Big PC Geek Tech Blog

Just wanted to take some time to say the HP CM1017 Multifunction Color Laser printer is a really great choice for small businesses and homes. This printer is not for someone who needs amazing photo prints and is not for someone who needs microscopic scanning but it is a really affordable workhorse for any small office. I’m not going to go into the details like print speed but rather point out a few facts that is essential for my office:

• Built in ethernet port, this machine is network ready so all computers in the office can print to it.
• Color Printing.
• Built in scanner and copier.
• Memory card reader.
• 250 sheet paper tray

One thing that is missing is a fax machine but in my case, I would rather not receive spam faxes all day. You should also know the scanning bed is only for 8.5 x 11″ scanning.

I purchased my printer on March 14, 2008 and the toner cartridges are about 75% full after going through a ream of paper. This printer is made for a small business or home, not for a big business, and not where you will be printing over 100 pages a day.

Given some recent events, I decided to get a camera system. For the low price of $700 found at Costco.com (at the time of this writing), I feel I have had good enough results with the Q-see QSD6209 9 channel DVR System. As far as functionality, this thing is far from professional but is good enough for a one day project for any DIY’er.

First the good:

• Price – $700 for a 9 camera DVR system is a great price
• Bigger Hard Drive – I called Q-see to see if I could upgrade the standard 250GB drive and they said yes. I popped open the box and swapped the SATA drive with a 500GB with no problem. Once the system booted, it formatted the drive and I was ready to go. The person from Q-see did tell me the max was 500GB so I am not sure about anything higher.
• Long 60 foot cables (I actually had to pick up 3 50 foot extensions which was easy and cheap.
• VGA, BNC, RCA USB, or web for viewing the video.
• Home alarm system hook up.
• Availability to upgrade to motion sensors.
• Night Vision camera.
• Color cameras

Now the bad:

• The web interface is horrible and most people wont use it. Their software is not signed by Microsoft so it wont install from the web interface unless you turn off your Active X security controls. Just take care of that Q-See!
• Did seem to freeze or at the remote was not responsive at one time

Honestly, it is a great price to deter theft and catch some punks doing pranks in the act. Other people might want to consult a professional but for the DIY person, this kit is perfect.

You can pick up yours at Costco.com

I hate messy cables everywhere when it comes to electronics or anything else that required cables to be strung about everywhere. There seems to be no solution because you take so much time and effort to put your cables in order only to have to do it over when adding more gadgets and devices.

One solution is the Signum cable management system from Ikea. The idea is to screw a shelf like device underneath your desk where you can weave your cables through. Considdering the price, this is the best cable management system I have used. I bought two because I have a large desk but all is holding up fine and my cables are out of the way.

If you are looking at a quick, easy, and cheap solution to managing your cables, Check out Ikea’s Signum cable management system. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50035115

Recently after two really cheap electric shavers broke, I decided to invest a little more money in a better quality system. The Braun 8585 self-cleaning electric shaver was my solution.

I must say, this is the best electric shaver I have ever owned. The unit comes with a harness that serves as the washing machine to clean your razor while it also charges it. Yes, of coarse it is cordless too! The cord comes is detachable and the shaver comes with a case so you can take it with you while you travel. When you travel, you leave the docking station home because you will definitely spill out the cleaning fluid. The shaver has something like 20 different angled groves to capture hair and an adjustable trimmer for sideburns.

If you are interested, as usual, I got mine at amazon.com

I have tried many GPS trackers over time and have finally found one I will use permanently because of a mixture of ease of use and affordability. Easytrack GPS is the way to go.

First, lets take a look at the costs. $230 makes it one of the most affordable units but it gets better… You get the first year free and it only costs $20-$35 a year.

-You get unlimited updated tracking every 2, 5, 15, or 30 minutes for free and get notified by email or text message.

-You get an amazing web site to access 24/7 which utilizes Microsoft’s latest mapping software allowing for a physical birds eye view of the area or a 3D map where available.

-You can set up Geo fences which allows you to set up a virtual barrier that will notify you in the event your vehicle goes out of it’s fence. This will cost a track unit which I will explain later.

-Web based vehicle starter disable/enable is included for free if you know how to install. You will need some technical knowledge if you want to do this but should you not want to, the unit will function perfect without it.

-On demand locating in real time, costs a track unit.

When you sign up, you get 500 track units which should be more than enough unless you utilize the virtual fence feature or want to track immediately in real time. Note that tracking updated as low as two minutes is included and does not cost tracking units. Did I mention no monthly fee whatsoever!

