How many of you out there got a digital picture frame as a gift last Christmas and when was the last time you turned it on?

Finally there is a digital picture frame that does more than just displays pictures! HP has announced a new product, the HP DreamScreen, a companion to the PC, that connects easily to a wireless or wired network to bring photos, music and video into any area of the home. The screen also transforms social media and web information into consumable, bite-sized pieces.

Now you can have a weather station, clock, keep up with your facebook friends and display your favorite pictures on one device.

Visit the DreamScreen website for more information.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch!
If it sounds too good to be true – it probably is!
Read the fine print!

If you’re over thirty, I’m sure your mother drilled these words of wisdom into your head.  Well maybe your mother didn’t but we’ve all heard these familiar phrases over and over.

When I’m on the internet, I see lots and lots of click ads on Yahoo mail, the news sights and many other sites I visit from day to day.  They’re all the same - teeth whitening, free grant money, miracle berry supplements and make money from home.  I also see the same thing in my email junk folder.  Since January 2009 there has been a significant increase of complaints from consumers against the practices of hundreds of venders selling these types of products and services.

Most of these ads offer products or services on a membership or subscription basis – you pay a fee every month for monthly shipments of products or continuation of services.  You start out with a free or inexpensive trial offer and then you start paying full price thereafter.  According to the fine print or terms and conditions, you can stop these at any time.  But most consumers don’t read the fine print.  Some don’t even realize they will have a charge every month, or by accepting the free offer, they are agreeing to additional charges.  Most companies will start charging the full price within days of accepting the trial offer.  Some will automatically start charging for other products or services – there may be several charges within thirty days from the start of the trial offer.  It’s all disclosed in the fine print, the terms and agreements.

I won’t even venture a guess about the quality of the products or services sold by many of these companies.  My opinion is this – if a company uses deceptive practices to get your money, this speaks volumes about what they’re selling.

The next time you click on one of these ads, be sure to click on and read the terms and agreements to find out just how much the “free” trial will cost you.  And so, let the buyer beware; it may not be a good deal and it’s definitely not free if you have to use a credit or debit card to sign up.

“The Shadow knows!”  I couldn’t resist that cliché from that very popular old radio program.  It’s not really out of place because I’m talking about backing up your computer and there’s a program by NTI (New Tech Infosystems) called Shadow. 

If you were unable to attend our November 2008 meeting, you missed a very
informative discussion on how RFID technology affects our lives each day. 
Our main speaker, Linda Young, Director of Business Development for AIM Global,
has written an article on how the Richland County Library is using RFID to enhance
your library experience.

Click here to read more... 

You can now apply RFID technology for personal use.  Tikitag allows you tag your own items which can then be linked to a computer application or web application.  You can place a RFID tag on that minature Eiffel Tower you bought in France years ago and open your web browser to your online photo album of vacation pictures.  You could send invitations to family and friends with a tag that would open the same online photo album.  This is very new and is still in beta.

You can check it out at www.tikitag.com.