Data Doctors Tech Tips

It's summer time, which means you'll be dancing in the streets or twisting by the pool with this tech tip. If you're like me, having music wherever you go is a must, so finding a Bluetooth speaker that fits my lifestyle is an ongoing pursuit and I've found a winner. The Boom Swimmer waterproof speaker is without question my favorite audio gadget, because it's extremely flexible in how you use it and it sounds great! The Swimmer comes with a rubber tail that allows you to wrap it around anything to provide sound just about anywhere. The possibilities are endless: shower heads, handlebars, backpacks and the list goes on. It also comes has an optional suction cup mount, so you can slap it on most flat surfaces which also serves to enhance the bass as well. This awesome speaker isn't just water resistant, it's waterproof, so if it falls into the pool or gets soaked when someone does a gainer, it just keeps on booming. For around $50, the Boom Swimmer Waterproof Speaker is a summer must have gadget for music lovers. http://www.boommovement.com/shop/swimmer

If you feel like you're living your life on e-mail these days, you're not alone. One of the biggest time wasters for all of us, is replying to multiple messages with the same response, when they are spread throughout the day. Here's an awesome tip for Gmail users! There is a free add-on that you can activate called Canned Responses that can save you tons of time. Just turn it on and you'll be able to copy any chunk of text and make it a canned response that can then be used in any message with just a few mouse clicks! It eliminates the need to copy/paste any text, phrases or signatures that you use on a regular basis, when you're responding to or composing messages. This tool is part of the experimental ones that Google makes available via the Labs program, which is setup in Gmail's Settings menu. The link for step-by-step instructions on turning on this incredibly useful feature is posted at DataDoctors.com/radio. http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Canned-Responses-in-Gmail

Phishing scams are behind many of the major breaches you hear about these days because cyber theives need only to compromise one computer on a secured network to execute their malicious activities. The sophistication of today's phishing scams can fool even the most tech savvy amongst us, so remembering to use the hover trick can help sniff them out. Whenever you see a link is included, simply hover the mouse over the link to see where it's trying to take you. Sometimes the destination address may not pop up, so make sure to look at the bottom left corner of the program you're in to see the actual link address appears there. Any time the displayed link doesn't match the hover results, you should consider it to be a phishing scam. If you want to improve your phishing scam detection skills, there's a phishing quiz site that will determine if you can detect a phishing scam from a legitimate message. I've posted the link at DataDoctors.com/radio https://www.opendns.com/phishing-quiz

IOT or the Internet of Things was certainly one of the spotlights at this past Consumer Electronics Show as inexpensive connected devices were being shown by many. Wireless sensor tags in particular are interesting, because they allow for the monitoring of your location through motion, temperature and even humidity, not just video. Many of these devices are really inexpensive which allows you to monitor everything from a garage door opening and closing to a refrigerator door's movement so you can be alerted whenever the fridge is being raided. These small sensors work with apps on your smartphone to alert you to just about anything that you'll want to monitor in your home. While motion sensing is helpful, monitoring things like moisture levels can alert you when you have a leak in real time. The great thing about using sensors that monitor everything you care about, is that they range in price from only 20 to 70 dollars. Wireless tags can really step up your home security so if you want to learn more, checkout http://wirelesstag.net

Our smartphones are pretty safe from downloading malicious apps as long as we don't jailbreak our devices and only get apps from the associated app stores, like Google Play and Apple's App Store. Jailbreaking an iPhone or rooting an Android phone allows you to remove the controls put in place by the device but should only be by tech savvy users. Unfortunately, a new scam is in circulation that can sneak malicious apps into your device, even if you haven't bypassed the security controls by jailbreaking it. The scam appears as slickly crafted text message or email with a convincing link to download the app. If you fall for the scam and click the link, it can lead to having a non-jailbroken iPhones or unrooted Android phone compromised. With this in mind, we should all adapt the following mantra: If I didn't go looking for it, I won't install it. Cyber-theives have been able to create some pretty convincing messages that often appear to be from a trusted resource via a hacked account, so be on the alert. For a little extra protection from malicious apps, consider using this free mobile security app from http://lookout.com

