At first I thought this was a joke, but it looks like it is real…

Classic American cars inspire Prada « Hungeree.

Bloomberg: iPad 3′s Rolling Off the Factory Lines With a Retina Display, Quad-Core A6 CPU and LTE.

So if iPad 3s have been in production since the first of the year, when will they be available in stores? Hope soon!

While I haven’t played with the program enough to give it a thorough test, it does seem to do the job. Will make a few more entries and see how the features play out.

How about a map?

No shock here that the map is imported from Bing…

So it maps too…

I am running Windows 7 and have previously kept the “Windows Live” content to a minimum, but was intrigued by the Windows Live Writer component to the Windows Live set of programs. Thus… A test…  The blurb from Uncle Bill is that this program makes it easy to incorporate text, links, video, maps, etc. into your WordPress blog. Does it? So far I can attest to the simplicity of the text entry. The ease of editing the color and other font attributes,

as well as the use of block quotes

This is a favorite photo of mine. Inserted as a test of Live Writer.

So how do I like it? So far so good, but no big ease of use suprises yet. Will have to see if WYSIWYG when I publish…

The Goal: Finding hardware and software that will allow MS Word editing on a main PC and a portable PC and synchronizing edits on both.

What has been a bit of a struggle has been preparing to send my daughter off to college. I want to set her up with a dorm-appropriate computer and a portable solution for on the go note taking and word processing as well as internet connectivity, etc. My thought was a smallish laptop would be great to shoot off to the library, but not as effective for dorm room schoolwork. The solution for her, will also potentially be of interest to us working class drones who want to do some work at the office and not lug a large laptop home or to lunch to finish a project or letter.

I have been looking at hardware that I wouldn’t normally look at. Small desktops, laptops and slate / tablet types of computers. What I have found was a potential solution and a few mouth watering hardware options, one of which I might just buy if for no other reason other than to play with.

What I have decided was the best solution for now is a 17 inch laptop that I expect will get nothing but dorm room activity and the very occasional mobile use due to it’s size. In the interim, I have purchased a software package available for the iPad called Documents To Go ( D2G )

Documents to go is produced by a company called DataViz. They have been around for a while and while I haven’t used their software for anything more than a test of the Microsoft Word compatible portion of their package, they apparently can edit and create Excel, Powerpoint, and PDF files. The juicy detail that isn’t immediately apparent when doing a search for word processing software like this is how the heck do you easily get your document to and from the tablet/portable device into your larger computer for final touches, printing, etc.

One solution that is easy to grasp is using the email function of your portable to send the document to your computer, then of course you could send it back for additional mobile editing. What a pain, and how about the confusion if you open an older copy of the document and replace your more current version. Not a very handy solution if you need to pass the data back and forth more than a time or two. How about if you forget to email it period? How about you email it to your portable device, then find yourself somewhere else without access to your portable, but access to the internet on a library or friend’s computer? Using email to send back and forth doesn’t seem like a very flexible or elegant solution either.

To cut to the chase, I found a website that distributes a product/service called DropBox. Dropbox is a free service that allows you to setup a folder on your computer. Anything you save to or put in that folder will be available to you on the web, or on any other computer you setup to use with Dropbox, or and this is the big deal, on your iPad in the Documents to Go program. If you are interested in a free Dropbox Account, click HERE. IF you follow that link, Both you and I will be rewarded with an extra 250 MB of cloud storage over the 2GB free that you get with a regular account!

So how does it work for the mobile student? He or she will start a document on their iPad using Documents To Go. Either a Word, Excel, PDF or Powerpoint. After editing, saving the document in D2G in the dropbox folder on the iPad will cause the data to sync with the D2G server on the web, which will later be placed into whatever other computers that have been setup with the D2G client folders. The document can then be edited on that computer, then saved, where it will be available to the others again. Obviously the synch cannot occur when the computers in question are not able to reach the internet.

So how does the D2G work on an iPad for word processing? Fine if you like to touch type on glass. I would suggest a bluetooth keyboard and use that when needed for mobile computing. Not fun to carry the iPad AND a keyboard, but far better and lighter than using a laptop on the run.

I mentioned above some new hardware that got my interest piqued. What was it? Two products by ASUS. The first I actually played with in a Microsoft store a few weeks ago. It is the Asus Slate. The slate is a Win7 Tablet with awe inspiring specifications, particularly a fantastic pen capability combined with Microsoft OneNote to be the ultimate in taking digital notes. Battery life and heft are an issue, but remember this is a full powered computer, besting the specs of many laptops. The ASUS Slate comes with a bluetooth keyboard and carrying folio. Check it out if you can find one. The link to the page on Amazon will probably show the unit being out of stock. Asus seems capable of designing but not bringing to market these products. The other ASUS product is tending more towards the iPad end of things and is the ASUS EEE Transformer. The EEE Transformer is a tablet with Honeycomb OS and a detachable keyboard that when in place makes the device appear similar to a small laptop – albeit one with 16 hours of battery life! Unless the people at Apple are idiots, this is what the iPad 3 will look like.

