Google+, the new Facebook?

The do everything, conquer the world, Google that we know and love is now going to try and take on Facebook.  Most of the items Google has tackled have turned out pretty good.  They have email, office, web, mobile and a lot more.  But something they haven’t been so good at is Social Media.  But maybe that is all about to change.  Take a look at this tour of the new Google+.  It will give you a pretty good idea of what its all about.  If you are still interested and want to know a little more, take a look at Engadget.com’s hands-on review of it.  They were able to get an invite from Google to be a tester.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

Verizon’s New Data Plans

So you may have heard that Verizon Wireless is making some changes to their data plans.  As of July 7 there will be no more $29.99 Unlimited Data Plan!  Those of us that already have the Unlimited Data Plan are in luck because we will be grandfathered in.  So what this means is that if you are thinking about switching to a Verizon data plan then you need to do it quick.

The new plans will be something like this:

So as you can see, for the price of the now Unlimited Plan of $30, it will soon only get you 2gb of data.  Then it goes up from there at $50 for 5gb and $80 for 10gb.

Here is a little of what Verizon is saying about the situation.

“The Value Benefit Equation…
With the new usage based pricing plans, the vast majority of our customers will be able to enjoy their typical level of data consumption for the same value that they outlay today. Additionally, for those who have greater requirements for data, we will have solutions that they can tailor to their unique needs.

Perhaps more importantly, given our strong desire to continue to provide enhanced capability and value to our customers, the new data pricing will apply to both our 3G AND 4G LTE networks. So in essence, for those customers in our ever and rapidly expanding 4G LTE network coverage footprint, users will gain the benefit of the fastest and most advanced 4G LTE network in the U.S. all for the same usage based value. More speed. More functionality. Same value.”

So they are saying that most people don’t even use more than 2gb of data anyway.  So the price change will not affect their needs.  But for those that do, it will come at a price.  But at least they were nice enough to not make it more expensive for their 4g LTE data.  If you are not in an area that has Verizon’s 4g LTE yet, you may be in luck.  Verizon in pushing out a big wave of 4g LTE coverage on July 21st.  And the speed of Verizon’s 4g LTE blows everyone else out of the water.

So what you need to do is switch over to Verizon’s Unlimited Data Plan now.  Or if you are one of those that doesn’t use much data, then you don’t have to worry.  It will cost you the same $29.99 either way.  But at least with the unlimited plan you don’t ever have to worry about overage charges.

So lets take a look at some Verizon Smartphones.

VERIZON WIRLESS 3G SMARTPHONE CHOICE:

This is the Droid Incredible 2.  I have the Droid Incredible 1 and love it.  The Incredible 2 has managed to be even better than the first on and improved on battery life.  This is a great choice for those that don’t have or don’t want to jump in to the 4g LTE network just yet.  This guy only comes with 3g capability.  But its nice!

 We have to mention the iPhone 4.  This is a great Verizon choice.  The dilemma with this is that the iPhone 5 may be coming out in September.  But waiting means missing out on the Unlimited Plan.

This is the Motorola Droid X 2.  Also a good choice for a non-4g LTE Smartphone.   This one is bigger than the Incredible 2 but also packs a dual core processor.  That means its going to be fast.  I believe it may even get a little better battery performance than the Incredible 2.  Just not my favorite because of the size.

This is the Windows Phone 7 HTC Trophy.  I wouldn’t completely rule out a Windows phone now, especially with Windows Mango coming out soon.  Mango is just the name of the new version of Windows Phone 7.  Here is a little video of some great features that will be included in that Mango update.

VERIZON WIRLESS 4G SMARTPHONE CHOICE:

This is a picture of the HTC 4g Thunderbolt.  This is a pretty good phone but, I am only putting the picture of this one up because its probably the one I would get if I were to buy a 4g Verizon phone.  But as far as 4g Verizon smartphones go, they are pretty much all the same and it just comes down to preference.

Well there you have it.  Those are some of my choices for Verizon smartphones that are available now so you can get that unlimited data plan and be grandfathered in when the change happens on July 7, 2011.

What to do when your gadget gets wet.

So you are minding your own business, talking on your phone, then all of a sudden you drop the phone in the toilet.  We have all been there, don’t be ashamed.  Now after you carefully fish your phone out of the toilet you may think all is lost but, there may still be hope.  With a few key tips, you may have your gadget up and running again.

