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A New Way to Find Your Way – Google Maps
From the bright minds working at Google comes another fantastic innovation. Google Maps, currently in Beta, enables users to access location info, maps, and directions to a variety of places based on the search terms.
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For instance, if you’re traveling to Des Moines and would like to find a pizzeria close to your hotel, skip to Google Maps and search “Pizzeria 50301” and you’ll find info on Papa’s Pizzeria, including the phone number, address, and link to the website.
Currently, Google Maps is available for only a handful of browsers:
Firefox 0.8+ (Mac and Windows)
Netscape 7.1+ (Mac and Windows)
Mozilla 1.4+ (Mac and Windows)
InternetExplorer 5.5+ (Windows only)
If you do not have one of the above browsers, visit Google Maps and you’ll find links to the browsers downloads. http://maps.google.com/maps
Security for Windows PC Users
The Security Baseline - The Minimum You Need for Safe Computing
- Taken from www.WindowsSecrets.com
Every PC needs the following six components for protection against hacker attacks, both from the Internet and from within your company or home. In each issue, starting today, this new section will summarize the products top-rated by trusted reviewers.
1. Hardware firewall. For wired home and small-office networking, the 8-port Linksys BEFSR81 router ($80 USD) is rated "the best of our testing" by Extreme Tech. For wireless networking, the new Belkin Wireless Pre-N router ($150) is currently highest-rated at CNET.
2. Software firewall. Often called a "personal firewall," ZoneAlarm Pro ($40) is number one according to several testers, including TopTenReviews.com and PC World's Best of 2004.
3. Antivirus. Trend Micro's PC-cillin Internet Security 2005 antivirus suite ($50), which includes a personal firewall, recently won head-to-head comparisons in PC World and CNET.
4. Antispam. Cloudmark Safetybar ($40, formerly SpamNet) is rated a Best Buy by PC World and Editors' Choice by PC Magazine.
5. Anti-adware. Giant AntiSpyware or Microsoft AntiSpyware beta, Webroot Spy Sweeper, CWShredder (use all; free or optional registration). See article above.
6. Update management. Without naming a winner (because update software is highly related to your network's size), a wide-ranging buyer's guide to patch-management software was published in the Oct. 2004 Windows IT Pro magazine.
The Guru's Gadgets – Solio
Even though I am the Gadget Guru, it is extremely rare that I discover a new gadget that impresses me to such a degree that I put down my cash on the spot as soon as I try it without so much as a web review. The Solio from Better Energy Systems was that gadget.
http://www.solio.com
I discovered Solio at MacWorld Expo 2005 in a small, out-of-the-way booth. The crowd at the booth was several layers deep day-after-day until they sold out completely - which was long before the show was over. For such a small, no-name company with a product that is neither a computer, peripheral or software, Solio was a huge hit.
Solio is an external battery pack and recharger for a variety of personal electronics. It is small, about the size of a desktop computer mouse, and can store a full charge for about six months. My Solio has connectors for iPod and most mobile phones, but connectors for Gameboy and most PDAs are also available.
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Even if battery backup were all that it did, I would be impressed with this nice little gadget. However, Solio's main function is to recharge from sunlight!
Read More...
The Guru's Gadgets – iPod photo
It’s the next big thing in wallet photos.
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For me, getting it wasn't really about the pictures. I wanted high capacity. The color, high-resolution screen was the capper. The iPod photo is simply too cool not to use its full capabilities. Within a matter of weeks I had over 3,000 photos loaded. It completely reinvigorated my interest in iPhoto and my digital camera!
In case you aren't aware, the iPod is much more than a portable music player. It is a Firewire hard drive that can boot most Macs. It is a PDA capable of storing and viewing calendars, contacts, and files. The stunning variety of free and inexpensive third-party software lets you take web sites, news headlines, weather, movie times, email, Stickies, and more with you, wherever you go.
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