QI have a Dell laptop XP. It’s 6 years old and needs a good repair shop or computer person to look at it and get it in better working condition. Do you recommend any company or person in Tucson? I don’t know where to go.

M. Shiffman

A: This is a question that many computer users find themselves asking. Having the manufacturer maintain the system has its benefits, but it is not always the best option.

I find it is best to look for the same general qualities in a computer repair shop as you would in a mechanic, plumber or doctor. First and foremost would be honesty. This is a hard quality to find in most professions and computer repair is no exception. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Research potential computer repair shops. A word to the wise: Do the research before you actually need one. When you are in dire straits, you may use a repair shop without performing the necessary due diligence. Compare and contrast them on more than just their fees. You should ask about warranty policies and refund policies.

Ask for customers you can use as a reference and find out what they liked most and least about the shops’ customer service. Having an idea of the turnaround time for the completion of repairs is also important.

If a computer shop goes out of its way to use technical jargon to explain repairs to you, then it may not be what you are looking for. This is a tactic some shops use to justify their fees for relatively simple repairs.

Another thing you should do is verify the competency level of the computer repair shop and its technicians. You can save a few bucks hiring the local guy who is good with computers, but hiring someone with the proper technical qualifications is normally worth the difference in price.

You should also inquire if the computer shop has any ties to vendors. Are they sponsored by a particular company or do they use a specific brand when repairing systems? Knowing this determines the quality of your repair to a degree. If a shop is loyal to a brand, your repair or upgrade may be limited by the product line of a particular vendor.

Next, you should compare prices. The cost of the repairs shouldn’t be the only deciding factor, but it should be a factor. You should be clear on what is included in the price and what services are in addition to the base costs.

There are a lot of good repair shops and technicians around town and there are some bad ones, too. Hopefully, this information will help you locate the repair shop or technician that is best for your situation.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Q Free nationwide broadband is something that interests me very much, but I haven’t seen a lot of coverage from any media. I live in a town of 6,000 people and the part of town where I live gets no high-speed Internet coverage. If this was implemented, would I be able to use it? I would also like if you could send me some links that cover this story.

Ameza

A: You’re right. I don’t think that this topic has gotten the amount of attention it deserves.

As I understand it, the FCC’s plan calls for the winner of the auction of unused airwaves to dedicate a significant percentage of those airwaves to establishing a free nationwide broadband network.

This topic wasn’t limited to the FCC, which was ready to vote on the proposal in December; it was also discussed in the halls of Congress. A vote by the FCC was delayed last year, but I would be surprised if they have not reached a decision by vote by the summer.

As far as the reach of this nationwide broadband network; it is expected to reach about 95 percent of the country. This means the odds are in your favor that your town would be included. Rural areas were specifically envisioned as being among those that would benefit from this network the most. As far as links to track this proposal’s progress, you should be able to find information at fcc.gov the FCC’s Web site.

Q: I just wanted to know where I could get a basic teaching disc to learn how to use my laptop computer. I would like to learn the basics of how to burn CDs, rip them and what format I should use, plus other uses for my laptop.

Pete

A: Pete, your laptop can do so much more. If you only want to learn the rudimentary workings of your laptop then you have three easy options.

For what you want to learn, you can likely find someone on Craigslist that could talk you through the process of ripping and burning CDs. Option two is to go to the maker or manufacturer of your laptop and read the online documentation that they have for your computer. It should answer most of your questions. You can also find a users group for people who own computers like yours. I know that it may sound strange, but there is likely a group that can teach you the specific ins and outs of your laptop.

I would encourage you to take it a step further and unlock all that your computer can do. You may be surprised. One thing that Tucson has is no shortage of places to learn about maximizing computers. From Brown Mackie College to New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, there are plenty of options off of the beaten path to learn about the potential of computers.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Audio Bone AB10-BK Headphones

Q I am afraid that I will have to disagree with you that few devices have been made that use the bone conduction method of transmitting sound to the hearer.

For many years, hearing aids have been in use that use this method of transmitting sound. Many people have hearing defects that do not allow normal sound transmission through the ear canal but they can hear through bone transmission.

