Gimp: Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program ) Gimpshop. It’s a great program for middle-of-the-road users that just need a graphics editing application with more user power.
  • Available at gimpshop.com
  

• Microsoft Office → Open Office from Sun Microsystems: OpenOffice.org 3 is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers.
  • Available from openoffice.org
  

• iTunes → Songbird: Its no secret that while iTunes may hold a majority market share when it comes to digital music, the software can often be clunky and bloated when running on a Windows machine.  Luckily the same folks who bring us our favorite web browser, Firefox, are there with an alternative in Songbird.  Its supports hundreds of plugins making it the perfect personalize-able (yeah I made that one up) music library organizer/player.

  • Available from GetSongbird.com
  

• Windows Media Player → VLC Media Player: We’ve talked about this one before.  Simply put, if you watch alot of videos on your computer, this is a must have.  VLC will not only handle all of your basic video encodings, but we have yet to find a generally used encoding it won’t work with.

  • Available from videolan.org
  

• Windows → Linux, more specifically Ubuntu: There are many reasons to at least give Linux a try, one of the biggest is the price that is charged by Microsoft for Windows.  Tux Magazine has a great Top 10 List of reasons to try Linux.  For the average user, we reccomend you give Ubuntu a try through Wubi, which will guide you through the installation process, and will not disrupt your current Windows installation.

  • Available through Wubi-Installer.org

Calls

• Mary in Gwinn is having problems getting her older printer to run with Windows Vista.
  • This is caused through there not being a currently supported driver already installed in Vista.  To fix make sure that your computer has all the latest updates, and try checking the printer manufacturer’s website specifically for Vista drivers for your model.
• Mary in Ishpeming wants to be able to view and print .pdf files.
  • .PDF files (or Portable Document Format) are files that need specific software to read.  Typically you can use Adobe Reader to view and print these, or for a lighter weight version try Foxit Reader (Just be careful to not install the bundled toolbar, or to reset you default search engine).  Both are free downloads, but will not allow for creating or editing.

Sure you can get computers on the cheap online or from Big Blue, but is it worth it? What exactly are you getting in that low ticket price? And how much more do you get when buying locally?

Also, its Back-Up Saturday.  Its the  last Saturday of the month, and time to back up all those irreplaceable files on your computer.  We go over these issues and more in Episode 18 of Computer 911 with Pc Medic.

In The News

• Running AVG and iTunes? You Could Be in for a Rough Morning
  • If you get this problem make sure you do NOT quarantine the iTunes files (iTunes.dll, or iTunesRegistry.dll).  If you do it will break your iTunes.
  • Add an exception to AVG following the instructions from AVG’s website.
  • Possibly consider installing a new antivirus such as Avira.  Making sure to download Avira then completely uninstall AVG (yes restart too) before installing it.

• Amazon Buys its Budding Competition in Zappos

• PC Mag Reports 802.11 N Should be Complete by September

• Palm Goes Into Quiet Warfare with Apple

• In Honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, PC World Presents 10 Apollo-Era Technologies Still Used.

WinFail

Microsoft announces that they will be releasing an update outside of their usual cycle this coming Tuesday to address yet another security hole in Internet Explorer.  Usually Microsoft releases Windows Updates on the 2nd Tuesday of the month (that’s that little yellow shield you see in you system tray near the clock), but the folks in Redmond have pushed this one out early as they hope to patch up flaws in IE 6, 7, and 8!  So make sure you install your updates, or just make the switch to FireFox.

Feature: Why Buy Local?

We hear it all the time.  From fruit to fedoras, the phrase of the year is becoming, “buy local.”  And while there can be obvious advantages towards buying your produce locally, what are the advantages of purchasing a new computer locally?

• Your local shop will often, if not always provide you with an included warranty.  Unlike Dell, or other big shops that require you to purchase one.  We will include a 3 year warranty out of the gate.
• The knowledge base can often be nonexistent when it comes to your questions about your machine.
• Local shops will work with you when it comes to future upgrades and trade-ins.

Totally Free Download: Microsoft SyncToy

• Synchronize the contents of two folders, either across your home network or on the same PC.

