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4G Service – What the heck is that?

Posted on May 23, 2017January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Tech Terms, Technology Tips, Tips

Have you ever wondered what 4G service is? Have you wondered what the code is next to your cell phone bars of service? For example, right now my iPhone shows 4 dots (out of 5) and the code LTE. It looks like this:

What the heck does this mean? And sometimes when I complain to Chris about my lousy cell quality he’ll ask me what kind of service I have. Invariably the answer is “3G”. What the heck is that?! Basically, my phone is currently providing me with 4G service so that I can surf the internet and send videos to my friends with wild abandon!

A little history:

When we first started using cell phones, they were for voice and simple texting only, which doesn’t take as much bandwidth as data does. Gradually, the sophistication of the phones, and the service provided on the cell towers, improved. Using vast amounts of creative thought in naming each new improvement, they were named 2G, 3G, 4G, and the yet to be released 5G. (The “G” stands for Generation, so the 4G or 4th Generation phones are better than the 2G phones.)

I like the way PC Magazine explains the difference in the different generations: “1G was analog cellular. 2G technologies, such as CDMA, GSM, and TDMA, were the first generation of digital cellular technologies. 3G technologies, such as EVDO, HSPA, and UMTS, brought speeds from 200kbps to a few megabits per second. 4G technologies, such as WiMAX and LTE, were the next incompatible leap forward, and they are now scaling up to hundreds of megabits and even gigabit-level speeds.”

At the beginning of this year, AT&T shut down their 2G network. It was state-of-the-art when it was first introduced in 2000, but 17 years later it’s totally obsolete. Engadget put it this way:

“The shutdown is also a reminder of just how far mobile data has come since 2G hit the scene (in the US, at the turn of the millennium). EDGE was considered fine at a time when any mobile data was a relative novelty, and the most you did with it was check email or surf the most basic of websites. Now, even a modestly-sized app or photo download would absolutely crush 2G — the modern mobile internet depends on speeds that are orders of magnitude faster. We can only imagine what it’ll be like when 3G bites the dust and LTE is considered the baseline.”

4G Service

According to Wiki, LTE or 4G service provides your phone with technologies that “include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, and 3D television.”

5th Generation

The 5G technology is still being defined, but you can expect to see it in the next year or two. In the meantime AT&T and Verizon are launching pre-5G which will increase speeds and decrease latency.

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 (Yes, we’ll get a small commission if you sign up.)

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6 easy steps to keeping your computer safe from malware

Posted on May 16, 2017June 7, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Malware, Security, Technology Tips, Virus

Geek For Hire gets calls just about every day from someone who is concerned about an email they’ve received, or a phone call, or a popup warning. Usually I’m able to tell them that all is well. How do I know that? There are a few key things to make sure your machine stays safe from malware.

Have you received a phone call from someone claiming to be Dell Technical Support – or HP, or any of the other manufacturers? If you have not initiated that call, it is most likely a scam. They will be very convincing, telling you that you need to install updates, or that you have a virus. Hang up! As long as you don’t give them access to your machine, you should be fine.
Have you received a phone call from someone claiming to be Microsoft? They generally tell you that your Operating System is not up to date and they need to get access to your computer to download the appropriate files. Again, these folks are very convincing, but you should hang up.
Have you received an email from a technical company offering to review your machine for viruses and other problems? Send that email to your spam folder and ignore it! Make sure you don’t click on any of the links in the email.
Have you received an email from “Amazon” claiming that you have just purchased an item for $457? They just need you to click on this one link to confirm your purchase. Don’t click on it! Delete the email! It is a scam!
Have you seen a pop-up on your machine saying that your machine is badly infected and you need to click on a link to get it resolved? In many cases you may already have some kind of malware installed on your computer. Once you click on the link, you’ve “given permission” for additional malware to be downloaded and installed on your machine. In this case you should run your virus scanner to see if it can remove the malware. If it can’t remove it, or if it says it’s not finding any, you should call for professional help.
Whenever you suspect an issue with your machine, run your virus scanner to make sure your machine is safe from malware.

If you found these tips helpful, please forward it to your friends!