In many deaf people, this transmission only allowed them to detect the presence of sound. That sound was clarified by reading lips. But it was an improvement over no sound at all.

The devices that are being marketed are simply modifications of technology that has been around for about 50 years.

Herb H.

A: You are correct that the technology has been around for years.

Devices such as bone-anchored hearing aids have served to improve the life of those with hearing loss. However, I was referring to the use of bone conduction technology in a commercial or entertainment capacity. Thank you, Herb. I know that I can always count you guys/gals to keep me honest.

Q: When I receive e-mails from a certain friend, below his message there is always “A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!” The link takes you to a full-page ad asking you to become a member, pay some money and get a credit report. The related address is “freecreditreport.com.” The unwanted message appears whether he originates an e-mail or forwards an e-mail. Any suggestions on how to get rid of it?

J. Payson

A: It doesn’t sound as though the problem is with your system or e-mail account. If you only have this issue from this certain friend, then your friend is the one with the problem. There are three very easy remedies.

The first is to block all e-mail from this friend, but it sounds like you don’t have a problem with the content of his e-mail, only the unsolicited post scripts. It sounds like there may be some type of adware at play here, so it might not be a bad idea to suggest to him to perform an online virus/adware scan.

The last option would be to have your friend open another e-mail account with Google, Yahoo, MSN or any other online e-mail service. It may not be a bad idea to suggest that if he does open up a new e-mail account, to do it from a different computer than the one he generally e-mails you from.

Last but not least, I would discourage opening any more similar links.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

You get in your car, start it and begin pulling out of your parking space. That’s when you notice a piece of paper taped to your back window.

Curious, you get out – leaving the car on – to remove it. While you’re at the back of your car retrieving the piece of paper, car thieves jump in your car and speed off.

You get a phone call from someone claiming to be a jury coordinator. They tell you that you failed to show up for jury duty and a bench warrant has been issued for you. When you protest that you never received a jury summons, the caller asks you to verify your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can cancel the arrest warrant. You voluntarily give this information and, voila, your identity is stolen.

A friend e-mailed me these dire warnings with an urgent request to send them to practically everyone I know, lest this same fate befall me. But something about these e-mails didn’t sit right. I probably get three or four like this each week and, generally, they turn out to be fake.

But, as it turns out, one of the warnings was real and one was fake. How do I know? I checked it out on Snopes.com.

Snopes.com is the go-to site for debunking – and sometimes verifying – those scary e-mails your well-intentioned friends send. The site is very easy to navigate and it’s updated often.

I learned from Snopes.com that the jury duty scam is very real and that many people in several states, including Arizona, have been taken in by it. (The carjacking e-mail turned out to be a hoax.)

Urban Legends at urbanlegends.about.com and Hoax Busters at hoaxbusters.org are good resources, too, though they are a bit less organized than Snopes.

If you want more information about how to protect yourself from such scams, the Federal Trade Commission Web site, at ftc.gov/bc\n\nmenus/consumer/tech/privacy.shtm, has a variety of user-friendly resources.

The bottom line is it pays to check out the story before you forward those e-mails on to 30 people. Your friends will thank you for it.

Romi Carrell Wittman is a writer and the communication services director for Trico Electric Cooperative. E-mail: romi.wittman@comcast.net.

A Cruzer 8 gig drive offers lots of storage on a very small space.

People often only see SB drives or thumb drives as a means to lug around their files, but they are capable of so much more.

This is where you may ask, “What is different now than in the past?”

The answer is a combination of more features in newer operating systems and the availability of larger capacity USB drives. Until recently, 8-16 GB or maybe even 32GB were the largest thumb drives on the market. You can find 64GB for sale online and 128 GB drives are planned for release later this year. Larger drive sizes increase the potential uses.

Early adapters of larger capacity USB drives should expect to pay for it. You should also expect to see the price decrease over time.

I have touched on some potential thumb drive uses in previous articles, but other uses have emerged because of the availability of higher capacity drives. One of my favorite uses for USB drives is to store portable applications – scaled down versions of some of the programs on your computer.

Some other possible uses are to make a pocket-size full backup of your computer. You can make a clone or mirror backup, based on using an 128GB thumb drive and backup software such as Norton’s or Acronis that allows image backups. This is also based on the premise that most home computers don’t come close to using 128 GB of disk space.

