I have been trialing VPN.  Chris installed NordVPN on my phone and tablet a few weeks ago so I have had a chance to use it and get comfortable with it. I’m still trying to figure out why I really need it.  Why would anyone be interested in what I am doing on the internet?  Chris has reminded me that it’s not just what I search for, but also the information that I transmit.  So, sure, once I log into Facebook, they will know what I click on and the posts that I read, but they won’t know that a half-hour ago I bought pink Ugg boots at Marshall’s.

Here are my initial impressions from trialing VPN:

1. On my phone, Chris had to make some changes so that my phone stayed logged into the VPN.  For the first few days whenever I moved from one WiFi location to another, or from WiFi to cellular, the VPN would drop and I would have to reconnect it.  Now the VPN is persistent even as I drive or walk around.
2. I like that I can connect to a VPN almost anywhere in the world.  Chris has experimented with connecting in the UK.  Then he can see what is on the BBC that is not available in Colorado.
3. There are times when the VPN seems to slow things down, especially on my phone and tablet. When that happens, I disconnect and then reconnect to my WiFi and that seems to help.
4. There have been times when I cannot send emails from my phone when connected to the VPN. We’re still trying to figure out what that happens.  In the meantime, I turn off the VPN, send the email, and then reconnect.

We like NordVPN – Get it here!

If you need help setting up your VPN, contact us for an appointment.

Are you trialing a VPN? Which one? What are your impressions?  Please let me know in the comments below!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30 day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Recently I was out to dinner with a couple of friends.  During almost the entire evening at least one of them had their nose in their phone.  They were responding to texts/private messages, or answering a phone call, or listening to voice mails, or responding to emails.  I was appalled by their lack of manners, not just to me, but to each other! Several of these friends are also obsessed with the news.  When I pressed them on it, they didn’t seem to think they had spent that much screen time and that it wasn’t disruptive. I wondered to myself just how much time they were actually spending on their phone.

And then I started wondering how much time /I/ actually spend on my phone!

What is Screen Time?

Well, lucky me, because the next iOS for my iPhone and iPad will be available in September and includes a new app called “Screen Time”. I’ve signed up for the beta version of iOS 12 to try it out. Of course I’m installing it on my iPad and not my iPhone.  I use my iPhone extensively for business.  If my iPhone were to be suddenly unavailabe, I’d be up a creek without a paddle! So far, here is what I have found:

1. Although I installed Screen Time on my iPad, it says that it is providing results for “All Devices”.  Since I generally use the same apps on my phone and my tablet, I wasn’t really sure if it was showing results for both.  I did a little test and played a game on my phone that is not on my iPad.  The time I spent playing that game did not show up on the results.  In addition, it said I picked up my “phone”, on average, every 22 minutes.  Again, it is showing results for the iPad.
2. Since I don’t use my iPad that much, and when I do, it is primarily for entertainment, the results are a little skewed.  Once I install iOS 12 on my iPhone, I’ll have a better idea of how I’m actually using my devices.
3. I do like that it tells me where I’m spending my time: Productivity, Social Networking, Entertainment, and Games.

Helpful hints:

Are you concerned about how much time you are spending on your mobile devices? Telling yourself to just put it down isn’t really much help. Here are some things I have found helpful on my iPhone:

1. Putting my phone in another room during meals.  I can still hear it ring, and if it is important, I can easily get up
2. Turning off all notification sounds.  In Settings, select “Notifications”.   Then you can go through the list of all of your apps one by one.  Which of these apps should be allowed to interupt you with notifications?  Which should not?
3. If I really don’t want to be disturbed, I turn the ringer off.  My phone still communicates with my Fitbit watch, so when someone is calling I get a notification on my watch.  Again, if it’s important, I can easily get up. If I really, really don’t want to be disturbed, I will take off my Fitbit.
4. Changing my iPhone to greyscale.  It is a much less attractive distraction when there is no color involved.  In Settings, select General, then select Accessibility.  Scroll to the bottom of that screen and select “Accessibility Shortcut”. Click on “Color Filters”.  Then triple tap the home button to make your iPhone greyscale.  Triple tap again to bring the color back.
5. Use a timer.  If you do want to check social media but want to make sure you’re not spending two hours catching up with your Facebook friends, set a timer.  It’s best if you set it in a different room.  For example, if I’m in my home office, I can set the microwave timer.  That provides me with a persistent reason to get up and head to the kitchen to turn off the timer!

