Technology Guides

Since Canadians or anyone outside of the U.S. for that matter can’t get a hold of free movies and TV shows online for free I decided to go hunting for a way to. Now personally I love Hulu or any of the sites that Hulu gets their content from, I couldn’t find a way to hack onto it using Linux and it was hard as well for Vista or Mac users. So I gave up (sorry it was just getting to time consuming) and so I decided to try and find some sites on the net that would offer the service to users like me. Again I kind of failed but my search engine skills aren’t the best. So one day I stumbled on this site called TV Shack (no I didn’t use Stumbleupon but I’m sure it’s on there by now).

This site has a huge database and I haven’t come across a link that doesn’t work because they use a community system where users update the collection and offer multiple links in a very clean way so it’s not overwhelming like some other websites. They have a TV Show, Movie, Anime, Music and Documentaries database that offer enough selection for even the pickiest person. The huge benefit of this site is that they offer the whole series and not just the last 5 episodes.

You also don’t need to register on the site but if you want to add links because the site needs to be able to moderate what links do go up there and make sure that they do actually work.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Google and Apple have just started competing with each other and things started warming up with the release of the Google Android smartphone but now things may start to heat up with the release of an Apple search engine to compete with the cash cow leader in that department, Google.

This makes total sense for Apple as its brand is gaining ground whereever it enters including a market share in the smartphone industry that has doubled since 2008 from 5.3% to 10.8%. (Nokia has a 41.2% share and RIM has 19.9%). Now it’s rumoured that they’re going to release a search engine.

Now let’s try and figure out if this makes sense when you break down the numbers. Currently Google is the reigning king in this department by a long shot with an 83% market share but this is largely because everyone associates search with Google and so naturally people go there to do their searches. Increasingly though people want services that are more convenient and thus they are searching on the go with their Blackberry’s, iPhones or other mobile devices.

Now this is where it gets complicated because all the major search engines (Bing by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, and possibly Apple) are promoting their respective sites very hard and with Google launching its browser recently and it rumoured OS, Google is continuing to strengthen its lineup to protect its search engine and revenue stream. Microsoft on the other hand will make its own search engine the default on IE and the default search engine on Windows is, you guessed, it IE. Both these platforms have a stranglehold on their respective market and thus it makes easier for users to use Bing and you should see a steady increase in its usage over the next bit. Apple on the other hand is slowly gaining market share in the OS department where Safari is the default, but where the growth can occur is the smartphone department and that’s where this battle will be won or lost.

The key thing to note is whether or not Apple can continue to grow the iPhone and knock down Nokia and keep up with RIM. If that happens Apple has a serious chance of gaining some huge money because then the default search engine on the iPhone will be Apple’s version instead of Google. Where Google can gain is if the Android takes off and what RIM decides to do. Whether they go with Google, Apple or even Microsoft as their default search engine may determine how far Apple gets.

There really is so much at play here for Apple and in the end there’s too many variables for Apple to worry about to even think about entering but knowing Apple they want their own stuff and so I would not be surprised if they release it anyway. That’s my take and let me know yours.

Popularity: 9% [?]

So the results of the contest are, drum roll please.

Bob Gold!!

Congratulations Bob and spend that gift card wisely .

Popularity: 1% [?]

CONTEST IS NOW OPEN! (Sorry, I decided to change the start date because I couldn’t contain my excitement)

This is my first contest ever since I hit the world wide web and I’d like to do something different. Something no other website (at least I hope) has ever done before. Since I’m fairly new to parts of the game, i.e. Twitter and YouTube, I want to encourage my readers to sign up and get others to sign up to increase my visibility. Right now the prize is minimal and it’s just to get you guys interested but based on how well all of you do, I will up the ante accordingly for the holiday season starting mid-November. Here is the outline for the Bring The Heat Contest.

Prize: Grand prize of a $25 Best Buy gift card

Eligibility: Open to everyone.

How to Enter: I couldn’t wait to start this contest, so I decided to start it now. Here are the steps you need to take to enter the contest.

1. Go to my YouTube channel which has just been created with a brand new video (you can subscribe when you watch the video, How to Share Large Files For Free).

