When I think of senior citizens, my grandmother (who passed away at the age of 89) comes to mind. She was the kind of senior citizen who didn’t let age get her down. She still cleaned her house, shopped for herself (groceries, clothes, etc), played Bridge with friends, and if you stayed with her, she’d be up to cook you breakfast.

As active and sharp as she was, I know there are certain things that she couldn’t have done. I know my cell phone, which is a PDA, would have confused the heck out of her. Heck, I’m 31 and I still have trouble seeing the screen at times and tapping the right buttons when I text friends. I can’t even imagine attempting it at the age of 89. We design special phones for children - why not do the same for seniors who want to stay connected? Well, there’s a cell phone designed especially for seniors? The Senior Cell Phone features brighter screens, louder ring tones (and probably at a lower pitch too, to cater to older ears), and bigger buttons.

A cell phone is a great idea for a senior, so that they can stay in touch when they’re out playing Bridge, or call for help in the case of an emergency.

Dude, you’re getting a Dell! Or en Français, “Dude, vous obtenez un Dell!” I think that’s it anyway. I only took 2 years of French in high school, and we didn’t really cover commercials. Dell isn’t just a big brand here in the states. You can buy Dell computers and laptops in the UK and Europe. A laptop offers you a portable computing option, regardless of where you call home though. I took a peek at the French site for Dell and tried to use my high school French skills to figure out what the computers had. It was interesting to see how Dell markets their products in other countries. They had the Inspirion line, but they also had a line called Vostro that isn’t sold here in the states. I wonder what the difference is?

So you’ve created your empire. You’ve got townhomes and condos and homes as far as the eye can see…and you want to maximize your rental profits while maintaining a professional appearance to your renters. You need to minimize the paper shuffling you do and make the most of your time! Forget the complicated software, forget using paper to file work orders and applications, and give online property management software a try. With this web based property management software, you can gain access to your records and tasks from ANY computer. That means all of your employees can log into one site to process work online. You can collect payments, run credit checks, and process rental applicants in one interface. When you can respond to property management issues that much quicker because of a streamlined process, your renters will be appreciative. Happy renters don’t spray paint the walls when they move out

If you’re going to buy software, which route do you typically go? A no name brand that you haven’t heard of, or an award winning brand that’s been written up by PC World and PC Magazine? Yeah, I’m inclined to buy something that’s been reviewed and tested by the best geeks out there. That’s why IBackup is so impressive. It’s a versatile online backup software that supports Outlook and Oracle backups, and allows you to map to a drive of backed up data for easy access. You can schedule your backups to be done automatically, even when you’re not around, so that you’ll never lose important data again!

Think you’re a smart cookie? Can you decipher the secret code below?

SHX OGUONPR ZI RWP MAEJ ZUSBO-VCJSFPX OPKJCBLUSBP SGDURMPR

No? Try this code breaker:
http://www.secretcodebreaker.com/autokey.html (hint: the key letter is A!)

Got it?

SPY SWEEPER IS THE MOST AWARD-WINNING ANTISPYWARE SOFTWARE

Right-o! If you’ve never used Spy Sweeper, go ahead and give it a try. You’ll be AMAZED at how much junk is on your computer. Hidden files and spyware and things sending information to websites about you, and where you go. Even the Alexa toolbar for Internet Explorer is loaded with spyware, and a program like Spy Sweeper will warn you about this type of threat before you install such a program. Unless of course, you prefer your every move across the internet be monitored and watched by Big Brother?

Spy Sweeper will remove all traces of spyware and safely clean your files and system, without damaging any of your good files. It will monitor your system so that any attempts to place spyware without your knowledge will be thwarted. Both PC Magazine and PC World had fabulous praise for the program, naming it a “top choice” and “a favorite”. For less than $30, you can protect your system, so why haven’t you?

Before I asked for an MP3 player for Christmas this past year, I looked at a lot of different brands. I wanted to find out if the iPod was worth the hype, or if I should try the Zune, or if an off brand cheapie would work for me. I could have used a site like TestFreaks! They’ve got mp3 player reviews on the site, and not just the top player for each brand. They’ve got 8 different Apple iPod reviews alone, for all of the different types of players and the different generations Apple has come out with. They’ve got brands I’ve never even heard of, in addition to brands I know of like Microsoft’s Zune and Creative Labs. It’s nice to see so much knowledge in one place. This isn’t even full functionality for the site, because it’s not fully launched yet. I can’t wait to see the real thing.