USB drives can also be used to improve your computing experience. By connecting a thumb drive to your computer and going into your computer’s control panel and adjusting the virtual memory, you can add the total available amount of space on the thumb drive as virtual memory in addition to what the setting is currently.

The virtual memory can affect everything from how many Web pages can be open at one time to the amount of clip art in your paper or project. Two things to remember when using a USB as virtual memory are that it needs to be dedicated to that purpose and in this situation you don’t necessarily need a high capacity USB drive Any size will do.

I’m sure there are more uses than I can think of or list here, but one final use that comes to mind pertains specifically to Windows Vista.

With a little tinkering and downloading of a drive encryption program called Bitlocker , you can use a USB drive like a key. You can lock and unlock your computer so that it only works with a USB drive.

This is for those that really don’t play well with others or don’t want to allow anyone to have access to their computers. The potential downside comes if you lose or damage the drive that you set as a key.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

At the company where I used to work, we referred to her as ‘Silicone Sally.’

‘Sally’ was the voice of the automated phone menu and, though my dealings with her were limited, they could be frustrating.

In this modern world, you’ve no doubt encountered ‘Silicone Sallies’ of your own. These automated systems are fine if your request is simple, such as checking your account balance or making a payment.

But if you need something a little off the beaten path – say, to clarify a billing discrepancy or to simply ask a question – automated systems can feel like exercises in futility.

Several Web sites have been developed around the concept of helping people cut through the automated phone system red tape.

Fonolo at fonolo.com specializes in what it refers to as ‘deep dialing.’ The site has a directory of 300+ major companies, their phone numbers and phone menus. This helps you visually navigate a company’s phone menu so it’s easy to jump to the feature you need immediately, rather than having to wait through the seemingly endless loop of “Press 1 for English,” “Press 2 to hear your account balance.”

You can also make your calls through Fonolo’s Web site. Fonolo then ‘deep dials’ for you and tracks your calls, making it easier should you ever need to document when you talked to the company, who you spoke with, etc.

Contacthelp.com and dialahuman.com offer similar services with visual phone menus that help you cut through the nonsense and reach actual, live human beings.

If you just need the bare bones, go to gethuman.com/. Here you’ll see a list of companies, their phone numbers and the buttons for each that you’ll need to press to reach a live person.

Romi Carrell Wittman is a writer and the communication services director for Trico Electric Cooperative. E-mail: romi.wittman@comcast.net.

The Audio Bone headphone lets you hear music - and everything else, since it does not cover or go into the ear.

This year has the potential to be a seminal year in technology.

Every year, scores of gadgets are released, but what makes this year different is the emergence of a theme: How people will interact with this new class of gadgets.

Three-dimensional, aka 3-D, seems to be the new standard feature of choice.

Japan has had 3-D TV shows for some time now, and we are just starting to truly embrace the 3-D trend beyond those cheesy red-and-blue paper glasses.

This third dimension of entertainment will be produced via several methods.

Some will still use glasses to induce the 3-D effect, but other methods include TVs that are enabled to show both 3-D and regular programming.

While other manufacturers have developed devices that facilitate the 3-D experience, such as iPod cases and monitor overlays that allow you to convert non-3-D devices, Spatialview.com has some interesting items.

3-D isn’t the only sensory angle that you can expect tech products to be laced with this year.

Personal Media Viewers seem poised to finally earn a place in the hearts of consumers.

If you don’t know what Personal Media Viewers are, think sunglasses with earphones. The difference is that these glasses project a screen in front of you. Some versions of PMVs, like those from Vuzix, can be used with multiple devices like video players, computers and TVs.

The Audio Bone headphones are one of the coolest new items of 2009.

These headphones don’t go in or cover your ears, but rest on the bone directly in front of the ears. They then transmit the sound through those bones and into your head while leaving your ears unobstructed.

The technology behind this has been in use for a few years, but barring a Bluetooth earpiece from Aliph, there have been few devices that employed similar technology.

Although there appears to be a predominate theme of exciting more of the user’s senses, not all of the notable tech releases of 2009 share this quality.