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How to add an icon to your iPhone home screen

Posted on May 9, 2017May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in iPhone, Technology Tips

I’ve had an iPhone for a long time and love the convenience of having a mini-computer at the ready. I remember how thrilled I was when I found a way to access websites I went to all the time with just one touch. Adding an icon to your iPhone is the key.

I know from personal experience that having a Smartphone that is efficient can really make life easier. And it is not as hard to set up as you might think. One thing that can help you a lot is to create an icon so that favorite websites are only one click away. When you add a new app to your Smartphone, it will automatically add the new icon to your iPhone screen. But there are some places you go to on the internet that haven’t created an app yet. If you’d like to get there quickly, it’s easy to add that website as an icon to your iPhone screen.

The first thing you need to do, is to enter the url (the web address) into Safari (or whichever browser you are using).
Once the page loads completely, swipe the page down with your finger until the navigation menu appears on the bottom.
Click the center icon – it looks like a box with an arrow pointing up.
Then, slide the bottom row of icons to the left and click on the icon which says “Add to Home Screen”. Only about 10 characters will show on your screen to indicate the website. I’d advise editing the title so that it is under 10 characters.

Keep your eyes peeled for more hints on optimizing your iPhone!

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How is a Coffee Shop Like a Sickbed? 8 Things You Need to Set Up a Great Virtual Office

Posted on May 2, 2017May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in eMail, Facebook, iPad, Router, Technology Tips

Never have I been so happy that I already have a virtual office set up as I have been for the past few months. Last year I traveled several times to the East Coast while my kids hiked the Appalachian Trail. Because of my virtual office set up, I was able to manage our business wherever I was. Recently though, I’ve had a much greater need for a virtual setup.

In the past three months, I’ve had two surgeries. A total knee replacement in February, and my other knee in April. When you can’t get around, and spend most of your time resting and healing, it’s good to have tried and true technology at your bedside.

Virtual Office Requirements:

WIFI:

You must have fast WiFi. A minimum of 12mbps is recommended. Remember that you may have to upgrade your router in order to provide the actual speed that is being flowed from your ISP to your devices. Good routers have low latency and can support many simultaneous users. Cheap routers tend to support only one user at a time. Chris recommends this Linksys router.

Tablet

Sometimes a laptop is just too heavy! My iPad has been perfect for internet research, sending email, and keeping the Geek For Hire calendar up-to-date. And it’s great for watching AmazonPrime movies and keeping up with Facebook.

Cell Phone:

Well, that kind of goes without saying!

Charging Cords

Make sure you are able to easily reach your charging cords. You may need to add a power strip right next to your bed to easily charge your phone and other equipment.

Optional:

Laptop:

Sure, you can get a lot of business accomplished with just your Smartphone and tablet. But sometimes, you just need your laptop to do certain tasks. For example, Quickbooks won’t let me enter all the detail I’d like on their mobile app. I need to login to Quickbooks from my laptop to do that.

TV:

Entertainment value. Pure and simple.

Headphones:

Sometimes when you’re stuck in bed, it’s hard to sleep when other people are sleeping and you don’t want to disturb them in the middle of the night. Having a good pair of headphones keeps the volume down when you’re watching Speed at 3am. Here’s my recent blog about Bluetooth headphones.

External Keyboard for Tablet:

Typing on a tablet can be cumbersome. The hands – so big. The keyboard – so small. The mistakes – so many! Get yourself a Bluetooth keyboard and typing will be much easier. The newer ones have back-lighting which makes it easier to type when the lights are dimmed.

Speech to Text Software:

Sometimes you just can’t type. (Two of my friends have recently had shoulder surgery.) Many of our customers have used Dragon Naturally Speaking to get their thought down without typing. Keep in mind that it does take a bit to customize the software to your voice.

Remember, it’s better to plan ahead and get your virtual office technology in line before you need it!

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Ducking iPhone! How to change your auto-correct settings

Posted on April 25, 2017June 11, 2024 by Gail Eddy in iPhone, Tips

My friends and I joke about the auto-correct feature on our Smartphones. (We call it “auto-cucumber”.) I don’t use the “F” word often, but when I do, I never mean to type “ducking”! Then there are the times when you have to type in your email over and over again, and you wish your iPhone could just remember it. And, there are words that you ALWAYS misspell. How many times have I typed in “Boukder”, and had to go back and change that “k” to an “l”?!