First thing you need to do is  remove the battery.  Then dry it off thoroughly with a towel and also dry out the area where the battery goes.  Now you have to resist all temptation to put the battery back in and see if everything works.  Doing this may cause a shortage and ruin all chances you had of fixing it.  The battery should stay out until the gadget is completely dry.

After you have the battery dry and the area of the gadget where the battery sits, you need to move on to drying the rest of the gadget.  Your first instinct may be to crank up the blow dryer or just leave your gadget out in the sun to help move along the drying process.  We do NOT want to do this because gadgets need to be dried with still, dry air rather than excess heat.

So now that you have the outside of the device completely dry, stick it into a covered container of dry, uncooked rice.  The rice will soak up the moisture.  Now place the covered container in a cool, dry place over night.  The more time you let it dry, the better.

Take out your gadget the next day, put the battery back in and hope for the best.

How To Make Your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome: Part 5

Well well, if Ben at Blank Sketch Studios hasn’t done it again.  He has posted Part Cinco of his series, How to Make Your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome.  In this one he does what little know to even be possible, change the Windows Taskbar and Start button.  Sounds like it would be difficult, right?  Well, if you head over to Blank Sketch Studios it wont be.  Ben makes it easy for you.  Check out what you can do!

Here are some links to a few things you will need to download to customize your taskbar and start button.

Windows 7 Start Button Changer

Some new Start Buttons

Taskbar icon set 7Conifier (or other icons of your choice)

How to Make Your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome: Part 4

Hello all!  Ben over at Blank Sketch Studios has done it again.  He has posted Part 4 of his series to make your Windows 7 Desktop Awesome.  If you have already been through Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, then you can’t stop now!  He goes over a lot of the aspects of Rainmeter and the differences between a Static Theme and a Dynamic Theme and a little about Rocketdock.  Both are pretty awesome but, I’m not going to ruin it for you.  Head over to Blank Sketch Studios to make your Windows 7 Desktop more awesome than ever.

   

Speed Up Your Computer.

Is your computer running slower?  Are you not too sure what you need to clean out, repair, change, or tweak to make it faster?  Well today on giveawayoftheday.com you can download Auslogics BosstSpeed 5.1 for FREE!  This software is pretty neat.  Running it regularly can keep your computer running at its best.  All you have to do is hit the “Scan Now” button and when it is complete click the “Repair Now” button.  That simple.  With any optimization tool you do have to be careful though.  There are tools available in this software that if you do not know what you are doing, you can do some damage.  Unless you are an advanced user it is best to stick with the normal user options.

Here is a link to see what Cnet.com has to say about Auslogics BoostSpeed and they even have a video review.  Now keep in mind this is a review of an older version.  Also, there is a download link on Cnet.com as well but, this is only a free trial.  Only at Giveawayoftheday.com can you download it and get a free license key so you don’t have to pay.

Here are some key benefits:

Cleans up the Windows registry.
Defragments hard drives.
Frees up disk space.
Recovers accidentally deleted files.
Speeds up Internet connection.

$300 Computer Deal!

So maybe you missed the last computer deal.  Well, here is another chance to redeem yourself.  I found an HP Desktop over at Sellout Woot for $300 and only $5 for shipping.  This one is not as powerful as the last but, it’s a pretty good little machine.  And I do mean little.  There are smaller computers out there but, this one as you can see in the picture isn’t even as tall and wide as the keyboard.  It’s part of the HP Slimline series designed to be powerful yet space savers.  Great for home theaters or just someone that doesn’t want to take up a lot of space.

Now for the nerd specs.  It has a AMD Phenom II X2 511 Dual-Core Processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 64-bit Windows, SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology, Wireless b/g/n, 5.1 Surround, 750GB Hard Drive, and a ATI Radeon HD 3000 graphics card.  For a $300 computer, this is all pretty good.  If you are looking for a small computer to do everyday tasks on a budget, then this would be a good choice.

I always look at reviews so here is a link to Newegg.com to check out what some users have to say about it.  They no longer sell this desktop but they still have the reviews from users that purchased one when they did sell it.  The reviews are looking good but, check them out for yourself to get an idea if this would be a good purchase for you.

Like some of the other deals, keep in mind that this one is also a refurbished desktop. That’s why it is such a great price. But don’t be scared of refurbished. They usually still come with some kind of warranty. And just because it’s refurbished doesn’t mean it’s going to give you problems forever that you just have to put up with. It just means there was a faulty part that they replaced, tested everything, then reboxed it back up. Or maybe someone bought it and didn’t want it anymore so they sent it back. The company then tests the machine to make sure it works properly and boxes it back to as refurbished because they can no longer say it is new even though it is. So check it out if you need a new little computer.

Save $180 on Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac!

OK you Mac users, here is a deal for you.  I found Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac for only $100!  Now as you know, that is a great deal!  Over at 1SaleADay.com they are selling it for today only at a 65% discount.  So you have to head over there and get yours before they are gone.

I’m pretty sure I don’t have to explain what MS Office is good for.  It’s only the most popular software for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.  And sure, there are free alternatives out there like OpenOffice.org, which I also recommend if you don’t mind using something a little unfamiliar.  But if you want to stick to what you know and what you know works, then this is your type of deal.  MS Office 2011 really improved the way MS Office works and looks on the Mac.  In my opinion, it feels a lot more like the PC Windows version.  This makes it a lot easier to use if you are already familiar with it.

Now keep in mind that this will get you a download only. You will not receive a CD in the mail. But that is okay. You just download the file and install and then you can burn it to a CD or just save it on an external hard drive for safe keeping. 1SaleADay.com mentions that after your purchase the download link will be sent to your email within 7-10 days. I am not sure why it takes so long to just send you a download link but, I guess when you are saving that much cash it is worth the wait.

Great Computer Deal! Only $550.00!

Hey everyone!  I am a little late on this post but, today only Woot.com has an HP Elite Six-Core Desktop with Blu-Ray for only $550!  This is a great deal for this computer!  Let me throw some nerd specs your way and see how they tickle your fancy.  This thing has a 2.7GHz AMD Phenom II X6 1045T 6-Core Processor, 8gb of DDR3 RAM, 1gb ATI Radeon HD 5570 Video Card with HDMI, HD 7.1 Surround Sound, 1TB Hard Drive, Wireless b/g/n, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, and MORE!  Now if you don’t know what any of that means,  just know that it is all good stuff and it will be FAST!  If I could convince myself I needed another computer, I would buy this in a heartbeat.

This is a refurbished computer.  But all that means is HP went through the machine and replaced the bad part, tested everything else and boxed it back up.  If anything, this is better than brand new because it has been tested to work.  I love buying refurbished stuff because of the great discount.  It’s pretty much brand new they just can’t legally call it new.  Get on over to Woot.com and get yours before they are gone.

Even if you were holding out thinking your old, slow computer will last another couple of months, just do it. Imagine, with this things power and Blu-ray, you could hook this up to your nice flat screen TV and have a pretty awesome media center.  And if you really want to make this a Media Center, you could add a TV Tuner of your choice and use this as a DVR too.  No more paying monthly for that Tivo or DVR box from you cable company.  With a TV Tuner card you can make your own DVR.  Here are some TV Tuner cards from Newegg.com if you are interested.

TomTom GPS Deal!

Hey everyone!  I got a good deal for you today.  I found a TomTom XL340S GPS on sale for $60.00!  This thing has a 4.3″ portable touch screen, spoken directions and lane guidance.  Pretty much all the average GPS’er (GPSee, GPS person) needs.  A nice big screen and someone telling you where to go.  This is a good price for a pretty decent GPS if you are in the market for one.  But it’s here for today only at this price.  So go get yours and stop getting lost.

You know what the smart move is right?  That’s right, look at some reviews before you make the final decision.   Here is what good ol’ Cnet.com has to say about it.  And it wouldn’t hurt to read some user reviews from people that purchased one from Amazon.com (at a much higher price).  Knowing that they paid more for the same unit also can sway their review.  Maybe if they only paid $60 like you can, they would think differently.  But even at the higher price it seemed to get good reviews.

TomTom XL340S 4.3″ Portable Touch-Screen GPS Vehicle Navigator With Spoken Directions & Lane Guidance!