Listener Kate Emailed us about Magic Jack at the end of 2008:
This is a small device the size of a memory stick with a USB port on one end,
and an RJ11 Telephone Socket style connector on the other end
that allows a fixed rate Low cost long distance USA/Canada wide calling plan
It requires a Windows XP or Vista PC
or an Intel based Macintosh but NO software installation required as it 'runs' fromt he device itself.

Here is their Site: http://www.magicjack.com which says you get 30 days free trial time So if that's True there's nothing to lose but some time if  you don't like it.

Then, it's  under $4 a month call anywhere in the USA/Canada… NOT BAD. 
I do not have one but several clients do, and called me with it.  Call quality is fine, not a Problem , in my opinion.
and it Self Installs (IE plug it in and wait up to a minute for it to configure itself and you are in business…)
it will NOT work with older style non Intel MAC computers  otherwise PC XP, Vista & Intel MACs work Fine

Pluses- If you try it and like it:

1) Dump your Long Distance Plan for Outgoing Calls on your land line.  If you are unlucky enough to use ATT's, that saves some $40 a month right there. this DOES NOT affect anyone's INCOMING calls at all.  Actually for example I use my cell phone for long distance which is why I did not get a magic Jack..

2) Real Voicemail so when it is NOT connected it will collect and hold calls for you so when you ARE connected you can get them

3) Connect any normal handset cordless or corded phone to the jack and it rings normally and is used in a nontechnical way. Computer & Interenet need to be On and Up though, and may not work if the PC Goes to Sleep!

4) Use Anywhere. you can plug Magic Jack into ANYONE's computer anywhere in the world, so long as they have fairly speedy Internet access- even say,
Europe to make free USA calls  (But NO free calls to Europe itself, strangely : 🙂

you could add it to your Laptop and go to a WIFI  HotSpot and use it, say.

DOWN SIDES
1) NOT a local number- And you cannot pick one. They currently seem to give out Marysville  NUMBERS which show up in caller-ID but no NAME shows up.

People returning calls via. caller ID  (which I often do) will get the 'wrong' number rather thatn your more relaible land-line for you or will not actually 'know' you as 'you' are in  apparently in  Marysvville or Woodland..

2) This IS a so called VOIP solution BUT it is probably NOT compatible with anything else. You cannot for example put the  account into a VOIP call box-
It HAS to be as far as I can tell,  their special adapter in use to work right…

3) No Call Forwarding or any of those type of features.

4) This one is Obvious. It Requires a Computer.
Not as trivial as it sounds as your Itnernet Service,  Power, Computer and cabling AND the Magic Jack system  must ALL work and be on for ANY of this to work
so It is probably only useful for a roaming consultant or a call-out plan.

5) OH and finally- If you lose the unit, you just lost all the access and probably need to call to get it disabled, Also I doubt you could get the same number back, But it's all a free trial then cheap.  Try it eh? Let me know what your experience is!

I am using these Notes for our Zen Blog  So it may be more detail than you REALLY wanted!

Your Comments about clarity and actual Answering of Question invited..  Zen At Kvmr Dot Org.

Show notes for 1-12-9 

About 25% of the iPhones are jailbroken.
Unlock means using another plan by plugging in a SIM card, GSM only (T-Mobile but not Verizon).
Jailbreak is a hack that allows you to use software other than that from Apple.

Up until recently you had to use Wi-Fi to get your iTunes music on the iPhone. Now you can get it thru the 3G connection. But if you unlocked the phone,
AT&T can charge you the full service rate you would have paid for your plan if you hadn't hacked the phone. And the cell phone network is aware of the type of phone you're using by the IMEI number. This is mentioned in the last show.

You don't have to get your iPhone from AT&T and sign up for the 2 year contract. iPhones are legally sold elsewhere like Ebay. Unlocking them may (or not) be illegal. Be aware of this risk. The views expressed are those of the speakers only.

The program Speedfan reports on the stats of your computer (PC) like the temperature of the fan.