The instructions that came with the unit were more than enough for me to figure out full installation including the starter disable function but free technical support is available if needed. This system uses a combination of GPS and Cell phone technology which both are required for the system to work. Coordinates are figured via a GPS antenna, a small box does the work and then communicates via the web site of your car’s location. The cell phone part uses AT&T so if you don’t have AT&T coverage, you will not be able to communicate with your vehicle. Note that you will probably not be able to use real time tracking or starter disable if you don’t have AT&T coverage in your area.

If you would like to try this amazing system go here: http://easytrackgps.net/fleet.html If you do get a unit from them, please know that I have no relation with them and they have no idea who I am but I would like you to tell them where you received your information.

Before the suspected new iPhone comes out (check the date), I need to sell my old one while it still has value so I decided to buy a cheap phone to hold me by. I decided to go with the Nokia 2610 from AT&T. Why did I choose this phone? The total cost for a refurbished 2610 for a prepaid account was only $10. Yes only $10 given you get a prepaid account. Well actually you don’t have to keep the prepaid account or even pay any money to start it up. I actually did pay for a prepaid account because I needed the SIM card for a GPS tracker I am using.

Not much to say about this phone. This Nokia is the same Nokia you could buy 4 years ago. I did not notice anything new or special about the phone but for $10, I am more than happy. This model does have speaker phone and it does live up to Nokia’s reputation for great reception. This is a great way to get a phone when you need one for something temporary. The next time you kid decides to kill their phone buy getting it wet, make them use this $10 phone as punishment. Oh, and one more thing! I’m pretty sure you can only get this deal online.

If you need at a minimum, weekly dose of tech news and commentary, please tune in to KFI am 640 talk radio on the weekends from 11 am to 2 pm for Leo Laporte The Tech Guy. If you cant tune in your radio, you get the stream from KFI at KFI640.com, or twit.tv/live which will soon be twitlive.tv.

Leo is amazing at helping people learn and solve everyday technical problems an average user might have. The show may sometimes get geeky, but is made for an audience that may or may not know anything about tech. Leo has been a source of inspiration for me and I hope for you too.

Leo also creates too many to count, podcasts that release just about every day. Check out twit.tv for getting any of his shows delivered to you via RSS or iTunes.

I love clothes made for geeks because they have tons of pockets to put all my geek gadgets in but I don’t like to look like a nerd. I cant resist ScottEvest clothes but some of their clothes might hint to my geeky nature. Not too long ago, I came across a web site that sells a few nice peaces of clothes with some pockets a geek would appreciate. Originally designed for law enforcement, www.511tactical.com has button up shirts for weapons that geeks might find useful for stashing their gadgets. If you have a minute, check out their Covert Casual shirt. If anyone has purchased this shirt, please let me know because I am thinking about it.

Ever been to a hotel where the television is sub-par? Ever wanted to watch the TV schedule you are used to or watch your recorded TV from your DVR? With a little device called SlingBox from Sling Media, you can watch your TV, cable connection, or DVR. I cant tell you how many times I have been in hotels with crappy TV and wanted to watch the cable that was at my house! All is required, is a pretty good Internet connection at your house and where you are and you are set. The device is very easy to setup and there are no monthly or annual fees for SlingBox. The only cost is the cost for the device. Check it out here.

If you have been waiting to buy a wireless Internet card from Sprint, wait no more. I just purchased the Sprint Novatel Wireless Ovation U727 for use with many of my computers and my new Personal Hotspot Router from Cradlepoint.

This card uses your USB connection of any computer you have, a USB card reader for mini SD up to 4 GB, and has a mini version of the connection software.

Configuring of the card is relatively easy for people who buy the card brand new. I however, purchased the card used at a discount price which makes setup a little harder. For some reason, I could not install the light software on a Vista Ultimate 32 bit machine but was able to install the full version.  Previously owning a Sprint card, I am familiar with their connection software and how to re-program an Internet card. For some reason nothing worked and I had to manually re-program the card with the help of Sprint Customer care. Sadly, it took me about an hour with typical reps who know nothing while reading a script till I got someone who transferred me to their tier 3 tech support. Tier 3 took 5 minutes with a rep who actually knew what she was doing. Once I finished, the card worked perfect and worked like a dream with my Cradlepoint Personal Hotspot Router.

In conclusion, buying a Novatel U727 brand new should be easy enough for anyone to setup and it works like a dream. If you buy a used card, prepare to do a little work to get it working. This card works with Windows and Mac operating systems.