Screen Time for Kids:

Screen Time will also allow you to restrict your children’s use of their iPhone and iPad.  I would suggest trialing Screen Time for yourself first. Then you’ll know how best to introduce it to your kids.

 

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet.  I’ll try that next!   Prime is normally $119/year ($59 for students!), but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial (Any links to products or services in this post may be affiliate links. If they are, we may receive a small commission when you click on it. Rest assured, your price will be the same!)  If you’d like to receive our newsletters in your email, please click here.

There sure has been a lot going on in the technology world.  Here’s some of the tech news I’ve been reading about:

Facial Recognition is back in the news.  Between China and Facebook, it is something we all need to be aware of.

• This article in the Sunday New York Times gives an overview of how facial recognition is being used in China.  From catching criminals to just keeping track of people, their system is pretty impressive.  “Beijing is embracing technologies like facial recognition and artificial intelligence to identify and track 1.4 billion people.”
• This article reminds us to stop taking selfies if we want to stay out of facial recognition databases.  “A 2016 Georgetown University study found that one in two American adults, or 117 million people, are in facial recognition databases with few rules on how these systems may be accessed.”
• If you want to turn off fingerprint or facial recognition on your smartphone you should read this article.

Next Monday is Amazon Prime Day and all the tech news outlets want you to know what the best deals are.  Remember to still check the internet to see if you can get a better deal on that coveted item from somewhere else – Best Buy, Target, etc.

• You do need to be a member of Amazon Prime in order to take advantage of these deals.  Check out this link to Try Amazon Prime for a 30-Day Free Trial. If you don’t like the benefits, remember to cancel before the 30 day trial is up!
• There are some tips in this article to help you take the best advantage of Prime Day.
• Then there is always eBay which is also offering great deals next week.
• And these 10 stores will price match Amazon all year long!

July and August are great times to travel.  Here are some Tech Tips to make international travel easier.

• Remember to check with your phone carrier before making an international trip.  They will probably be able to offer you special plans for the duration of your trip.
• Here are some tips to unplug from tech while you are on vacation.  My personal favorite is the nuclear email option!
• Remember to set your Dropbox so that it automatically uploads your photos to the cloud.  That way, if you’re taking the perfect picture at the ocean, and a wave destroys your phone, you’ll still have most of the photos saved.  (Dropbox does need wifi in order to upload any videos.)
• And, please don’t use all of your data!  Here are some tips to help you conserve your data plan.

Some of our favorite sites for tech news include Wired, Fast Company, arsTechnica, and C|Net.  Check them out!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet.  I’ll try that next!   Prime is normally $119/year ($59 for students!), but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial (Any links to products or services in this post may be affiliate links. If they are, we may receive a small commission when you click on it. Rest assured, your price will be the same!)  If you’d like to receive our newsletters in your email, please click here.

Face it. You’ve been thinking about getting a new tablet.  You’re only using your personal computer for email, social media, and movies. Now, I’m not talking about the machine you use for work.  The one that sits on your desk is probably also used for social media and personal email. When you get home at the end of the day though, your computing needs change. You don’t need to create a database or a white paper or even a simple spreadsheet.  You’re sending photos to your brother, or writing a thank you email to your Aunt or posting an old bookcase for sale in your local Facebook group.   You can do all of that on your phone.  You would hardly ever power up your Mac or PC  if it weren’t for your eyes!