I have a geek question.

Where can you find network cables in colors other than grey or blue, or the colors shown in the link? I’ve heard about people buying pink cables, and that’s what I want. I’m planning this whole 3-day theme for my desk at work, and short of spray painting my current grey cable, I’m at a loss as to where to find pink.

Have you tried the backup sensation sweeping the nation? The online backup program available from IDrive-E is an industry leader in consumer online backup services. You can’t beat the price (free!) the storage space (2GB for free!), the security (encrypted to keep the baddies out of your personal stuff!), the speed (fast!) and how easy it is to use. Once you sign up for the service, you’ll be able to map your online backup to your PC for quick and easy access. Backup MP3s, photos of the kids, videos, emails, tax returns, and even your monthly checking, savings and financial account information.

IDrive: Saving the world, one computer at a time!

If it’s free, it’s for me! I love free stuff, and this free offer from http://www.free-norton-antivirus.info/ is a good one. Visit the site and you can download a free Norton antivirus program to protect your PC from all sorts of yucky little bugs and viruses. The software scans your hard drive and will find all sorts of problems you weren’t even aware of, and gives you the option to clean things up safely and securely.

You’ll also be given the option to download 13 other free programs which include photo editing software and some neat anti spyware tools!

Picture it.

You just got into the office for an important presentation. Everyone is counting on you to secure the new account. But…you left the presentation at home, on your desktop, because you were working on it into the wee hours. What are your options? With remote access on your PC, you can access it from anywhere, at any time. It’s secure and can be done on any internet connection. No more worrying about transferring files to a flash drive or burning them to a DVD, or emailing them to yourself at work or home. RemotePC is easy to use, fast, and affordable. New features allow desktop sharing for up to 10 users, which means you can use RemotePC to host a remote meeting!

Ever watched Extreme Home Makeover? The team picks a family living in a house in bad shape. A few days later, we see the house transformed into a showplace - new furnishings, new features, and tons of style. And you’ve probably see Extreme Makeover, where after a workout program, surgery, and a new haircut, a man or a woman makes a grand entrance before friends and family. Now there’s the Extreme Makeover cell phone edition!

It’s a fun game where you get the chance to makeover an old and outdated cell phone, and bring it into 2007. I’m cracking up because the phone looks EXACTLY like the very first cell phone my mother ever had. Huge, with an antenna that doesn’t retract (do new phones even have antennas? Mine doesn’t!) and an old school video game in the background. Ha - welcome to 1989! You get to change the look of the phone - give “Dusty” a face, clothing, bling, and a hot location. You can add your creation to the photo gallery, or show him to your friends via email. Once you’re doing working your magic, you’ll get a promotion code to save 10% on the wireless accessory of your choice from Your Wireless Source.

Broadband phone is everywhere now. Companies like Vonage, Brighthouse, and Verizon are all offering VoIP now, and business is booming. VoIP is such a big hit that forums have been created to give consumers advice and troubleshooting information on how to best use these new phone systems. One such site it this Vonage forum. In addition to the message boards where you can get help with your VoIP service, you can read reviews of the company to help determine if the service is for you, as well as company news. The site isn’t run by Vonage, so you’ll get real opinions on the company and the services offered.

Allow me to get a little geeky on you for a minute, and talk about a different kind of marketing. If you’ve got a website or a blog, you may have heard about search engine marketing. What you may not know is that a company by the name of Apogee Search has grown since it was started in 2001, and it one of the 25 largest search engine marketing firms in the world. In a world where any Joe Schmoe can start up an internet business and say he’s an expert in SEO, that’s a huge accomplishment. Those of you who are hoping to sell a product through your website will see a big return on your investment when you use a service like Apogee Search, because you’ll be getting target visitors to your site, increasing sales, profits, and making customers for life.

