The Computer Boy

Mr Gatorsz Meat Rub

TheComputerBoy — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:34:50 +0000

Our newest website is for a small start-up in the West Valley (Phoenix) area. While they only offer one product right now, their website is set up to expand as their business does. Online ordering and payments, updates about upcoming show locations and more.

On a side note, their meat rub is recommended for use on meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, casseroles, salads, popcorn and more.

Check out their website today – www.MrGatorsz.com

How and Why All Devices in Your Home Share One IP Address

TheComputerBoy — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:24:05 +0000

A good read from HowToGeek.com:

How and Why All Devices in Your Home Share One IP

Allergy Associates of Northern Virginia

TheComputerBoy — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:17:29 +0000

Rated in Top Doctor Washington Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine
2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 our newest customer is not new to the business.

Dr. Sally Joo Bailey of Allergy Associates of Northern Virginia PLLC offers comprehensive adult and pediatric allergy evaluation, education and treatment of allergies, asthma, cough, congestion, post nasal drip, food allergy, eczema, hives, eye allergy, and chronic sinusitis.

Check out their website today – AllergyNVA.com

Android Tablet for $79.99?

TheComputerBoy — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:37:37 +0000

Last summer we purchased a Nexus 7 tablet and have loved it since day 1. Earlier this week Ematic announced a similar Android Tablet named Genesis Prime for the low down price of $79.

While the specifications for this device are impressive (Android 4.1, certified Google Apps like Chrome, Gmail, Maps & Play Store and most importantly price!) the lack of storage space and battery life are concerning. Listed at 4GB of storage, everyone knows you never really get access to all of the storage due to the operating system itself. The same goes with the 4.5 hours of listed battery life.

While this looks like a great deal for someone on a budget, we’re going to pass for the adults in the house. The price and tablet may be the right fit for the kids however. Remember, you can find used Nexus 7 tablet for about $100 more and it will definitely be worth the money for 16 or 32 GB of storage.

Ematic – Genesis Prime 7 Google Certified Tablet

Yahoo! Mail gets Dropbox Integration

TheComputerBoy — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:33:46 +0000

We love our Google Gmail but keep our Yahoo! Mail account for those “not really sure if I want to give you my real email address” kind of moments. Yahoo! added a pretty cool feature this week by integrating Dropbox directly inside Yahoo! Mail. This integration makes storing and sharing files easier and, because files can be stored in your Dropbox account online, it’s easy to find the files later using Dropbox.

More information directly from Yahoo! – Yahoo! Mail and Dropbox Team to Make Attachments Easier.

S.M.A.R.T. hard drives

TheComputerBoy — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:41:01 +0000

Did you know the hard drive in your computer is smart? Not Albert Einstein smart of course but it probably has Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology built into it. Wouldn’t it be nice to know your hard drive is crashing before it actually crashes?

Unfortunately the good guys over at Microsoft didn’t think it was important enough to add a utility to so users could access the SMART results. There are a few 3rd party tools that can be used however. A nice article written by HowToGeek.com covers some of the more popular programs that can be used.

HowToGeek.com – How to See if Your Hard Drive is Dying

Top 10 Reasons to Power Your Website with WordPress

TheComputerBoy — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 05:34:55 +0000

If you are building a website and haven’t used or thought about using WordPress, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Today websites using WordPress number in the millions. Over 50% of the top 100 websites in the world are running WordPress. Just as important, WordPress is constantly being developed and updated. Even SnoopDogg has joined the WordPress ranks!

10 reasons to use WordPress were listed on HostGator’s blog earlier this month:

WordPress sites are easy to build
WordPress sites are easy to manage
The WordPress platform is built for SEO
WordPress sites allow you to manage different levels of user access
The tremendous number of WordPress themes available
WordPress makes mobile optimization easy
Widespread WordPress support is available
WordPress site updates can easily be automated
ITS FREE!

While we’re obviously not HostGator, our web hosting services provide everything HostGator does including the one click WordPress install. Check out the link below to learn more about WordPress.

Hostgator.com – Top 10 Reasons to Power Your Website with WordPress

Why You Should Use a Password Manager and How to Get Started

TheComputerBoy — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:25:01 +0000

It has been at least 48 hours since the last time we ~~yelled at~~ suggested you begin using a Password Manager. We’ve used LastPass for the past two years and absolutely love it.

The wonderful website HowToGeek.com wrote a great article for those still using the same password for everything.

HowToGeek.com – Why You Should Use a Password Manager and How to Get Started

What is Bitcoin? Should I care?

TheComputerBoy — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:08:51 +0000

Bitcoins and services that deal in Bitcoins seem to be becoming more popular…but what exactly are they? More importantly do I need to start looking at purchasing some Bitcoins now?

We originally began writing an article about the history of Bitcoins, how you acquire them, where they are used and so forth but soon found the article much too long to publish. During some research we also came across a great video that seemed to explain everything we were trying to say in under two minutes. So check out this video.

For the time being we’re not going to worry about Bitcoins or become that involved. Something that is virtual and has no financial backing is a little scary to us.

Apparently there are a number of businesses that disagree and have begun accepting Bitcoins. If you want to learn more or even begin using Bitcoins, we found this site helpful. Lastly, if you are really adventurous and get involved with Bitcoins, send one our way!

What is this HDR thing on my phone’s camera?

TheComputerBoy — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 01:31:05 +0000

HDR is a technique used in photography to combine multiple pictures with the intent to add better range to the final image.

Some phones now have HDR built in. Luckily, your phone does all the work for you. Take one picture with “HDR” turned on and your phone will take the multiple shots and combine them into one final product.

It is better to use HDR on items without motion. Landscapes, portraits in sunlight, and low-light scenes work well. Pictures with movement, high-contrast or vivid colors don’t work so well.

Lifehacker.com posted a good tutorial for those who are interested in learning more.

Lifehacker.com – What is HDR and When Should I Use It In My Photos?