Tech

Consider GadgetTrak To Keep Your Laptop Safe

GadgetTrak is a service that you install on your computer (desktop or laptop…works better for laptops though) that will allow you to track its location and take pictures from the webcam if your laptop goes missing or is stolen.  And just recently, they published some of the fruits of the service’s labor.

This post on their blog discusses several laptop recoveries that were highlighted by local news stations across the country.

If your laptop or phone goes missing, you can access a page on their website, which activates the program’s tracking mechanism.  As long as the laptop is connected to a wi-fi network, it will log location information and take pictures with the webcam.  The information can then be given to police to recover the laptop.

I have used the software before and have found it is very easy to install and set up.  Accessing the tracking switch is easy, and viewing logged information is clear and straight-forward.  If there was more crime on campus, I would suggest this a bit more, but if you travel a lot, I think this is a must-buy.

The service costs $25 a year and is available on non-linux laptops, Windows OS phones, and Blackberry.  There is an iPhone/iPod Touch app, but it is free and does not function in the same way as the other versions.

GadgetTrak also offers lost and found tags, which provide a code and a website to help give lost gadgets back to their rightful owners.  5 tags are $10.

EDITOR’S NOTE/FULL DISCLOSURE:  Writing on the Mall received a free copy of MacTrak for review purposes back when author Patrick Hahe wrote for Examiner.com.

Amazon's Kindle Marietta College Students Excited About Kindle

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Amber Davis is a guest writer for Writing on the Mall.  She is involved with the Media Writing Two class at Marietta College, which has been submitting articles to us.  Her article is the first of many that you will see hit the site.  If you would like to see more like this, just let us know at patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.

Danielle Stein, a sophomore at Marietta College, was faced with the tough decision on whether or not to return to Marietta College this year. Due to the rising prices of textbooks and tuition, it seemed that what Stein would spend a year on textbooks, would be the equivalent of one semester at a state college close to home.

This seems to be a common concern among many college students and it seems that there really is no current solution. Even buying textbooks on Amazon or eBay still can run students around $300, and they consider that a ‘deal’.

Amazon has recognized this problem and is currently working on the solution. Kindle, a portable digital reading device only about one-third of an inch thick and a 3G wireless connection capable of downloading entire books in under one minute is their answer.

Read more…

iTunes Story now up on Examiner.com's Cleveland Page

If you remember me talking about it, I was recently hired to write technology-related stories from a college student perspective for Examiner.com‘s Cleveland page.  And low-and-behold, I am now published on the site, starting with my story discussing Apple’s changes to iTunes.

You will still receive the great Marietta College reports that I’ve been doing.  The only thing that will change is that all technology-related stories will be published on Examiner.com.  A link to the article will be posted here on Writing on the Mall.

I encourage you to please go check out my stories, and those of the other Cleveland Examiners.  There are some great writers on many topics at the site.

Story:  iTunes announces tiered pricing, loses DRM-encrypted songs – Examiner.com

Black Friday Deals Now Available

To those of you about to embark on your annual journey to the local store on Friday, I salute you.  You are much more brave than I.

I will be spending the day recovering from my Turkey Coma (or what I can eat of it considering my braces were just tightened…meh).

I just wanted to alert those going shopping that many deals are actually being offered online before Black Friday.  While there will still be many many options that are in-store only deals, many (if not most) of the good deals can be had ahead of time on a merchant’s website.

My personal favorite Black Friday site, Black Friday Ads, has a list up of all the merchants that currently offer Pre-Black Friday savings.

Here’s my personal notes to this year’s Black Friday:

• If you’re looking for a Wii, they are out there.  Just not as many as were hoped.  Big retailers to check are Amazon.com (which has been rumored to have the biggest stockpile available), Wal-Mart, and Best Buy.
• There are some good deals on XBOX 360′s this year.  However, the Arcade edition just isn’t worth getting.  If you’re getting an XBOX, it needs to have a hard drive in it, especially after the New XBOX Experience came out.  The Arcade 360 is $200 and comes with a controller and two games.
• Wal-Mart does have an awesome deal if you’re looking to get a 360.  The 360 Pro (with hard drive) also comes with Guitar Hero 3: World Tour (the version that comes with a guitar) for $300.
• Playstation 3′s are coming down in price, but are still not quite wear they need to be to compete against the 360.  Only buy one if you plan on watching a lot of Blu-Ray movies, as that is its strongest feature in this round of the console wars.  I’ve seen nothing below $400.
• Speaking of Blu-Ray, you can get a Magnavox Blu-Ray player fr $200 at Wal-Mart
• Best Buy has a 50″ Plasma TV for $900.  If you have the cash for it as a college student, its a great buy, as it’s a Panasonic, which is normally a good brand.

If you are looking for a comparison of all digital cameras (or TV’s, or laptops, etc, etc) then check out Black Friday Ads comparison chart.  Buy smart…you don’t want to drop $500 on a paperweight Dynex brand.  Ech.

Best of luck to those of you that are going out and about.  You’ll likely need it .

Netflix on XBOX 360 is a steal!

For those of you with an XBOX 360, you may still be getting used to the New XBOX Experience.  Take it or leave it, its here to stay.

However, the coolest thing about it (or at least from a college student’s perspective) is that you can now stream Netflix movies to your 360.  You can sign up for a two week free trial if you don’t already have a Netflix account, or sign in with your Netflix info and begin streaming.

If you’re not already a subscriber, it looks like a steal at about $9 a month for unlimited movie streaming (12,000 titles available) AND the ability to have 1 DVD at a time (many more times the selection).

Nine trips to the RedBox machine or unlimited movie rentals from the comfort of your couch?  Seems like a good deal for a college student.

Peek at E-Mail Without Laptop or Phone

An interesting little device has popped up recently, called the Peek.  It’s an e-mail device.  And only and e-mail device.  According to Time Magazine, it does that thing very well.

At $80 for the device and $20 a month for service, it could bode well for those on a pay-as-you-go (aka PAY-GO) service that is popular for many college students.  But for those of you on monthly plans with cell phones from within the past year or so, my suggestion would be to forward your mail to a G-Mail account and then use Google’s online platform.  it’s quick, simple, and easy to use.  And best of all, the only charge is airtime.

—–

Quick Info:

Device: Peek
Pricing: $80 for the device, $20 a month for service (no long-term contracts)
What’s it do: Wireless E-Mail device
Pros: E-Mail, anywhere, wireless access, up to 3 accounts
Cons: Monthly service charge, only does e-mail
Suggestion: Save your money unless you’re on a PAY-GO cell phone plan
WotM Rating: Cool Factor – 3/5, Practicality – 1/5