Jun142009

Have you "Binged"?

Published by dave at 7:55 AM under computers | Opinion | Daily Tips | Internet

As a former Googler, I admit that I read and watched the announcements regarding the launch of Microsoft's latest search engine with somewhat of a yawn.  I mean let's be honest, Microsoft's track record in search hasn't exactly been stellar.  Redmond just can't seem to even make a dent in the search marketplace, so much so that Ballmer and company were willing to spend (at one point) upwards of $40 Billion to acquire Yahoo, mostly for it's search business. 

Enter Bing.  I'll admit, my expectations were pretty low.  As such it wouldn't be difficult to exceed them, but I think Microsoft actually HAS something this time.  The interface is slick, fast, and modern.   I dare say it kind of makes that plain Google landing page look sadly pathetic (Google's homepage was designed for the days when 56k dial-up was by and large the way most people accessed the Internet).  Usability on Bing for tasks such as searching for travel deals etc really illustrate how G has seemingly become content to rest on it's laurels while pursuing things that generate no revenue and leave people asking "what's the point" (did the world REALLY need another Internet Browser?).

I like Bing and apparently a lot of other people do as well.  It's not perfect but it's a great start.  Bing certainly has a long way to go to even pretend to challenge Google in the search advertising business, but Bing has not gone unnoticed at the Borg in spite of what CEO Eric Schmidt would like the world to believe.  Well placed insiders are saying Bing has apparently gotten the attention of Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin who is reportedly rattled enough by the new "decision engine" to personally head up and assign a team of top engineers to work on "urgent upgrades" to the Google search service.

In the end, I don't think anyone realistically expects Redmond to beat Google at their own game (at least not anytime soon) but I congratulate Microsoft for getting back to innovating, and I congratulate Google for taking the challenge seriously.  This is healthy competition and it can only make Internet search a better experience for all of us.



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May052009

Windows 7 RC Now Available

Published by dave at 7:49 AM under computers | Microsoft Operating Systems | Windows 7

Windows 7 Release Candidate has been available on bit torrents and to a small group of testers for several days now, but the official release and download from Microsoft was just made available today for widespread distribution.

You can find the full version in 32 bit or 64 bit here.

Now is a great opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with what looks to be an extremely potent and capable operating system. Be sure you read up on the system requirements before making the leap. Remember, this is not a full release and only serious techies should consider it for their fulltime OS. If you just want to see what all the hype is about, you may wish to consider running the OS in a "Virtual Machine". It's a great way to test out the new OS while leaving your existing system unchanged.

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Mar302009

"I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person"

Published by dave at 5:49 PM under computers | MAc OSX | Microsoft Operating Systems | video

This ad was too good to not share!  Tell me what you think?

 



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Mar122009

Amateur PC "Repair" people everywhere!

Published by dave at 11:56 AM under blog | computers | Microsoft Operating Systems | Opinion | technology

In a tough economy, you'll find them everywhere. Who are "they"? I'm talking of course about the people who once replaced Aunt Gertrude's defective mouse. They're the same kind of people that stumbled upon the free utility Spybot Search & Destroy and now they are computer repair experts!
Don't get me wrong, there are legitimately knowledgeable and professional people offering computer repair services in Southern Utah. So how do you distinguish between true experts and posers? That is part of the reason I started St. George, UT PC Doctor, because nothing is more upsetting than to see someone being taken advantage of by fly by night opportunists. Here's a hint, a poser is usually one that attempts to exploit your fears and lack of knowledge. They use impressive sounding "buzzwords" to make you believe they really must know what they are talking about.
Offers to perform "Free System Checks" is usually another clue that somebody is just looking for a way to make a buck off you. You really think after that "free checkup", they aren't going to find "something" that needs to be fixed?
It's my belief that the better informed you are, the less likely you are to fall for an unwarranted PC repair scam. Frankly, I would rather help you keep your computer OUT of the shop, and empower you to keep it running properly through helpful articles written with minimal technical jargon.
If you've got computer questions or would like to see an article about anything specific, please post your comments or reach me directly through the email link on the Contact page. Oh, and one more thing, if your computer really is broken, I can fix it.



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