Posts Tagged ‘phone’

Legally Dispose of That Old PC, Monitor, Phone…

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Computers have become a major part of our daily routine in the U.S.   From the buzz of our alarm clock to the sleep timer on our television, we come in contact with dozens, maybe even hundreds, of electronic products every day.  Cell phones, laptops, keyboards, mice, printers, telephones, VCRs, DVD players, game consoles, etc.  There seems to be no end to the list.  Many of us buy the new model as it comes out or simply replace our broken devices as needed.  What then?  What do we do with the old one?

Disposing of old and obsolete electronic products (at least the ones that didn’t sell on eBay or that garage sale you had) is a serious, often over-looked, issue in the U.S. and the problem is growing exponentially.  Our country throws out about 400 million units per year and worldwide, about 4,000 tons of “e-waste” is discarded every hour.  Many of these devices contain toxic, harmful chemicals and materials that can cause major damage to our environment.  So the question is “how can I properly discard my old electronics legally and easily?”

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Find Your Free Time – Google Calendar and Sync Can Help

Monday, March 29th, 2010

A busy week.  Those words will occupy a lot of thoughts and conversations today.  We pack so many activities and so much work into such little time.  When it is all done, we are left with a few precious minutes  for ourselves.  That “leftover” time is typically reserved for sleep, but if we are really lucky it will mean a moment with our favorite gadget, book, magazine, movie, etc.

The key to maximizing our schedules is organization and (ironically) it takes time to get organized.  For those of you in the “9 to 5″ crowd, you probably have access to Microsoft Outlook for managing your work hours but what about the rest of your life?  What about users who don’t have access to this email/calendar program (part of a $300 Microsoft Office package)?  Even if you had a wonderful program like Outlook, would you have the time/opportunity to get in front of a computer regularly throughout the day?

For anyone interested in using a calendar to keep track of events and schedules there is a solution that offers the flexibility of an electronic system and the mobility needed in our busy lives… Google Calendar and Google Sync.  They are both FREE and can help you find the time for what really matters, without wasting hours in setup.

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Your Smart Phone Can Be Used as a PC Remote

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Have you ever used your television as a monitor for your computer?  Have you wondered about the possibilities of connecting your PC to your home theater, for watching movies and surfing the web?  These are examples of the natural progression of entertainment technology.  Over the last decade, computers have become much more than word processors and televisions have evolved to sleek, high-definition devices capable of playing media from almost any device with a cable attached to it.  The two are starting to merge into one device, but we are only beginning to see this in the newest displays.

If you have ventured down the “computer+television” path, or are thinking of doing so, one hurdle quickly prevents itself.  How do you control the computer from the couch?  You need an input device of some sort and a keyboard with a super-long cord is really not an option (safety hazard!)  There have been some great wireless keyboard/mice combos released over the last few years, but they are often costly options and are only useful for that one purpose.  At $100 or more, this is not the kind of cost-effective resolution that most are looking for.  So, why not use a device you already have as the solution?  Your smart phone is just the thing and we have a quick rundown on two applications that can get you up and running today!

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