QuickTip: Fixing a Bluetooth® pairing problem in MacOS January 13, 2008
Posted by Bryan in : Apple, PDAs/Smartphones, QuickTips, Tips , 18 commentsIf you’re having problems pairing a Bluetooth® device (for example a phone or PDA) with your Mac here is a quick suggestion. Make sure that your computer’s name (listed under System Preferences –> Sharing) is less than 20 characters. Longer names can cause problems with the pairing process in some versions of MacOS.
A review of the ShoppingAds and AuctionAds services December 28, 2007
Posted by Bryan in : Coding, New Products, Reviews , 2 commentsI’ve been testing the AuctionAds and ShoppingAds services for several months now. Despite some promising results early on (as mentioned in this post), I am very disappointed with the overall results. Over the past six months, I tested a variety of AuctionAds and ShoppingAds ad blocks from in numerous positions on various sites. As a result of real world obligations I haven’t devoted much time to site development lately and the ad blocks remained in place longer than their performance warranted. Bad for my bank account, but good for testing purposes. The final result? In over six months of testing I made less from these services’ combined totals than I typically make from AdSense in one day.
Both AuctionAds and ShoppingAds allow for product images in their ads and this is one of the reasons I expected them to be successful. However, Google’s targeted ads clearly outperform AuctionAds’ and ShoppingAds’ keyword based ads despite AdSense’s lack of product images.
Unfortunately, I can’t rule out issues with the AA/SA backend as the cause for the low earnings. For example, I received several clicks on the referral based service (AuctionAds) but none on the CPC service (ShoppingAds), a fact that is inconsistent with all other ad blocks during the same period and suggests a problem with unrecorded clicks. Additionally, earnings appeared and disappeared rather frequently on reports from both systems. Bugs are to be expected in new products, but frankly, if I have to devote a significant amount of time to double checking earnings reports, it’s just not worth it for me.
My current recommendation regarding these services is to fight the urge to be an early adopter. Wait until these services become more mainstream and work out the bugs. Currently they require more effort than they are worth given the viability of other alternatives.
Bridge the gaps in Outlook October 19, 2007
Posted by Tara in : New Products, Reviews , 8 comments
Timebridge has released a web-based, public scheduling manager into beta that may cut down on the amount of “back and forth” it takes to schedule a meeting through Outlook. If you have ever scheduled a meeting through Outlook, you know that it may take several emails and cancellations to get a time that works for all attending parties. With Timbridge, you are allowed to pick up to 5 possible meeting times that attendees can pick from. And you’re not restricted to Outlook, as Timebridge also interfaces with Google calendars. (more…)
Convert Those Old Cassette Tapes August 1, 2007
Posted by Tara in : Reviews , 8 comments
The BTO Plusdeck 2c is a nifty little invention that allows you to convert cassette tapes into CD’s. Had I known that a technology like this was going to emerge, I might not have gotten rid of all of my tapes from the past.Â
Desktoptwo: It could be the next big thing July 30, 2007
Posted by Bryan in : New Products, Reviews , 2 commentsOnline desktops have the potential to change the way we use computers as much as or more than any other technology that has recently emerged. What, you’ve never used one? I’m not surprised. The basic idea behind them is very sound, but so far their real world implementations haven’t been.
Online desktops provide internet-based services that allow you to do all the things you could do while you are at home sitting in front of your desktop, from any computer connected the the ‘net. Specifics vary from product to product, but generally there’s some sort of online storage, a few applications, and an interface that emulates an operating system.
Sounds like a great idea, but (more…)
Empty that Tray! Running lean and clean… July 23, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : DIY, How-to, Microsoft, Tips , 20 commentsYesterday, I had a service call, one of the “standards” as I like to call them. A slow PC. I got on-site, and looked at the usual suspects. There were no viruses or spyware, but there were a dozen little icons in the system tray. NO WONDER! All this junk loading, XP was choking!
See it all at once with the Pertelian X2040
Posted by Tara in : New Products , 7 comments
The Pertelian X2040 PC Assistant is a device that condenses the various tasks running on your computer and puts them into a central location right in front of your eyes. The device itself is a small LED screen that connects to your PC via USB port. The screen scrolls at a speed you choose, and updates the information that you program into it.
Is the Blackberry Pearl Too Small? July 16, 2007
Posted by Jeff in : Humor, Opinion , 17 commentsI was finally able to get hold of a Blackberry Pearl to mess with for a few hours. I have a soft spot for the Blackberry, as I had one for most of 2003. Anyhow, I was able to help someone set the unit up on their computer so they can sync with outlook. Here’s what I found… (more…)
I am a Pleo stalker
Posted by Tara in : New Products , 1 comment so far
In talking with a friend of mine the other day I discovered a great toy that apparently has a growing sub- culture all its own. In her own words she is “stalking the toy”, so I had to dive in and see what its all about. The toy is called PLEO and it is “autonomous robotic life form” based on a one week old Camarasaurus dinosaur (a lizzard from the late Jurassic period)Â
Watch it now on Netflix July 7, 2007
Posted by Bryan in : New Products, News , 3 commentsNetflix has launched a new feature that allows members to watch full-length videos online.
After logging into your account click on the “Watch Now” tab. Pick a video, click “Play”, and you’ll be prompted to download a player.
Not all of their catalog is available. Right now the selection consists of mostly older movies and TV series, but this is still good news for people who like to watch videos online or who feed video to their TV via their computer. The number of hours you can watch is determined by your Netflix plan.
Bad news for a good portion of the internet though, the service currently requires Windows and Internet Explorer (i.e. no old school Apple or Firefox).
