Wired @ Home

My parents are extremely slow when it comes to typing and in this day and age, typing is standard on your resume. So to get up to speed on how to type efficiently without opening your wallet, try RapidTyping Typing Tutor. It has a kid friendly interface but don't be taken back as it has many great features that will get you typing blindly in no time. There are no pop ups before, during, or after to pester you about registration, an upgrade or anything like that. There are different skins and it records multiple users with many statistics to show you your WPM, CPM, and percentage of mistakes. A cool part of this free software is it acts like a game where the better you become and advance into different difficulties, the more picturesque the underwater scenery becomes. Another cool feature but not really that useful is the Create Your Own Exercise. This might not be used unless you become really skilled and the program doesn't challenge you enough

Are you tired of Windows Live Messenger? Want something new? We'll MirandaIM is here to the rescue with a fast, easy, small, open source protocol for instant messaging. Included is support for many of the major instant messaging platforms including MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, AIM, Jabber and more. Additionally they provide with tons of plugins, icons, sounds, and other amusing content. It currently is in Beta stage so do backup your computer before you choose to download it. Even though it is new, MirandaIM can be installed on Vista and Windows 95 and above. It is obviously worth a try because in my opinion Windows Live can become Windows Death.

GetbyMail is a piece of software that works just like Remote Access programs that require you to download a program and send it to another persons computer. The reason you may use this is because those programs don't work if the remotely acceessed computer cannot access FTP, P2P, or are behind NAT or other firewalls. GetbyMail bypasses these things and makes accessing your computer a breeze. All you need is at least 2 email addresses that, one per computer and they do support internet emails such as GMail. The great thing is you don't need GetbyMail installed on both computers, you just need it on the remote computer and your local (home) computer will be able to access it. To learn more go to GetbyMail.

Don't have a laptop but still want the option to carry around multiple applications and Operating Systems? That's where MojoPac comes in. It's a free application that you can download onto your PC and then onto a USB, iPod, or mp3 player. It's a remarkable application as you can then put applications such as Word, MSN, Firefox, and Photoshop and then move them along where you go and insert it into a new computer or laptop and launch those applications on the new computer. Not only can you put applications, but you can put Operating Systems such as XP, Mac, or Linux plus you can put games such as Halo 2 and still run it on a new computer at the same performance. The drawback though is Vista is not available for transfering or being a host PC which limits my possibility for transfering but RingCube Technologies, the maker of MojoPac, is working on producing a Vista MojoPac.

Apple's long awaited new OS for its Mac computers and laptops has been finally completed and is being readied for shipment by the end of this month. There are conflicing reports on the issue though with AppleInsider saying its true and MacRumours denying but most bloggers including me are betting on the last Friday of October, October 26, to be the release date of Leopard. The reason for releasing Leopard on the last Friday of the month is because if you look at when they rolled out the iPhone and the previous OS, Tiger, they both came out on the last Friday of there respected month, June 2007, and April 2005. Supposedly, Apple is readying its technical staff and briefing them on there new OS just before they release it. Obviously Apple is keeping its mouth shut on the issue and doesn't look to drop hints any time soon. You can pre-purchase Leopard at Amazon at a list price of $129 and take note that Amazon pegs the release date as October 31.

Everybody is worried about losing there cell phone especially if it is expensive like mine. I have therefore been searching for a cheap and possibly free piece of software that can help me locate my phone quickly. I found shareware called Guardian v2.1 but when I searched it on Google, I was skeptical on its reliability and whether or not a virus would ensue. You can view the video below on it which shows good things about it from Blip.tv.

Another alternative that is only available to Windows Mobile Users or Sony Ericcson phones is called mGuard which is free and installs on your phone at a size of only 100kb (jar file and preferably on phone memory instead of memory stick). I myself have this on my phone but it can get costly as they charge you a SMS message per time it checks if it still has the same SIM. I found a loop hole though. Don't shut it down and always charge it whilst the phone is on. It still does its job as unsuspecting robbers will not know this and will then find out too late. Go to Dexmobile and click on mGuard. You will first download it and then after installing, run it, and click settings. They will ask you for an unlock code which you will get after you register (to the right of the download button) and they will send you the unlock code. They also you send the download url to your email. To notify you of a SIM change you will need to enter a friends phone number, where a pre-set or customized message will be sent to if, heaven forbid your cell phone gets stolen. Keep your IMEI number handy or enter *#06# on your phone to get it. I haven't had the time to really put it in its paces but I guess thats a good thing. They have wide array of contact options including email and phone number if you do have a problem.

Another solution is called Lost Mobile Tracking Solution by Micro Technologies located in Mumbai. It is a cheap one time solution at a cost of $8 but it is not supported on many phones including mine. I was ready to fork over the money because I love my phone and a little money will keep it protected. There are about 40 phones supported at the most.

Your iPod is probably getting old with that boring interface. Too bad you can't upgrade it with a Mac OS or Windows OS. Luckily though Rockbox has come onto the scene with a free open source upgrade for digital music players such as the iPod. I say iPod because the Apple iPod is such a huge seller that I am most likely to attract more visitors. Rockbox was made popular due in part to the fact that it supports FLAC, an open standard like MP3. It has much better quality and is therefore a joy to listen to. The iPod doesn't support FLAC. That's where Rockbox comes in. Download Rockbox and open your music player to a much better world. Since Rockbox is updated almost daily, the stability might not be the best but there are many other features that make it plenty attractive. There are hundreds of user submitted themes for your build (i.e. most updated software for your mp3) but since builds are updated constantly, some themes might not work well. If you do love a theme, you might need to tweak it a bit to make it work better. It can be some fun if you know what you're doing but HTML-defficient people like me it might not be as easy. Obviously if it doesn't work just uninstall it and you're back to normal. A quick note when installing Rockbox on your mp3; connect it right to your computer as opposed to a hub connected to your computer as it may cause write problems.

2010 is a year Microsoft is looking forward to as it is the proposed release date of its new OS. With Vista failing expectations, Microsoft needs to put all its effort into creating an amazingly great OS that has great security, speed, and performance and from the word go. Already leaks have been sited on the new OS but none to specific. One feature is it will not include if any groud breaking software and features like Vista did, but improve on Vista's flaws and make them superior. For example, the difficult to use, Bitlocker for all those technical readers out there. Even though the userface has gone a modern look, Microsoft is hinting the new OS wil undergo a major revamp called a really thin OS that manages virtual machines. Finally, a touch screen interface will maybe makes it way into the next-gen OS, many people are waiting for, and analysts putting heavy weight on.