Vista Pricing Announced

As of yesterday, Amazon has started to show pricing for the new Microsoft operating system, officially due in January, 2007. A few things stuck out for me. First and foremost, $399 for an operating system? Ouch! Very steep to have the best version of Windows. And, that's the second issue. While I understand the need to offer different versions, there are currently so many variations, it's going to be a nightmare for consumers when it comes time to upgrade. Like everyone else, I'll be upgrading...but probably not for the first 3-6 months.

New News is Good News

 

I am pleased and honored that I have been included with a brand new newsletter, The Dentist’s Network. This project was started by my friend Sally McKenzie and includes people she considers to be leaders in the field: herself, Tom Snyder, Joel Harris, and yours truly. Every few weeks, a new newsletter will be mailed out with practical and useful information. My article is the first one, and talks about how you can get into digital radiography for around $15,000.

The website is here and you can click on the link to subscribe to the newsletter. I hope you enjoy it.

Bad Dog

According to the StopBadWare.org site, the new version of AOL, 9.0, has fallen under their "badware" category, as it supposedly is deceptive, doesn't uninstall correctly, and interferes with normal computer use. AOL has promised to make corrections, but I would stay clear. You can read the report here.

New Canon Digital Camera

Here is a nice review of the brand new Canon 400D, also called the Digital Rebel XTi. The specs were supposedly released accidentally on a Chinese web site. I don't know when it will be shipping, and while none of the main dental camera dealers have this available, don't be surprised to see packages with this camera appearing in the near future.

Roll Your Own

As a frequent web surfer, I constantly use toolbars to help me navigate the web. I've used ones from Yahoo and Google, and while I like what they can do, they don't really allow for much customization. Here's a great site that allows you to create your own toolbars, add logos, etc. And, of course, completely free. Check it out.

Cracking the Codec

If you are like me, you use your computers for many things besides work. As someone who travels a lot, I like to use my laptop to watch a DVD or listen to music. However, on many occasions, I run into the dreaded error that the file I am trying to ply is missing the necessary codec. What is a codec and why should you care? Here's a nice little explanation of what a codec is, what it does, and where to download codec packs that should eliminate those error messages.

More Battery Woes

Lest you think that Dell was the only victim of the Sony battery fiasco, think again: Apple announced today that they are recalling 1.8 million batteries from their iBook and Powerbook laptops. Coupled with the 4.1 million batteries recalled by Dell, this is a huge hit for Sony. You can read the details here and get more info from Apple's site here, although it was timing out for me, no doubt due to the high volume.

Lightyear Troubles

If you are a current user of Lightyear, I would start to be worried, as the reports coming out of Atlanta are not good. First, as many of you know, Lightyear used to use the Apteryx software, but for unknown reasons, created their own software called Speedvision. Good idea in concept, but the software was not well received, and they made a recent decision to move back to Apteryx. Then, a rash of complaints from both my clients and on DentalTown seems to indicate that Customer Service has taken a nosedive and calls are not being returned. Now, I hear that the President and Founder, Greg Barnett, was removed from the company by the Venture Capital firm that financed the company. This is not good news for Lightyear customers...not at all. I've been a fan of the company and their products, but it's very, very difficult to recommend them at this time. If I were a betting man, I think the company's lifespan can be counted in weeks or perhaps a few months. That's just an educated guess, and for the sake of the users out there, I hope I am wrong.

New Networking

For many homes and small offices, the challenges of setting up a network can be quite difficult. Running cables is often impractical, and wireless can be very tough when you have to deal with line-of-sight issue, security, and configuration. While I've known about PowerLine networking in the past, the low 14 MB/s speed usually kept me away. Well, that speed has now gone way, way up. Netgear has just released their HDXB101 Adapter, which has a theoretical speed of a whopping 200 MB/s, faster than most wires. I've not yet tested this, but it looks very promising and may become a very valid option for offices that want an easy-to-setup and maintain network.

Dell Announcement

In news that was long overdue, Dell recently announced that they will be using AMD chips in future Dell models. They have limited the announcement to their Dimension line, which we normally don't recommend for offices since it comes preloaded with what I like to call "crapware". However, I'm sure that the Optiplex line will have an AMD option at some point. What this means for users is the chance to have a cheaper (AMD costs less than Intel) and cooler (AMD chips run cooler than Intel) system. You can read the report on the deal here.

Wireless Upgrade?

Many of you are using older 802.11b (11 MB/s) wireless routers. While all new routers we install are the faster 802.11g (54 MB/s), the question remains whether it makes sense to upgrade if you're still using the older speed. According to this article, the answer is a definite....maybe. They only found a 15% increase in real-world tests. It's a good read if you want to know a bit more about wireless networking.

Get it Back

While I highly recommend that every office backup their data, I know that some do not and the inevitable will happen: your drive crashes. While there are many services that can recover hard drive, these can run from $300 to $3000. Before you go that route, though, look at file recovery software, which costs under $50 and can often recover many lost files. ExtremeTech did a review of the top file recovery software programs that you can read about here.

Free Office Plug-Ins

If you're a Microsoft Office user (and most of us are), here's a great site that lists 150 free plug-ins and add-ons for the different Office programs. This is a great collection of programs you may not know ever existed.