A caller got a new Vista machine and used Outlook Express, but it transferred all his mail from Yahoo and deleted it from the Yahoo server.
– Get rid of Outlook Express by telling it to use a nonexistent address.
– Then you can get the mail back to the Yahoo mailbox by forwarding it.
If you highlight all mail and then forward, those emails will become attachments in a single email, so forward them individually if you want to keep them separate. If you're going to do this, change only the POP address in Outlook to a non-existent address and leave the SMTP set to a valid address. Change the SMTP to an invalid address when you've finished forwarding.

Paul mentions hacking a GPS unit to install IGO8, 8 being the version number. This was mentioned in the previous show. IGO8 can be loaded into anything with a GPS chip & Windows Mobile. If you have Windows Mobile 5 on your phone, it will say so on the back. Each mobile unit requires its own hack .
Again, note the disclaimer given above.

A caller with a Mac G4 has trouble starting up with a new Samsung monitor.
– Do your updates for the Mac.
– Check with Samsung in case others are having the same problem and for any bulletins
– Try resetting the PRAM to the factory default by turning the machine on while holding down all 4 of the keys — command + option + p + r (read below).
– Try a different DVI cable.
In Calif., when you report a problem to a manufacture, be sure to get a ticket number (a number to reference your call) when you're under warranty. You have the right to get a preexisting problem fixed when it goes out of warranty. Also, under Calif. law, your warranty is extended by the amount of time the product spends in the repair shop.

A caller got a new Mac Book that locks up while using Apple Mail.
– Get the latest updates for the Mac.
– Under the hard drive menu, go to applications -> utilities -> disk tools -> fix permissions.
– OSX does its own disk optimization, unlike earlier OS versions.

AppleCare is available at a discount from elsewhere other than Apple.

The same caller says his Photobooth program crashes.
– Use the key combination option + apple + escape. It's like the task manager in Windows and allows you to force an application to quit. But, that doesn't help in this case.
– Suggestions from the listeners are invited.

Mikail calls to respond to the problems of the previous callers:
To the caller with the monitor problem:
– There's a problem with logic board or the cable.
– When doing the PRAM reset with command + option + p + r, hold the keys and wait for the chime.
– Also check with Apple to see if there's been a recall.
To the caller with the Apple Mail & Photobooth problem:
– Tech Tool Pro or Disk Warrior will work with OSX,
– Instead of doing option + apple + escape, one can use the activity monitor application to force a quit of a running program.
– Don't upgrade to version 10.5.6 of the OS just yet, there are all kinds of problems with it.
– Mikail highly recommends AppleCare. It can be bought up to 1 year after the purchase of the Mac.

Mikail asks Paul why use Gmail instead of Thunderbird.
– Thunderbird can synch mail folders even while working in offline mode using IMAP.
– Thunderbird interacts with the hard drive faster than a browser can interact with Gmail.
– Thunderbird gives you better control over your mail folders.
– You can mix POP and IMAP mail accounts. You can drag mail from a POP account to an IMAP account which will make it go back to the IMAP server (e.g. Gmail).
Paul recommends that Mikail use Entourage (on his Mac) in IMAP mode but don't use 'get mail', use 'synchronize mail' instead.
More about IMAP and POP mail from a previous show here.

Mikail suggests that the caller with the Mac Book problem can solve it by reinstalling everything.

Additional Notes

TimeMachine is backup software for the Mac, see above.
It's a good compromise between being easy to use & comprehensive
Periodically check to be sure that you can restore what has been backed up.
With TimeMachine applications are backed up by default and in many cases they can be restored by dragging & dropping. Applications don't usually need to be backed up and you have the option to change this setting.
For a backup drive Best Buy has a 1TB drive for $89.
For the PC there's syncback lite, a free program.

Paul's favorite web app is Joomla which zen.kvmr.org runs on.

Glenn uses Jabra BT500.
Jabra VC5050 has external speaker and rechargeable thru the car adapter.
Note: I may have misheard those model numbers.

One of Glenn's "most fun" tech gadgets is a GPS with text to speech.
Paul hacked into Glenn's Nokia & replaced the GPS software it came with, putting in IGO8.
Current GPS (and cell phone) units tend to include Windows Mobile ver 5 running in kiosk mode.

KVMR is switching to an all digital studio.

