News

Synchronize Your Bookmarks Across Multiple Computers

If you use your computer to browse the Internet on a regular basis, it’s very likely that you have accumulated a good amount of bookmarks (favorites in Internet explorer.) Do you want to be able to synchronize your bookmarks across your computers? With Xmarks, you can.

The first step is to download Xmarks from xmarks.com. Xmarks works on Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and Chrome. Once it’s downloaded and installed, it will take you through a setup process. Once installed, it will allow you to backup all of your bookmarks/favorites onto the cloud where it can be accessed by any of your computers. If you add, change or delete a bookmark from one of your computers, Xmarks will do the same for your other synchronized computers.

You can also set sync profiles for your home or office. We do not recommend using Xmarks to synchronize your passwords; we use a plugin called Lastpass for that. Here’s our post regarding Lastpass Password Manager.

This is an invaluable plugin if you happen to purchase a new computer or lose the data on your old computer. If you have Xmarks setup, all you have to do is re-download it onto another computer an sign in with your account. All of you saved bookmarks will be pulled down from the cloud onto your computer.

If you have any questions, make sure to give us a call at (877) 694-3648 or visit us at www.E-Geniuses.com.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz

Lastpass Password Manager

Everyone I know has had a problem remembering a password for a website. It is good to have different passwords for different websites for security purposes, but it can quickly become a hassle to try to remember which passwords to use. That’s where LastPass comes in handy. LastPass is an addon that works for the most popular browsers; Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Safari.

With LastPass, your passwords are stored online using secure encryption which means that it is the same level of security as your online banking. Having it stored online offers a few advantages over storing your passwords locally on your computer. First of all, LastPass will allow you to access your “Password Vault” using one password which means you only have to remember one password! (Don’t forget that one though.)

Another advantage to using LastPass is that you can setup LastPass on multiple computers so that it can automatically fill in your passwords to websites on any of your computers. When you login to a new website using a never-before-used username and password, LastPass will ask whether you want to store the password. If you say yes, LastPass will synchronize the new password across your multiple computers.

LastPass will also allow you to have multiple username and passwords for websites. This comes in handy if you have multiple Gmail accounts for example.

You can download LastPass here.

After you download and install LastPass, you will go through a setup wizard that will walk you through step-by-step. You should import your passwords currently saved on locally on your computer. Setup LastPass on all of the computers you want synchronized.

Forget the days when you had to create a list of all of your passwords. Now all you have to remember is one.

If you have any questions, make sure to give us a call at (877) 694-3648 or visit us at www.E-Geniuses.com.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz

I love my Blackberry for emails and other work-related tasks, but when you compare the Safari browser on the iPhone to the Blackberry Browser, the Blackberry plain sucks. Luckily there are alternatives. I have done some comparison tests to find out which browsers are the best.

I am using my Blackberry 8900 using T-Mobile’s EDGE network. Since it is running on EDGE instead of 3G, it is even more important that the browser be as efficient as possible. I tested loading two image heavy sites, Lifehacker and Engadget. I also tested the time it takes for the applications to load.

Here’s what I found:

#1 Pick: Opera Mini 5 Beta 2

Pros: Interface, usability, graphics, smooth scroll, tabbed browsing, password saving feature, formatting of images and text is true to original site,can zoom in/out, speed dial, overall feature set.

Cons: Can sometimes feel a bit sluggish and less responsive compared to the Blackberry Browser. Possibly more resource intensive.

Conclusion: Best overall browser for everyday use. It isn’t as fast as Blackberry Browser to start up or the Bolt on Wi-Fi (when Bolt’s proxy servers are working properly), but the features and overall usability make this the best browser for the Blackberry.

#2 Runner Up: Bolt Browser 1.62

Pros: Very fast on Wi-Fi, use keys to navigate around the page quickly, good page rendering, remembers passwords.

Cons: Proxy server was not consistent. Can be Extremely fast at times, slow at others. Sometimes gets stuck at 20 percent trying to connect to their proxy servers. Font is a bit small. Not as good at rendering fonts compared to the other 2 browsers. Less robust feature set than Opera.
Conclusion: A good browser when you are browsing using a Wi-Fi connection and plan on using surfing for longer than 2 minutes.

#3 Last Place: Blackberry Browser

Pros: Built into OS, program is well integrated into system. Loads the fastest.

Cons: Painfully slow to load pages, no tabbed browsing, minimal feature set.

Conclusion: Unfortunately the default browser. Opera and Bolt are taking steps to allow for the option to open links with their browsers instead.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz

Your new laptop may be at risk, and you have to protect it against the many dangers out there that may cut its lifespan short: soda or coffee spills, moisture building up inside the casing, and impact from being dropped, among others. The portability that makes your computer so convenient is also what puts it at risk from all these.

Now, just because your comp is portable, that doesn’t mean it’s made to withstand a lot of abuse from being moved around and used in different conditions. It still has parts that experience not only wear and tear from continuous use, but from threats that you can avoid to keep them in running condition.

