Data Doctors Tech Tips

Getting a new computer is always a joy, until you realize that you'll have to spend a lot of time downloading and installing all the programs and utilities you need. Multiple browser programs and other Internet tools, file managers, video or audio players, Office programs and a long list of utilities are just the beginning of it takes to get a new computer functional. Most people forget about how many things they've installed over time that they count on until they're faced with these frustrating time wasting tasks. Whether you're a Mac or Windows user, I've got a better way the next time you have to deal with this. Windows users can go to a website called NiNite (that's N I N I T E.com) to gather all of the browsers, utilities and program they want installed in a single automatically run install package. If you get a new Mac computer, checkout GetMacApps.com to do the same. Business IT folks will really find these sites to be a huge time saver because you can quickly get all your computers setup with the same list of programs. Links: http://getmacapps.com and http://ninite.com

If your on a limited data plan with a low cap on your smartphone, minimizing your data usage whenever you can is critical. If you're constantly surfing without a WiFi connect, you should consider switching to the Opera Mini browser. Opera Mini has the ability to switch to off-road mode which will lower data usage while you're on your data network and it'll even show you your data savings as you use it. They accomplish this by using compression on their end before your phone actually starts downloading the websites which is how it uses less data as long as you're in off-road mode. If you're lucky, the compression might noticeably increase the speed of your Internet connection, especially if you're on the edge of your network. It can, however, cause irregularities on dynamic sites, which is why you want to be able to turn it off when you want. They also include their famous 'speed-dial' for your favorite links; it's a visual set of bookmarks that can be used as your start page. If you want to give Opera Mini a try, just point any of your mobile devices at m.opera.com, which will automatically bring up the proper app download link!

If you use Microsoft Word on a regular basis, you're likely familiar with something called 'macros' which allow you to work with large chunks of text that you may use regularly with time saving keyboard shortcuts. We're all spending more time on the Internet creating content, so having this type of capability in your browser can also come in handy. If you're like me and use Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word on occasion, checkout the free Auto Text Expander add-on for Google Chrome. You can create shortcuts for unwieldy e-mail addresses, sentences or other large chunks of text you often use and create various signatures for e-mail that you can easily insert with your own custom keystrokes. For instance, you can use 'bizadd' for a business address or 'persig' when you want to use a personal signature in e-mails or anything you use on a regular basis. The best part of this utility is that once you've created a shortcut, you can use it in any text field for everything you use on the Internet. Get it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/auto-text-expander-for-go/iibninhmiggehlcdolcilmhacighjamp

Although the Internet is loaded with kittens on a treadmill and a plethora of epic fail videos, it's also a truly amazing place to learn things if you can get past the mindless entertainment. A site called Learnist is taking an interesting approach to helping people learn and teach what they know. It's king of like learning meets Pinterest as it provides users with the ability to create boards of learning that others can engage in and follow. You can get insight and learning from others on everything from You can explore everything from art and design to technology and business at this site. If you want to teach others about something you know, You can even start your own board of learning and easily add to or update the content if you have knowledge that you want to share with others. After all, it's been said that the best way to learn something well is to teach it to someone else. If either of these scenarios sounds interesting, check it all out at http://learni.st

These days, all of your mobile electronic devices have the capability to take pictures, which generally includes a flash of some sort. Assuming that the flash is only for low lighting situations could be keeping you from getting great shots. Outdoor pictures that include people can often end up with harsh contrasts and major shadows, which can ruin the image. Both of these scenarios can often be fixed by using your flash, turning that unusable picture into a minor work of art. With the flash on your smartphone, you need to make sure you're close enough to make what is generally a weak flash effective in bright sunlight. On super bright days, try putting your subjects in a shaded area to eliminate squinting and use the flash to fill in the needed light. Knowing when to use your flash outdoors and when not to use it indoors can have a major impact on the quality of your pictures. The best way to know what works best with your cameras is to experiment before you're in a situation where you need everything to be perfect!