GPS & cell phones can be made to launch software other than GPS or phone applications. Paul converted one to a PDA with IGO8 navigator.

About 25% of the iPhones are hacked so they don't have to be used with AT&T. A note on their web site claims AT&T is entitled to charge you the $30 you would have paid if you hadn't hack the phone.

Every cell phone (except a radio telephone) has an IMEI (see above) number that identifies what type of phone it is. Even if you have the EDGE service turned off or don't have the data plan, AT&T can detect you have an iPhone without the service plan and, theoretically, charge you the $30.

Paul thinks Windows Vista is the worst software in 10 years.

A caller can't get DVD Shrink to launch.
Paul uses DVD Decrypter from mrbass.org.
But the caller needs to edit out the extra material to get the content to fit onto 1 burnable disk.
So. use Nero Reencode. The free version may not include the reencoder part (the transcoder) which recompresses the mpeg frames to fit onto a smaller disk.
Listeners are invited to give other solutions.

The same caller subscribes to Netflix and wants to view streaming movies on his TV.
A monitor cable box can be used but that affects the quality.
The Roku $99 wireless device bypasses the computer entirely.
Get a video card that, ideally, has HDMI output to connect to a digital TV. Then the software drivers will let you choose TV or monitor output.
There is also a Roku unit that lets you listen to radio streams.
Rumor has it that some Tivo units will do what the Roku does.

Blender is a suite free tools for 3d graphic creation.

A caller wants to know whether cell phone GPS works thru cell towers or directly with the satellites.
1st & 2nd generation phones work with the cell towers and they can expose your location to your phone company because there is a 2-way communication with the towers. And, out in the wilderness, you may be out of range of towers and won't be able to get a location.
3rd generation only receives data from satellites and is more accurate.
Also, don't depend entirely on GPS units. They can be affected by weather and geographical features.

A caller has a Dish Network DVR that went bad and he wants to extract the recordings from its disk drive.
If it's an IDE drive, you can try hooking it to a computer thru an external USB hard drive enclosure.
Though you may not be able to recover the data, you may be able to tell if the drive is working. If that DVR is a version of Tivo, there are hacks that may allow you to get to the data.
You can send the drive to a data recovery service, but that's expensive.

If you use an antenna to receive your TV signal, and don't have a digital TV, you'll have to prepare for digital TV or DTV. Go to www.dtv.gov to get up to 2 $40 coupons for converter boxes.
People in areas with marginal reception may lose channels because DTV is less tolerant of weak signals.

Additional Notes

Jeffrey Hein joined Paul as today's co-host. Glenn called in from Chester, CA.

Jeffrey Hein runs an IT consulting business that integrates technology into your business.
Phone 530-274-2037
http://www.jphein.com/

For those keeping an eye on the weather, accuweather.com has Doppler radar including an animated mode.

drop.io was mentioned during the Nov 17 2008 show.
Zentech has set up a demo at drop.io/kvmr895.
917-512-7398 ext 54837
Sending files larger than about 5meg or .exe files can be a problem, so use this service instead.
PowerPoint files can be viewed directly a slide at a time; you don't have to have PowerPoint. The etrange file at drop.io/kvmr895 is a PowerPoint file, if you want to see how it works.

For people anticipating power outages, keep in mind computers can be set to come on when power is restored. Check your BIOS setting — you get to it during boot-up.
Cheap generators often don't provide well-regulated power. Better, more expensive, ones do. Laptops may fare better than desktops.
Check in advance what might happen when the power goes out. You may find your laptop battery may not be holding a charge.
Small UPS (uninterruptible power supply) units are not intended to keep your computer working for long, just long enough to save your work & shut down.

A UPS may not charge when the power comes from the generator because it's poorly conditioned and you'll hear the UPS beep. Better UPS's do condition the power.

If you're on a generator and you turn on a high wattage device like a heater, the generator will take time to bring the voltage back up to normal. This can send a pulse to your computer and damage it if you don't have a UPS. Belken 1100BA is used by KVMR.

