5 Navigation Apps To Get You Where You’re Going

Posted on December 6, 2016January 13, 2025 by Gail Eddy in Tips, Travel

I got our first GPS way back in 2005. (Way before smartphones and Navigation Apps!) It was the perfect gift for Chris so that he could easily find his way to our customers homes and businesses. In the past ten years, GPS and mobile navigation in general has changed tremendously. Now, Smartphone apps include traffic problems, construction detours, and multiple alternate routes. It’s nice to be out there with your iPhone, Android, or other smartphone, so you’re able to get where you’re going with minimal issues.

Navigation Apps

My favorite app is the one that came with my iPhone. It’s simply called “Maps”, so I use it on all of my road trips. There have been a few times when it has steered me wrong, but mostly it is right on. One issue I have with it though, is that it is a battery drainer. So for long road trips, I keep my phone plugged in and charging when I have the Map app running. Another issue is that it doesn’t allow me to take a prettier back road without telling me to “make a U-Turn”!

Other Navigation apps that people like include:

Google Maps

This is what I use at my desk computer to help plan road trips. Firstly, it synchronizes nicely with Google Calendar. Secondly, I like that it shows me local businesses who have a Google listing. However, the smartphone app doesn’t show accidents or construction, so I don’t use it on the road. Available for iPhone, Android

Waze

This is a highly rated app and not only gives you info on Traffic, but also upcoming Hazards, as well as Gas Prices, etc. When I downloaded it I noticed some problems right away. First of all, it won’t give you directions to a location more than 999 miles away. Also, you have to drive at least 100 miles with Waze on before it will tell you where the cheap gas is. So, while others rate Waze highly, it gets a pass from me! Available for iPhone Android Windows

Komoot

I wish I’d known about this app before my kids started and finished the Appalachian Trail. Techlicious writes “This navigation app from a German startup covers an exhaustive range of North American bike paths and mountain trails, with topographic maps for hiking and biking routes near you. Its database is built from open-source info as well as user-submitted data to suggest trails for different fitness levels.” Available for Android & iOS

CoPilot

I haven’t used Co-Pilot, but I like that you can download your map ahead of time. Consequently, you’ll save on data. Techlicious writes “A full-fat nav app like CoPilot is a good idea if you’re overseas, for instance, and don’t want to use roaming data or depend on Wi-Fi stops to update Google Maps.” Available from copilotgps.com

Which of these apps do you use? Are there others that that I didn’t include? Let me know your favorites in the comments below!

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. 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. Maybe 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 when you sign up.)

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8 Tips For Determining Fake News Sites

Posted on November 22, 2016May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Click Bait, Facebook, Malware, Social Media, Tips, Virus

Over the last week or so, I’ve been hearing more about “Fake News” websites. I’ve been aware, for a while, of websites that seem more biased, but I hadn’t been aware of websites with actual fake news. An off-shoot of this issue is that these websites sometimes include malware. Several of our customers got a virus in the week leading up to the election from clicking on those types of “news” stories.

Have you read any of these news stories? Many of them surround the impact fake news has had on Facebook and other Social Media. For example this article from the NY Times, or this one from the Washington Post, or this one from CNN .

What to watch out for:

Does the site have a lot of “click bait”? That’s a web site with pop ups that you have to click through before you can read the actual content. This is different from the sites which make you watch an advertisement before you get to the actual story. Click bait will take you to another site entirely.
Can you verify the news item with a reputable source? If it’s real news, there should be something on one of the national news websites like CNN, NYT, MSNBC, USA Today, or even the Financial Times. If it’s a local news stories, an NBC, CBS, ABC, or Fox local affiliate should have information.
Does the URL for the website seem odd in some way? For example a url that ends with ” .co “, or ” .su “, or ” .ru “.
Does the headline match the story?
When a news story seems too fantastic to believe, I head over to Snopes to see what they have to say. From their website, Snopes: “began in 1995 as an expression of … interest in researching urban legends has since grown into what is widely regarded by folklorists, journalists, and laypersons alike as one of the World Wide Web’s essential resources.”
Is it on a list of “fake news” websites? There are several of these lists floating around. Here is the one published by USA Today.
Is it satire? Several websites are satire, which is not fake news. Satirical sites which come to mind include the Onion, and the Borowitz Report.
Check the date. Is it a recent news event, or something from months or even years ago that is being re-purposed as new news?

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 fourteen 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. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and 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, but I’m tempted! 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 when you sign up.)