Three more items will likely make some noise this year.

Among them is the Windows 7 operating system from Microsoft. I expect it to do better than people expect and ultimately be a version of Windows Vista without Vista’s problems or bad reputation.

Since laptops outsold desktops last year, it should come as no surprise that wireless modems make this list. They are not the flat PCMCIA cards of a few years ago. They are USB-connected devices that even have their own MicroSD card slots.

They also complement Personal Mobile Gateway devices such as the Cradlepoint PHS300, which allows you to connect multiple devices to a Wi-Fi network that you can literally carry around in your pocket.

If these devices catch on, expect to see people computing virtually everywhere.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Football playoff season is here. You don’t want to miss a minute of the action. But your schedule may not allow you to be home for all games. With most shows, you’d simply record them for later viewing. That won’t do with football. You want to see the playoffs live.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: placeshifting. This lets you watch television over the Internet just as if you were sitting back home. That’s true even if a game is blacked out in the area from which you’re watching.

Placeshifting requires an always-on broadband Internet connection at home. You’ll also need to bridge the gap between the TV and the Internet. Fortunately, there are several ways to do this.

Slingbox

A gadget called a Slingbox lets you watch live or recorded TV shows anywhere using a Web browser. It connects to your TV and router at home. It also connects to DVRs and cable or satellite boxes for viewing recorded content and paid programming.

A Slingbox lets you watch and control your programming on a Mac or PC. You can also buy the optional SlingPlayer Mobile software ($30) and watch programming on BlackBerry, Windows, Palm and Symbian smart phones. SlingPlayer does not yet support the iPhone. However, Sling Media is planning to release a version for the iPhone by April.

There are two versions of the Slingbox.

The Slingbox Solo ($180) connects to one source. This may be all you need if you just want to watch live TV. For example, connect it to your cable box or DVR. It doesn’t matter if the source is standard- or high-definition. Programming is transmitted in standard definition.

The Slingbox Pro-HD ($300) connects to multiple sources. So, you can switch between TV, cable and DVR. It’s great for catching up with recorded shows on the road. It has a built-in digital tuner; it can receive a cable connection without a set-top box. As its name suggests, the Pro-HD is capable of streaming high-definition video.

The Slingbox takes over your TV at home. You probably don’t want to connect it to your primary set. Otherwise, your family must watch the same programming that you’re watching far from home over the Internet.

Software solutions

Maybe you don’t want a Slingbox to monopolize your TV. In that case, you can placeshift using your computer.

First, you need to buy a TV tuner card. It will let you watch and record TV on your computer. These generally run between $50 and $100. HD models may cost more.

The tuner card may connect via USB port. Others fit in your computer’s PCI slot. You attach an antenna or cable connection to pick up programming.

In addition to the tuner, buy SageTV. This is DVR software for your computer. You also need SageTV’s PlaceShifter.

PlaceShifter is a program that works with SageTV. As the name suggests, PlaceShifter streams the programming over the Internet. The programs run about $100 combined.

SageTV and PlaceShifter work on both PCs and Macs. Again, you can watch live or recorded shows.

Many TV tuner cards include software that adds DVR functionality. So, you may balk at buying redundant software. Instead, give Orb a try. The free program pulls programming from your tuner card. Orb then streams it over the Internet to your computer or phone.

Orb also streams videos, photos and music on your computer. So, you can watch recorded shows, too. Orb software requires Windows. You’ll find a link to this program at www.komando.com/news.

Orb even works with the iPhone or iPod Touch. You’ll need to download a program from Apple’s iTunes App store. OrbLive ($10) streams live TV and other media. OrbLive Free (free) only streams pre-recorded media.

A warning

Remember that video uses a lot of bandwidth. This is particularly true with HD video.

It isn’t uncommon for broadband providers to impose usage caps. You could quickly hit your limit. Speak with your provider to clarify usage limits.

Bandwidth will become a particular concern if you’re watching on your phone. Most cellular providers cap data usage at 5 gigabytes a month.

Kim Komando hosts the nation’s largest talk radio show about computers and the Internet. To get the podcast or find the station nearest you, visit: www.komando.com/listen. To subscribe to Kim’s free e-mail newsletters, sign up at: www.komando.com/newsletters. Contact her at gnstech@gns.gannett.com.