First off, avoid using your laptop near liquids, especially very hot or very cold ones. High temperature liquids may be steaming, and some of that steam may find its way into your comp’s casing. It’s the same deal with very cold beverages: it may cause condensation. Be especially wary of sodas: these drinks are pretty toxic to your portable if you manage to get any on it. Sodas are especially destructive: they’re acidic, which may corrode connections, and even when they dry, they leave a sticky residue, which attracts dust.

While we’re talking about condensation, the weather is another factor that can affect the lifespan of your laptop. In regions with high humidity, like Florida or Los Angeles, moisture is especially hard to keep out of your laptop. Take precautionary measures by ising a moisture-proof case and wiping down your comp if you see “sweat” on its surface. If you take it from a very cold area (like your office) to a very hot and high-humidity one, it may fog up with condensation. Wait for your comp to dry before using it to avoid a shorted circuit.

The hard drive of your laptop can also be damaged from wear and tear- when it’s turned on, it spins up. Moving it around while it’s on can cause your hard drive to crash- if you can’t turn off your comp before putting it away and moving it around, at least put it in sleep mode, or even better, in hibernate. In these modes, the hard drive is powered down, and is safe from damage from excessive motion.

Finally, don’t use your laptop in bed and then leave it there. The bed and the pillows and sheets can prevent heat from being vented out of the sides and bottom. This increased temperature can cause permanent damage to the silicon chips in your computer.

A laptop might not be as durable as you think. While they were designed to be used in most places, they still have some components that are sensitive to things like liquid and moisture, and humidity in places like Los Angeles or Florida. Also, improper handling of the computer without shutting it down and overheating it can cause serious reductions in its lifespan.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz

Could you tell the difference between your anti-virus program and malicious website attempting to install viruses into your computer?

Real (Windows Security Center)

Fake (Antivirus 2008)

Studies show that cybercrooks have a 3.4% success-rate infecting users’ computers. Chances are high that you will eventually come across an infected website. It would definitely be a good idea to make sure that you can spot the good security suites from the rogues.

Tip #1

The first thing you should do is find out which antivirus you are actually using. Remember the name of the program and what the application windows and interface look like. You should do the same for your antispyware and firewall applications as well. You will therefore be able recognize when a hacked site is attempting to lure you into a trap using scare tactics. Here’s an example of a rogue antivirus program using the scare tactic, “found infections, now buy me or else!”

Fake “Virus Detection”

Tip #2

Use Firefox and the Web of Trust addon. The main reason we recommend Firefox to our clients is because of the wide variety of addons available for it. When setting up a new computer, one of the first things I install is Firefox and the Web of Trust (WOT) addon. WOT shows you ratings for websites before you even click on them.

Let’s say you do a Google search for an anti-virus program. From my experience using WOT, I have found that at least one of the links on the page will receive a bad rating from WOT. Here’s one of the links WOT shows as having a poor reputation when searching for “anti-virus” in Google.

Notice the red warning circle next to the link.

What this means is that other WOT users have checked the site out and have found it to be unsafe. WOT even allows you to see other peoples’ comments about the site. You can rate sites and comment as well. In fact, the WOT community relies on users like you and I.

Here’s what you will see if you enter a site that WOT users have deemed as having a poor reputation.

Of course, websites are constantly being infected so there may be some newly infected sites that have not yet been detected by the WOT community. In these cases, you will need another layer of protection.

Tip #3

Malwarebytes, The Best Free Anti-Malware Program That You Really Should Buy.

Malwarebytes is a free program that has excellent detection rates. It is able to find and remove viruses, spyware and malware that many security suites cannot. It is maintained by a small group that regularly browses forums looking for infection trends and stopping them early. Like I said, the program does an excellent job of removing viruses, but for $24.95 for a lifetime subscription, the full version can actually prevent threats from infecting your computer. Prevention is really the key to safe browsing. (Buy Full Malwarebytes by Clicking Here.)

So lets just suppose you visit a website that was just infected a few hours ago. Since it has just been newly infected, the WOT community has not yet rated the site negatively in order to warn you. So you go to the site and a window comes up saying that your computer is being scanned for viruses and that it is infected with numerous trojan viruses. Assuming you didn’t follow Tip # 1 and cannot differentiate between the rogue anti-virus and your real anti-virus, you download the “fix”. Many times, I have found that Malwarebytes will actually block the download based on the IP address of the website. If it doesn’t, it will detect that the file you’ve downloaded is malicious once you try to install it. Malwarebytes will block these attempts by the virus to infect your computer.

Malwarebytes detecting and removing infections.

Summary

1) Familiarize yourself with your security programs and what they actually look like.

2) Use WOT, Web of Trust addon for Firefox so that you know whether links are safe or not.

3) Use Malwarebytes to prevent malware from infecting your PC.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz

To choose the default RSS Reader on OS X, just open Safari, on the menubar, choose Safari>Preferences>RSS tab, then choose your preferred “Default RSS Reader” from the drop down list.

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz