Dell Voice - a free phone service

02.15.12: So, why is this one different? Isn't it just another VOIP service?


Thx to Bryan for spotting this app.


Dell Voice is a free service for anyone with a cell phone.


Here is how it works.


They provide you a free local cell phone number and the app automatically syncs to your cell phone contacts list.


The reason for the new number is to allow you to call for free (to any Canadian number in any of the many identified Canadian cities) and allow others to call you without impacting your cell phone monthly costs.


Dell Voice to Dell Voice calls are free ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.


Complete list of features.


Some specific details, if you have a Dell Voice number:


1. you can only use your Dell Voice number in the city is was set up for.


2. calls are free from your Dell Voice number to any Dell Voice number in Canada.


3. calls are free from your Dell Voice  number to any identified Canadian city (see above link).


4. if you call an international number, there is a cost. To see what the cost would be before proceeding, you enter the number and then press the world rate button.


5. the app will always use wi-fi if available and indicates when you are using wi-fi.


6. always use wi-fi when using Dell Voice, if possible, as your Internet data plan is cheaper than your cell phone data plan. 1 minute equals 1mb of data. 


7. if you regularly talk to someone (not having a Dell Voice number) in another Canadian city, you will soon be able to get an additional number for that city ($.99/mo) so that person can call you as a local call.


8. If it does work well for you, consider the next step to reducing costs:
   a. reduce your cell phone minutes/mo plan
   b. drop voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, etc


I am trying to determine the limitations in the next few weeks and will provide an update then.


If you would like to try it, go to the site (above) and setup a number and call me. If I don't answer, leave a voicemail - free service as well.

Caution - loading smartphone pics to the web

02.09.12: Thanks to Doug for passing this along.


If you weren't aware, your smartphone may be identifying your exact location in a pic you upload to the web (Youtube, etc).


Now with smartphone cameras at 8mp, I would suspect more pics will be uploaded this way.


It's not a problem for most pics but what if it is a pic of your young child and it indicates exactly where to locate him/her?


It is an easy fix, to stop including this GPS data in a smartphone pic.


Just ensure you turn off GPS identification in your camera settings.


For the iPhone, it is in Camera within Location Services (enlarge pic to view).


As a rule, I turn Location Services off to save my battery and only turn a specific service on as required.

Samsung Galaxy Note

02.09.12: I have now added the Samsung Galaxy Note smatphone to the analysis and it is king of the mountain at this time.


It may be worth looking at, if you are thinking a new smartphone.

smartphones - two useful apps

02.05.12: Home Depot and LCBO On The Go

The LCBO On The Go apps is very useful for checking supply of a wine you would like at any outlet.


They have a store locator  (closest to farther away) and you can select a store as your favourite and add selected wines to it.


They have a bar code scanner that works very quickly (if you have an empty bottle in your hands). Or you can use key words or just browse.


I have set up my favourite store and added my favourite wines.
Before going, i check for availability and, if not at my outlet, I check for supply at closest next closest outlet (if I prefer to not wait).
As I don't tend to remember the names of some good wines I have had, I now get in the habit of adding to my favourites.

Home Depot is quite a frustrating store, as they are always understaffed.
I have tried to talk tot he store manager but can't seem to make a connection.


There app is very useful as it has a barcode reader that lets me scan and determine price of an item that doesn't have a price.


It also has a good menu of sections and I can usually find an item I am looking for ... except for hardwood and oak stairs.
It also has the current flyer details you can scroll thru, if you forgot to check the weekly flyer b4 going to the store.


However, what I really want is the exact location of an item.


I have tweeted my concerns via the Twitter connection in the app.

Before throwing out your old computer

02.02.12: Some things to consider before discarding your old/tired computer in favour of a new one.


I guess the first thing to consider is do you really need a computer?
Strange as it may seem, if you are happy with what a smartphone can do, you might consider doing without a computer. They have larger screens for good web browsing and ease of e-mail mgmt. They have great cameras (8mp on back and some have 2mp on front for Skype type activities). You can do lots of downloading (depending on your data plan) onto its SD card. And you can check your email ANYWHERE!