Q: Frequently when I click on a link I get a response that says “could not perform this operation because the default mail client is not properly installed.” My computer is a Dell and runs Windows XP (home edition). I frequently encounter this on Internet job boards like craigslist, but I just ran into it when I clicked on the e-mail link on your column. Is this something I can fix?

R. Boyne

A: You can’t access the e-mail link for my column? You definitely have my attention now.

In all seriousness, the problem you have is both common and correctable. The source of your problem is that you don’t appear to have a default e-mail account setup for your computer. On many Windows systems there is a stripped down version of Microsoft Outlook e-mail program called Outlook Express. This is normally set as the system default e-mail account even if you don’t use it. If you have another e-mail account that you use, and based on your question I am assuming that you do, then you can use that instead.

The way to correct this problem is to begin by opening up a Web browser. I find that most people feel it is easier than using the command line prompt method. I am going to use Internet Explorer just because most people are familiar with it. Once you have the Web browser open, click the Tools header. You should see Internet Options as the last item on this menu.

Once you have selected Internet Options, a dialogue box should appear with various tabs at the top. One of the tabs should be labeled Programs. It is on this tab you will see a section called Internet Programs and a drop-down window where you can select your default e-mail account.

A quick look on the drop-down list will reveal all of the recognized e-mail applications on your system. After you make your selection, you need only to click the apply button, then the OK button, and you’re set.

Q: What if one does not want all of their e-mails sent to their cell phone, but only a copy? That is, I still want normal e-mail service on my computer.

J. Sanders

A: Normally when you access e-mails from a mobile device they are either copies of new e-mails sent to either a Web-based account or computer-based account.

The messages are duplicates of the ones in your primary account. You can move them and delete them from your device, but not from the original account.

An exception to this rule is if you log into your primary account using your mobile device. Then the changes that you make are permanent. Another exception is if the e-mail account is for your device. For instance, you may have received an e-mail account with your cell phone and the original e-mails are stored on your cell phone.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

I normally begin the year previewing some of the tech trends that are poised to make a name for themselves.

I still intend to do that, but I thought that one genre of technology deserved its own article because it is that much of a game changer. The prospect of having the Internet in your pocket is nothing new. Most cell phones connect to the Internet, but the idea of having a mobile Internet connection is about to change.

Companies like Autonet have been around for several years. Autonet makes a device that will essentially turn your vehicle into a hot spot where you can connect multiple wireless devices to the Internet. It didn’t take Nostradamus to see that mobile networks serve as both a service and a threat.

Services like those offered by Autonet allowed users to connect their laptops, cell phones, iPods and other Internet appliances to the Web without having to purchase a separate connection modem for each device. This means companies that sell wireless cards for laptops, GPS service packages and Internet packages for cell phones could all view mobile wireless networks as a danger.

If I were an Internet provider or sold wireless cards for laptops I wouldn’t worry too much about Autonet. Though a lot of people spend a lot of time in their cars, unless you are a cab driver, bus driver or trucker, it would be hard for Autonet to be worthwhile. Besides, all of those people are supposed to be driving, not surfing the net. What I would worry about are all of the other mobile wireless networking options that don’t have the inherent limitations of Autonet.

The two that stand out are the Walking Hotspot and MiFi. The Walking Hotspot allows users to broadcast their cell phones’ 3G connection so that other devices can use it to connect to the Internet.

I think the MiFi has all of the other options beat. The MiFi is a credit card-sized device that emits its own Internet signal. In addition to allowing multiple devices to connect simultaneously, up to five different users can use the same wireless connection. Users could be connected in their vehicle for road trips, in a restaurant that doesn’t offer Wi-Fi or even in their homes.

Having a device like the MiFi can allow home users to have a second secure network. This could be useful so your kids won’t slow down your Internet connection with their online gaming, downloading and streaming video.

The dark horse option that not many saw coming is the possibility of free nationwide broadband Internet. Some of the soon-to-be- defunct airwaves are the proposed source to broadcast the free nationwide broadband.

