E-readers: Which is Which?

A burgeoning trend in the reading world seems to be electronic books, and the portable devices used to read them, e-readers.  E-readers are incredibly popular items on Christmas wish lists for 2011 and their sales are up from approximately 8% of Americans a year ago, to nearly 15%, according to Harris Interactive.

Although e-readers seem to be the way of the future for those who enjoy a good book, their features and specifications, and how to use them, aren’t necessarily the easiest to understand.

The most popular question about e-readers that is fielded in the computer lab is Which e-reader should I get? Although we have our personal favourites here in the lab, our goal is not to promote one e-reader over the other, but to provide our readers with enough information to make an educated decision about which e-reader would suit them best.  The following chart will provide you with basic information about our top e-reader choices:

	Kobo Touch	Kobo Vox	Sony Reader WiFi	Barnes & Noble NOOKcolour
Price	$139.99	$199	$169.99	$199
Dimensions	114mm x 165mm (4.5” x 6.5”) 10mm (0.4”) deep 185g (6.5oz)	192.4mm x 128.4mm (7.57” x 5.06”) 10mm (0.4”) deep 402.6g (14.2oz.)	175 mm x 111mm (6.9” x 4.4”) 9.5mm (~0.4”) deep 167g (5.9oz)	206mm x 127mm (8.1” x 5”) 12.2mm (0.48”) deep 447.9g (15.8oz)
Supported Ebook Formats	ePUB, PDF, MOBI, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR	ePUB, JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP MP3, AAC, .3gp, mp4, m4a, flac, ogg, wav, mid, webm Can download an App to read PDF	ePUB, PDF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC, TXT	ePUB, PDF, CBZ, XLS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX, MP3, MP4, AAC, ADOBE FLASH, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Touch Screen	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Screen Type	6” eInk Pearl	7” FFS+ Multimedia Display	6” eInk Pearl	7-inch VividView™ Color Touchscreen
Fonts	7 Font Styles, 17 Available Sizes (Dependent upon file type)	7 Font Styles, 42 Available Sizes (Dependent upon file type)	8 Available Sizes (Dependent upon file type)	6 Font Styles, 8 Available Sizes (Dependent upon file type)
Memory	Over 1,000 books on 2GB of memory Memory expandable with an SD card up to 32GB	Up to 5,000 books on 8GB of memory Memory expandable with an SD card up to 32GB	Up to 1,200 books on 2GB of memory Memory expandable with a micro SD card up to 32GB	Up to 5,000 books on 8GB of memory - 5GB reserved for Barnes and Noble content only Memory expandable with a micro SD card up to 32GB
Battery Life (dependant upon use)	1 month	7 hours with wi-fi off	over 1 month with wi-fi off	8 hours with wi-fi off
Library compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other Perks	Reading Life: tracks your reading stats and awards “trophies” for certain accomplish- ments Kobo Book Club: Awards Kobo users 1 free book per month (sign-up before March 31, 2012)	Web Browsing, Email, Address Book and Calendar Music and Video enabled Android Apps: Over 15,000 free apps available to download and install on your Vox Reading Life: tracks your reading stats and awards “trophies” for certain accomplish- ments	Built In Native Library App: allows the user to access the program used by their public library to borrow e-books	Web Browsing and Email Music and Video enabled Nook Apps: Thousands of Nook Apps available to download and install on your Nook

The reason that we have not included any Amazon Kindle products in our comparison is that, as of now, you cannot borrow any library items in Canada.  You are also only able to purchase 1 Kindle model in Canada.

The biggest question that someone wishing to purchase an e-reader needs to ask themselves is are you intending to use your e-reader to READ or do you want to be able to perform multiple tasks as well as read books?  If you’re looking for a device that will simply allow you to read e-books in good quality, then you want to look towards getting a more simple version of an e-reader, like the Kobo Touch.  However, if you want to be able to use your device to check your email, go on Facebook, play videos and games, AND read books, then perhaps you want to look towards getting one of the newer e-readers, like the Kobo Vox or Barnes and Noble NOOKcolor.  Finally, if you want a device that will perform most of the functions that your computer will, but is more portable and can also read books, perhaps you want to invest in a tablet like the iPad or Blackberry Playbook.

