Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard for Your HTPC

There are some products which really surprise you. The Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard is one of them.

If you have a Home Theater PC (HTPC), you know that using a keyboard and mouse (or trackball) is far from the ideal way to control the system. Sure, you can go with wireless equipment, but the sheer size and awkwardness simply makes life difficult. Well, I found something that’s going to change things in a great way.

The Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard is a wireless remote which includes a full keyboard and touchpad in a compact unit smaller than most TV remotes. The unit has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery as well as backlit keys. It makes Web surfing or finding Netflix movies easy and is the best less than $30 investment you can make for your HTPC.

Highly recommended!

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Are You Building a Home Theater PC?

Several years ago I wrote a book which showed people how to build their own home theater PC. At the time it wasn’t all that easy to use a computer to provide music, movies, or other entertainment content in your living room, but things have really changed. Today people are a lot more comfortable with the whole idea and, quite frankly, the hardware has improved considerably, too.

A Home Theater PC (HTPC) is pretty easy to create today. But a little focus will help you get much better results than if you simply try to throw a PC into the living room. Here are a few tips:

  • It’s really hard to beat Windows 7 for an HTPC. The interface is simply much better than any older OS version, and Windows 7 also runs on systems that couldn’t run Vista. For example, I use an old Dell Dimension 9100 with a dual-core Pentium D (which wouldn’t upgrade to Vista).
  • You aren’t going to do real work on your HTPC, so why would you want to have a whole bunch of extra applications installed? Do a clean install of Windows and your anti-virus software. Media Player and Internet Explorer will provide everything you need on your HTPC, so don’t install other stuff. As a side benefit, this minimal configuration will boot much faster and even an older PC will seem much faster without a lot of garbage loaded.
  • Speaking of stripping things down, take out any unnecessary components, too. Modems, extra hard drives, and so on simply waste power and create extra heat. Taking the junk out will reduce power consumption and make the system quieter.
  • If your video card lacks an HDMI port, don’t dispair. You can buy a DVI to HDMI adapter for a few bucks. And if your video card is VGA only, you don’t need to spend much to get one with DVI or HDMI output. Either will give you a much better picture on that big screen TV.

By the way, here’s a tip you may find useful: Big screen TVs weren’t really designed as computer monitors so you may need to hook up your old monitor along with your TV during initial setup. In the Windows 7 display settings, first extend the desktop across both displays. Then make the TV the primary display. Finally, choose the option to only display the desktop on the TV (you’ll need to determine if it is display 1 or 2). From then on your TV will be the HTPC’s display. Enjoy!

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Don’t Go on the Internet Without It!

It didn’t take very long for the first computer virus to appear, but in the early days at least the bad stuff didn’t have an easy way to spread. Boy, how things have changed! Malware creators have figured out how to infect your computer with no action on your part except simply visiting the wrong website. And unfortunately, they’ve also figured out how to spread their junk to even some of the best sites out there.

I’ve heard too many otherwise knowledgeable people tell me they use an alternative browser like Firefox or Chrome “because it’s safer.” And these same people often neglect to update their anti-virus subscription.

Well, a recent independent study found something awfully interesting: Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 Web browser is the most secure and safe browser you can use. Simply put, if you aren’t using IE 9, you’re not as safe as you should be.

But even if you are using IE 9, it is vital that you also have effective, real-time anti-virus and anti-spyware software that is up-to-date. Sure, this seems like a no-brainer, but too many people feel they’ll never get caught. They are, to put it bluntly, wrong!

By the way, I’ve relied upon Zonealarm Internet Security Suite to protect our systems for many years. They’re not the only option, of course, but they’re very good, have made continual improvements, and I trust them. What more is there to say?

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The iBubble-Ready to Pop?

by Brian Underdahl

We’ve all seen bubbles. Certainly a lot of people have been affected by what many called the “housing bubble.” Bubbles happen when people become irrational about something and can’t see that things have gotten unreasonable. And that’s why the iBubble is getting ready to pop.

What’s the iBubble, you ask? Well, just look around on the Web. You see people doing irrational things like standing in line for the iPad–a device that’s too large to fit in a pocket, too small to be a notebook replacement, can’t make phone calls, can’t use Flash content, and is far more expensive than it’s worth. But those were the same people who stood in line to be the first to get the latest version of the iPhone, weren’t they?

Let’s see, the iPhone is tied to the carrier that most people hate, it does far less than the competition, it has a flawed antenna design, and it’s far more expensive than it’s worth. (See a pattern here yet?)

This also reminds me about the current price of Apple stock. Here you have a company run by an egomaniac, it has only a very minor share of the personal computer market, sells only proprietary over-priced products, and its shares are far more expensive than they’re worth.

A lot of companies are gunning for a big share of the tablet and mobile phone markets. While some of them don’t have much of a chance, a number of them are big, successful companies with deep pockets and a determination to come out on top. You can bet they’re planning for the day when the iBubble pops!

Recently we’ve heard that the Android phones are far outselling the iPhone. Of course you’d never hear the “istuff” fanboys mention that–they’re too wrapped up in their iBubble. But that news can’t be good for Apple because it does foreshadow the bursting of the iBubble. When the pop comes, don’t say it was a surprise! I told you it was coming.

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Help for Traumatic Brain Injuries

Once in a while a remarkable story comes along to remind us that for some people technology isn’t just for enjoyment but rather is a very important part of their life. This, I think, is one of those stories and I’d like to share it with you.

Recently I was having a conversation with Dr. James Oyang of Pharos Science and Applications when he mentioned a project that Pharos has been a part of but which almost no one knows about. This project has been helping people overcome the effects of cognitive disorders ranging from traumatic brain injury, mental disorders, Alzheimer’s, developmental issues, and so on. It is designed to assist both those individuals living with these problems personally and their caregivers—including doctors, nurses, and family members.