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5 Tips for Smart Shopping

Posted on November 15, 2016May 6, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Tips

More people will be shopping in the next few weeks with the holiday season coming up. While I always recommend shopping at your local small businesses, not everything is always available there. There are certain ways to shop online which help save your wallet.

One thing I’ve recently become aware of is selecting some things you want, place them in your “basket”, and leave. This only works if you’ve logged in and the retailer knows your email address. Over the next few days you may receive emails with coupons for a percent off, or special offers related to the items you’ve already selected. My most recent experience netting me a coupon for 20% off!
Check to see the best price for items you’re considering. One alert site for Amazon is Camelcamel. Other sites for more retailers include SlickDeals, Gottadeal, and Dealnews. For electronics try Pricewatch.
Add a shopping app on your smartphone to help you find the best prices when you’re away from your computer. Tom’s Guide has recommended several apps.
Find coupons that give you dollars or a percentage off of your purchase. Some good sites for online coupons include CouponCabin, Coupons, and Retailmenot. And, there is also Groupon. One thing I don’t like about Groupon is that you purchase the product or service ahead of time and may forget about the expiration date. Several of my friends have made a Groupon purchase and never got to use it!
Just use Google if you know exactly what you want. Enter the brand and model number and Google will tell you which companies are selling that item.

Do you have online shopping tips that you use? Let us know!

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I’m Addicted To My Phone!

Posted on November 8, 2016May 2, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Entertainment Apps, SmartPhones, Social Media, Tips

Does anyone else wonder if they spend too much time on their phone? Too much time using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites? I know for me there have been times when I have picked up my phone to (gasp!) make a phone call. After I enter my passcode, it opens to the last screen I had active. If it is Facebook, I’ll check my notifications, completely forgetting about that call. Does that ever happen to you?

It turns out it is designed that way. From this month’s Atlantic Magazine article “Tristan Harris believes Silicon Valley is Addicting Us To Our Phones”:

“Messages, photos, and “likes” appear on no set schedule, so we check for them compulsively, never sure when we’ll receive that dopamine-activating prize. (Delivering rewards at random has been proved to quickly and strongly reinforce behavior.)”

Even I remember that from my Freshman Year Psych class!

And who even knew there is an “Information Overload Day”, let alone an Information Overload Research Group? They state that:

“Information Overload causes people to lose their ability to manage thoughts and ideas, contemplate, and even reason and think. It has resulted in work days that never seem to end, completely destroying work/life balance.”

Tips:

What can you do to help yourself be more present and not focus so much on your phone and social media?

Set up a schedule for using your phone to check email and social media. Set a timer to limit your time to ten or twenty minutes. Keep your phone turned off otherwise, except when you are expecting a call.
Change your notifications so that you don’t receive an alert whenever you receive a new email, or Facebook message, or when someone has liked your Tweet. (With my iPhone I receive an alert whenever I get a new email to my business account. I’ve set it up so that I do not receive alerts for new personal emails.)
Remove some (or all) Social Media apps from your phone and only access them from your computer.
Ask everyone to put their phones in the center of the table during meals.
Charge your phone at night in a different room, not right next to your bed.

I hope these tips are helpful!

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3 Tips to Creating a Secure & Strong Password

Posted on November 1, 2016April 29, 2024 by Gail Eddy in Entertainment Apps, Hackers, Tips

Last week, I wrote about the DDoS attack which occurred on October 21st. That attack shut down many websites and apps, especially for users on the East Coast. I recommended that you use a very secure and strong password. Please don’t use one of these most common passwords!

Use a Strong Password! Not these Common Passwords Source: http://i.imgur.com/FImcPiG.png — The Most Common Passwords
Source: http://i.imgur.com/FImcPiG.png

How to create a Strong Password:

It occurred to me that you may need some guidance to create a really secure and strong password. Here are some tips:

First, the more characters in your password, the more secure it will be. According to mSecure, a four-character password can be cracked in under a minute, while an eight-character password can be cracked in five months. A nine-character password can take up to 10 years to crack. Notice I said “up to”. Just using lots of characters doesn’t work if the password is easy to guess. That’s why you also need:
Next, think Complexity. Using a eight-character password like “password”, “Password”, or even “PasswØrd”, is too easy to guess. Even a nine-character password like “password1” is relatively easy to crack. The same goes for “Admin”, “administrator”, and “12345678”. These are common passwords that a lot of people use. In order to make a password more complex, add symbols, capital letters, and numbers. Using symbols or numbers in exchange for letters makes the password easier to remember. For example swap out your “o” for an “Ø”, your “a” for “@”, or your “e” for a “3”. You can even use a password generator like passwordsgenerator.net to generate a truly unique password. I like this one because I can set the number of characters and whether or not I can use special characters like @#%& for a particular website. Above all, when you go to enter your log in credentials:
Finally, you must remember that very strong password! Some ideas include a favorite book, your best friend’s name from second grade, or your grandparent’s street address. Just remember to add some additional complexity to make it even more secure. For example, “Newport” can become “517Newport”, “NewpØrt”, or “Newport100”. If you must write down your passwords, keep it in a secure place. I use a password protected spreadsheet.