For more information about how to use an e-reader and the functions available, please see our blog post entitled I’ve Got My E-reader... Now what?

And if you’ve decided that maybe the tablet is the best route for you, please check out our blog post Give The Gift of E-Reading for more information!

Small Businesses & Social Media: To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

 

To tweet or not to tweet, is that the question? Well in the business world of today, it is. More and more businesses are using Social Media to promote their companies, many successful, and some not. Why does it work for some and not others?

Let’s begin with some definitions: 
According to Wikipedia, “The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue.” In other words, Social Media is your online presence, your website, blog, YouTube account etc, where you post information and make it available for users/your target clientele in a way that they can comment and interact with you. Let them tell you what they like and dislike and make suggestions.

According to Google Definitions:

so·cial net·work·ing

Noun:

The use of a dedicated Web site to communicate informally with other members of the site, by posting messages, photographs, etc.

More info »Wikipedia - Dictionary.com - Merriam-Webster

Basically, Social Networking is a little more personal, it is your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This is where you get connected with other businesses, family, friends and interested clientele. 

The Good & The Bad

There are pros to using Social Media for marketing your business and there are cons:

Point 1: Resources and Accessibility  

Con: You need to dive right in, updating your Facebook and Twitter on a regular basis, posting pictures and videos is also great. In addition to posting new material, you will need to respond to comments and questions asked by your customers, all of which requires time, which means staff, which means money.  Pro:You have the potential to reach a massive and ever-growing audience, and it is free to register for these sites.

Point 2: Comment Control and Customer Experience
Con: Some businesses are wary because they feel that they cannot control the comments and feedback of their users. They fear that by giving the customer a public place to write their thoughts and comments that there will be negative comments that will tarnish their image. Pro: You can increase customer feedback, and many business owners believe that responding to negative feedback gives you the chance to turn a negative experience for a customer into a positive one, working wonders for your brand. Like it or not, people are discussing your business online, so you may as well try and be in on the conversation.  

Point 3: Patience and the Snowball Effect
Con: The results aren’t instant, it does take time and energy to get that snowball rolling. Pro: Once you build up your online presence, your following will begin to grow. The more people that like you or talk about you on Facebook and Twitter, the more people will become aware of what you offer and begin following you as well.

The following is a video about “Socialnomics”, it has some really interesting facts and statistics that will help give you some perspective on the effect that Social Media can have on your business.

The Following are some Canadian companies that have a strong social media presence:
Chapters.Indigo
WestJet
Lululemon
Cineplex
 
Social Media & Networking Websites
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Flickr
Blogger

Looking for more information?
Check out the list of sites at the bottom of this post, or if you would like to learn more about some of the social media or social networking sites above, give us a call at the Computer Lab (613)476-5962 and we would be more than happy to schedule a free one hour information session with one of our CAP Interns.

Articles and Websites
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/small+businesses+social+media+effectively/5847430/story.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/digital/web-strategy/tools-to-help-handle-social-media/article2167510/
http://www.marsdd.com/2011/11/09/infographic-small-businesses-and-social-media
http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/2985/the-importance-of-social-networking-for-small-businesses/

Internet Explorer Deciphered

Internet browsers allow the computer user to accomplish a range of tasks on the internet, from simple website browsing to downloading files; from listening to music to uploading videos.  As previously discussed in the blog entry Internet Browsers... What's the Diff? there are various internet browsers available to all users.  This entry will delve a little further into the basic functions of Internet Explorer, the browser that comes installed on every Windows computer.

To start up Internet Explorer, simply double-click the  icon found on your desktop. Once Internet Explorer (IE) has been launched, you can begin browsing the internet however you would like.  The first function that you need to know is how to enter the address of a website you would like to visit.  