2. Go to my Twitter page and follow me at TechGuides Twitter Page. Note: Since Twitter is very open, I’ll need a direct message sent to me to verify that you are enterting the contest (i.e. @TechGuides I love www.yourworldwired.com check it out)

3. If you refer someone, get them to send me a message on Youtube and/or Twitter to let me know that you referred them. With this message, the referrer will get 2 extra entries into the next contest which will be in mid-November, so remember to check back.

4. Everyone who enters in this contest will get an extra 5 entries up to a max of 10 (5 for Twitter and 5 for Youtube) in the next contest.

Now you ask, how am I, one lonely person, supposed to track all of these entries? Well my friend, with the help of Gmail I will track all the notifications Twitter and YouTube have sent me and then load every entry onto Microsoft Excel including the extra’s for those who refer. For the next contest I also note who entered the first one.

So to summarize how many entries you get for each action:

1 entry per YouTube subscription

1 entry per Twitter follow

2 extra entries per referral

5 entries into the end of the year contest for each YouTube Subscription and/or Twitter follow (max. 10 extra)

I will also confirm all entries with a message to each respective user account along with the amount of referrals at the end to give you guys a peace of mind.

How Will I Choose the Winner?: That’s simple, after loading all the entries onto Microsoft Excel I will then go onto www.random.org and tell it how many entries I have and it will determine the winner. I will make a video of me choosing and publish it on YouTube and here as well as putting links to the videos on Twitter. I will announce the time of when this video will be published to.

The next contest will be as big as YOU, the readers, want it to be. Based on how many YouTube subscriptions I get and how many Twitter follows I get I will increase the prize value and I may use an actual product instead of a gift card depending on your votes.

100 Subscribers and 100 Follows = $50 Prize Value

200 Subscribers and 200 Follows = $100 Prize Value

500 Subscribers and 500 Follows = $200 Prize Value

1000 Subscribers and 1000 Follows = $500 Prize Value

If you get more I’ll update it to give you more incentive.

Contest will close 11:59pm August 23rd 2009 and the winner will be revealed approx. 24 hours later, probably less. Please feel free to comment or message me if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. Good Luck!

Popularity: 3% [?]

The media has been abuzz lately about a new version of the Apple iPod Touch. Now in all honesty it’s nothing we haven’t seen before but what Apple is doing is trying to revolutionize the mp3 market by adding cellphone specs to a mp3 player such as a built-in camera and microphone. Obviously those two features aren’t something new and it will probably be the highlight of the new features packaged with the new Apple iPod Touch but what it will do is allow Apple iPod Touch users to download apps only useful to iPhone users such as Shazam. Granted, users will need to be in a WiFi zone but what’s stopping people from subscribing to personal hotspots offered by companies like Rogers and Verizon that will allow them to be always on the grid.

TruPhone

Now what might even further revolutionize the mp3 industry is the fact of the availability of some applications such as Truphone and Fring which allow Apple iPod Touch users to call other users with the same application for free once they are in a WiFi zone and with the built-in microphone you’ve now got a working phone that makes VoIP calls.

Now all of you must be asking when will this new Apple iPod Touch be coming out? Sources say the timeframe would be around the next two to three months which matches up with the new releases of other Apple products. This is all just around the time when school starts and students, who are usually the trend setters, go back to school and want to have the newest gadgets. Look for this mp3 player to change a small part of the world.

Update: Not only will the Apple iPod Touch have a camera but the Apple iPod Nano will have one too. “My company had got full information and dimension,” wrote a Chinese distributor in an email to a U.S. reseller. “Enclosed some image and instruction for your reference. Most of the sample available now. If you need some sample check quality please freely let me know.”

The cameras on the Apple iPod Nano will be placed in the bottom left corner whereas the Apple iPod Touch’s camera will be surprisingly in the center of the device at the top (not dead centre which I first thought when I read it). Going with what Apple traditionaly does, it will be a safe bet to say that both these devices will get double the storage at the same price.