What does this mean for you?  If you’ve been thinking about replacing your older computer, start thinking about getting a tablet instead of another computer.  There are a number of good tablets out there, and you’ll save some money by choosing a tablet over a laptop or desktop.  If you are thinking about replacing your computer, please remember to back up all of your data.  Do it now!  If you’ve stopped using it regularly, you may not remember about all the precious photos you have on that machine until it is too late.

What should you look for when getting a new tablet?

Operating System:

First, which operating system are you most comfortable with?  Which apps do you like and which OS do those apps work with?  Your choices here are iOS, Windows, and Android.  If you have an iPhone, you may be most comfortable with an iPad.

Battery Life:

If there is one thing that bugs me, it is having to recharge a device after only a short period of time being used. Take a close look at how long each new tablet is expected to last on its battery.

Screen Size:

Screen size and weight go hand in hand.  Do you want something that fits easily into your backpack without being too cumbersome?  The most common screen size is around 10″.  In that size, your new tablet could weigh just under a pound, to over 1 1/2 pounds.

Storage:

If you’ll be storing a lot of photos or music on your tablet, get the biggest size you can afford.  Tablets normally run in sizes from 32gb, 64gb, 128gb, 512gb, and 1 TB. Other than screen size, this is the one thing that will really bump up the price.

Camera:

Will you be taking a lot of photos with your new tablet? Or will you continue to primarily use your phone for photos?  Most of the tablets available now have cameras with 8 to 13 megapixels on the rear camera. The choices come with the front-facing camera – the one you would use for selfies.  Choices here range from 1.2mp to 8mp.

Price:

Most tablets are currently selling for $300 to $800.  Make sure you know what is important to you, what you absolutely need, and what you can live without.

What features did I forget that are important to you?  Let me know in the comments below!

Information about Geek For Hire, Inc.

I’ve created a Free Report on what to look for to protect yourself from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

 

Best Routers

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about routers recently.  What are the best routers?  How do I get the most secure router?  My internet is super fast – can I get a router that is super-fast too? Of course, Chris has his favorites, but I thought it would be good to head over to Amazon to find the very best routers with top ratings. So I looked for a router which has at least 100 reviews with an average rating above four stars. I’ve also copied an actual review of these three best routers.  (Full disclosure – if you buy something using these links, Geek For Hire may earn a small commission at no increase in cost to you.) See the bottom of this page for Chris’ favorites.

eero Home WiFi System (4.6 Stars / 1,536 Reviews)

“Ok, I will admit that I bought these with the full intention of probably having to send them back. Through the years I have tried several different systems to put good wireless throughout our 3-story home. I’ve used several different routers, and have had an Apple AirPort Extreme and two Airport Express’ running (which still provide the backbone in the house for our less needy machine system). But nothing I did could get a good signal into the master bedroom in the back of the house, especially with the main router being in the home office upstairs on the other side of the house. My better half constantly let me know I was a poor excuse of a Network Engineer when she wasn’t even able to watch the latest Korean drama in peace while laying in bed.  Unpacking – simple and clean. … Once I had all the Beacons set up I went through the house trying to find a weak spot or dead spot. Couldn’t find one – not one! Guess I won’t be sending this stuff back after all. Sure put a smile on my better half’s face! Oh, and is this thing FAST!!!“

NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming WiFi Router (4.6 Stars / 244 Reviews)

“Being a casual gamer with a DSL connection in today’s world is a real disadvantage. My ping speeds were in the 190s prior to this router. After using the geo filter and anti buffer bloat they dropped into the 20s!!!! Yes, the 20s. Only having 10 MBps, the traffic prioritisation is a must have. I put my PS4 at the top of the list and if somebody decides to fire up youtube while I’m playing its not an issue anymore. This is a game changer. But the real benefit is the DUMA OS. It is perfect for a novice like myself to manage my home network however I want. Kid wont put down the IPad and take out the trash? No problem, one click and that IPad is offline. Want to block sites for certain devices? Done. There are super technical things you can do on this but I’m too scared to mess with those so I don’t. It seems like a lot of money but once you realize the benefits of this you’ll wish you’d have done it sooner.“