To enter an address:

1)  Click on the IE address bar which will highlight the current website address
2) Type the address of the website that you wish to view (e.g. www.google.ca) and press Enter
This will then take you to the website you wish to view.  If you do not end up on the website you were trying to access, please make sure that you have spelled everything correctly and that all parts of the website address are included (i.e. www.google.ca, not just google).

Once you’ve located a website that you visit often, you can add the site to your Favorites so that you only need to click a link to retrieve it, as opposed to typing in the website address every time.  


To add to Favorites (or bookmark) a website:

1) Navigate to the desired website by entering the address into the address bar.
2) Once at the website you wish to bookmark, click Favorites - located in the top left-hand corner of your browser next to a star , and then click Add to Favorites
3) Once you’ve clicked Add to Favorites, a new box will pop up and you will be able to enter any information you want to add about the website, like the name and where you want the favorite stored.Once your information is entered, click Add.  Ta-da! The website has now been added to your Favorites, and can be accessed simply by clicking Favorites.



Adding and Deleting Toolbars

A Toolbar is a strip of icons that are located underneath the address bar in your web browser that, when clicked, allow you to access different functions or commands. Within Internet Explorer you have 4 additional options for toolbars.  You can access those options by right-clicking your mouse cursor when hovering next to the home  icon.

Menu Bar:  This brings your File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools, and Help options into a tool bar underneath your address bar for easier access.  To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.



Favorites Bar:  This adds a toolbar that includes an icon for any website that you have added to your favorites, allowing more streamlined access to them. To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.

You can also add website icons to this toolbar by clicking and holding on the icon located to the left of the website address and dragging this icon onto the tool bar.To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.



Command Bar:  This adds icons for your command functions like Print, Home, Safety etc to a toolbar. To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.



Status Bar: Unlike the rest of the toolbars, the status bar appears at the bottom of the browser window and updates the user about what is being viewed in the window, and any background tasks that are being performed (i.e. downloads, printing, formatting etc). To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.

Toolbars that are created by websites or programs can also be added to your web browser (e.g. AVG Anti-virus Software Toolbar, Google Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar etc).  Always read the information when downloading a program or software, because often a toolbar is included in that download.  This toolbar will be installed in your web browser unless you specifically un-click that option.



Setting Your Homepage
The first page that your internet browser brings up when you start it is called your Homepage.  Usually you want your homepage to be the website that you visit most, that way you don’t have to waste time navigating to it.

Setting your homepage is easy!  Navigate to the website you wish to set as your homepage.  Find your homepage icon  in the top right-hand corner of your browser and right-click on it with your mouse.  


Once you’ve right-clicked, click Add or Change Home Page. This will bring up a small window asking you if you would like to use that page as your home page.  Click Use this page as your only homepage if you would like to use that page as your only homepage.  You can also select that page as one of many tabbed homepages.  To do this, choose the option Add this webpage to your home page tabs.

Clearing Your History

Another important function you should know about your web browser is how to clear your information from it.  When browsing web sites, your computer automatically saves information about each visit.  It is important to know how to clear this information so that anyone who uses your computer, lawfully or otherwise (i.e. friends, family or hackers), cannot access your important information.  To delete your browsing history, click the Tools  Safety; and then finally click Delete browsing history.

Once you’ve clicked delete browsing history, another window will pop up asking you which information you want to delete.  To be safe, always delete all of your history.  To do so, make sure all of the boxes have a check mark, and then press Delete.  


Those are the most basic, but important functions Internet Explorer can perform for you.  


Need to know how to complete a function, but it's not listed here?  Leave a comment and one of our knowledgeable computer staff will get back to you!

10 Wonders of Window’s Shortcuts

Did you know that approximately 90% of computer users are unfamiliar with the “Ctrl-F” function? Its true, based on a survey done by Google, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald in the following article: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/only-one-in-10-know-what-ctrlf-does--here-are-shortcuts-you-should-know-20111130-1o69d.html.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the “Ctrl-F” function, if you click “Ctrl” and “F” at the same time (on a web page, .pdf, or a word document), a small search box will appear on your screen (its location will differ, depending on which application you are in). From here, you can search your article by keying in the words that you are looking for. This comes in handy, especially when you are digging through a 50 page .pdf document!