Do you regularly backup your computer files? I have 2 years worth of pictures on my laptop that I’ve never bothered to copy over to a CD. I’d be crushed if I lost all of those pictures, and memories, but apparently, the threat of doing so isn’t enough to get me to make CD’s. It’s just kind of a pain in the rear to backup that way…but the IBackup - Online Storage Drive might just be the ticket. Instead of buying blank CD’s, and burning months of pictures to each CD, you can backup your files online. There’s an easy drag and drop interface so it’s easy enough for a newbie to follow. You can even let your online backup appear as a mapped drive on your computer, so you can easily access those files.

I think I have a domain buying addiction. I just bought ANOTHER one last night, and it’s ready to go today with the hosting, so I’m setting things up. Shopping for domain names can be fun, but it can also be a huge pain in the rear, especially when all of the “good” names are taken. If only I had the foresight to buy up large amounts of domain names back in 1997, and hold on to them until now…I could have made some big money.

Ever seen a TV with a bad case of screen burn? I noticed it yesterday in line for a ride at a theme park. The ride had a few TV’s placed in certain spots throughout the line, and the TV’s all had a case of screen burn. What is it, anyway? Well, you can have an image imprinted permanently on your PC monitor if you don’t use a screensaver, and the same thing can happen to your TV. It’s a disfiguration of areas on the screen caused by a still image being displayed continuously, or for a long time. (That’s why when my kids pause their video games or a DVD and walk away, I turn the TV off!)

Screen burn can be corrected with a product like PixelProtector:

PixelProtector™ will recalibrate pixels uniformly and remove any residual effects that may have occurred.

If you’ve spent big money on your TV (and given the price of televisions in this day and age - I’m sure you have!) then it makes sense to take care of it with a product that can fix screen burn. The DVD will fix the screen burn and dead pixels, giving you a perfectly calibrated television screen, and the best picture that your TV can offer.

Remember my rant about the digital coin jar that counts nickels and pennies all wrong? It looks better than the coffee can my husband kept his change in before, but it’s a bit useless since it can’t count correctly.

I don’t know why I didn’t just check out Brookstone - they have a coin sorter on their website that probably works a heck of a lot better. And there’s a Brookstone at the mall here, so in the event that it wasn’t what we wanted, I could return it. Unlike the hunka junk I’ve got now that came from the outlet mall 2 hours away…

Lesson learned.

When you work for a big company like I do, the bottom line isn’t something you normally worry about when ordering office supplies. When I need new supplies, I ask for them, or help myself. If I wanted to, I could take pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, printer ink, etc home with me and stock my own house. I don’t though, because that would be stealing, but my point is that office supplies aren’t usually a place where big companies try to save money. If you’re a small business owner though, office supplies are one area that you should be saving money in, especially with the wide array of companies online to buy from. If you can’t buy in bulk like the big boys, at least you can find sites that will offer you savings without purchase minimums.

This site selling toner cartridges and ink cartridges is a good place to start saving. Right now, they only cater to UK customers, which is a shame because the free shipping they offer is a great bonus. You’ll find toner, ink, ink refills, name brand or not. (I find that off brand ink works as good and saves me a bundle!)

In addition to their ink and toner options, the site offers you information on how to recycle old toner and ink cartridges and other printer info - OEM products, using a refurbished cartridge, and more. They’re not only selling a product, but proving the consumer with knowledge about that product as well. On top of all that, they offer a 30 day money back guarantee!

This is a sponsored review.

My mother’s new computer has been sitting in a box in her hallway for a week. Just waiting for me to hook it up…but I’ve been short on time and high on stress, so I haven’t found the time to get around to it. It’s not that I don’t want to do it - I’m actually interested to get into Windows Vista and see how a computer with double the computer memory of her old PC can handle things. Just not enough hours in the day.

Living in Florida, I know a thing or two about HVAC and getting it fixed. No one wants to have their a/c go out in the middle of the summer. Likewise, no one north of here wants their boiler to go kablooey. One thing that I’ve learned, and this doesn’t matter if you’ve got an a/c unit, a boiler, electric heat, or if you depend on ice cubes to cool you down - when something breaks like that, you’re at the mercy of the company that comes to fix it. For those of you in the northeast, this Philadelphia Boiler Repair company is worth a call. Serving industrial companies for over 50 years, Abbot Service is one of those companies that’s still in business because they do good work. They’re certified by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors as well. Who would you choose to do your maintenance work…a company that’s been around for a few years, or one that’s been serving the community for over 50 years?