The Latest Gadgets for Your Technophobic Mother

Have you found the perfect gift for your Mom this holiday season? If you are tired of giving her the usual gifts, why not introduce her to the latest gadgets out there. I know most mothers are technophobic, mine is. But with the gadgets we have compiled, I'm sure your Mom won't be able to resist.

1. iPad Mini with Retina Display

Apple's iPad mini with Retina display may be a pricier than its competitors but nothing beats its sleek and sophisticated exterior. With its slim bezel and tough aluminum finish, it never looked better. iPad mini with Retina display is not all looks. It is packed with a lot of power for such a small package. It is super portable and user friendly, so Mom won't have any problems in using it for emails, photos and videos, web browsing, consulting digital cookbooks and reading ebooks and magazines.

2. Garmin nüvi 2555 GPS

Smartphones nowadays can be used as GPS by simply installing apps. However, some people still prefer the old-fashioned GPS unit for their cars. The Garmin nüvi 2555 GPS is the perfect GPS for mothers out there. It has large text, clear graphics, and voice control, which makes it very easy for anyone, even technophobic Moms, to operate.

3. Hamilton Beach Voice-Controlled Coffee Maker

The new Hamilton Beach Voice-Controlled Coffee Maker is void of a lot of buttons that Moms don't want to fiddle with. All she needs to do is tell the coffee maker what to do to have freshly brewed coffee anytime she wants. Isn't that cool?

4. Kindle Paperwhite

If your Mom is one of those bookworms, Kindle Paperwhite is the perfect gift for her. The Kindle Paperwhite has a brighter, crisper display that looks more like the printed page. It has a built-in LED light that illuminates the page without shining outward like a computer screen so it will not strain your eyes when you read in bed.

5. VuPoint Compact iPhone Photo Printer

Moms love having pictures of their loved ones displayed everywhere. But with the smartphone invasion, photos nowadays are stored either on our phones or on our computers. With the VuPoint Compact iPhone Photo Printer, she can now have printed copies of those memorable moments with the family. All there is to do is dock the iPhone and voila! No more complicated cables and computers.

6. Kodak Pulse 10" Digital Photo Frame

For those photos Mom can no longer print, she can always load the most memorable shots into the Kodak Pulse 10" Digital Photo Frame for her to enjoy. She can load the photos using USB cables or SD cards. But if she does not want to fidget with those, she can always load them through the Internet by emailing the pictures directly from a phone.

7. Logitech C615 HD Webcam

Moms love to keep their children close to home. But we all know that once the kids move out and have a life of their own, visiting Mom won't be as often as she may want. An alternative for that will be through the use of a webcam to help you keep in touch with your loved ones. The Logitech C615 HD Webcam will let you Skype and have video chat with your family and friends in high-definition, it's like you're just next door.

8. Qooq Touch Kitchen Tablet

If your Mom loves to cook, Qooq Touch Kitchen Tablet is the perfect gift for her. It is loaded with 1,000 recipes that are searchable by ingredient. It also has videos that show exactly how each recipe should look like.

9. Tagg GPS Pet Tracker

Who does not love pets? They are cute and adorable, and they keep you company especially when all the kids move out. But there are times when your pets may wander off. Fortunately, there is a GPS-powered collar, Tagg GPS Pet Tracker, which will virtually track the location of your beloved pet when they stray from your Tagg zone. The pet tracker will alert you by email or text message, so you can find your pet on a web-based map. It is durable and waterproof, so even the most obnoxious pet won't be able to ruin it.

10. Mophie Juice Pack Helium for iPhone

These bright, ultra-thin battery case not only protect your iPhone, they can charge it with up to 80% extra battery life. Moms out there will surely love these.

Sources: 

www.esquire.com

www.apple.com

www.oprah.com

Improving PC Performance: Selecting a Good Computer Optimization Company

People nowadays have realized the importance of computers in the current generation. That is why it is very important for you to have a computer that is running at optimum performance. However, the majority of computer users have no basic knowledge of how to go about improving PC performance through optimization.

Optimization is the process of improving the performance of a specific computer system, may it be a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone by using hardware tuning and operating system-related settings adjustment either directly or through software such as a disk defragmentation.

Other optimization tasks may include system and hard drive scanning, removing unnecessary files, cookies, and website caches, disk cleanups, optimizing the web browser and using automatic system updates, disk defragmentation, installing top quality and properly updated anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware, and firewall programs.

