Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com Software, hardware and computer book reviews for home, SOHO, small business and education PC and PDA users. Bi-weekly podcast from the managing editor of Kickstartnews.com, the reliable online source for the latest in software, hardware, digital imaging and books for home, SOHO and small business computer users Get informed and excited about technology products that can help you get more done and have more fun at home and at work en-us 2000-2006 Kickstartnews.com Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:30:00 EST editor@kickstartnews.com Kickstartnews Revue http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/150x75logo.jpg http://www.kickstartnews.com 144 75 Software, hardware, digital imaging and book reviews for home, SOHO and small business Technology no Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_059_2007-03-03.mp3 Our new podcast format unveiled. Review of the Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24 inch digital LCD monitor, buying and multimedia card reader or not, how to choose the best text editor, and how much security is enough or too much. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of March 5, 2007 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of March 5, 2007 http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_059_2007-03-03.mp3 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:30:00 EST Technology no 00:26:24 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_058_2006-09-19.mp3 We've got a terrific interview with Splash Data CEO Morgan Slain all about Splash Data's business software for PDA and Smartphone. A new feature starts this week - a Techspertise Minute - with Paul Rochford, founder and president of Techspertise, all about web design, search engine optimization and web development. Lots of tech support letters this week too, including problems with laser printers, hand scanners, lost data and iPods. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of September 19, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of September 19, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_058_2006-09-19.mp3 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 21:30:00 EST Technology no 00:57:33 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_057_2006-08-29.mp3 Introducing our new, streamlined format. Letters to the Editor, answers to your technical questions, and a great interview with Steal This Computer Book author Wallace Wang. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of August 29, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of August 29, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_057_2006-08-29.mp3 Tue, 29 Aug 2006 21:30:00 EST Technology no 00:49:51 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_056_2006-07-13.mp3 Hot News - Item 1, Dell got a wee bit too cute with it's complex pricing and rebates and discounting and it's knuckles have just been rapped. Let it be a lesson to anyone in business - K.I.S.S. Item 2, Voice Over Internet Protocol or VoIP as it's known, is not ready for prime time. Do not let this into your business and technology budgeting just yet. KSN Managing Editor Howard Carson will explain. Letters to the Editor - Norton Internet Security and AOL Messenger aren't cooperating, digitizing and editing old 8mm film and VHS video footage, and somebody is having problems uninstalling MSN Content Plus. Big City Byte - Howard is going to tell us all about Net Neutrality and why we should just ignore the current furor. It's not affecting you now, the 'Net has never been neutral, and capitalism is a two-edged sword sometimes. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of July 13th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of July 13th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_056_2006-07-13.mp3 Thu, 13 Jul 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:46:57 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_055_2006-07-04.mp3 Here's the lineup for show #55. Hot News: Item 1, Is having a cell phone pressed to your ear while behind the wheel the equivalent of driving while intoxicated? According to a study by University of Utah psychologists, the answer is, unfortunately, yes. Item 2, A federal judge in California hinted that a parenting web site that's suing Google over a poor ranking in the search giant's massive index would be able to proceed with its lawsuit. Managing Editor Howard Carson will explain. Letters to the Editor: Kickstartnews review readers and podcast listeners demand it — a better e-mail program for Palm handhelds. And somebody has cat problems, specifically a feline that keeps knocking soft drinks onto a mouse pad. BOAT: In this installment of Business Online and Technology with Judi Tyabji Wilson, Howard poses the question, Why are you in Business? The answers may surprise you. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of July 4th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of July 4th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_055_2006-07-04.mp3 Tue, 04 Jul 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:54:31 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_054_2006-06-28.mp3 Hot News: Item 1, Yahoo and eBay are teaming up. The two companies unveiled a partnership that could bring more ad revenue to Yahoo, which has been losing market share to Google. The deal will also bring new customers and auctions to eBay. Item 2, Google is being bundled on Dell computers. Another team-up you say? Of course! It's what all the smart companies do from time to time. What does all this mean for small business? Managing Editor Howard Carson explains. Letters to the Editor: We've got some catching up to do, so we picked out five e-mails. Somebody wants to know about professional uses for the Zigview Digital Angle Viewfinder, a small business owner is trying to decide on a web hosting plan, a Kickstartnews review reader in Ohio is trying to find stylus/pen refills, problems hooking up a dual monitor setup to an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, and configuring the F-keys on a multimedia keyboard to launch your favorite programs. Big City Byte: Your next computing platform may have absolutely nothing to do with the operating system running on the hardware. You may be able to simply purchase the hardware you like best - a PC, Mac or Linux computer - and run the software of your choice remotely using your favorite web browser. It's not fiction. It's real and it's here now. We explain in this week's Big City Byte. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of June 28th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of June 28th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_054_2006-06-28.mp3 Wed, 28 Jun 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:37:17 Technologynology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_053_2006-06-08.mp3 Hot News: Item #1, We've been saying this for almost a year - Google is going to be the next computing platform. The evidence, as well as the online application, is building. Item #2, Fighting Back is not always the smartest thing to do, and anti-spam company Blue Security is bowed and beaten. But there's much more to the story. It's a tale of spammers winning a major battle and a tacit lesson is knowing when to fight and when to run. Business people pay attention please. Letters to the Editor: Somebody is very unhappy with EasyBoot, and somebody else is trying to hunt down an updated version of PhotoSuite Mobile Organizer. Interview: Desktop publishing software came of age when Adobe released the second version of InDesign. Everything else, including the unfathomably difficult Quark XPress, faded into the background. Everything that is, except one program languishing in the software backwaters. Calamus. Howard interviews Ulf Dunkel of invers Software. Ulf's persistence and his terrific software stand as a lesson in how to get great things done and make a living at it in the process. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of June 8th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of June 8th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_053_2006-06-08.mp3 Thu, 08 Jun 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 01:08:52 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_052_2006-05-30.mp3 Hot News: Item 1, Google web applications are being bundled on Dell computers. Item 2, Yahoo and eBay have agreed on an advertising partnership. Item 3, While all this partnering is going on, Microsoft is mired in the beta muck of its new Windows Live Ideas online services and applications. Letters to the Editor: We've got four Technology support e-mails for you. Confusion about Bumper Sticker software, problems with Photoshop v5.5, the best 13"x19" color desktop printer, and somebody is concerned about security when using password vault software. Kickstartnews Confab: No Confab this week because we're running long and we want to keep this download a sensible size. The Confab will be back next week! KSN Interview: Howard talks with Cory Koski of Element and Stein Web Services. If you've been confused about your web hosting or if you feel you're not getting good value for your money, don't miss this interview. Cory is quietly competent and he'll give you the insight you need to make some smart decisions. Lots of good advice for anyone who is trying to start or restart a web site. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of May 30th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of May 30th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_052_2006-05-30.mp3 Tue, 30 May 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 01:27:52 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_051_2006-05-16.mp3 Hot News: There were a few news items this week which might be worthy of inclusion in Hot News, but we've got a ton of Letters to Editor to catch up on instead, most of them really interesting too! Letters to the Editor: We've let the e-mail stack up and now we're catching up. Comments on our review style, using the web and Google to research wireless applications, problems with the MYOB accounting software, Membership Plus 2005 Deluxe training support, scheduled recording problems with WebRadio Recorder, Postscript printing problems, and congrats on our 50th podcast! Kickstartnews Confab: We've got a great Business Online and Technologynology interview coming up and it runs a bit long, so we're going to skip the Confab this week. Not to worry. The Confab will be back in full force next week! KSN Interview: BOAT! Business Online and Technologynology with Judi Tyabji Wilson of Tugboat Enterprises. Judi and Howard have a Skype chat about what to do when you have that great idea which just begs to be turned into a business. If you're starting up, starting out or expanding, don't miss this interview. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of May 15th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of May 15th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_051_2006-05-16.mp3 Sun, 14 May 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 01:04:07 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_050_2006-05-08.mp3 Hot News: Google is facing a mounting wave of click fraud problems related to its wildly successful AdWords and AdSense services. The Spam Kings are being nailed by the courts, finally. And the experimental band Tool and a few of its contemporaries are teaching the music business new ways to do business successfully. Kickstartnews Managing Editor Howard Carson explains everything. Letters to the Editor: One reader asks about cost estimating with CADPro 4, an apprehensive Linux user wants to know about installation partitioning on a Windows PC, and, another reader wants - nay - demands help really but doesn't tell us anything about the problem. Now THAT'S