Please make it a point to use a secure and strong password on all of your internet connected devices. Change it today!

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Speech to Text Punctuation

Posted on October 18, 2016October 17, 2016 by Gail Eddy in Tips

I’ve been using my phone’s speech to text feature more and more. I use the feature to compose emails, send text messages, and search on my phone’s internet browser. I have experienced some frustration that the phone doesn’t always do what I tell it to do. I’ve modified my instructions somewhat so that more and more often, the text result ends up looking more like what I intend for it to look!

For example, when I want to begin a new paragraph, “Return” and “next line” don’t work, but “New Line” does, and so does “Next Paragraph”. Note that “Next Line” will give you one standard return, but “Next Paragraph” will give you two lines in between the paragraphs.

Other symbols include:

? – “Question mark”
. – “Period”
( – “Open Parentheses”
) – “Close Parentheses”
@ – “At symbol” doesn’t work but “at sign” does.
* – The asterisk is really tricky. Even with perfect diction, it gets confused. I’ve found it’s easier to edit that after I’m done speaking.
+ – “Plus Sign”
– – “Minus Sign”
& – “Ampersand”
% – “Percent sign”
# – “Pound Sign”
! – “Exclamation point”

I’ve also had issues with the word “to”, “two”, and “too”. It usually translates it as “to”. I’ve learned to say “Too Many”, or I just edit when I’m done speaking. I’ve not been able to reliably get it to correctly type “two”.

Other numbers under 10 will almost always translate as the number word and not the symbol itself. Numbers over 10 translate as the number symbol.

On a teeny tiny phone screen, sometimes using the speech to text feature makes life a whole lot easier. I hope these tricks help you too!

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What to do with your Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Gail Eddy in Cell Phone Service, Samsung

If you have a Galaxy Note 7, right now is the time to turn it off and bring it back to the store. Why? Here’s an excerpt from an October 9th story in CNET:

“Samsung’s exploding phone woes continue with more reports of replacement Galaxy Note 7s exploding.

A Minnesota teenager told a Minneapolis-St. Paul TV station that she felt a “weird, burning sensation” in her thumb while holding her Galaxy Note 7 Friday afternoon. That report was followed Saturday by news that a Kentucky man had to go to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation after another replacement Galaxy Note 7 caught fire earlier this week.”

Since the phone was introduced on August 2nd, there have been reports of fires, explosions, smoke, and extreme heat. The first reported explosion occurred on August 24th in S. Korea and on September 2nd, Samsung issued a full recall of the phone citing a faulty battery. (A full timeline is provided on Fortune Magazine.

When I first heard about this problem a week or so ago, Samsung was advising customers to bring the phone in for replacement. They exchanged the original model of the Galaxy Note 7 with a newer version of the same item. As of October 10th, Samsung has advised all Galaxy Note 7 owners to bring their phones back to where they were purchased.

However, when this article was published, Samsung is still selling the 7 on their website, but does offer tips for maintaining normal operating temperature for your device.

I think the best advice is just to bring it back and pick out a new phone. Since it has only been available in the US since August 19th, and most of our readers are not early-adopters, you may still be under a 30 day exchange policy offered by your place of purchase anyway.

And, another chance for a reminder from Geek For Hire, Inc., to make sure you back up your data, especially the pictures on your phone, on a very regular basis!

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18 Keyboard Shortcuts for the Mac

Posted on October 4, 2016October 11, 2021 by Gail Eddy in Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips

Two weeks ago our blog was about some of the Windows shortcuts available. This week, it’s all about the Mac. The Command Key is the “key” to most of these shortcuts. This is what it looks like:

This by Tinrocket 1.0.2 (101)
Command Key | Geek For Hire, Inc. |

Shortcuts

Command + A = Select All

Command + B = Bold

Command + C = Copy

Command + E = Eject the disk

Command + F = Find

Command + G = Find again

Command + H = Hide

Command + I = Italics

Command + M = Minimize

Command + N = New

Command + P = Print

Command + Q = Quit

Command + S = Save

Command + T = Show/Hide the fonts window

Command + U = Underline

Command + V = Paste

Command + X = Cut

Command + Z = Undo

Are these helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

Information About Geek For Hire, Inc.