A few small steps toward good computer maintenance can extend a computer’s shelf life and ease your finances. Regular care and maintenance of your computer, just like getting an oil change for your car, will greatly increase your PC’s productivity.

However, not everyone is cut out to be a mechanic, let alone an IT pro. Tinkering with the computer system may cause more harm than good if you do not know what you are doing.

You can search for a company that provides computer optimization with the best services to keep your computer at its best condition. In selecting, look for a company that provides an extensive range of support services that can help keep your computers, networks, and other hardware running at their best performance.

Key features of a company with outstanding support service:

§  Unlimited computer packages at affordable prices

§  Security procedures to keep your computer protected from virus threats

§  Taking out inconsistencies in your computer software applications

§  24/7 online and hotline support

§  Setup, installation, troubleshooting, and optimization services for desktops, laptops, peripheral devices, software applications, and connectivity

§  Effective support service regardless of brands

§  Delivered by experienced and certified licensed computer professionals

Services should be available 24/7, allowing you to have enough time in getting comprehensive support, and having the lowest waiting time and highest resolution rate in providing services.

Remember that an online tech support company cannot be seen physically even if there are pictures on the website.

However, what makes any company stand out as one of the best are these important factors that really matter to customers: Good Customer Service and Experienced and Professional Experts.

Expert is an important word for customers. It goes hand in hand with competence. If you want your car repaired by an expert mechanic, you would not want anything less for your computers. Simply put, experts on computer optimization should be the best in their fields. They should employ the best tech support experts in the industry today.

A Closer Look at Google Chromecast: How It Can Change Your Entertainment Experience

Chromecast is a digital media streaming adapter introduced by Google. It is user-friendly, even non-techie individuals will have no problem using it. All you have to do is plug it into your TV and then stream video and music from apps running on your iPhone, Android device, or laptop. Chromecast itself has no remote so whatever device you’re streaming from, acts as the remote. It has no user interface of its own. Rather, it’s got a single screen, which appears when nothing is being streamed, that shows the time and whether or not it’s connected to a Wi-Fi network. Chromecast is a wireless portal to your TV, and doesn’t try to be anything more.

Image Source: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromecast/#netflix

A Box of Surprises

Surprise 1: The Price

Chromecast only costs $35. According to Google, they’re not selling them at a loss even after accounting for the Wi-Fi chip, the CPU, 2GB of flash memory, the RAM, licensing the right to use HDMI, assembly, packaging, and shipping them to the States. Somehow Google is probably making money selling these things with a profit margin of four cents.

Surprise 2: Easy Setup

Setup is really easy. All you have to do is plug it into an HDMI port, give it some power through the USB, which most new TV’s have, then run the Chromecast app on any computer to connect the app to the Wi-Fi network.

Surprise 3: App Compatibility

Chromecast is compatible with most notable online video apps, including Netflix and YouTube. There is no need to update the apps. There’s even an extension for Chrome that drastically expands the functionality of the device.

Surprise 4: The Chromecast Announcement Was a Complete Surprise

Google managed to keep Chromecast a secret until just before its intended debut, even with outside parties involved like Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube for purposes of compatibility.

Video Streaming Quality

Video streaming quality is quite good and is similar to Xbox 360 or Apple TV, particularly when pulling from an app or website that’s been tailored for compatibility like Netflix or Google Play.

If you’re using Chromecast on your laptop to project from an incompatible video site like Hulu or HBOGO, video quality can become a bit dumped depending on your setup. The problem may be your laptop that acts as a middle man to encode the video signal and broadcasts it to Chromecast. Incompatible sites normally send video straight to the source.

The app even has the ability to stream local videos from your laptop to Chromecast. Just drag a video into Chrome and it’ll start playing in a new tab. You can stream legitimate videos without bringing any other software into the mix. It even works well with AVI and MKV formats.

Cross-platform compatibility is good when using Chromecast with both Android and iOS. This is because Google has more freedom on the platform. For instance, Chromecast can take priority over the lockscreen of an Android device and allows the user to play/pause/skip a video without having to fully unlock their device.

(Silly) Computer Boot Up Problems and How to Fix Them

Image source: debspoons / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

People who use a computer every day whether at work or at home will most likely encounter some sort of computer problem one way or another. Some of these problems will come from booting or turning on the computer. However, most of us (especially the not-so-tech-savvy-ones) will encounter problems that will leave us feeling somewhat… silly.