At the computer lab in Picton, we have made a list of what we think are the top 10 most useful Windows keyboard shortcuts!

1. CTRL-F : Find Function

2. CTRL-P : Print

3. CTRL- “-” or “+” : to “-” shrink the text in a web page and “+” to enlarge the text in a webpage
4. CTRL-T : Opens up a new “Tab” in your web browser
5. CTRL-C : Upon highlighting text, copies it
6. CTRL-V : Pastes copied text
7. CTRL-A : Selects all on a page
8. CTRL-ALT-PrtScn : Takes a “snapshot” of your computer screen. (Use CTRL-V function to paste this snapshot in an image editor (like Paint) or a word document.)
9. CTRL-Z : Undo
10. CTRL-Y : Re-Do



If you’d like to learn some more shortcuts, check out the following articles:

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/a-complete-guide-to-windows-7-keyboard-shortcuts/

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/100-keyboard-shortcuts-windows/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

Give the Gift of E-Reading!

Its that time of year, and your significant other, or your mother, sister, father, brother, grandmother or grandfather, want to be able to read e-Books and they have been hinting at it for the past month. This is great, but it leads to one big question, tablet or e-Reader?

You could get them the:

                       

…or maybe…

   

                     

...but then, you've been hearing a lot about...

Decisions, decisions! What is the difference between a tablet and an e-Reader and how do you know which piece of technology is right for you? It all boils down to this:

What would you use it for?

Are you looking for a device that you will only read on? If so, go with something like the KOBO Touch, or the Amazon Kindle WiFi.  These are dedicated e-Readers, their battery life lasts far longer than any tablet would, and they use e-Ink technology, which is not backlit, therefore is far less of a strain on your eyes when you are reading for an extended period of time. Note: If you are looking to “borrow” the library’s online e-books from OverDrive you cannot use them on your Amazon Kindle, as it only allows you to read books purchased by Amazon.

If you are looking for a device that will be primarily used as an e-Reader, but wouldn’t mind having the option to check your email, or browse Facebook, then the KOBO Vox could be for you. It is the new face of e-Reading tablets and is significantly less expensive than your everyday tablets (running at a cost of $199) not to mention that the Vox has full access to the Android app market. Although it doesn’t have as much internal memory as the iPad or Playbook, it will get the job done. 

If you are looking for a device that does it all, email, Facebook, browsing the web, watching videos, playing games AND  think that an e-Reader would be a nice feature, but its not the primary use of the device, then your best bet is probably the iPad, Blackberry Playbook or the an Android tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Although they are the more expensive option, they do have larger internal memories, and more options, such as video calling (with a camera on the front and rear).

NOTE: The Blackberry Playbook is currently on SALE for blowout prices (approx. $400 off)
 at Best Buy and Staples

For more information about the products mentioned in this post, visit the links below:

KOBO e-Readers

http://www.kobobooks.com/ereaders

Amazon Kindle e-Readers

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051QVESA/ref=sv_kinh_0

iPad

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Blackberry Playbook

http://ca.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/

Samsung Galaxy Tab

http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxytab/10.1/index.htmlhttp://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxys2/html/

Happy Shopping! 

Internet Browsers... What's the Diff?

One of the most basic functions a modern computer can now offer a user is to browse the internet.  Internet browsers allow the user to look up websites, access their emails, download information and programs, listen to music, and a plethora of other options.  That being said, there are different internet browsers out there and although they each do the same basic things, there are some small but useful differences between each one.

First and foremost, Internet Explorer (IE) is the internet broswer that comes pre-installed on every computer that runs Windows.  Internet Explorer  can be accessed either through your start menu in the bottom left-hand corner of your desktop, or directly through the shortcut located both on your desktop and on the task bar at the bottom of your screen.  That’s the biggest advantage to having Internet Explorer.  It is also easy to locate your options for changing and managing the browser (i.e. File, Edit, View etc), and tabbed browsing for viewing multiple pages.