I am finding I spend a lot less time on my computer now.


However, if you prefer the touch/visuals/response of a computer, here are a few thoughts.

Doing an upgrade yourself can save a fair amount, compared to what it would cost to replace your laptop. FYI, a standard laptop now costs approx $600 total. 

More Workspace: More Memory

The fastest and simplest method for improving the efficiency of your computer is to add more memory. 

Most older laptops have 512MB of memory. 

If your laptop has only one slot, you need to replace this 512MB with a larger chip - 1024MB of memory cost  approx $20 (including shipping) on eBay.

If your laptop has two slots, you should add at least 512MB of memory - costs approx $15 (including shipping) on eBay. 

To install memory, shut down your laptop and removing the battery. Locate the little door at the bottom where the system memory resides. Once the cover is removed, gently ease the new memory module into its slot. 

If you are not sure of the type of computer memory that is compatible with your notebooks, use Google to search for your laptop make/model...or ask me. 

A Faster, Spacious Hard Drive

All older laptops came with small hard drives running at a lower speed than is normal today. 

However, as your hard drive contains your operating system, you cannot change it without backing up your system first. This is a separate topic and you might want to contact me before considering ... or just buy a new laptop.

.

A New Keyboard

Replacing your laptop's keyboard isn't very easy. 

However, a desktop is much easier. I recently replaced a desktop keyboard with a wireless Keyboard and Mouse (BestBuy around Xmas) for $14 (before tax).

If you laptop keyboard is not performing as you want, throw out the laptop (or give it to me) and buy a new one.

Automatic Microsoft Updating - Yes or No

02.02.12: Extract from a helpful computer newsletter I receive regularly. 

You may not want to allow Microsoft to automatically apply updates. 

Because software is not be perfect, that doesn't mean that the designers cannot make improvements that bring it closer to perfection. 

This is the purpose of software updates and patches. 

Mozilla, the creators of the Firefox browser, for example, release updates from time to time when something breaks or can be improved. Microsoft releases updates and patches to Windows every second Tuesday of the month (referred to as Patch Tuesday). In order to keep your Windows system stable and secure, it's important that you install the latest applicable patches when they're released to the public.

A lot of users configure Windows to automatically download and install patches when they become available. While this automatic process relieves the user of the burden of manually downloading the patches, it does pose the risk of blindly downloading a patch that may cause conflicts either immediately or the down the road. Also, when Windows Updates is set to run automatically, it seems to always want to reboot (to install the patches) right when a user is in the middle of something.

Did you know Windows Update can be configured to do exactly what you want it to do?

Configuring Automatic Updates

Microsoft recommends setting Windows Updates to do its thing automatically. Many users like this as they don't have to lift a finger. But this method forces you to give up a lot of control and you run the risk of downloading a patch that you really don't need or that could cause a conflict.
Just because a new patch is released to the public doesn't mean that all the kinks are worked out of it. Sometimes it takes several days (and a lot of user complaints) to weed out a defective patch. 

If you prefer to wait a few days to see if a patch is worthy of installation, you can configure Windows Update to do this by selecting the 2nd Automatic Update option (Download Updates but let me choose whether to install them).

Another option is to have Windows Update notify you only when new updates become available. Windows will simply tell you when important patches are released but it won't download or install them. This gives you more power over what gets updated but also makes you do more of the work on your part. Many users like this kind of control over their system. This setting will generate a dialog box listing each available patch along with its title. Each patch listing will have a check box next to it, so you can choose whether or not you'd like to install it.

If you really don't want the bother, you can opt to completely turn off Automatic Updates. Microsoft doesn't recommend this for most users. But if you're the type of user that keeps their finger on the pulse of technology, then invoking Microsoft Update manually isn't a problem.

Automatic Updates and Firefox

Windows Update requires an ActiveX plug-in to scan your system and check which patches will benefit your computer; as such, a version of Internet Explorer is required. 

If you use Firefox, there's a plug-in you can install. All it really does is pop open IE from Firefox but it's worth a try if you use Firefox exclusively.