Security Essentials
If you have Windows and you've been struggling to keep your system running fast and clean, check out Microsoft Security Essentials. Over the last few days, I ran a number of tools (malwarebytes, Trend Micro Internet Security, Trend House Call) on a system I knew had some nasty items on it. All had the most recent updates, and all showed the system as clean.
Today I downloaded MS Security Essentials, updated the software, and ran a full scan.
Security Essentials found four items that were beyond just the average adware. Seriously, you need to run this free tool from Microsoft.
Getting back in shape? Check out My Tracks.
This video does an excellent job explaining the "My Tracks" application for Android phones. My Tracks is yet another great, and free, Google app for Android phones. Simply start the app and go for a run, bike ride, hike, etc. My Tracks will record your route, time, speed, etc. and let you save the info for later. The app also lets you easily share the route with your fiends.
Definitely add Google Goggles to your Android toolkit
Google Goggles belongs on all Android phones!
If you have not seen the demos yet, check out Google's overview here. Google Goggles is a quick, easy, and FREE download available on the Android Market.
Droid: Want to do more than just making calls and checking email?
If you feel like you are not getting the most out of your Droid, check out this video clip. The clip outlines a few easy to remember productivity tips.
Get more from Google: Use google to search a specific website.
Sometimes it is best to search huge website with google vs. the site's own search feature. For example, if you want to search Anthem for a claim form, you could try the following google search:
claim forms site:anthem.com
This will pull results for claim forms, but only from Anthem.com.
Not using Twitter and want a basic overview?
The site howtwitterworks.com has an excellent video link. The link is to a video called "twitter in plain english". Check it out on http://howtwitterworks.com/ and learn the basics of Twitter in a few minutes.
Get a little more out of the facebook home screen.
If you normally log into facebook and just look at the news feed, try this:
Click on "Home" and they try a couple of the other filters. For example: click on "Photos" to see your friends recently updated photos. This is also a great way to keep up with fan pages or to view links that your friends have recently posted.
Have you been wondering how open your facebook profile is after the recent security change?
You can (and should) review how your facebook profile looks to others. Some of the recent facebook security changes left many profiles more open than originally intended. If you are wondering what your profile looks like, follow this three click process:
After logging into facebook:
1. Select "Privacy Settings" from the Setting menu (on the top bar or facebook)
2. Click on "Profile Information"
3. Click on the "Preview My Profile" button.
Have unlimited txt and facebook? Become a fb poweruser with facebook mobile.
Even if you don't have a "smart phone", you can update your facebook status and get facebook notifications on your cell phone. This simple 5 step process will make it even easier to keep up with your friends when you are on the go.
Caution: while facebook does not charge for the service, standard cellphone messaging rates will apply. Make sure your cell phone has an unlimited text plan before turning this facebook feature on.
1. Log into facebook on your computer and click on "Settings" and then click on the "Mobile" tab
2. You should now see a screen asking you if you would like to activate a cell phone. Click on "Register for Facebook Text Messages"
3. You will be prompted to select your country and your cellular service provider
4. You will be prompted to send a text message from your cell phone to facebook (ex: send a text message containing only the letter "f" to 32665)
5. You will receive a text message back to your cell phone. The message will contain an "activation code" . Type the activation code you received on your cell phone into the 
"Activate Facebook Texts (Step 3 of 3)" window and press "Confirm"
If you have trouble getting facebook mobile setup on your phone or if you want more information about facebook mobile, you should visit the Dennis Crowley's site: http://denniscrowley.com/facebook/.
Making a .pdf of an Office 2007 file is easy
One of the best new features in MS Publisher 2007 and MS Word 2007 is the ability to save a file as a .pdf. This could be done in the past, but it required additional software to get the job done. Now this task is built in and easy to use.
Once you are ready to make the .pdf, click on "File" and then select "Publish as PDF or XPS..." All that remains to be done is to decide where you would like to save the file and what you would like to name it. Click here to see a video of just how quick and easy the process is.
