What is Skype and Why Should I Use It?

Video-call

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Skype is a well known chat program. It is free and offers both instant messaging and video chat to all users. But there is much more to Skype than that. This little free piece of software can call anywhere in the world and if you are calling someone else who is using Skype, it is completely free too. If you are using Skype but need to call a phone, the price is still reasonable at just over a dollar a minute.

Aside from instant messaging and free world wide calling, Skype’s video chat feature is beginning to make science fiction come to life. You can chat in high definition or normal definition video chat with multiple people at once. If you’re family is far away, you can still get everyone on a Skype video chat for Thanksgiving dinner. Skype dominated four of the five most downloaded voice and video chat programs in the past year, making it by far the most popular.

Also, Skype now has a mobile program. You can put Skype on your phone or pocket PC and stay connected at all times. If you opt for the Unlimited Worldwide package (around $10 a month), your Skype has a voice mail feature. Voice mail on Skype is great, especially if you link Skype to your social websites and want to stay in touch with people around the world without being on call constantly. You can also create Skype groups – which also ties into your social websites – for your hobbies or business meetings. Overall, Skype is becoming more and more popular because it is cheap, fast and accessible world wide.

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Creating A Secure Password

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Passwords have been used for centuries. From men guarding secret meeting room doors to today’s average log in page, they are the most basic line of defense against unwanted visitors. Every respectable account requires a password and each one has to be something you will remember – but also something that no one else can figure out. Here are a few steps that you can take to make a safer password for your accounts.

So, why do hackers keep figuring out your password? It probably has to do with what you used for your password. Birth dates, mother’s maiden names, favorite pet names and anything else that can be found with a simple Google search means that you need to change your password. Social sites are making it much easier to find personal information online, so anything that’s on your Facebook page shouldn’t be your password – unless you fortify it.

Whatever word or phrase you use, follow the three out of four rule. To make a safe password, use three types of the following – either capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers or symbols. Using your favorite pet’s name is fine as long as you change off some of the letters with caps, numbers or symbols. The name “Bingo” might become “B1nG0” and so on. Just make sure that you use a blend of character types will save you a lot of hassle and keep those pesky hackers out.

Of course, no matter how amazingly wonderful your password is – never share it. Passwords should be strictly private.

 

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Phishing and You

An example of a phishing e-mail, disguised as ...

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Phishing scams are everywhere and there are huge organizations devoted to stealing your private information in any way they can possibly try, 24 hours a day. It is very hard to get protection from phishing simply because they can use any contact or company that you associate with by snatching the sender’s name. Here are a few steps you can take to help protect yourself from phishing online. Email phishing is the most common form of phishing you will encounter.

You get an email from a seemingly trusted source telling you that your information has some kind of error and that you need to follow the link in the email to fix it. Never follow that link. If it is from a company, go to that company’s website by typing in the published address. For example, if the link says it leads to “Usbank.com” type “www.usbank.com” into your address bar instead. You will find that often times there is nothing wrong with your account at all and the email you got is just a phisher trying to get your account information.

Another common phishing problem is attachments on emails. Even if it is from someone you know, double check with them that they sent you something. Sender names can and are faked as often as links. Use common sense. Lastly, NEVER pop-up window ads. They often take you to a perfect clone of a trusted website and have you sign up for whatever they think you might buy.

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Control Your Home Theater with an Android Tablet

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One of the frustrating things about owning a home theater is the fact that you have to keep track of dozens of remote controls. There is a remote for the DVD player, cable box, TV, stereo system, and Tivo. With so many remote controls floating around you are sure to lose one or two in the mix. Luckily, with the Android Tablet you can turn it into an all-in-one home theatre remote control.

Tablets allow users to download apps that turn the tablet into a universal remote. If you are considering turning your Android Tablet into a universal remote, here’s a look at some of the functions you can make it do with a download of a simple app.

Cable Box Control

There are apps that allow you to control your cable box with the simple touch of the tablet touchscreen. You can watch pay-per-view movies, change the channel, and set up TV show reminders – all from the comfort of your tablet.

Volume Control

Some Android apps allow you to control the volume as well as the type of stereo system your home theater uses. You can set up your home theater to use surround sound or turn the volume down with just the touch of the screen.

DVR or Tivo Controls

Nothing is more frustrating than forgetting to set the DVR or Tivo to record a show. With the Tablet you can simply set up the reminder from anywhere in the house.

With all these apps you can turn your tablet into a universal remote and never have to worry about losing a remote again.

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Protecting Your Computer From Viruses With Avast!

Avast!

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Similar to the common cold, computer viruses spread like crazy. Having a anti-virus program is vital to any computer, either at home or at work. Most systems ship with Norton, but more and more people are switching it out for Avast! Anti-virus. Avast is a free anti-virus program that provides all the real-time protection your computer could need.

Avast runs several types of virus shields, which can be adjusted from low to high security with the simple slide of a meter. It comes with six shields – the file system shield, mail shield, web shield, P2P shield, script shield, the network shield and finally the behavior shield.

Aside from shielding every aspect of your computer, it also protects itself so that viruses can’t overwrite or delete it. Avast keeps itself up to date, but you can pick when and how it updates itself. It gets almost daily updates to stay ahead of new viruses on the web. Avast also tackles one of the biggest complaints about Norton and other anti-virus software – it takes very little of your computer’s processing power to run. No extra lag when you boot up – only the unobtrusive automatic updates.

If you run a small business, it can be pricy to pay for multiple copies of Norton – whereas Avast is free. If you choose to update to Avast Pro, it is a one-time charge unlike the subscription based Norton. You will get more for your money – but best of all, better protection from viruses.

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Malware: What It Is And How To Prevent It

Malware, or malicious software, refers to any software that “maliciously” damages files on your computer. It deletes files, steals private information and much more – and you can get it all over the net. The term malware also covers crimeware, spyware, worm viruses and trojans to name a few. Organized internet crime groups use malware to steal your information and the production of malware has risen at an alarming rate – matching the production of regular software in 2008.

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That’s what malware is – now here’s how to avoid it and keep your computer clean.

  1. Install a malware protection software. Malwarebytes is a great option, as it is free and allows you to clean malware off of your computer easily. If you feel the need for real-time protection so that you don’t have to do manual scans of your computer – update to Malwarebytes Pro.
  2. Complete a full scan of your computer to clean off malware weekly at the least. Malware is everywhere and sometimes you just can’t avoid it no matter how hard you try. Having Malwarebytes Pro comes in handy this way because it has a real-time shield.
  3. Be cautious of any and all attachments and links found in emails. These are very common. If you get an email saying that an account of yours has a problem, go to that account’s official site – not the link provided in the email.
  4. Never download software or files without scanning them and double checking their source.
  5. Always keep your anti-virus and anti-malware software up to date with the newest versions.
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