This is the one I am rooting for. Not only is it good for our national infrastructure, did I mention that it is free? It isn’t a done deal yet; the FCC still needs to vote on it.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com

Whether you want them to or not, people seem to be more social this time of the year, both at work and at home.

So in an attempt to help people who may have very little in common start a conversation, I am offering you a great ice breaker. Your screensaver is the doorway to starting conversations with the boss who only comes out of his or her office once a year, or the cousin you haven’t seen since the Reagan administration.

Why would you want to talk about your screensaver? The answer is a two-parter. First, screensavers are the overlooked sentinels of our monitors. Second, by the end of this article your screensaver is going to be so much cooler than theirs, so why not talk about it?

Let’s start with the raison d’être. Screensavers were born out of necessity. Back in a time before flat screen LCD monitors there was the CRT monitor. CRT, or cathode ray tube monitors, were easily identified by their large size and resemblance to TVs of that time.

CRT monitors were known to burn images into the screen of the monitor when it was left unattended for an extended time with the same image displaying. They also consumed a lot of power.

The screensaver was invented to do as its name implies, save screens. It did this by popping on when there had been no activity on a computer for a predetermined amount of time. Once activated, some form of scrolling message, picture slideshow or black screen was displayed. The constantly changing image – or no image – protected the screen.

Now that we have had the history lesson, let’s get on with the cool screensaver that was promised. Instead of having a rotating display of our pictures, we are going to kick it up a notch and set up a video screensaver.

There are several ways to use a video as your screensaver. If you have a little time on your hands you can set it up yourself, but there are good and free programs available that walk you through the process in a few easy steps. This means that starting from scratch is not our first option.

Microsoft offers a free program called Microsoft Video Screensaver that can be downloaded from the downloads section of its Web site. There are other freeware programs such as Video Screensaver 1 and Video 2 Screensaver that can be downloaded from your favorite freeware site. If you don’t have a favorite freeware site, you can go to download.com and find what you are looking for. Now you can set your favorite video moments as a screensaver.

How can you not start a good conversation with that?

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail advertisement from a reputable store and I was shocked. Among the items listed was a 67-inch Samsung flat screen TV for about $1,500.

A TV with those specifications normally sells for two or three times the sale price. This signaled two things to me. The first was that the sale season is here, and the second was that the sales were going to be more significant than they have been in past years.

Because of the economy, this is a buyer’s market. Although this is generally the time of year when technology items are cheaper, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of finding a better deal online.

The phrase “knowledge is power” is true. Before you buy anything, you should read numerous reviews of the product or services. An opinion that is only biased by the satisfaction of the consumer with the product is more valuable than you can imagine. Web sites such as ZDnet.com, cnet.com and pricegrabber.com allow you to read reviews and contrast products before purchasing.

Once you have a firm idea of the product or service you want, you can use online coupon and coupon code sites to locate an even lower price. Retailmenot.com is arguably the leader in this market, but a coupon is a coupon. I have written about programs such as Cellfire previously. Cellfire.com is another type of coupon service that allows you to load coupons to your cell phone or grocery savings card, and set alerts when new coupons are available.

Another often overlooked opportunity for saving money online involves shipping costs. It is not unusual for some companies to offer free shipping, but not all do. For this reason, it is worth mentioning that you can save on your shipping cost when dealing with major outlets by having your order shipped to the closest branch of the store near you. Picking up an order at the store saves both you and the store money. Most major outlets offer this option, and stores that don’t advertise it may offer it. It’s worth inquiring.

Other cost saving options when shopping online are the old standbys of eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist. All of these have become staples for the computer-savvy shopper.

I suspect that the longer you wait to purchase online, the better the deals are going to become. The downside is that you run the risk of not having enough time for the item to ship in time for gift-giving.

These suggestions can be applied to all types of items sold online, not just technology items.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

Want to get your website to appear high up in the results when someone is looking for the kind of stuff you sell? In last week’s column, I shared with you some of the basics of using search engines to drive traffic to your website.

Today, I’ll share with you some keys to ranking high.

Remember, there are two ways to appear when someone types in “keywords” into a search engine:

- Search engine optimization (SEO) – designing and writing your website to naturally rank high in search engine results.

- Search engine marketing (SEM) – paying for a listing adjacent to keywords that you choose.