Linksys Velop Tri-band Whole Home WiFi Intelligent Mesh System (4.5 Stars / 1,656 Reviews)

“I replaced my Apple Airport Extreme with this. It felt like a better experience for Wi-Fi in my house was possible. I HAD NO IDEA how much better it could be. I bought a SINGLE Velop node and it covers my entire home better than the Airport Extreme *combined* with an Airport Express did. I will likely need a second Velop node come summer to reach our back yard, but my entire house is now completely covered. It gives FULL download speeds from my modem (350Mbps) and I could not be happier. I researched all the Mesh systems out there (Google, Eero, etc.,) and this one seemed the way to go. Of course I didn’t buy the others, but I am VERY VERY happy with the Velop and will recommend it to everyone who asks me about home Wi-fi.“

What do you consider the Best Router?

What are Chris’ favorites?

The following are the routers and mesh routers that Chris likes the best:

WiFi Mesh Routers

These ORBI WiFi mesh routers are ideal if you have a medium to large house, and one stand-alone router doesn’t provide enough WiFi coverage.  These mesh routers are ideal for “pushing” the WiFi coverage through your house, and have a separate WiFi radio for the dedicated “back haul” that provides low latency and high bandwidth.  If you have a medium sized house or larger, and have internet service that is faster than 300Mbps, these WiFi mesh routers are the best solution that I know of.

ORBI RBK50 (2 Pack, AC3000) $325 from Amazon

ORBI RBK53 (3 Pack, AC3000) $450 from Amazon

Routers

These stand-alone WiFi (Not Mesh) routers will provide good WiFi signal and network performance for small to medium sized homes and offices:

Linksys AC5400

New from Amazon $400

Used from Amazon $200

New from Best Buy $350

Netgear AC3200:

New from Amazon: $250

New from Best Buy: $250

Netgear Nighthawk AC4000:

New from Amazon: $280

New from Best Buy: $280

Netgear Nighthawk AX6000 (this looks like a manta ray):

New from Amazon $400

New from Best Buy $400

 

I’ve created a Free Report to protect you from “phishing” scams. Click here to receive it!

INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly.  You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

Here’s a link to our Covid19 Policy.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you’d like to receive our newsletters in your email, please click here.

Scam Phone Calls:

We’re getting more calls for technical support from people who have fallen for one of the scam phone calls. They receive the call, and let the “tech” from “Microsoft” or “Dell” gain access to their machine. Or, the “tech” asks them if they have a particular file on their machine, and then express concern and alarm when the person says “Yes I do have that file.  Is that bad?”  Of course, this is a file that every Windows machine must have to function, but the average person doesn’t know that. These people are highly skilled in the art of persuasion.  They are very convincing. This is their job, and they won’t want to let you go.

And, it’s not your imagination.  These “bad operators” are stepping up their activity.  Even Microsoft has recognized the problem.  Virus headlines like these keep coming across my newsfeed.

• Tech Support Scams on the Rise
• Tech support scams are on the rise, up 24%, warns Microsoft

And here are two articles who recognized the scam and played along:

• MalwareBytes plays along with the Microsoft scam
• Listen to an actual Microsoft Support Scam

From the Microsoft website:

“It is a SCAM!!! Microsoft does not do that nor do they have partners who do that nor do they hire sub-contractors or people or even get volunteers to do that. There are probably thousands of such companies out there doing this every day.”

One Simple Thing to Protect Yourself From Scam Phone Calls:

Remember that Microsoft, or Google, or Dell, or anyone else won’t call you to tell you have a virus.  Those phone calls are always scams.  So, there really is just one thing you can do to protect yourself. Hang up!  These folks are well-practiced and very convincing.  Hang up!

Apple Scam Phone Calls:

Sorry, Mac users.  It’s only a matter of time before you start getting targeted too.  As more and more people transition to Mac’s, they won’t let you out of the fun. Your solution is the same.  Hang up!

