Determining If a Tablet PC Is Right For You

Do you need a tablet PC?

Tablet PCs are a highly mobile, easy-to-use computing solution for people who spend a lot of time away from their desks – and an equal amount of time inputting field notes, signed paperwork, and other documents into their computers.

 

A tablet PC allows you to input information directly through the screen using a digital pen, or “stylus”; some models also come equipped with a regular keyboard. It’s a simple way of interacting that can take a lot of labor out of repetitive tasks.

 

For example, many doctor’s and dentist’s offices use tablet PCs to make it easier for patients to fill out and sign routine forms. It cuts down on paper use and data entry, thus minimizing the risk that it will be input correctly.

 

You might also find tablet PCs in frequent use on construction sites, where more rugged models allow people overseeing operations to communicate easily and make instant changes to invoices, work orders, and supply lists.

 

Or if you’re in an industry where you or your clients have to sign and send a lot of faxes – think insurance, real estate or legal – you can radically simplify your workday with a tablet PC, which you can set up to receive a fax via email, sign using the stylus, and send back through email.

 

The Dell Latitude XT is one of the thinnest 12.1” convertible (that means it has both a touchscreen and a keyboard) tablets available. It’s versatile, easy to use, and can help make you a lot more productive. Contact us for discounted pricing on tablet PCs.

 

Find Out Who's Talking About You on the Web

Use Google Alerts to Find Out When and Where You're Mentioned on the Web

The folks at Google have invented a lot of useful features to their world-famous search engine. One very handy tool for tracking where you’ve been mentioned on the Web is Google Alerts.

 

With Google Alerts, you’ll receive periodic email notifications (once a day, once a week, or in real time) when search terms you monitor appear on the Web or in the news. This helps you stay on top of what people are saying about you or your company -- and what they’re saying about your competition or other areas of interest.

 

Creating a Google Alert is easy: go to google.com/alerts. On the form that appears, fill out the required fields and select some options from a few drop-downs. That's it! You're ready to go, and your requested notifications will soon start arriving in your inbox.

Say your company is called Hot Dog Industries. Here’s how you’d set up an alert:

By selecting "Comprehensive," you’ll find every mention in the news, on the Web, in blogs, in videos, and in Google Groups discussions.

 

John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing has some recommendations for refining Google Alerts to track different search parameters. Check them out here.

 

Making Web Browsing Faster and Easier with RSS Feeds

Use RSS Feeds to Get All Your News
in One Place

 

If you have to visit a number of news sources and blogs every day for research or to stay on top of the news, you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed. Instead of spending a lot of time clicking around to individual sites looking for fresh content, take advantage of an easier option: RSS feeds.

 

RSS, or "really simple syndication," is a technology that aggregates Web content and dumps it into a single, simple interface (called a feed reader) so that you can browse all the Web sites and blogs you're interested in – and whenever a new post or article is published, it automatically appears in your reader. (Of course, automatic doesn’t always mean instantaneous – there can be a time lag of between a few minutes and a few hours between the original publisher and your reader of choice.) In short, RSS feeds offer an easy way to stay on top of newly updated content without wasting hours surfing.

 

Different feed readers use different displays, but most of them feature some riff on the layout Microsoft made popular years ago with Outlook: a column showing a nested file tree on the left, with more detail on the right. For example, here's what the Google Reader looks like. Web sites are listed on the left, with article details on the right.

And here's a screenshot from a Bloglines feed. Again, publications are sorted into folders on the left, with detail on newly updated articles on the right.

 

 

 

If you have Outlook 2007, you can configure it to receive RSS feeds. Click here to find out how. Your RSS feeds appear in their own folder off the same branch as your Inbox, Sent Items, and other popular folders.

 

 

 

No matter which reader you use, you can subscribe to a particular publication's RSS feed by looking for this icon, usually at the bottom of a post or in a prominent spot like the sidebar or masthead:

 

The newest version of Internet Explorer looks for RSS feeds as soon as it loads a site; if a feed is available, that RSS icon in your Explorer toolbar will appear in color. Just click the icon to subscribe to the feed.

 

You can also subscribe to feeds by going into your reader, following the directions to add a feed, and entering in the URL of the feed you're interested in.

 

 

Fake UPS Email That Can Install Spyware on Your System

Don't Open That File! Steer Clear of Emails from 'UPS' about Undelivered Packages

 

If you've fallen for the latest email scam, you're not alone. Many people trained in good email practices and with a healthy suspicion of unknown senders have wound up with infected computers because of a fake UPS email that's making the rounds.

 

In this scam, the user gets a message from what looks like the UPS. The message claims that an attachment contains information about an undeliverable package. When the user opens the attached zip file, the file starts downloading trojans and spyware to their computer.

 

There are a few ways to combat this scam:

 

1. Most importantly, don't fall for it. The official UPS site makes it easy for you to track packages so that in the event you really are expecting a delivery, you can always go to their site and find out its status. And if you haven't ordered anything delivered via UPS -- junk that email.  The same principles apply for all sorts of email scams, whether it's a phony alert from a financial institution asking you for your bank account number or an email from a purported relative who doesn't seem to know your name.  Be skeptical.  Avoid or delete on receipt any email that is not personalized with your information, is from an unknown recipient, or asks for your personal data.  Any email from an unknown sender, and even email from a family member if it comes with an attachment, should be validated before you open it.  Attachments with file extensions .exe and .vbs are especially dangerous, but of late not even a .pdf can be trusted.

 

2. Make sure you have anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed and all your definitions updated. A good program will scan every email, every attachment, and everything you download off the web, providing several stop points to avoid downloading a virus.  Products and  update frequencies vary widely, so please do your research or call us if you have questions.

 

3. Run your virus scan. Then run it again. You may have to run a full scan and removal several times before your system is truly clean.