In my just-released book, “Successful Marketing: Secrets & Strategies,” I’ve covered the full range of marketing tactics for small businesses. But SEO and SEM are increasingly important, as they drive highly motivated prospects directly to your website. Moreover, with SEM, you pay only for those who actually “click through” to your website, so it makes search engine advertising particularly attractive to small companies.

With both SEO and SEM, the most important step is to clearly identify which “keywords” searchers are likely to use when looking for the types of products, services, or content you offer. Then you must make sure you’ve “optimized” your site for those keywords by using them over and over throughout your site – in your content, headlines, page names, additional web pages and more.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

If you want your site to appear high in results without paying for ads, choosing which keywords to use throughout your site is critical! Choose the most narrowly defined terms appropriate to your products, services or content.

Let’s say your company creates math software for kids. You could use terms such as “educational software,” “math software,” “kids software.” But your site won’t show up high in search results because millions of other sites use such terms.

Instead, use very specific keywords – such as “kids algebra educational software” – repeatedly. Yes, use the entire phrase over and over. Keep in mind that “keyword stuffing – repeating a keyword without content or context – can get your site blackballed from search engines. So make sure you’re actually providing real information related to those terms.

Search engine marketing (SEM)

If you’re willing to pay for ads on a major search engine, such as Google or Yahoo, you’ll “bid” for placement against other advertisers who also want to be associated with certain keywords. The more you’re willing to pay, the higher in the listings your ad will appear. That’s another reason to narrow your keywords: there will be fewer competing bidders the more specific your terms are.

Even if you pay for placement, you still want to optimize your website – or certain pages of your website – for keywords. That’s because search engines still want to make sure the results, even ads, that searchers see are relevant.

Keys to improving your site’s search engine rankings:

1. Keyword density – make sure your keywords appear frequently.

2. Keyword placement (where on the page your keywords appear) – closer to the top is generally better.

3. Page titles, headlines, bold text – sites where keywords appear in page titles, headlines and bold text will generally rank higher.

4. Meta tags (the description of the content that is programmed into the code of a website) – search engines look to see if keywords are in the metatags.

5. Age of site – search engines rank older sites higher, under the assumption they were not just put there to game the ranking system

6. Links in – if many sites link to a page, search engines assume you have a good site worthy of higher rankings.

7. Quality of links in – if the links in to a page come from sites with higher rankings themselves or with heavy traffic, those links are considered more valuable in determining rankings.

8. Links out – if a page is also linking out to other sites, it is viewed as being more likely to have genuine content rather than just being a spam site.

9. Freshness – search engines look to see how recently a website’s content has been updated, assuming that newer content is of more interest to users.

Copyright, Rhonda Abrams, 2008
Rhonda Abrams is the president of The Planning Shop, publisher of books and software for entrepreneurs, including “Six-Week Start-Up.” Register for her free business tips newsletter at www.PlanningShop.com.

The Blackberry 7130c.

There was a time when only the Wall Street types and other potential power brokers cared about receiving e-mails on their cellular phones. Oh, how the times have changed.

In a constantly plugged-in society like ours, many people find that receiving e-mails on their phone is the perfect balance between being in the loop at work and the freedom to leave the office.

Managing mobile e-mails has traditionally been the domain of smartphones, and no smartphone has a reputation of doing it better than the Blackberry brand.

Its devices are so renowned for helping people multitask that they have earned the nickname Crackberries because of their addictiveness.

The latest offering from the group at Research In Motion or Rim, the makers of the Blackberry line, is the Blackberry Storm.

This device has had a significant amount of buzz, and some of it is warranted.

The touch screen and rotating screen features of the newest Apple iPhone have helped make it a commercial success and cement its position as the top cell phone on the market.

The Storm incorporated the screen attributes of the iPhone, and added a function called Surepress, which simulates the clicking action on a traditional smartphone keyboard.

Combine this with Blackberry’s usual stellar e-mail management and the Storm seems primed to challenge the iPhone for the top spot.

If your ultimate objective is simply to access e-mails on your cell phone, your options increase.

If you forgo the new and expensive phone route, you should still be able to get what you want.