The wireless router in your home is the primary line of defense against common threats, because it blocks the outside world from gaining access to your computers. If you haven't addressed this major security issue by changing the administrative password that came as the default, you're at risk. Now, I'm not referring to the WiFi password that allows you to connect, I'm talking about the administrative username and password which will allows for full control over your router. Hackers know the default password for every piece of equipment available through resources such as http://RouterPasswords.com with which to attack you. A group of security researchers have discovered a new type of attack that uses rigged e-mail messages which can allow thieves to sneak into routers if you're still using the default login credentials. Once they get in, there's very little they can't do because they can change the configuration so that they can monitor all your activity and grab your credentials for any of your online accounts without you knowing it. This is one of those threats that your security software has now way of protect you if you click on the malicious link. The best protection against this threat is to change the default password; if you don't know how to do it, get some help!

Your smartphone has likely become your go-to music and navigation system in your car. Placing your phone in the proper place is so much safer than fumbling about while you're car is in motion. A safer option for properly positioning your phone on your dash can be found at Kenu.com. The Kenu AirFrame is a lightweight holder that just clips to most air vents in your car's dash providing a better line of sight for your screen. You don't have to use adhesives, suction cups, magnets or special cases with the AirFrame and it can accommodate any size phone even if it's in a case. The units range from $25 to $39 depending upon the size of your smartphone. You can check them out at http://Kenu.com; that's spelled K E N U.com Just remember, when you're blowing hot air through the vents in the winter, it could overheat your smartphone, so you should avoid using it those situations. And most of all, no texting while driving!

If you or someone you know has a rental property or rents a place from a private individual, today's tech tip is for you. Whether you're the renter or the property owner, if you're still collecting or paying rent by check method, you know how inconvenient it can be for either side. Well a website called Cozy can make this regular process much easier. For landlords, it only takes a few minutes to register your rental property and banking info so that your renter can start paying you online. For tenants with roommates, the pain of splitting the rent payments is a snap, so no one has to play the chase the roommates for the rent game any more. While all that sounds great, the best part is that there's no fee to use Cozy because it's free for both the renter and the property owner. They even have lots of other features for property owners, like online rental apps, renter screening tools and can list your rental on their online network. If this sounds like a dream come true, checkout http://Cozy.co to learn more.

We all rely on our smartphones so much every day and if the battery goes dead or we suddenly can't find our phone, panic mode sets in instantly. An app called Hotel My Phone from a small startup in Canada is offering a potential solution to this all too common problem. Think of it as AirBnB for smartphones, because you can grab a friend or spouse's phone and get full access to your contacts as well as make and take calls as if was your phone. It's designed to be used with people you know by having trusted people install the app on their phones which creates a 'trusted network' which allows anyone in the group to borrow anyone else's phone in an emergency. If the batter on your phone dies just as you/re expecting a critical call or text, having Hotel My Phone setup on your spouse's phone could save the day. There can be charges for communication outside of your trusted network, but in network calls and messages are free. You can checkout all the details at http://HotelMyPhone.com

Helping out charitable organizations with a donation shouldn't happen only after we hear about a horrible tragedy somewhere in the world. That's the thought process behind an app from Google called One Today. One Today presents a different non-profit each day by explaining their primary goals and makes it really simple to donate a small amount if you'd like to help them. In addition, you can setup matched donations to get your friends and family to help generate donations or use the Pay-it-Forward option to increase the donation total from your circle. When you choose to donate to various causes, you can pay it in a lump sum as it builds and when it reaches $250, you'll get a tax deduction receipt from Google. You know how helping others makes you feel and the One Today app can provide that feeling on a daily basis. Think about the real impact that a couple million people can make by donating one dollar a day! Get started today at: https://onetoday.google.com