Your second option for an internet broswer is Mozilla Firefox . Firefox does not come pre-installed on any computer system, but is easy to download and install, and is totally free.  The benefits of using Firefox include its easy to locate browser options and tabbed browsing like Internet Explorer, its simplified bookmarking system, its Pop-Up Ad Blocker - a built in defense system that automatically shuts down unwanted pop-ups and ads, its Auto-Fill function - automatically recognizes information that has previously been entered and allows you to chose that information without having to type it all out again (i.e. email addresses, mailing addresses, names, etc.) - and finally, it has been designed to be more resistant to viruses.

To download Firefox, visit http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/ and click Firefox Free Download.  That should begin the installation of Firefox automatically, and the setup instructions are easy to follow and will walk you through the process.  

Google Chrome  is the newest internet browser to join the ranks, and so far seems to be the most advanced. Chrome must be downloaded, like Firefox, and is also free.  Being the newest browser, Chrome has all of the features of Internet Explorer and Firefox, such tabbed browsing, simplified bookmarking, and Auto-Fill, but also has some new and incredibly useful advantages.

Chrome’s simplified design gets rid of the “junk” that some people find at the top of their browser and makes it easy to identify the address bar.  The address bar also becomes your search bar because it is run by Google and will automatically take you to the search results for your question, as opposed to having to first go to google.ca and then type in your question.  Chrome’s tabbed browsing is the most advanced when it comes to browser crashes.  If one tab’s website causes a crash, this will crash ONLY that tab, and the others will be unaffected, allowing you to simply open a new tab and try again, without losing the information of all of your other tabs (also available in the NEWEST version of Internet Explorer). Chrome also has an Incognito feature which will tell the browser not to log ANY information, giving you increased privacy, and allowing you to log into multiple email accounts from the same email server (e.g. user@gmail.com and otheruser@gmail.com could both be open in Chrome). Chrome also has a Task Manager built into the browser that, like Windows Task Manager, allows you to see what processes are active inside Chrome, how much memory they are using, CPU etc.  You are also able to drag and drop tabs in and out of a Chrome window, and all downloads show up at the bottom of the browser in a convenient bar where you can access each download instead of searching your computer for the file or program that you need.

To download Chrome, visit http://www.google.com/chrome, and click Download Google Chrome. This will take you to the Terms of Services contract which you must agree to before you can download Chrome.  It will also ask you if you wish to set Chrome as your default browser, which will make that the browser your computer automatically opens up when you click links and need to access the internet, and if you wish to send feedback automatically about crash reports and usage to help Google make the browser better.  These options are totally up to personal preference.  If you wish to do these, simply check the boxes next to each option. If not, make sure the boxes remain un-checked.  If you wish to proceed with downloading Chrome, simply click Accept and Install.  This will begin the download, and like Firefox, will walk to you through the simple steps.

For the Mac users that follow the blog, Safari performs all of the basic functions of a web browser, just like Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome.  You are able to use tabbed browsing, and they have an easy to use bookmarking system.  

Some of the features unique to this Apple product include the Reading List, which allows you to save an article that you find interesting to your list so that you can revisit the article when you have more time to do an in-depth reading. Safari also provides a Privacy Pane, which allows you to see what information websites are storing and lets you remove it. You can also customize your cookie settings and choose whether or not your want to allow websites to track your location information. Sandboxing is a feature designed to keep your computer and information safe by quarantining it and automatically blocking attempts to seize your computer.  Finally, Private Auto-Fill works much like the Auto-Fill used by Firefox and Chrome, however it always asks permission to save that information before doing so, which can be handy when using a computer that has multiple users and you don’t want others knowing your information.

Each internet browser comes with advantages and disadvantages, and which one you will ultimately like is really a matter of personal preference.  Get to know what features of a browser you will prefer and make an educated decision about what browser you want to use.  Remember, there is no browser God that limits you to only using one browser.  Download them, take them for a test drive, and if you don’t like what you’re using, un-install!