If you purchased your cell phone within the last three years, odds are that you have the capability to access your e-mails via your phone.

However, there are a few things that you should know.

First, if your phone needs to log in to your account, then the account needs to have the POP3 enabled. POP3 is normally a feature on paid upgraded versions of free e-mail accounts and professional accounts.

Another way to receive e-mails on your phone is to receive them in SMS or text message format.

To set this up, you must forward all incoming messages to another e-mail address. You can look in the options or preferences for your e-mail account to see if you can change the settings for this feature.

In case you didn’t know, the address that you are going to forward your e-mails to is the e-mail address for your cell phone, which usually is your 10 digit phone number and the extension used by your carrier. You can contact your carrier to find out this information.

Two other alternatives are to use an e-mail-only mobile device such as Peek or to use the e-mail function on entertainment devices, such as the latest iPod.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds@yahoo.com.

WASHINGTON – The agricultural biotechnology business could hardly have had a better friend than George W. Bush.

His administration challenged the European Union’s anti-biotech regulations and avoided imposing rules domestically that would hinder the industry’s growth, with the exception of the most controversial products, such as pharmaceutical crops.

But there are clues President-elect Barack Obama could be an ally of the industry, too, especially in the effort to put biotech crops into widespread use in Africa. These hints come from both statements of policy and the type of people from whom he’s taking advice.

Consider:

• Obama explicitly endorsed genetically engineered crops in an answer to a candidate questionnaire initiated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and other scientific groups. He said biotech crops “have provided enormous benefits” to farmers and expressed confidence “that we can continue to modify plants safely.”

• His top scientific advisers during the campaign included Sharon Long, a former board member of the biotech giant Monsanto Co., and Harold Varmus, a Nobel laureate who co-chaired a key study of genetically engineered crops by the National Academy of Sciences back in 2000.

• Obama has endorsed the idea of a second Green Revolution, a concept understood to include biotechnology, to feed the world’s growing population. In an exchange of letters in June with Norman Borlaug, the Iowa-born plant breeder who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the first Green Revolution, Obama said he was “deeply committed to greater agriculture research and global agricultural development.”

• Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, an outspoken proponent of agricultural biotechnology, is considered a leading candidate to become Obama’s agriculture secretary. The Biotechnology Industry Organization named him its governor of the year in 2001.

• Obama has called for doubling foreign development aid to $50 billion and establishing a special initiative to provide farmers in poor countries with affordable fertilizer and “improved seeds.” Obama’s official statements on development are “pretty strong on agricultural science,” said Robert Paarlberg, author of the recent book, “Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept Out of Africa.” “I certainly haven’t seen any sense of opposition to technology.”

Obama’s administration will be closely watched to see whether he follows through. Public and congressional interest in boosting world food production could wane, given the recent plunge in commodity prices and the global economic slowdown.

“We need an across-the-board revival of our agricultural development work,” said Paarlberg, a Wellesley College professor.

A doubling of government spending on agricultural research over five years could lift more than 280 million people out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.

However, U.S. spending on foreign agricultural research has fallen dramatically since the 1980s.

And even though Congress inserted $150 million in agricultural development assistance in an emergency spending bill this year at a time when food prices were soaring worldwide, that extra money only compensated for a cut that lawmakers had made earlier in the aid budget.

Paarlberg says U.S. agricultural aid is needed to help African scientists do their own modification of food crops.

“Let them get comfortable with the technology, and let them sell it to their governments,” he said.

In the long run, he says, that would make biotechnology more acceptable in Africa than continuing to push the biotech products from U.S. seed companies like Monsanto and Pioneer Hi-Bred.

Africa is home to more than 900 million people, or 14 percent of the world’s population. Regardless of how it’s done, the U.S. industry would surely count any president a friend who opens that continent to biotechnology.

Philip Brasher is a reporter for The Des Moines Register. Contact him at pbrasher@dmreg.com.

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Biotech crops expand

The popularity of biotech crops is growing in major regions of the world, including China, India and South America. Not so in Africa. The exceptions:

• South African farmers grew about 4 million acres of genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton in 2007, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.

• Egypt and Burkina Faso recently have decided to allow biotech versions of corn and cotton, respectively.