a problem! Kickstartnews Confab: If everybody does their job right and all of the stars and planets align, businesses grow and change prosperously over the years. Sometimes, your business changes so radically that taking care of long-time customers becomes a problem. Does there ever come a time when you have to kick a loyal customer to the curb? Big City Byte: Are There Any Decent Resources That Don't Cost a Small Fortune for Small Businesses with Software and Hardware Trouble? Are Meetups the answer? And when the hell did all the computer user groups disappear? The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of May 11th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of May 11th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_050_2006-05-08.mp3 Sun, 07 May 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:40:16 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_049_2006-05-01.mp3 Hot News: Three items this week. First, WalMart is shortly going to be selling do-it-yourself computer parts. This is dangerous. Howard is fed up with WalMart. It's a business success story run amok. Second, various County governments across the U.S. are actively engaged in projects to post as many public documents online as possible. Greater access to common information is good, right? Not if it includes social security numbers and other personal information. Let's hear it for the bureaucrats. Third, why are you wandering around with an insecure laptop? A new service can delete or encrypt files remotely the moment a stolen laptop is connected to the Internet. It's a mixed blessing. Letters to the Editor: Three new reader and listener e-mails this week. Commentary on our review of the rather popular Servant Salamander file manager. Corel Designer 9 serial number and installation woes. Wait until you hear this story. And somebody wants a free copy of the Fortress Personal Lie Detector software. Kickstartnews Confab: Are you disciplined? Is your office a place of discipline and organization? Do you care? You should. Well organized and disciplined activities which govern the processes we put in place to deal with the various types of work that come our way, are often the single most important key to getting things done effectively. Managing Editor Howard Carson, the project oriented, less disciplined cowboy, will discuss this with Contributing Editor Lianne Reitter, someone who is much more process and systems oriented. Big City Byte: Be careful on eBay. The place is dangerous. There are thieves lurking all over the place! The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of April 30th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of April 30th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_049_2006-05-01.mp3 Sun, 30 Apr 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:59:47 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_048_2006-04-23.mp3 In Hot News: Three items this week. EU Warns That Microsoft Will Stifle Innovation, the latest free beta version of Internet Explorer 7 is available for download, and Corel is going public - again! Managing Editor Howard Carson explains. Letters to the Editor: Four new reader and listener e-mails this week. Using the Zigview Digital Angle Viewfinder for high angle sunset shots; how easy is it to deeply configure Xandros Linux; somebody is having difficulties with HanDBase font sizes and certain databases; and problems booting and restoring and image with the Ghost 9 CD. Kickstartnews Confab: Panic in the office or on the shop floor or in the studio. Stress management. How do you react to bad news or hiccups in the plan - any plan - and how long does it take you to calm down, work out the issue and peel the frantic ones off the ceiling? Big City Byte: Windows Vista is about seven months away from appearing on new computers sold by Dell, HP, Compaq and Gateway. Microsoft Office 12 is going to appear in the same time frame. Upgrading your small business or your even smaller home office is going to cost some money therefore. Should you start setting aside funds or otherwise budgeting now for the upgrade? Howard's opinion on this one may surprise you. The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of April 23rd, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of April 23rd, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_048_2006-04-23.mp3 Sun, 23 Apr 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:49:37 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews Howard Carson http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_047_2006-04-16.mp3 Hot News: New clockless ARM processors, NetFlix is suing Blockbuster, and say goodbye to Windows 98 and Me. All of this impacts your business. Howard explains. Letters to the Editor: Three new reader and listener e-mails this week. Somebody is trying to figure out whether or not to upgrade ACDSee or buy Photoshop Elements 4, somebody else has had some bad experiences with Cyberlink Technologynical support (sort of), and tracking down documentation for iPods. Kickstartnews Confab: We all have a couple of clients who are overly friendly, right? They pop by anytime they feel like it, unannounced, and plunk down in a chair-sometimes in your office-and just start talking. This is wrong and we're going to discuss it and how to deal with it. Big City Byte: The dominant language on the Internet is not English, shocking though that may seem (sic). It's Chinese. It's Chinese and non-Latin languages such as German, French, Russian and so on. Managing Editor Howard Carson asks the question: is English being slowly marginalized online? The Kickstartnews Revue for the week of April 16th, 2006 The Kickstartnews Revue Podcast for the week of April 16th, 2006. http://www.kickstartnews.com/downloads/KSN_047_2006-04-16.mp3 Sun, 16 Apr 2006 19:30:00 EST Technology no 00:44:48 Technology, home-office, small business, software reviews, hardware reviews, PDA reviews, computer book reviews