This is easy to fix!

First, click on “Settings”, then click on “General”, scroll down to “Keyboard”, and finally, click on “Text Replacement”.

Once you’re there, check over the existing auto-correct list that the iPhone may have already created for you. Do they all make sense? Delete the ones that you don’t want to keep by swiping the word to the left.

Now it’s time to add your customized auto-correct words and phrases!

Click on the plus sign in the upper right corner to add new words and shortcuts. In the “Phrase” field, type in what you want to appear on your screen. In the “Shortcut” field, type in the shortcut. Some suggestions:

Type in the first few letters of people in your family as a shortcut
Type in a common misspelling and it’s correction
Add your email address
I added the shortcut “ty” for “Thank you!”
I added the shortcut “omw” for “On My Way!”
And “GFH” becomes “Geek For Hire, Inc.”

Think about the words and phrases you commonly use on your iPhone and add them to your Auto-correct.

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Stop using the Internet! 4 ways to maintain your online privacy

Posted on April 18, 2017December 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Internet Searching, Privacy, Social Media, Tips

The other day I was thinking about new shoes. I went to Google and typed in “Keen Mary Janes”. Now, all I see when I’m on my computer (and phone!) are ads for Keens and ads for Mary Janes. So much for my online privacy… I keep wondering if I do decide to buy them will the ads disappear and I’ll start seeing ads for a different product that I’ve Googled.

I’ve been thinking a lot about privacy lately, ever since the House & Senate passed a bill last month in favor of blocking internet privacy rules. You can read more about that here. This bill essentially gives Internet Service Providers more leeway in selling our searching info to advertisers.

There are ways to keep our data more private, one of them being setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN). That’s a little over my head, so I’ve asked Chris to write a blog about that. In the meantime, there are four pretty easy ways of keeping your searching history more private.

Online Privacy – What can you do?

You could….

Well, you could just stop using the Internet. No more email. No more Facebook and other Social Media. No more online shopping sprees. No more checking the news online. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen!

Or, you could….

Do all of your shopping in person. With cash. Without signing into the store’s reward program. A good friend of mine once went to a store and bought a pair of pink Ugg boots for a friend with cash. Unfortunately she did use the store’s reward card. For weeks afterwards she got ads on her computer for Uggs!

Or, maybe…

You can go to your local library. As long as you don’t sign in to your email or any other account, your online privacy is maintained. You can search for anything while you’re there without worrying about what your ISP will see. You can print off the relevant pages, fork over 10¢ or 20¢ per page, and be on your way.

Realistically…

You can use apps that protect your privacy. Two that come to mind are DuckDuckGo for Internet searches and WhatsApp for texting. I also use a Virtual Private Network. (What is a VPN?)

I like What’s App’s description of their end-to-end encryption:

“WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption is available when you and the people you message use the latest versions of our app. Many messaging apps only encrypt messages between you and them, but WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption ensures only you and the person you’re communicating with can read what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp. This is because your messages are secured with a lock, and only the recipient and you have the special key needed to unlock and read them.” Here’s the link to download WhatsApp to your Smartphone or tablet.

It’s easy to change your default search engine on the iPhone to DuckDuckGo. Click on the Settings icon, then scroll down to Safari. Click on Safari and select your preferred Search Engine. On your computer, just bookmark the DuckDuckGo page and use it whenever you do a search. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and am not noticing a difference in the quality of responses to my searches.

Using DuckDuckGo and WhatsApp doesn’t protect you 100% but it does help you maintain some online privacy.

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.

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Two Factor Authentication

Posted on April 4, 2017June 7, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Tech Terms, Technology Tips, Tips

What is Two Factor Authentication?

Two Factor Authentication (TFA or 2FA) or Multi-factor Authentication refers to a practice commonly used by financial institutions and other sensitive applications to make sure that the person signing into an account is really that person and not a hacker. Two Factor Authentication is used in addition to the usual login credentials. You use 2FA without realizing it. Like me, when I first encountered it a few years ago, you may have been annoyed that your bank was asking you to prove your identity when you’ve already entered your username and password.