What are these usual problems encountered when booting a computer?

Electrical Error

Electrical error is one of the top causes of computer boot up problems, hands down. Often (yes, often!), the electrical problem is nothing more than you forgetting to plug the computer into the wall. People often forget that they unplugged the computer before they went to bed, during a storm, or perhaps the kids just fooled around and the cord accidentally got unplugged. Another reason (a more embarrassing one) is that you failed to notice that your wall socket or extension cord has a built-in on/off switch. This switch is often ignored because it’s always left on. However, it may have somehow been switched off, so check this out.

Furthermore, if you live in an older house (around 1970’s and earlier), you might need to check the circuit breaker or fuse box to make sure the plug for your computer has power and you’re not experiencing real electrical problems.

Power Supply is Dead

Closely related to the above; if your computer power supply dies, there’s not much you can do. One way to know this is by pressing the power button and the computer makes no noise and the lights don’t flash. If you’re sure you have no electrical problems, then you have a dead power supply that needs replacement.

Monitor is Dead

No electrical problems, no power supply problems, and all the lights and sounds are there. But, your monitor is dead blank. Computer monitors have a small light to indicate that they’re turned on. If the light isn't on, make sure your monitor is connected to your computer. Cords can unexpectedly come unplugged. Before blaming the two problems above, it might be wise to check your monitor first. If you have an extra monitor, or if you can borrow another, use that and boot your computer. If it works, then your monitor needs to be replaced.

Bad Disk Drive

If your main drive is dead, your computer won't be able to read the operating system, such as Windows, because your OS is stored in the main hard drive. The computer will start booting and then stop. You’ll get a displayed helpful error message or a cryptic error code. If you’re not tech-savvy or just not into techie stuff, then you need someone to fix the boot sector of your hard drive. Either that, or you need a new hard drive and reinstall Windows. A more minor fix is to simply recover all your data and reformat your drive.

Disconnected Hardware

Disconnected hardware is a frequently ignored problem. This happens when parts inside the computer aren't fully screwed or pushed in. When you move your desktop computer around while cleaning or moving to another room, the parts loosen up. They don’t fall out, but they’re loose enough that they don’t work. This might happen to your computer memory (RAM) or the graphics card. If you are able to, open the computer case, disconnect the power, and gently push in every removable part and cord. Hopefully, this might fix the problem.

If you've had unique problems when booting the computer, no matter how silly, we’d love to hear from you. Please do send us your experiences.

Speeding Up Your Computer's Performance Through PC Optimization

Image Source: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

PC optimization is a means to improve the performance of a computer system through hardware tuning, operating system settings adjustment, or through the use of computer system optimization software.

All computers may experience declining performance as time goes by due to wear and tear. Depending on your computer's specifications, you may notice that after some time, it will run slower than it used to. You may find yourself waiting anywhere between 30 seconds to several minutes for your PC to turn on.

And since most of us use computers for our day to day activities especially at work, the wasted time due to the computer’s slow performance will greatly affect the daily productivity. However, there are ways to speed up your computer’s performance. One of these is PC optimization.

Sometimes called PC tune-up, PC optimization services cover:

·         Registry investigation

·         Blocking sites on your browser

·         Hard disk management

·         Computer hardware and peripheral installation to improve memory and virtual memory usage

·         ISP troubleshooting and bandwidth management

·         PC diagnostics

·         Power management

·         Execution time

·         Adding user accounts and password

Check the PC Setup Program

Your PC's hardware can keep you waiting for a while before Windows has a chance to start. You can reduce the delay by changing a few settings in your PC Setup program.

Check for Viruses, Spyware, Adware, and Malware

Hidden malicious or annoying programs often load at system start-up, slowing down the process. Get rid of them by scanning for viruses regularly. If you don't have antivirus and spyware utilities, you are living dangerously.

Get Rid of Unneeded Start-Up Programs

In most Windows OS you can see what programs load at start-up by going to Start, Run, typing msconfig, and clicking OK.

Tune Up Registry

Programs like RegClean can sweep out defunct hardware and software settings that can clog up your Registry. For this and the unneeded start-up programs, you might need professional technical support.

Defragment Your Hard Drive

Your hard drive doesn't always save a file in one place. Instead, it saves parts of the file in different places where there's free space. Use Disk Defragmenter on each of your drives to make those files contiguous, improving both start-up and overall Windows performance.

Let us know your experiences with PC optimization in the comments section.