A caller, who has a Mac with the Parallels Windows emulator, ran a virus check and found many of them in a folder but there were only a few files displayed in the folder's window. Changing the folder settings to show all files didn't reveal any more files.
Parallels can run some Windows applications without Windows being installed, so the recommendation is to uninstall just the Windows system. Check the Parallels web site for software that can run without Windows present. Parallels came from WINE. WINE also runs on Linux.

A caller reminds us that Parallels runs only on Intel Macs. And he asks how a Windows emulator can use serial ports on a Mac that doesn't have any.
You can use the USB port with a USB to DB9 (or DB25) serial ports adapter and use the drivers that come with it. But anything that needs to talk to the UART registers won't work,

Jeffrey mentions mint.com that keeps track of your finances & budget. You are advised to consider just how much information you can trust them with. All the usual disclaimers apply; use at your own risk.

Jeffrey also likes clipperz.com; it's a password manager.
OpenID is another password management system but hasn't been fully implemented.

Google has a business directory at 1-800-goog411.

A caller bought a machine with Vista and wants to know if reverting to XP would require a reinstall of the applications or would they be migrated.
There are ways to migrate the apps but it's not simple so it's best to reinstall them.
First get the free auditing software from Belarc & it will create a profile of your machine including the product keys of the installed applications.

Same caller said he just upgraded FireFox and now it boots slowly.
The suggestion is to reinstall the previous version.

There are more utilities listed in the notes of the Dec 31 2007 show.

Guests are Brenda & Chuck Horton
hware.com
530-268-9495
brendah@hware.com
Specializing in strategic business planning for small business, startups, non-profits and government organizations.
They will be giving a seminar on Dec 15 from 9 to 4pm called Thrival.
Register before 12-12-8 & get a $50 discount.
The seminar is about…
1) How to use technology to grow your business.
2) How to recession proof your business.
3) The emerging green economy, implementing green strategies including decentralized work
4) How to create a blueprint for a business; starting with a vision, then planning and execution.

Mentioned is an example of open source software — open office openoffice.org at version 3, It's suggested make it to read & write in Microsoft Office format, rather than the default setting.

Place independent work, like cloud computing, uses remote applications and stores your data on a remote server. It allows access from anywhere using just a web browser or, sometimes, just a phone. Examples include…
MYSQL, a database for storing structured data.
salesforce.com for storing & managing information about your customers. A Salesforce demo account is available.

37signals.com created the open-source Ruby on Rails, a development framework for creating web applications.

Rich internet applications make the interface to web applications look like a desktop graphical user interface. They update your screen only with that which has changed thereby doing it faster, with less bandwidth and allowing even dial-up users a useful experience.
An example…
Basecamp by 37signals.com is for project management & collaboration.
Gmail is another example as well as docs.google.com
At hware.com, click on Learning Center for open-source (and other) links

The seminar will also cover business social networking to draw more customers to your business.

Making your site usable on a mobile device depends on what the tool you use to create the site.
Webpress can now be used to create web sites and, using plugins, it can be used optimize for mobiles.

Other cloud computing links…
docs.google.com
google.com/apps
When using the google applications, try right clicking to get the context menu.

Google's Chrome browser is mentioned. Not ready for prime time but if you want to try it go to google.com/chrome.

Google makes an application for Blackberry to allow you to search on google by talking instead of typing your search terms.
Another speech to text service, but for business only listings is 1-800-goog411

The seminar will also cover viral marketing to bring in customers.
An example of viral marketing is willitblend.com — videos of various things put in blenders.

Be careful about clicking on links in viral emails, they may lead to nefarious sites. The URLs you go to may not be what the actual text of a message says. Instead, google for, hopefully correct, links by using keywords in the particular subject of interest.

Business should..
Minimally have a web site.
Then do an online newsletter.
Then offer your customers email alerts.
Then blog.
You can create a google website for $10/yr with your own domain.

smarterbroadband.com is available for high speed connection in the Nevada City area.

Supposedly, studies show Wikipedia is as accurate as Britannica. Also, it can be corrected quickly and has an audit trail.

Other business social networking sites:
biznik.com
meetup.com

The Christmas "star" Venus along with Jupiter (& the crescent moon on 12-1-8) put on a show in the Southwest at sunset.