Can you explain that again?

Your UserID and Password together make up the first factor of authentication. The second factor is a code only you know. For example, when you receive a six digit code on your cell phone to provide after you’ve entered your password. Credit cards also use 2FA. The credit card number, expiration date, and the sneaky code on the back are all available to someone with the card in their hands. 2FA would ask you for your billing zip code.

Why is 2FA important?

Two Factor Authentication provides another level of protection for your accounts. It will work with your computer, your tablet, and your phone. It helps to ensure that your sensitive information isn’t available to hackers.

According to Secure Envoy: “With standard security procedures (especially online) only requiring a simple username and password it has become increasingly easy for criminals (either in organised gangs or working alone) to gain access to a user’s private data such as personal and financial details and then use that information to commit fraudulent acts, generally of a financial nature.”

Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

https://www.cnet.com/news/two-factor-authentication-what-you-need-to-know-faq/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2456400,00.asp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-factor_authentication

We recommend that you enable Two Factor Authentication for all of your email, financial, and other sensitive accounts.

New Headphones – Should I get Bluetooth?

Posted on March 28, 2017January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Laptops, Tips

Chris convinced me to get a new iPhone last week, so I upgraded to the newish iPhone 7. I had heard that Apple had merged the charging jack with the headphone jack but hadn’t realized that would be an issue. Well, it is! Of course, Apple provides a dongle to convert the lightning jack to a jack for the headphones, which can be used as long as you’re not charging. The problem most people will run into is that protective covers don’t have access to the lightning jack.

With my last iPhone, I was very happy with the protective qualities of the Mophie. So when I got this new iPhone, I also purchased a Mophie case to protect it and provide additional battery backup. The only outward-facing jack is the standard USB jack. There’s no option here to plug in headphones or a headset.

New technology – aka Bluetooth Headphones – here we come!

The saleswoman at the AT&T store showed me two Bluetooth-connected headphones, but both were very expensive. The one she particularly liked is made by Beats. But, at almost $200, it was out of my price range. The one she used herself, which she described as “okay”, was still well over $100. I was wondering if there aren’t good quality (and highly rated) Bluetooth over-the-ear headphones I could find for under $50? No matter how much I searched online, the answer was “no”.

I ended up going to our local Best Buy store to see for myself what my options were. Sometimes it’s just better to hold the box in your hands before deciding what to purchase. The salesman agreed with my extensive online research; I wouldn’t be able to get a decent set of headphones for under $50. He pointed me towards a couple of less expensive headphones that had received good reviews. One, at $80, was reviewed well, but it had earbuds and was not what I wanted.

Next, he showed me a pair of Sony headphones. I’m partial to the Sony brand, so I was (as the Ferengi say) “all ears”. I ended up purchasing the Sony MDR-ZX220BT. At $80, these weren’t too far off of my budget. The headphones are actually “ON” the ear and not “Over-The-Ear”, but I’m very happy with the sound quality. They were easy to pair with my iPhone and laptop too.

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 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 at 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.

More Tips Here:

Are VPNs worth it? More here.
Are you interested in learning more about Extreme Privacy?
We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here’s what you should do ahead of time to keep your account safe.
And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!

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Photo Editing Apps for your iPhone

Posted on March 21, 2017January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Laptops, Tips

Most Smartphones take pretty decent photos. And you can do some minor things to make them a little better, but there are a whole bunch of photo editing apps out there that can take you to a whole ‘nother level.

Banana on Keyboard (Photo editing using Prisma Mondrian Filter) — Banana on Keyboard

Art

“Prisma transforms your photos and videos into works of art using the styles of famous artists: Van Gogh, Picasso, Levitan, as well as world famous ornaments and patterns. A unique combination of neural networks and artificial intelligence helps you turn memorable moments into timeless art pieces.” The photo on the right was created using the “mondrian” filter.

Labels

This by Tinrocket gives you an easy way to add labels to your photos. It’s easy to use, and you can add multiple labels.

General Editing:

MaxCurve is a very highly rated photo editing app. It allows you to play with the exposure and color levels; tone down the cyan and turn up the magenta. Here’s a tutorial to get the most out of the app.