• iPod Nano (fifth generation): 16GB for $150; 32GB for $200
• iPod Touch (third generation): 16GB for $230; 32GB for $300; 64GB for $400

Apple iPod Nano 5th Generation

Now although the Apple iPod Nano looks the same there are small changes it will have. There will be a slightly wider screen with a 1.5:1 aspect ratio up from 1.33:1 (I know, a small jump) and a smaller click wheel that will move down the device.

On top of that, I just found out that the Apple iPod Touch will most likely be able to take video whereas the Apple iPod Nano will not. Even so, with the Apple iPod Touch being such a huge success, it will deal a blow to the compact video recorders like The Flip (My review on The Flip) but it’s not like they were that great to begin with.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Everyone knows that we are in a recession at the moment and spending is coming to a halt. Although we are seeing signs of a climb back to prosperity, we all really need to think long and hard about our spending habits. Maybe you talk a lot on your cell phone when you’re at home, or you never look for good deals when buying stuff. It seems we all have room for improvement and I’m here to give you some tips on how you can put some extra money in your pocket.

First off I’d like to talk about one of our most prized possessions. No, not your significant other, I’m talking about your cell phone. It’s been there through thick and thin and it’s always helped you connect to your friends and loved ones. But how much is it taking from your wallet? Sometimes it seems too much. Well you have two options if this is true. If you are at the end of your contract you can look for a new, more value based contract that suits you better. Or, like me, you have a contract that you signed that isn’t going to end anytime soon and you’d like to get out of it without paying any extra fees. I have solutions to both those problems right here.

Someone Without/Almost Expiring Contract

If you have the luxury of being able to choose a brand new contract you’re in luck because right about now in Canada, more than 3 new companies are going to be offering new cellphone services such as DAVE, Public Mobile and Globalive. This will bring lower prices and different plans so personally I’d wait till they start releasing their plans which would be around the 2nd half of 2009. If you’re an eager beaver and can’t wait then there is a wonderful site dedicated to helping you find the best plan suited for you. Granted this site is for the U.S. only but it is still a good tool. First off it’s not only for cell phones but it’s also for gas and credit cards but we’ll get to that later.
The cellphone aspect of this website deals with you entering in your monthly usage by either estimating or by importing your bill. On top of this it asks for your zip code so it can find local deals. With all this information it gives you a result for the best deal in your area from all of the carriers in the United States. While BillShrink didn’t find me a good deal in the area, it doesn’t mean it won’t for you. I have an Employee Pricing Plan so I have a good deal to start with but you might not be as lucky so it’s worth a shot.

Someone Still in a Contract

This section is applicable to Canadians, Americans, Australians and the good old English. If you are someone in the unlucky position of still having a contract for a good chunk of time like me (I have 2 years left on my plan) then you have a savior. CellSwapper is a site dedicated to helping people like you and I find people who want to take over our contract in exchange for theirs. You just list your plan details and any incentives you’d like to give so people will more likely exchange plans with you and then you post. All you do is wait until a good offer comes up and you can message people and discuss ways you can work out a deal. I got an offer but turned it down because it wasn’t what I was looking for but it was a great experience and I highly recommend it.

Coupons

When shopping online it’s always good to try and get a deal when you can. That’s why I always search on Google to find any coupons that might be offered. One of the popular ones is RetailMeNot. They even have a Canadian version of RetailMeNot. There are numerous other ones including:

Current Codes
Coupon Cabin
Coupon Mom
Fat Wallet
Coupons
Coupon Code
Coupon Chief
Deal Catcher

Save on Gas

Gas is not as expensive as it was during the Summer of 2008 but it’s still up there and it’s important to be able to save every dollar that you can. That’s where GasBuddy comes in. It is a network of numerous local sites that you can go to, to look up gas prices in your area. Users update gas prices constantly so you usually get the most up to date price. If you live in Ontario, we are even more lucky because we have someone who will tell us the price of gas for the coming week at Tomorrow’s Gas Prices, Today. If you know of any other state or province that does this, please let me know.

Popularity: 6% [?]

People all over the world have been using the much touted Mozilla Firefox web browser for ages it seems but has anyone really, truly explored it yet? When I found all these tips and tricks, I realized that I had just scratched the surface of Mozilla Firefox and I had a ways to go. The tricks listed below will hopefully allow you to utilize Firefox alot better.