If you do allow access:

If you do allow the scammer access to your computer, run your anti-virus as soon as you realize your mistake.

Be careful with who you allow to access your machine. Hang up if your spider sense starts tingling.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free and fast shipping.  With Prime, we have access to online streaming too. Prime is usually $119/year, but you can get a free 30-day trial by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you’d like to receive our newsletters in your email, please click here.

Streaming Music Apps

Last week I reviewed several streaming music apps.  Since I’ve used Pandora for years for streaming music, I was wondering if there are other viable options out there.  Are these other apps free? How many commercials do I have to listen to? And what are my options for commercial free streaming? (Please note that some of the links included may be affiliate links.  If you click on them, Geek For Hire may receive a small commission.) You can see my review of Pandora and Google Play here.

Spotify:

I tried Spotify next.    I did need to create an account before listening, which I guess makes sense.  I’m not sure why they needed my birthday information, but they did ask, and I did lie… (You know me.  Don’t provide any of your personal information that is not 100% required. They also asked if they could send me notifications.  I declined those.)

Once I was logged in, they asked me to choose some favorite bands.  Then they indicated that they would create some playlists for me.  The next screen, however, was full of “popular” music that I am not inclined to listen to.

There was a little button that said “My Music”.  When I clicked there, expecting to see all the bands I had JUST selected, they asked me to create a playlist.  So I created a new playlist, but that apparently was only the title of the play list.  I still had to choose music for this play list.  And, again, a list of “popular” music was provided, six songs at a time.  None of these songs were from any of the bands I had favorited earlier.  On this screen, there isn’t a place to search for music that I might like.  The only choices are the ones that Spotify has pre-selected for you.

So far, I’m not impressed, and I’m not recommending it. Next.

Apple Music:

I signed in with my Apple ID, so that was easy.  Apple wanted me to sign up for their streaming music service and I would get the first 30 days for free.  Since I’m looking for a free alternative to Pandora, I moved on.  I know that I can always listed to my music in iTunes.

Tidal:

You know this about me already.  I don’t believe in paying for apps.  I don’t mind listening to some commercials in exchange for the service, but I won’t fork over my credit card info.  Tidal is not available without a subscription, so…. Next.

AmazonMusic:

Since I already have an Amazon account, I easily signed in. I liked that they initiated two-factor authorization.  They sent a code to my cell phone (which they already had on file) to make sure I was me.  Once I entered that six digit code into my iPad, I was ready to go.  They then asked if they could access my iTunes library which I declined.  Amazon also wanted me to sign up for a free trial before being billed $11/month.  I clicked on the “No thanks, not now” button. I also said “No thanks” to the offer to send me notifications. Then I noticed that as a Prime member I already get access to commercial-free play.

Amazon also has a list of recommended playlists.  Unlike Spotify though, there was a variety of music here, including music I might like.  I clicked on “Acoustic Pop”, for an hour and a half of pre-selected music.  Amazon doesn’t have a “thumbs up” button.  If you do like a song, you click on the three little dots for the drop-down menu.  From there you can select “Add to my music”, which is as close to favorited as I can find here. You can add the song to one of your playlists from this drop-down menu too. If you don’t like a song, you simply click on the right arrow or next button.

Amazon also has an option to show the lyrics, a feature I really like. What I don’t like: My favorite local bands aren’t’ available as they are on some of the other platforms.  Here’s the link if you’d like to give AmazonMusic a free trial. Amazon Music Unlimited Free Trial

Recomendation:

What is my recommendation for a streaming music app?  I’ll still use Pandora, but I think Amazon Music is my new favorite.

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fifteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website, or give us a call 303-618-0154. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area as well as remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet.  I’ll try that next!   Prime is normally $99/year, but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

(Any links to products or services in this post may be affiliate links. If they are, we may receive a small commission when you click on it. Rest assured, your price will be the same!)