Tip of the Week: Windows 7 laptop projection switch

For anyone that has ever had to fumble around with the Function keys on a laptop during a presentation, the Windows 7 engineers felt your pain.

Instead of tapping too many times and waiting for something to happen, give this a try:

Press Win (the Windows logo key) + P to get a much easier to understand visual display selector.  (Keep pressing Win+P to move from selection to selection!)

Headwhack of the Week: Frustrating pauses in YouTube videos 

If you try to watch YouTube or any type of streaming video on a congested network, you will likely get lots of frustrating pauses in the stream.

If it happens once in a while, it's probably not that big of a deal, but if it happens all the time because too many people are on the same Internet connection at the same time, see if the free SpeedBit Video Accelerator helps!

Geek Speak of the Week:  Clamping Voltage   

The voltage at which a surge suppressor performs its suppression tasks such as diverting the power line to ground or absorbing the excessive energy.

Security: Why face recognition isn't scary -- yet 

It's hard to teach a machine to know a human face -- and it's harder still to teach a computer to identify one face from any other.

That may be comforting news for people worried about governments using facial recognition systems to surveil the public -- in effect, ending anonymity.

News:  Is a BlackBerry tablet in the works?

As BlackBerry continues to fight for its standing in the smart phone world, its maker, Research In Motion, is rumored to be readying a BlackBerry tablet to compete with Apple's iPad.

News: We knew someday everybody would have (cell phones)

In 1973, Martin Cooper changed the world, although he didn't know it yet.   Cooper and his team at Motorola, created maybe the only thing that runs the lives of business professionals and teenagers alike -- the cell phone.

Data Doctors Video:  Public WiFi Safety tips

It's travel season and lots of you are using free public WiFi hotspots to connect to the Internet from the road.

Since so many random people use public hotspots, tricksters have setup various ways to trick folks into connecting to what they think are public hotspots, but in fact aren't.  See what we recommend you do to protect yourself!

Mobile App of the Week: Zinio

E-book readers have been slugging it out to get folks to read books on special portable devices, but what about magazines?

That what the folks at Zinio asked themselves some years back.

Today, you can use their reader software on laptops, desktops, iPads, iPods, iPhones and electronically display lots of great published content!

 

Weekly Advice Column: What can I do with a 2 GB data plan?

Cellular data plans can have various limitations, but how do you know which amount of data is enough for your needs?

This week's column breaks down the tasks that take the most bandwidth so you have a better idea how to evaluate and use your cellular data plans! 

This Week's Show:  Power Protection Tips

We rely upon electricity to power all of our valuable electronics, but sometimes that power is too much for our tech to handle.

Brief power spikes and outages may not seem like a big deal but they can wreak havoc on the delicate circuitry in modern electronics.

The task of regulating the flow of electricity to all of our expensive electronics falls to the surge protector, but many of you have no idea how to evaluate your power protection systems.

Listen in as the Data Doctors discuss the ins and outs of power protection so you will have a better understanding of what you should do to protect your tech!

Join us Saturdays from 12:00PM-2:00PM (Pacific) on News 92.3 KTAR or listen LIVE via the Internet at KTAR.com  as we discuss your computer questions at: 602.277.5827 or ask your questions during (or before) the broadcast using the ask a question page.

Previous Show:  Check out all the links from  Battle of the Browsers (updated)

Questions or Comments? Submit them online at datadoctors.com.