Web Email

I think web-based email is a great option for many offices. It allows you to access the email from any location, will handle much of the spam filtering and antivirus for you, and is easier to maintain and support. I found a good article that looks at some of the major players (and some you probably haven't heard of). Many are free and the others are not too expensive. You can see the review of the services here.

A Cut Above

I had a chance today to lecture to a very sharp group. Sally McKenzie and McKenize Management, one of the top practice management consultants in the country, had their annual meeting of their Team McKenzie consultants. I spoke for 3.5 hours and only got through about 1/2 of my lecture. Why? Because they had so many great questions and comments. This is one sharp group and if you're in the market for taking your practice to the next level, you won't find many better than her group. You can check out their website here.

Surge Protectors

I know...hardly a sexy topic. However, most people need them and few of them worry about how they look. Until now. Belkin is releasing a set on stylish and functional surge protectors in the next few says. You can read more about them and see some photos here.

Dell Recall

Dell announced a massive recall of their laptop batteries. A good 4 million batteries have been recalled as they are prone to explosions and bursting into flames. Ouch! You can get the specifics here if you own one of the affected units. Analysts expect this to cost Dell over $300 million.

Windows Live Services

For those of you who haven't been watching, Microsoft has slowly been replacing all of their MSN-branded services with the new Windows Live services. It's their attempt to offer traditional software applications online, instead of in a boxed software package. CNET has ranked the Top 10 Windows Live applications, with a short explanation and links. Some of these are really developing into nice products.

Best PCs Ever

Here's a really fun article for me: PC World has listed the Top 25 PCs of All Time. It's great read if you've been using computers for the past 25 years. Going through the list, there are 7 that I owned at one point. See how many you've collected over the years.

Top 100 Products

CNET has updated their Top 100 Products, in numerous categories. There are some great products here that are definitely worth checking out.

The Big One?

We've been hearing reports of a major worm attack that is coming in the next few days. Microsoft issued a patch on Tuesday. If you are a client of DTC, you are probably protected. However, to be sure, run the Microsoft Update service on every computer. For everyone else, check your anti-virus signatures to be sure they are current, run updates, etc. You can read about the security problems here and update your Windows here.

Bye-Bye Norton

While I used to be a fan of Norton (now Symantec) products, that ended awhile ago. I find their products really slow down our systems and can be almost impossible to remove. I found a nice little tool if you share my desire to remove Norton products from your system. You can download it here.

VNC Exploit

We've seen a few reports from our clients this week of hackers who are able to bypass the VNC log-in process. While this was first reported in May, there appears to be more recent occurrences of this. If you are a current client of ours, please contact us to upgrade you to the latest patch which eliminates this security loophole. You can read about the exploit here and get the latest patch here.

Suni Concerns

I've been a fan in the past of Suni sensors. While I'm not crazy about their 3-for-1 specials, they have a decent product and I consider Paul Suni to be a standup guy. However, I've been hearing about some company issues that gives me some concerns. Their VP of Sales left the company in April and my sources tell me that their CFO quit the company last week. Again, this is not a knock on the product, but when key Management leave the company, it's rarely a good sign.

I Can See Clearly Now

One of the big features of Windows Vista, which won't be out until 2007, is the idea of transparent Windows. However, this function already exists. Here's a link to a small little program that allows you to set the transparency of multiple windows. It's a very cool feature once you get used to it...allows you to work on multiple Windows at the same time.

Kool Keyboard

The coolest keyboard of all-time, the Optimus, is set to release the mini version of their keyboard next week. The keyboard is basically three keys with LED displays that change based on the application you are using. The full version of this keyboard will be out towards the end of the year. The mini version is selling for about $160.

Open Sesame

I'm a huge fan of the patient communication systems out there, such as DemandForce, UAppoint, and Smile Reminder. I recently became aware of another one called Dental Sesame, which looks very impressive. Patients have access to their treatment plans, payments, appointments, etc., as well as email confirmations and practice newsletters. Definitely worth checking out, tell them I sent you.

Online Backup

I am becoming more and more convinced that online backup is an excellent option to consider. While many of the services are not really designed for business (and we are planning to offer our own online backup starting in a few weeks), there are many great options for backing up critical files. Here's a great list of 93 sites that offer online backup. Some are free, some charge small monthly amounts, all are worth a quick look.

Megapixel Madness

As the rush to produce better and better digital cameras moves forward, it makes sense to step back for a second and wonder if it's really necessary. We've sold hundreds of digital cameras and to be honest, I stopped seeing any major difference when I started to install 4 MP cameras. Apparently, I'm not alone. Here's a great article that talks about what megapixels mean, and why you may be paying more for your digital camera than you need to.

Free Image Viewer

While I realize that many people use full featured dental imaging suites, many offices are only using digital cameras, and for them, a lighter solution may be in order. One program I've been testing recently is FastStone. Very easy to use, has many of the features that you'd find in Photoshop, and really quick. Go to their site and download the beta, which is perfectly free.

Screen Savers

Due to HIPAA concerns in the dental office, we normally recommend that you use screensavers to keep information private. While Windows has built-in screensavers, most are...well, boring. Here are a few that will brighten up your monitors and can be a lot of fun.