Gadgets and VoIP

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Consumers, Cloud Data, and Privacy

I am a big fan of cloud computing and I use it for several tasks. All of my email is "in the cloud" as are my finances, income taxes, online banking, my genealogy database, my personal calendar, and some of my word processing for articles to be published later in this newsletter. You can read my earlier Computing in the Clouds article at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/03/computing-in-the-clouds.html and Why Cloud Computing Makes Sense for Genealogy article at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2009/07/why-cloud-computing-makes-sense-for-genealogy.html.

While I continue to be a big fan of cloud computing, I will also be the first to tell you that all is not perfect with this new technology. Cloud computing could have security issues. I believe the risk is small and manageable, but security issues certainly should not be ignored. Ars Techina has a nice article about the FTC's concern that consumers don't understand the implications of storing their data in the cloud. From the article:

Book Scanning the Easy Way

I have written before about book scanners. They are divided into two basic designs: they are either huge mechanical monstrosities that turn pages automatically or else they are small and simple devices that scan bound books manually. The Plustek OpticBook A300 falls into the latter category: small and easy to operate.

The Plustek OpticBook A300 scans thick books without unbinding or dismantling them, so it is a perfect solution for genealogists, libraries, schools, graphic designers, publishing companies, hospitals, law firms and even the financial institutions.

Plustek has a video that illustrates the OpticBook A300 in operation and shows why it is superior to the flat bed scanners you find at the local computer store. Note that the OpticBook A300 scans right to the center of the binding, something that is difficult to do with most other flatbed scanners.

RedLaser for the iPhone

Do you own an Apple iPhone? If so, get RedLaser. It costs $1.99 and it more than paid for itself the first time I used it. I have now saved perhaps $100 in the past few weeks because of this program.

RedLaser converts your iPhone into an indispensable shopping companion. Have you ever seen a store employee in a grocery store or major chain store scanning product bar codes? Now you can do the same thing: you use the iPhone's built-in camera to scan the bar code on almost any product available for sale.

Now, here is the best part: unlike the store employee who is using a handheld scanner, your iPhone will immediately connect to RedLaser's servers on the Internet and look for a better price, either online, mailorder, or in any local store that has its catalog online.  To find local store prices, RedLaser uses the iPhone's internal GPS to determine your longitude and latitude and then looks for stores within a few miles of your present location.

The program uses the Internet to pull down a list of prices so you can see if you’re getting a good deal. You can scan a bar code and RedLaser will then display a list of stores with better prices within two or three seconds.

$25,000 of Communications Gear In a $500 Car

In perhaps one of the finest displays of technological excess in automotive communications gear, one "enthusiast" has managed to cram over $25,000 worth of gear into a $500 car.

The car is rigged for just about every conceivable communications band including FM, UHF, VHF, HF, and WTF. What other amazing displays of technological excess have others seen? "The equipment seems to cover an amazing array of technologies, many of which seem to be redundant. For instance, just how many handheld 144 MHz radios do you need?

It seems like the owner of the Ham Car is capable of listening to every police/fire/ems/military channel in the world. Simultaneously. There's a laptop and we assume there's some form of cellular or satellite communication setup for that, too."

See http://jalopnik.com/5428829/ham-cramwich-25000-of-communications-gear-in-a-500-car

Carry a Scanner in Your Pocket

You may not know it, but you may already have a decent scanner in your pocket.

Technically, the typical desktop scanner is really a camera. A somewhat specialized camera, to be sure, but a camera nonetheless. In fact, many people don't use scanners at all. They simply use a good-quality digital camera. Now, thanks to some software, you can use your Apple iPhone camera as a scanner.

Scanner Pro 1.2 is the latest version of a popular iPhone application which transforms the device into portable scanner. You can snap a picture of a document or of an old picture, and Scanner Pro then converts the image to a PDF file in the same manner as a scanner.

The product becomes a bit more interesting when it is used in conjunction with two other products produced by other companies: Dropbox and Print n Share from EuroSmartz.

iRiver Wave Home

Looking for something that can do a little more than just the usual VoIP or voice recording? iRiver’s Wave Home not only does VoIP, but it also many other multimedia functions.  It contains a 7″ LCD screen, and a wireless headset that not only does the duties of an average headset, but can be used as remote to control the Wave Home Station.   The gadget comes packed with a 1.3 megapixel camera, this will come in handy when you want to participate in a video chat.  The list of impressive features doesn’t stop there.

The device works as a cordless phone, placing free or low-cost calls over the web. Of course, it receives calls as well.

How To Send Email When You're Dead

"The Last Messages Club" is a new service that sends personal emails written prior to one's death to loved ones in the future. The messages can range from a final love letter, guidance for someone left behind, a list of instructions, or details on life insurance and other financial information. Photos, videos and documents can also be attached. Organizers insist The Last Messages Club is in no way ghoulish but eases the stress and trauma associated with the death of a loved one.

You can use The Last Messages Club to:

HP Restores Creased Photos With Flatbed Scanners

I haven't seen this yet but it certainly sounds interesting: Scientists at Hewlett-Packard have developed a technique to detect creases in photographs using standard, unmodified flatbed scanners. Once correctly scanned into a computer, software can determine where the photograph's defect is, and artificially correct it to remove any trace of a crease or fold. The result is a spotless JPEG scan from a creased photo, with absolutely no modified hardware and no technical know-how required on the part of the user.

Hackers Crack UK's National ID Card in 12 Minutes

The U.K.'s new National ID cards are supposed to be "unforgeable." Embedded inside the card is a microchip with the details of its bearer held in electronic form: name, date of birth, physical characteristics, fingerprints and so on, together with other information such as immigration status and whether the holder is entitled to State benefits. Unforgeable or not, Adam Laurie successfully forged one in twelve minutes.

Free Anti-Virus Programs

I have no idea why this information isn't better known. Free anti-virus programs are some of the best bargains I know of for Windows users, and yet many people have never heard of them.

First of all, every Windows computer needs an anti-virus program running at all times. If you are running a Windows computer right now without up-to-date anti-virus software, your system will become infected with a virus sooner or later. In fact, your PC may be infected right now without your knowledge. Yet there is a free and easy method of avoiding viruses.

If you already have an anti-virus program installed, there are several things you should know: