iFixPro

Since I left Apple (Ex Genius) I have been doing a lot of Freelance work in my many fields of expertise. The hardest part of this style of business is not excepting credit cards. I have looked at several solutions like iSwipe from AppNinjas to many of the other 30+ possibilities in the iTunes App Store. Nothing really popped my socks except for iSwipe ( @ $1.99 it is actually the cheapest option) and that really wasn’t trippin’ the lights fantastic for me.

Then the was the reveal for the handy devices at the local Apple Retail Stores. This was getting a little bit closer. A few weeks ago I heard of the Mophie option coming soon… Now I’m excited…. this is looking promising.

Well today my homeboy Kevin Rose dropped a big bomb on the situation… (see the video). Squareup.com now has the solution I will for sure get. This is not only sleek and elegant it was made for people like me. I have been a follower of Kevin and his adventures since “Follower” was an internet related word and Kevin was the new kid on TechTV’s call for help with Leo Laporte.

I think you have gotta see this baby in action, so Square please send me one asap, poppa needs to buy some new shoes.

I use QuickLook pretty much everyday while searching through folders. I fin it most helpful when browsing documents, PDF’s and media files like photos or videos. Until now if you ran across a nested folder ( a folder inside of another folder) QuickLook will just show you a pretty little aqua blue folder. But adding this little hake-a-round I found on Mac OS X Hints and you’ll have a neat little semi-transparent folder to see your files in complete with a rotating animation of your files.

How Do You Do This You Say…Easy:

1. Force Quit/Relaunch Finder Using the Force Quite Menu (or cmd + opt + esc)
2. Open Terminal Application (in your Utilities folder)
3. Enter or paste in the following command: defaults write com.apple.Finder QLEnableXRayFolders 1
4. Relaunch Finder

[UPDATE: I was able to do this in 10.6.1 by just pasting the command into terminal without quitting the Finder.]

These are my before and afters. (click the first image to see the sequence)

Lenovo’s amazing Tablet/PC Hybrid brings a tablet and a PC together in an amazingly elegant way. (courtesy of Revision3)

Check Out the Video: On Revision3

The industry’s first hybrid notebook

One PC, two devices. Detach the screen to switch between full-function notebook and 3G multitouch slate tablet for mobile Internet.

• Convertible touch-screen tablet notebook with 11.6? HD LED screen
• Intel® Core™2 Duo processor in laptop mode
• Qualcomm Snapdragon™ ARM processor in tablet mode
• User-friendly Windows® 7 OS in laptop mode
• Lenovo’s customized Skylight OS in tablet mode

DroboElite redefines storage economics by delivering advanced features and performance usually reserved for more expensive solutions. You and your business can get the performance you require while realizing the simplicity and convenience of DroboElite.

1. No headache dual-disk redundancy
2. Multi-host connectivity with LUN affinity
3. Best-in-class performance
4. Up to 8 disks of instant expansion to 16TB and Beyond
5. Dual high-speed iSCSI interfaces
6. Virtues of Smart Volumes™ – supports up to 255 Smart Volumes
7. Simplify your VMware environment

Drobo S. Built on the award-winning BeyondRAID technology with single or dual drive redundancy (that can be changed on the fly), Drobo S protects your data without any user interaction, even in the event of multiple hard drive failures. Entrust your irreplaceable data toDrobo S.

• Multiple interfaces: eSATA, FireWire 800, USB 2.0
• Up to 5 drives of instant capacity expansion to 10TB and Beyond
• Protection from up to two hard drive failures
• BeyondRAID self-managing and self-healing technology
• Works with Windows, Mac, or Linux

I have to say I love my Drobo and all it can do. I use it mostly as a way to store all the footage and Images I shoot. I will surly be adding a second one to the mix soon and might even move up to an Elite version. I you want to protect your data, safely store all the stuff you download, shoot, record, or snap get a Drobo.

You really need to be backing up your data… No REALLY! There is a wide variety of online backup solutions offering pretty fast performance but are not truly full featured backup systems. Many of us uber-geeks have tried a gamut of online backup services both free and paid; only to find them all lacking. Many of us were convinced this was a lost quest. On the other spectrum is those who have never tried an online backup service.  Well, I have a solution for everyone… Dropbox (www.dropbox.com)

Dropbox is the holy grail of online backup services that will leave you tickled pink and literally laughing out loud. It is a totally painless backup solution that even my brother-in-law can use.

Dropbox works on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and iPhone and provides simple file syncing, sharing, and backup; like a cheesy Ronco commercial all you do is “Set It and Forget It.” Jump on over to Dropbox.com and sign up for a free account. Once you’ve signed up, download the easy to install helper application leaving all the settings as default (standard configuration is best). Finally, start copying your important files into the Dropbox folder on your computer and the helper app takes care of all the rest.

The software’s main task is to watch a specified folder in your computer.  Whatever you have placed in that folder, may it be music files, documents or videos, all will instantly and automatically be backed-up by the software to the Dropbox WebDav(Cloud) Servers. If you have multiple computers just install the helper application on all of them and the files in the Dropbox watch folders will be synced. All the computers will have the same files right down to the last edits. If you should accidentally leave a file at home just go to the website and you’ll have full access to all of your Dropboxed files. It even saves your assets if you mistakenly delete an important file. There is a way the retrieve deleted files from the Dropbox web app… Trust me I know this first hand.

I use drop box to house the database file for many of my apps giving me the same data on multiple machines. I’ll do a separate post on this later.

If you do nothing else this year for yourself, get Dropbox. Start out with the freemium version and soon you will be getting a $99 per year full account that lets you have a whopping 50GB of online storage. Hope you find this useful in the New Year.

Have you ever needed someone who can help you with your computer and technology problems that can speak to you in a language you can understand and not just a bunch of obscure computer jargon? Ask and you shall receive!

iFIXpro is the answer to your computer and technology needs. We are a locally owned and run business specializing in de-hassling your computer and technology world and showing you the pathway to a happier, healthier and more harmonious relationship with your computer.

For most of us, the use of technology has become so embedded in our daily life that it’s difficult to imagine ever being without it. It helps us to stay connected with people, manage our schedules and allows us to make a living. Experiencing a problem with any aspect of the technology engine that runs your life can make you feel like a derailed train. We understand this at iFIXpro and are committed to providing fast and friendly service so that you can be back online, in business and on the move as soon as humanly possible, if not sooner. You’re not just a number to us, you are a face, a name, and most importantly a person who has things to do, places to go and people to see! As your computer and technology specialists, we’re here to make the technology part of your life run smoother and stress free.

Here is our menu of services we have to offer:

• Virus & Spyware Removal
• Software Support
• Software Training
• Memory Upgrades
• System Optimization
• Hard Drive Upgrades
• Data Recovery
• Hardware Installs
• Onsite Support Service
• Remote Access Support
• Technology Consulting
• Systems, Workflow and Efficiency Design

At iFIXpro, we have a combined level of computer and technology experience of 50 years. We also have a “No Fix, No Pay” Guarantee – if we no fix your problem, you no pay.*

Help us help you… Refer five people and get a free tune-up or 25% off your next computer service.

iFIXpro Computer Services
46 Hoolai Street
Kailua, Hi 96734
(808) 748-8820
support@ifixpro.com

 *excluding travel fees if applicable.