Tip 1

Unlike most browsers, Firefox has the ability to open multiple tabs on startup. Maybe you want the weather and Google, or possibly Technology Guides and Cutedge, but whatever your combination, you can have it. Just pick those two, three, or however many tabs you want and then make your way to Tools–>Options–>Main Tab–>Use Current Pages and presto, you’re done.

Tip 2

How many times have you accidentaly closed a tab without knowing it and wishing it could come back just like you wished your pet dog could come back. Well in Firefox’s case, the tab can come back. Just press ctrl+shift+t and the last tab you closed will come back instantly.

Tip 3

I never realized this, but each browser has a different scrolling speed. By default, Firefox scrolls only a few lines with one turn of the scroll wheel on the mouse. If you’re fed up of taking too long to scroll on a Firefox page, there’s an easy way to change this. Type in about:config in the address bar and hit enter. In the filter box, type mousewheel.withnokey. Right click mousewheel.withnokey.sysnumlines and click Toggle. Then right-click mousewheel.withnokey.numlines and click Modify. Set the number to whatever you want until you find a scroll speed that suits you. 

Now there’s still a way to slow down the scroll speed if you want to at times. Just hold Alt and continue scrolling but now it goes one line at a time.

Tip 4

If you’ve made a mistake in a form on Firefox ever, then you’ll want to read this little tidbit to help you from making that same mistake again. Again, go to about:config in the address bar and type in spellcheck. Right click spellcheckDefault and then modify. Change the number from 1 to 2 and restart Mozilla Firefox. From now on, the majority of web forms will have spell check.

Popularity: 4% [?]

In these times, it’s important to save money wherever possible but you still need to get out, enjoy yourself, and splurge once in a while because you deserve it. With the recession hitting us hard, it’s made businesses and it’s killed businesses. One of the types of businesses that keeps on surviving would be discount stores, but the one I’d like to focus on would be the websites that help you find deals. My brother uses this a lot because he’s young and he still has a job that pays well and he likes to travel. So he uses a variety of websites to help him find the best deal on flights and hotels. Now since he lives in the States, he lives so close to many major cities so he usually only looks for hotels. For example, I was with him over the March Break when we went to Vermont and we found a great deal on a Best Western hotel that was up to standards like most Best Western Hotels. Regular price was $110/night, we got it for $54/night and this was on the weekend as well. 

Let me take you further into this with a brief overview of a variety of websites that will help you save money too.

The whole point of this is not to find the cheapest deal out there, but to find you the best value which can mean staying at a 2 000 square foot hotel for $120/night which is peanuts if you think about it. 

Hotwire

This site is great, whether you are living in the United States of America or The Great White North (i.e. Canada). I was amazed at the great deals they are giving in Toronto, ON for next weekend that I was really tempted to buy a weekend stay at a 4-star hotel in Downtown Toronto East just for the heck of it. Now don’t go with it just yet, because there are other measures you can take to find yourself the better deal. This site offers great deals but it’s at a fixed rate.

Hotwire

TravelZoo

This site also offers fixed rates and great deals and this is where my brother booked a hotel room in downtown Boston for 50% off the normal price. This is much harder to navigate and find deals but it’s still worth a try.

Priceline

Now Priceline is where you can really save some money if you’re lucky. Right off the bat they have some decent hotel rates and they organize it in a good fashion just like Hotwire. Priceline makes its money on the regular deals it offers that are usually higher than Hotwire which is why it can offer extroadinary deals with its unique “Name Your Own Price” option.

Priceline Search

Here, deals can be made or lost. The big thing you have to remember when going down this path is you only get one shot. So don’t lowball it but make sure you also don’t put the price too high. Another drawback of this is you don’t know which hotel you are getting. All you know is the area, the amenties and the star level. To me, this is good enough but if you want an exact location because of logistic reasons, it might not be the best way to go, and you might want to pay up for that luxury. 

Priceline Name Your Own Price

So next time you are looking to go on vacation, remember these very special websites as they will always save you money.

Popularity: 4% [?]