Non-GMail users can use Gmail's new, free inbox sorting to separate out Commercial & Social Media emails

Net-Net:  Even if you don't use a GMail address, you can use GMail's new InBox sorting, which separates out Promotional & Social Media emails from your other correspondence, and has online marketers worried!   http://goo.gl/NXAB1G

Google has long had great anti-spam filters, no "in your face" advertising, and now GMail pulls Promotional (Commercial) emails & Social Media emails (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) out of your primary inbox and place them in their own separate inboxes.

If your email service allows POP (Post Office Protocol) email access (like Outlook or Windows Mail), you can use GMail's new sorting views to separate Promotional and Social emails from your primary inbox -- WITHOUT having to change your email address!  Your free GMail Account (you MAY already have one if you have an Android phone!) allows you to ADD your other email account(s) AND make it the default.   See my white paper: "POP goes your GMAIL!" at http://goo.gl/EdtgYD.

Additional Advantages:
1) Allowing Gmail to POP your existing email gets rid of all that 'in your face' advertising you see on free webmail pages (Gmail only uses text advertising).   2) If you were drooling at Samsung's $249 2.4lb Chromebook (http://goo.gl/iwEct) but were shut-out because you didn't want to change your email address to Gmail, here's your chance get one -- no email address change required!

By the way, for those of you who disliked GMail because of it's "conversation" view of your emails (all send/receive emails on the same subject are grouped together), TechRepublic tells you how to make it appear like other email systems (the usual discombobulated mess):  http://goo.gl/Y9n7dx

You'll find other "Moving Into The 21st Century" white papers at http://www.professionalnerds.com/links.htm Current items are at both http://professionalnerds.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/ProfessionalNerds.

Thieves sell your smartphone for $65 to $300 !!!

Smartphone theft is becoming more common than purse snatchings as the phones themselves are worth more fenced ($65-$300) than the cash in your wallet.  http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76742086/

Smartphone prices may seem low because a big part of the handset cost is spread over a 2-year contract.  But don't kid yourself -- if your iPhone 5 is stolen within that first two years, a replacement handset will cost as much as $675 -- that's why thieves can fence them for so much!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/smartphone-black-market_n_3510341.html

Stolen phones are a GLOBAL market.  The $675 paid in the USA is just plain unaffordable.  That's why http://www.gazelle.com offers $65-$70 to buy your older iPhone 4 in good condition, but for an iPhone5 will pay three Benjamins -- three $100 bills! -- and resell it for even more!

Vendors like Apple and Samsung ARE trying to help via new anti-theft features... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/apple-samsung-antitheft-features-tested_n_3613415.html

...but you still need to protect the access to YOUR data that your smartphone represents.

A) Make sure you have a LOCK code on your device.  It may be inconvenient, but it's better than having someone else with control of your email account and other smartphone apps you've authorized!  B) Turn ON the provision to wipe the smartphone clean following 10 failed passcode attempts.
C) Install a "find my phone/remote erase" application to ensure no one uses a lost/stolen phone for identity theft.
D) Finally, ensure your device is wirelessly backed up online so that when you get a replacement device your apps & info can be quickly restored.

Most of these features are built into iPhone; Android users should get an app such as LOOKOUT which provides similar capabilities.

The sky hasn't fallen....yet !

The flap over the NSA gathering Verizon metadata is way overblown.  Metadata shows tendencies and trends, which is nowhere near as much privacy detail as what your smartphone is gathering or your internet postings contain.  In other words:  "The sky hasn't fallen....yet" ! Your smartphone (combined with internet postings) contain much more detailed information than you realize. While much can be made of its analysis (see the article below), it's not being tracked "real time" as depicted in 2008's film "Eagle Eye".

http://www.zeit.de/datenschutz/malte-spitz-data-retention

Eagle Eye: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1059786

Keep your Facebook friends safer...

You can help keep your Facebook friends safer from scams by following these instructions from FaceCrooks (good guys 'n gals!).

http://facecrooks.com/Internet-Safety-Privacy/How-to-protect-your-Facebook-account-from-Rogue-Applications-292.html

http://facecrooks.com/Internet-Safety-Privacy/how-to-protect-your-facebook-account-from-rogue-browser-extensions.html

Now you see it, now you don't!

Sometimes you see things which aren't there, or don't see other things which ARE!  Here are over 100 optical illusions and other visual phenomena illustrating ways your eyes can be tricked.   Enjoy!     

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/

The Microsoft TAX has gone UP again!

Someone asked me if they should purchase Office 2010 or Office 2013 for a new machine. Well, Office 2013 is a bit more touch-screen friendly, aligns with Windows 8's new 'blocky' interface (sized for fingers instead of mouse pointers), and integrates with Microsoft's SkyDrive via your Windows Live ID (if you have one). 

But Microsoft CHANGED the licensing terms so you must purchase a new copy of Office each time you purchase a new PC, whereas with Office 2010, you could transfer your old Microsoft Office license to the new machine. Office 2013 becomes licensed to ONE MACHINE ONLY, and therefore becomes MORE EXPENSIVE than Office 2010.
     http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/20/office_2013_license_no_transfers/ 

What Microsoft really wants you to do is instead of purchasing an Office license, is to SUBSCRIBE (aka 'rent') their new Office 365 for $100 per YEAR for up to 5 machines. Online sources such as Amazon.com no longer have downloadable key cards or downloads of Office 2010 available; downloads are only available for Office 2013. 

Bottom line, Office 2013 or Office 365 will cost you MORE, as the "Microsoft Tax" has gone UP.

Duplicate messages on family iPhones

Duplicate messages on family iPhones
 
Families with multiple iPhones may be sharing their AppleID to leverage app purchases on up to 5 devices.  But you may be accidentally sharing an iMessage ID as well, which means 'text' messages sent to a parent are duplicated on the child's phone and vice versa.  Traditional cellular phone text messages appear in green on iPhone, while newer Apple iMessages appear in blue.  What's happening is that both phones are set to use the same email address for Apple's iMessage service.   Here's how to fix it:    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4409745?start=0&tstart=0