August 6, 2007 by AC.

Thanks to the great writing at TechBlog I came across a cool utility site, Natuba (www.natuba.com), that can aggregate content from most of the popular social network sites online.  This includes blogs from myspace, RSS feeds from sites you choose, content from LiveJournal, video from YouTube and more.

The site requires an invitation to join, meaning you need an existing user to “invite” you via email.  Once invited setup is simple and you can simply enter usernames for the popular content feeds or URL’s for a specific RSS feed.  The page customization is pretty basic and the layout organizes content by date published, but it is truly a one-stop-shop for all your social network content.

Posted in Internet, New Products, All Platforms | 1 Comment »

August 6, 2007 by AC.

I came across an interesting blog about a month ago about a startup web venture called GrandCentral (http://www.grandcentral.com) which had just been purchased by Google.  GrandCentral is a one phone number that can ring all or selected phones you choose.  The setup is by invitation only at this point and the site is still in beta release.  Overall is simple to startup and use.  I signed up for an invite on the main page and got an email response a few weeks later.

Setup with GrandCentral was a snap.  The user interface is simple and easy.  Choosing a phone number within your area code is easy as well.  With the free phone number issued by GrandCentral I can choose one or all of my phones to ring when someone calls that line.  For instance, calling my GrandCentral number will ring my home phone, cell phone, work phone, etc.  All or one, depending on what I choose.  This is a great convenience feature for people with multiple lines/locations, business travelers and emergency calls.

Voicemail is accessible online and the website keeps a call log, address book and more.  The service is free but there are premium paid features available as well.  Definitely worth a look for those on the go.  As I said at the beginning, GrandCentral is now part of Google and may mark Google’s entry into phone & telecommunications.  There are whispers of a Google Phone and several Google apps are currently available for mobile phones (Google Maps, Gmail, etc.).  Either way GrandCentral is a cool utility.

Posted in Internet, New Products, All Platforms | 1 Comment »

August 6, 2007 by AC.

As I had written before some harmful virus and malware items have been making rounds.  The most notable, and possibly most prolific virus is a Storm Worm that has spread through email.  The creators of the storm worm continue to elude antivirus software and infect more machines.  According to InformationWeek (http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201202711) this worm and its variations have taken over two million or more machines. 

Much of the time owners of these machines have no idea of the virus activity occurring in the background.  As always keep your antivirus programs patched and up-to-date, run regular scans of your system and use caution in opening attachments, even from friends and known email addresses.

Some signs that your machine may be infected or overtaken by a virus:

- slow internet activity or slow functioning of the PC (slower than normal)
- unusual internet activity and network activity when you are not checking email, viewing web, etc.
- disabled or malfunctioning antivirus programs for no apparent reason
- inability to update PC or antivirus software

You are always welcome to call for help with ACE Computer Services at 732-801-9310 or visit the website at http://www.acecomputernj.com.

Thanks for reading! 

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, Internet, All Platforms | 1 Comment »