If cyber-thieves can access your e-mail account on your smartphone, they can get password reset messages sent to the phone from just about any of your online accounts in a matter of minutes. Today's phones are loaded with tons of sensitive information that make stealing your credentials very easy, so if you haven't setup an access pass code just yet, do it right away. Keeping this in mind when you plan on trading in, selling or getting rid of any smartphone; you have to make sure that you do a factory reset to get rid of you personal info. Getting your phone reset so it's a pristine as the day you got it is pretty easy to do and generally done via the Settings menus. Android users should also remember to either wipe or remove the expansion micro SD card before allowing the phone to leave your possession. Formatting the micros SD card is the best way to protect yourself if you're selling the phone with extra memory. The SIM card from your cellular provider should be removed as well, just for good measure as it won't be of any use to the next owner. For specific instructions on how to reset you phone, just use Google to search the word reset and your exact model number. I've posted additional instructions at: http://www.datadoctors.com/help/columns/21892-Wipe-Before-You-Get-Rid-Of-Your-Old-Smartphone/

Many of the legal documents or registration forms we deal with every day usually come in a universal file format known as a PDF file. But when you have to sign a document and send it back, you're usually printing the document, signing and scanning or faxing it in order to get it back to the sender. Dealing with forms that have spaces so small that it's hard to fill it out or sign is another common issue. Typing directly into the form is so much more efficient and it's easy to do with a site called PDFzen. PDFzen doesn't require you to install any software on your computer because it's all handled online. You simply upload your PDF document to the site to use any of their tools that include typing into it, highlighting text, drawing anywhere or signing the form and you can even add comments with just your web browser. What makes it even better is that it's also functional on your smartphone or tablet and there's nothing to sign up for or register to get started. PDFzen is one of those utilities that's a life saver when you need it.

If watching YouTube videos when you aren't online or if you like a music video and want to grab just the audio as an MP3 file are of interest, there's actually a simple way to do it. Of all the sites that are offering to provide this type of help, one of my favorites is a site called http://dirpy.com because you don't have to be a nerd to use it. All that's required is copying the YouTube video link from the video and pasting it into the Dirpy interface to get your options. If you just want the generate a music file, you just choose the audio quality and tap the download button. If you want more, like a complete video, you can select a low resolution to save space or high resolution to get a 720p copy of the video that you can watch whenever you want. Once you grab the video or audio that you desire, It'll be on your hard drive or you can transfer it to your mobile devices and for on demand viewing or listening. Dirpy is really useful if you're going on a long trip with young kids, because you can keep them entertained without a WiFi connection and it's free!

A friend recently asked me to help them find an online resource for setting appointments at their business, that eliminated all the runaround when using e-mail or the phone. He asked for something simple, preferably free and capable of allowing customers to pay online down the road. So I suggested a site called http://www.acuityscheduling.com If you're in a position that necessitates that you set appointments, using a resource that allows your customers to book their own appointments is really efficient and Acuity Scheduling could fit the bill. Although the basic service is free, if you require customization or want to take credit cards through the system, it'll cost you $10 to $20 a month. The simplicity and convenience of the site made getting things setup a snap and all they had to do was create a book an appointment link on their website. Acuity also syncs with popular many popular calendar apps, create group appointments and it automatically knows how to manage time zones.

Hackers have focused their attention on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook because they can leverage compromised accounts to wreak serious havoc on your network of friends. In most cases, they'll send malicious links to all your friends so they too can become victims using your account. We've repeatedly stressed that activating 'two factor authentication' is a solid method way to avoid becoming a victim even if someone discovers your username and password. By requiring two things to gain access to your account, two factor authentication prevents outside access to your account unless they can also steal your smartphone. Activating this option in online accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Gmail or any service that offers it, will cause a special code to be generated whenever anyone tries to access your account from a device that isn't recognized. Without that specific code, which is also time sensitive, the malicious user can't get in, even though they have both your username and password. It also becomes an early warning system for when your credentials are compromised, so turn it on today!