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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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Technical info about DSL service

Posted on September 27, 2016September 23, 2016 by Gail Eddy in Cell Phone Service, Modems, WiFi

After Chris described how to choose a good DSL modem, I thought our readers might want some more technical background about DSL.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) “piggy backs” a data signal onto the already existing telephone wire pairs that come to your house. It’s a way for CenturyLink to add another service or “function” to their already existing infrastructure without retrenching the roads to install new wiring infrastructure – which is a slow and expensive process.

There is a physical distance limitation in the DSL specification which is 18,000 wire feet.

However the wiring “snakes” around from the DSLAM (DSL Access Multiplexer) located at the Telephone Company (Telco) Central Office (CO) to get to your house, the total distance limitation to carry the DSL signal must be less than 18,000 feet of wire.

Telephone wire comes in different “gauges”, which is the physical diameter of the wire; a larger diameter wire has less “resistance” than a smaller diameter wire, and a larger gauge wire allows more signal to travel farther.

Telephone wiring has a “twist” to help reject “hum” and other induced electrical noises. (Noise is bad for DSL.)

There will be “breaks” in the wiring where two or more sections of wire join together.

These “joints” are usually made by crimping two wires together with a “button” like connection; this is fast and efficient for a Lineman to do, but each joint is a possible source of corrosion and signal noise if the joint is not kept in a weather-proof and critter-proof container.

Note:

If you see a squarish metal green box in your front yard about 3-10 feet in from the road, about 6 inches on a side and about 2 feet tall, this is a CenturyLink container.
If you find it open, please /Do/ call CenturyLink and report this, because this helps everyone in the neighborhood that has Phone and Internet service from CenturyLink.
If you don’t call them, they will either think that they have achieved perfection, or will have a mystery problem that they just cannot get a handle on and don’t know where to begin to fix it because they can’t find it.

Each joint in the wiring is an opportunity for electrical “noise” to be introduced.

The farther the distance, the smaller the gauge of wire, and the more “joints” there are in the wire path leading to your house, the less clean signal will reach your equipment.

There are ways for CenturyLink to extend this DSL distance limitation, and this is commonly done using a “Terminal”. The Terminal can be used as a relay to amplify and repeat the DSL signal to make it go farther. There will be a limit to how much “bandwidth” can delivered to the Terminal, mainly because there is a limit to the number of cables that have already been run to the Terminal.

Most CenturyLink infrastructure uses copper wire pairs, because they are “The Phone Company”; working with copper wire is what they do, and they do it really well. Sometimes they will dispatch a “Wire Guy” (aka a Lineman) to your location, to physically inspect the entire wire path from the Telco Central Office to your house; they will try to reduce unneeded wire length by changing the details of the wire path to make it shorter and more efficient; they will also electrically measure the wire path for damage using an expensive piece of equipment called a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR), which operates on the fact that wiring damage can be measured because it will reflect a signal back before the end of the wire is reached. They will physically inspect the wiring joints along the way to see that they are tight and free of corrosion, and that the enclosure which contains the joints is reasonably weatherproof.

Read this article about selecting a great DSL modem.

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20 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows (plus 1 bonus!)

Posted on September 20, 2016September 19, 2016 by Gail Eddy in Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips

Two weeks ago our blog was about some of the shortcuts you can use with your Windows Logo key. This week, I’ve got some more basic keyboard shortcuts.

The Control (aka Ctrl) is the “key” to most of these shortcuts. This is what it looks like:

The Control (aka "CTRL") key — The Control (aka “CTRL”) key

Shortcuts

CTRL + A = Select All

CTRL + B = Bold

CTRL + C = Copy

CTRL + I = Italics

CTRL + N = New

CTRL + P = Print

CTRL + R = Refresh the active window

CTRL + S = Save

CTRL + U = Underline

CTRL + V = Paste

CTRL + X = Cut

CTRL + Y = Redo or Repeat

CTRL + Z = Undo

CTRL +F4 = Close the active document

CTRL +F5 = Refresh the active window

CTRL + Left arrow = Move cursor to beginning of previous word

CTRL + Right Arrow = Move cursor to beginning of next word

CTRL + Up Arrow = Move cursor to beginning of previous paragraph

CTRL + Down Arrow = Move Cursor to beginning of next paragraph

CTRL + ESC = Open the Start Menu

Are these helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

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