Image Editor gives you the ability to change a photo into a meme, to focus on one point and blur the rest of the photo, to draw, to add a frame, and much more.

When you want to post a photo online, either for social media or your blog, you want to have a photo that loads quickly and is not at the mercy of download speeds. Resize Image lets you do just that. We’re not talking about cropping photos so that you get rid of extraneous background. We’re talking about taking a photo as it is and changing it from a 1 gig file to a 100kb file with all the detail intact.

If you do want to crop a photo, I like Photo Crop. There are times when you want to keep the original photo, but also crop part of the background out. When you crop a photo in the iPhone Photo app, it “loses” the original. When you use Photo Crop, you can keep the original, and play with it too.

What are your favorite photo editing apps? Please share in the comments below!

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I Spilled Coffee on My Laptop!

Posted on March 14, 2017May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in backup, Laptops, Tips

It’s the fear of laptop owners everywhere. You’ve staked out your teeny spot at the local coffee shop. You’ve finished your first latte and head up for your next one. Heading back to your seat you trip and quickly regain your balance. But not quickly enough. Your cry rings through the shop: “I spilled coffee on my laptop!”

The next few minutes are really important.

First:

Turn off your machine and pull the power cord out.

Second:

Turn the machine upside down. Stop the flow of the liquid into your machine immediately.

Third:

Remove your battery and place it in a container covered with rice.

Fourth:

Remove any peripherals: USB devices, Memory Cards, etc.

Fifth:

Clean the liquid from the surface of your machine with a cloth or Q-tips. Chris thinks paper towels and napkins are best, because they are immediately absorbent.

Last:

Let it sit upside down for 24-48 hours before plugging it back in. If it still doesn’t work, it’s time to call in a professional.

Words of Wisdom from Chris:

Spilled coffee on your laptop can be worse than dropping it, because it’s hard to tell where the liquid has gone, and different kinds of liquid have a worse effect than others.
The volume of the liquid is important.
- If it’s a small volume of liquid (1-2 ounces), quickly wipe the top of the surface with a paper towel or napkin to get most of the liquid off the surface, then grab the computer firmly by the sides, and try shake any liquid that may have made it inside off and out for 5-10 seconds. Open the computer lid to about 30 degrees, and stand the computer up on it’s side with the hot air vent at the top. Leave the computer alone for a day, and retry the computer the next day.
- Spilling a pint glass of water is worse than “clutzing” a small spill as you move your glass over the keyboard. If you do the “pint glass” kind of spill, Remove the battery, and disconnect any connected wall power from the computer. Stand up immediately, grasp the computer firmly with your hands on the right and left side of the keyboard, extend your arms outward to lock your elbows, and firmly sweep the computer from up to down many times as you use centrifugal force to eject the liquid from the computer.
Electronic connectors do not like liquid, because it causes “short circuits” and promotes corrosion. Plain coffee and plain water are the most benign of all liquids because they don’t have sugars or salts mixed in. Sugar in a liquid is worse because the sugar will make keys stick later, and will attract additional dust later – which will make your keys more sticky as the humidity goes up. Milk will have a less sticky effect than sugar, but is still conductive and will attract dust later. Soda is the worst because it has sugar and salt, making the liquid very conductive, very sticky, and tends to get in many different places inside your computer. Beer is good, except when mixed with electronics, then it is bad.

An Ounce of Prevention:

Keep your drink away from your computer, eg: near a wall and away from people traffic – but where you can easily look at it. If a Server approaches with your beverage, make eye contact and offer to receive it with your hands using a path that is away from your computer. Note: professional Servers tend to have excellent grip strength and dexterity, so if they insist on their placement, consider putting your hands under the drink as it moves across the table (to catch a drip should one occur), rather than try to forcibly snatch it from their hands. Being able to keep an eye on your beverage is good, because you might tip it over when you adjust the angle of the computer lid or when you push the computer away from you.

Reminder: Keep your data backed up so that problems like this don’t turn into business disasters! Most cloud based backup systems will automatically back up files as you save them. That means your data loss could be minimal. I use Dropbox (You’ll get 500mb free with this link.)

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