• Great for sync’ing files from your desktop to a USB drive or between two different computers on your home network

Tech Tip

• Got a bad password?  Try out The Password Meter

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-bbc8a61ea34b590ed7d77d7a499cf2b5}

How hard is it to buy a new laptop on a budget? What should you look for when making the purchase?  And what the heck is the difference between storage and memory?  Its all in episode 17 of Computer 911.

In The News

• Web Developers Call for the END of Internet Explorer 6 and The State Department urges Clinton to use Firefox

• Is The Pirate Bay the New Napster?

• A Verizon iPhone Could Spell B-I-G Trouble for AT&T

• Microsoft Claims Apple Called for “Laptop Hunters” Ads to be Pulled
  

Feature: Laptop Buying 101

The “Laptop Hunter” ads from Microsoft point out the fact that Macbooks are quite pricey, but how hard is it to get a new laptop that will do everything you need it to for under $1000?  Scott will be back here this week with a full Laptop Buying Guide, but for now, we look at the basics

• Decide what you need this laptop for.  Is it for web surfing and email, or are you going to be doing graphic work?  Knowing what you want your laptop to do for your before purchasing can save you frustration down the road when you realize that you either bought too much or too little computer power.
• Storage.  How much?  We reccomend 160GB minimum with 200GB+ being ideal.  For Memory or RAM, 2GB min.  Your maximum is dependent on your system, so research your model.
• For your processor, AMD can be just as good as Intel.  Do not feel like you are getting bargain basement Laptop “Brain” just because you haven’t seen TV ads featuring dancing lab techs for AMD
• Screen Size…bigger IS better.  Just be aware that the larger the screen, the more juice is pulled from your battery.
• And as always, look for a warranty, and know exactly what is covered.

Totally Free Download: Belarc Advisor

• The Belarc Advisor builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser. All of your PC profile information is kept private on your PC and is not sent to any web server.
• This is a great tool for learning about the hardware in your computer, and for archiving your product keys for software.
  

Calls

• Bill at Pomp’s in Marquette asks, what is Firefox?  Mozilla Firefox is another brand of web browser, similar to Internet Explorer.  It is free, faster, more secure, and more compatible with modern websites than its Microsoft counterpart.  With a full library of themes and add-ons, this is a program that is worth a test drive.  Available at Mozilla.org
  

• Mark in Ishpeming is having issues with his ATI Video card.  To fix this, go through the control panel and uninstall all ATI programs.  Before restarting, go to the ATI’s website and download the latest version of software for your particular card (find out which card by looking in your computer’s manual, or with our Totally Free Download mentioned above).  After you have the files, restart the computer and install the new software.

• Betty from Gwinn is getting the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD), a blue screen with white letters that comes before a computer crash, after a recent Windows Update.  Often BSODs are caused by hardware failure, but since this came after an update its most likely cause by a software compatibility issue.  Try booting into Safe Mode by holding down the F8 key when turning on your computer.  Once in try to use System Restore to roll back to a date before the update.

In The News

• Google Announces Chrome OS
• Cyber Attacks hit The U.S. and South Korea
• The Pirate Bay Founders Sail On

Feature: Digital Photography – Pricing, Shooting, and Sharing

There is so much information out there when it comes to digital cameras, for the most comprehensive source of information check out Pxl Shots.com

For sharing purposes, if you are going for professionalism I recommend you go with Flickr.  It has many features that will make your hobby into a profession, but for a premium price.  Flickr also allows for the ordering of prints!

If you want to share with your family and friends, and DON’T want to pay anything, Facebook has really upped the ante’ when it comes to sharing photos.

Totally Free Download: VLC 10

• The VLC Media Player will play nearly any video file you can throw at it.
• Its free and easy to use

Calls

• D ave wants to know how to convert 3GP videos from his phone to playback on his computer.  Two options are to try out playing it in VLC, however this will not solve the issue if he wants to share that video with others.  Try downloading a previous Totally Free Download: Any Video Converter
• He would also like to know why he can’t view certain webpages after “upgrading” to Internet Explorer 8.  This incompatability can arrise when a website’s servers don’t upgrade with your web browser.  IE8 tends to have a lower compatability ration as well.  We reccomend he download the latest version of Mozilla Firefox to resolve his views.