Tips, guides, and reviews about software, web apps, technology, mobile phones, and computers.

  • Microsoft Small Business Server 2011: A Techie’s First Impressions

    Microsoft’s Small Business Server features prominently in my life as an IT consultant. Its combination of Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint at a low price-point makes it a compelling proposition for smaller firms. Dislike of Windows Vista has resulted in many of my clients continuing to maintain systems running SBS 2003 and Windows XP.…

  • Is using Apple’s Cards app too impersonal?

    Apple recently came out with Cards, an iOS app that allows you to create and customize real greeting cards and send them out to your loved ones for only $2.99 per card, all of which happens through the app. Apple completely takes care of the postage, prints the cards out, and then snail-mails them for…

  • Will there really be a future for Smart Watches?

    Will there really be a future for Smart Watches?

    The smartwatch is a fairly new concept but has, so far, failed to take off in a mainstream way. And with good reason. At worst, they are utterly pointless, and at best, just a stopgap filling the void before something better and with a longer shelf-life is released. Or perhaps I’m alone in thinking this…

  • Easel.ly lets you create HTML5 infographics for free

    Infographics have become an incredibly popular way to convey statistics and information nowadays — almost too popular it seems, but there’s really no better way to display such statistics in a visually appealing way. If you’ve always wanted to create your own, but never wanted to bother to make one entirely from scratch, Easel.ly is…

  • 8 Best Mobile Android Apps for Bloggers

    If you are a blogger and cannot be bothered being tied to only laptops and desktops to do your writing, consider these eight, highly useful Android apps to get work done while really on the go. WordPress The WordPress Android app works a lot better on tablets than smartphones because of the larger display, but…

  • Read up on warnings and risks before updating your Android OS

    With Android devices, it is very easy to fall two or three releases behind if you depend on your carrier to release new software. For me personally, I decided to update to the Honeycomb release on my Samsung Galaxy tablet in order to get the front-facing camera to work with Skype. It turned out to be…

  • Microsoft invests $300 million in Barnes & Noble; looks to spin off Nook business

    In what may be considered an interesting and somewhat odd move considering past events, Microsoft has announced that they will be investing $300 million into a “strategic partnership” with Barnes & Noble to work on the future of e-reading by creating a whole new subsidiary of Barnes & Noble that will focus on all things…

  • How to insert frequently written text on a Mac with TypeIt4Me

    Like many people, I find myself having to type the same bits of text many times throughout my working week. Various applications already have ways of reducing the labor involved in this. For example, email clients have auto-signatures and word processors have automatic text facilities. The Mac OS X operating system itself is strong when…

  • DD-WRT: Password Protect Your Status Page To Increase Network Security

    DD-WRT is an excellent firmware alternative for your network router, whether your router is used at home for at your business.  One of my favorite features of DD-WRT is the router status page, shown below.  The DD-WRT status page is very useful for looking at real-time information. This status page is shown by default when…

  • The Rise and Fall of Draw Something

    Not too long ago, Draw Something was a social-gaming phenomenon raking in 50 million downloads within the first 50 days of the game’s release. It even beat Words With Friends to become the most popular Facebook game at the time. Zynga (creators of FarmVille) even bought out developer OMGPOP (creaters of Draw Something) for $180…