With these two products, I am certain the Asus Slate will be the best at MS Word, Excel, etc,. compatibility. Why… Because it will run those programs directly. A dropbox on the slate will provide for near seamless use of files across multiple computers. Also, both the slate and deskop running MS software will allow the use of the Microsoft Cloud, known as sky drive, a competitor to the Dropbox utility.

On a lark, i bought a computer game from Amazon yesterday. The attraction was immediate download. The game was “Cities in Motion” essentially a traffic simulator. Yes, I am easily excited… What I failed to realize is that while you buy the program in digital download format, you are REQUIRED to install into your computer software from Amazon that handles the download for you. Simple enough, right? Well I downloaded the game downloader program and when I went to install the program, my antivirus software identified the program as a password stealing trojan. In effect along with the software downloader, you also install a program that sits hidden in the background and quietly reports to some hidden master your passwords and other vital information. Not good.

While I have no doubt that Amazon is not even slightly involved in such a thing, I know that other software titles have accidentally been released that contained a virus that was not known to the authors. This happens, and we rely on our antivirus software and good sense to protect ourselves. So why am I posting this? I want to have a leave a comment on the web that is critical of this problem so others who have a similar issue will be able to identify their problem and make their own best choice. Also, if and when this issue is resolved, I will be able to reply here and share that resolution with those same people.

As of the time of this writing, Amazon denies that there is a virus and that the problem is with the AVG software generating a false positive. I actually believe that to be the case, but don’t want to take a chance with my computer. I left a message with AVG and have yet to get any reply. Visuals to follow…

And this is the detailed information provided by AVG:

Detailed information about the Amazon installation.

With a little research I learned the PWS stands for PassWordStealer. Now, I do trust Amazon not to be willfully engaged in the act of stealing passwords, but I am not going to take a chance and use their software until this message doesn’t pop up!

GUM Soft Pick: This is my favorite toothpick like device. Instead of “picking” your teeth this product pushes through the small space between teeth and removes food particles that have become lodged there. Unlike a wooden toothpick, there is no porous splinter that can break off this device. The product is made by Butler, but on the label you will see the word “GUM” written in large letters. You can buy a pack of 6 of these through Amazon, or in individual packs at your favorite store. Each pack contains 40 of the disposable picks and a clear case to carry some in your pocket or purse.

Floss: Any floss will do. The proper technique and fact that you are flossing are the biggest factors involved. I prefer floss that won’t shred easily and the best floss for that is Glide! I have seen this at Costco in bulk packs and in just about every local store around. Years ago, Glide was difficult to find, but today finding it is not going to be a problem. For online shoppers, here is a link to Glide at Amazon. Note that this is for a 3 pack.

Flossing Aids: For those who have a difficult time flossing the back teeth, you can’t go wrong with a flossing aid. I have two favorites. The first is the Glide Floss Pick product, and the second is the Reach Dental Access. To be honest, I favor the Reach Dental Access, but since I don’t have a problem flossing with my fingers, I usually just use them. Finger advantage? You all ready have them, They are included with the teeth – No extra charge… They go where you go… End of jokes… The only reason to use a floss aid is if you aren’t able to do a good job with the fingers. Note that with the Reach Access, you buy a handle with snap on heads of floss, then you only need the refills.

The first linkto the right is for the starter kit. (My suggestion is to buy a Reach Access at Target or Walmart to see if you like it, then buy the refills in bulk if you do..) The second link below is for the refill heads at Amazon. That product is 6 packs of 28 floss heads. The third link is for the Glide version of the product if you prefer that style. No handles or heads with the Glide, but a little less environmentally friendly in that you throw the entire thing away.

Oral Irrigators or “Water Picks”: Early in my career, I didn’t encourage the use of a water pick. They were messy and the studies I had read indicated that other than removing food from between your teeth, which can be done with brush and floss, they did little to improve your health. More recent studies and my own experience tell me that this is not the case. They are still messy, but may give you that extra edge in oral hygiene. Left is a link to one at Amazon. Personally, I would look at Walmart or Target and buy one you prefer after inspecting them in person.

I have enclosed links to these products on Amazon for your convenience, but suggest you look there to read more about the products if you are interested. I like buying at Amazon, but after adding shipping costs you may find it easier and less expensive to buy these products at a local retailer. Amazon is a GREAT place to do research on products you are interested in.

Yes, I do have an opinion about just about everything, but with regard to these product suggestions, I also happen to be a licensed dentist!