SquareTrade

Hi folks! For all you gadget users out there, i’m sure you’ve dropped a tablet, or smart phone and completely destroyed it. Most warranties don’t cover accidental damage.

Well now you have an option with SquareTrade. Depending on the device, you can get accidental coverage and then just pay a small deductible fee to fix your device when you have a problem.

They have some very good prices for smartphones especially. You can read more here.

-RP

Microsoft Surface

Hi folks! So what’s the hottest gear out on the market right now? Well I’d say the Microsoft Surface ranks high on that list! Tons of people are waiting to get their hands on them and there is a lot of buzz in the blogosphere for sure!

The new tablet from Microsoft is poised to be the same thing to PC users that the iPad is to Apple users. Will it do as well? Time will tell, but I for one can’t wait to get my hands on one to see for myself.

-RP

Targus Docking Station for your HP Folio

Hi folks! So you bought that brand new HP Folio and you still need a docking station for it. Well as you know, there is no docking station port on the Folio. What do you do?

Well there are many 3rd party options out there, but I’ve tested one from Targus and it works great. It’s the Targus USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station.

It has support for USB 3.0 and HDMI and works great through your USB 3.0 port on your Folio.  You can read more about it here.

-RP

View your iPhone or iPad on your Mac or PC

Hi folks! Similar to the Air Parrot app, there is another app called Reflection which allows you to mirror your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC.

Now why would you want to do this? A couple of reasons actually – you can create demos for you tube, or even use it in collaboration with colleagues or teaching environments.

By controlling your tablet or smartphone and then displaying on a larger PC based screen or projector, the opportunities are endless. You can read more here.

-RP

Air Parrot

Hi folks! So do you want to use that shiny new tv for mirroring your display with your Apple tv, but you don’t have a new MacBook or you have a Windows pc?

Well never fear, Air Parrot is here! Air Parrot is a software product that allows you to take advantage of airplay mirroring builtin to Apple tv’s with any Mac or PC.

You can give it a trial here.

-RP

The one thing missing from all the MacBook Clones out there

Hi folks! So after the MacBook Air started it all, there are now a bajillion MacBook Air clones out there. Ok, maybe not that many, but there sure are a lot out there!

The question is, have they succeeded? Well I would say they have in all ways but one. Sure there is great hardware out there, some of it even better than the MacBook Air I would say. But there is that last thing that I just have to nitpick at. And that’s the integration with the OS.

You see, when you use a MacBook Air and use the builtin trackpad, or even the external one, you get an experience as if you are almost one with the computer. The gestures that OS X allows is unreal in terms of the seamlessness of using the operating system.

Sure PC manufactures have tried to copy that with the trackpad software and drivers to allow you to have a similar experience, but it’s just not quite the same. It doesn’t seem like anyone has gotten it perfect just yet.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I urge you to try out a MacBook Air at your nearest store today!

-RP

Great USB to Serial Cable for your Ultrabook

Hi folks! For those of us network administrators that need a usb to serial cable to manage routers and switches, it can be a pain to find the right cable.

I’ve run into countless friends who have crappy cables that constantly disconnect them from their devices or just have horrible driver issues. Well there is one cable I have sworn by for years that I have to say I have had very little problems with. Those are the cables from GoldX. Specifically the GoldX USB to Serial Converter.

The cable can be bought here and the drivers can be downloaded for your operating system direct from their site. Here’s hoping they release good drivers again for Windows 8!

-RP

EPIC Technology Day

Hi folks! It’s that time of year again! My company will be holding it’s twice yearly technology conference, EPIC Technology Day on October 30th, 2012!

For those of you that don’t know, it’s a day long conference filled with learning about various topics in IT. Every year it gets larger and larger and this October should be no exception.

You can register to attend the event here.

-RP

Windows 8

Hi folks! So Windows 8 will be released on October 26th, 2012. I predict that this new UI will not be accepted well. Trying to mash a touch screen like interface onto computers without a touch screen just doesn’t make much sense to me. But that’s just my opinion.

Other things I don’t like? Let’s try the Start Screen for instance. Getting rid of the start button just seems like a silly idea if you ask me. If anything this whole Start Screen idea is just going to cause a whole lot of clutter for no good reason.

Good things about the new OS? Well it will features more integration with online services which should make things easier for users. However I can’t help but feel apprehensive about this latest release. I love Windows 7 and I’m afraid Windows 8 is just going to be another Vista. I guess time will tell.

-RP

Windows Server 2012

Hi folks! So unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard that Windows Server 2012 was launched to general customer availability on September 4th, 2012.

Windows Server 2012 promises to be a great new operating system, all though I have to say I’m not a big fan of the UI. Lots of great new features, but seriously Microsoft, why did you have to butcher the UI?

Some of the new features:

• Hyper-V Replica
• IP Address Management
• A new file system (ReFS)
• IIS 8.0

To name a few. If you haven’t  had a chance to try it out, I urge you to deploy it in a lab and start fooling around with the features to get a feel for it. If you don’t like the new UI you can always install it in Server core mode.

-RP