Coastline College, ID 4 the Web, and Pharos have been working together to make real progress.  The project integrates Coastline and ID 4 the Web’s expertise in cognitive remediation and instructional design with Pharos’ proficiency in system integration and Pharos’ Smart Navigator and Follow Me services to provide a cost-effective solution for traumatic brain injury or cognitive disorder rehabilitation. 

The ID 4 the Web Making Cognitive Connections training takes advantage of Pharos 3.5G Windows phones, and the Pharos Smart Navigator and Follow Me applications.  The Pharos’ phones front webcam and rear camera allows a see-you-see-me or see-what-i-see interactive health care interview when needed.  Pharos’ Smart Navigator helps individuals find their way home or reach their destinations confidently. The Follow Me services let caregivers monitor an individual’s location, remind them of activities, and keep space-time records.  The course teaches the fundamental technical skills necessary to operate a Windows PDA/smartphone while simultaneously drawing a parallel to the cognitive skills that underlie the development of those technical skills.

Some of the comments that have been made include “The Pocket PC has been a transformative tool in my life. It has strengthened my ability to be independent, efficient, and productive. It has given me hope and a concrete vehicle with which to create a new fulfilling and fruitful future for myself.” and “My husband has a brain injury and he has both short-term and long-term memory problems. The Pharos device has helped him immensely with reminders of appointments. I also have the Pharos device and it has become very helpful in my keeping appointment schedules.”

Michelle Wild, who developed the course, told me that the project evolved out of working with students from the Coastline Community College Acquired Brain Injury Program who suffered from severe memory deficits. The students successfully learned to use the Windows Mobile PDA as a memory/cognitive prosthetic. The PDA training could open up opportunities for students to work on a wide array of other cognitive skills.

If this was the whole story it would certainly be interesting enough, but I also spoke with Bob Serafini, former Vice President at Pharos who told me a bit more that really blew me away. Bob had received a call from an Iraq War veteran who had suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a roadside bomb. The veteran was hoping that Pharos would be able to give him a discount on a GPS device so that he could work on putting his life back together. It seems that the veteran had contacted Garmin and Tom-Tom without result (they are much larger than Pharos so I guess this wasn’t important enough for them). He was having trouble because his brain injury caused him to get lost even a few blocks from home so finding a job was virtually impossible. What Bob told the gentleman completely changed his life.

As Bob explained, the Veteran’s Administration has seen such great results with this program that they are willing to provide it without charge to affected veterans. The VA considers it a prosthetic similar to an artificial leg. The catch is that almost none of the veterans or their doctors know of the program’s existence. Here we have a tool that can help wounded soldiers recover their independence but unless they hear about it somewhere they’ll never get that help. That, in a nutshell, is why I’m relating this to you. Perhaps there are people you know who could benefit from or know others who could benefit from this program. The links in the third paragraph should help you get started.

I hope you decide to share the story.

Brian

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Pharos 565 PDA

I’ve recently been trying out the Pharos 565 PDA. It’s a rugged, Windows Mobile 6.5 device with a built-in GPS, QWERTY keyboard, a 3.5″ touchscreen, Bluetooth, WiFi, and tons of included and available apps.

Who would want such a device? Well, I’ve heard from people all around the world who not only want be really need this device. The list of people range from geologists to warehouse operators to delivery companies. These aren’t people who can use some delicate smartphone-they need a device that can stand up to rugged use. They like the fact that the 565 has a real QWERTY keyboard and they understand how the built-in GPS allows them to tag things with precise locations. They also know that because the 565 is a Windows Mobile 6.5-based device, there are thousands of existing specialty applications for almost any need (and it’s pretty easy to create a new app if you really need it).

To demonstrate some potential uses of the 565, I’ve paired it with a wireless, Bluetooth barcode scanner and a Bluetooth printer/card reader. With these two add-ons I can scan a barcode, read credit cards, print receipts, and who knows what else? Imagine how useful this combination could be for an order filler in a huge warehouse or for a vendor at a fair.

You can find out more about the Pharos 565 PDA at www.pharosgps.com.

Brian

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Thanks, GoDaddy!!!

Well, I guess it’s official. Several years of tech reviews and posts are gone. Oh, they’re out there somewhere, I guess, but thanks to GoDaddy you can’t see them. For all intents and purposes, everything we’ve done here in the past might as well never have existed.

It’s not that we didn’t try to get them back. For the past few months I’ve been trying to backup, upgrade, and restore our online work. On the other side were the brilliant people at GoDaddy who decided that they were going to change the password rules in mid-stream, making it impossible to actually succeed with restoring our files. And, because they gave no warning about this change, it was also impossible to change the existing passwords so that they’d comply with the new rules.

This is a classic case of “we know best and the customers be damned.” Wouldn’t it have been better to send out an e-mail saying something like “we’re changing the rules and unless you change your passwords within the next 30 days you’re screwed?”

By the way, GoDaddy’s response was that even though they provide the WordPress application, they don’t support it. Sure, they provide a tool so you can backup your files, but that tool lacks one pretty simple feature-it can’t do a restore from that backup.

Darlene sometimes says “if you’re having problems, imagine how ordinary computer users must feel.” She’s right, you know, but you don’t really want to know how I feel about losing all that work over such a stupid move on GoDaddy’s part!

Brian

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We’re Back – Sort Of

As anyone can clearly see, our existing posts on Under: The Influence are missing. I place the blame squarely on GoDaddy because over the course of several months they screwed up our passwords, messed up upgrades, and seemed to have no clue about how to fix things. Bob Parsons loves to do his Marine-style bragging about his “Godaddy Girl” commercials that are “too hot for TV” – I just wish he put as much effort into taking care of customers.

Brian

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