Top five safe computing resolutions

A safe and secure computing environment is (or should be) a top goal for everyone. People keep a significant portion of their life on their PC with pictures, videos, finances and other important information.

Undeniably, losing your personal information or having it fall into the wrong hands would be catastrophic. Here are five new year resolutions for protecting your data:

1. Backups - How many times have you heard how important it is to backup your data? You might be backing up your data already, but it isn't really effective unless you also have a method for restoring your data from a backup.
   
   Create 2 or 3 backups of your data and keep them in different places. First, use an online backup service such as Carbonite or Mozy to automatically backup your data to a secure off-site location.
   
   Next, make a local backup by copying your data to removable storage (CD, DVD, flash drive) or an external hard drive and store it in a fire-resistant safe (or your desk drawer). Optionally, you can store another backup copy in a remote location (workplace, safe deposit box, etc.) that you rotate at least weekly.
   
   
2. Encryption — Encrypting your data will keep sensitive information private. There are tools for encrypting sensitive files or an entire hard drive. It's actually fairly easy to encrypt data using open source tools like TrueCrypt and FreeOTFE, or several other proprietary tools. These tools enable you to store your sensitive files in password protected "virtual disks" on your PC, external disk drive, or USB flash drive.
   
   
3. Passwords — A strong password is probably the single most important factor for securing access to services and data. After all, your user ID and password are the only things that prevent others from accessing your services and data.
   
   Three important factors for effective passwords are length, complexity and uniqueness. Length means 8-12 characters or more (the longer the better). Complexity means uppercase and lowercase letters, digits and special characters. Uniqueness means no common words, names or numbers, and using a different password for each service.
   
   Committing dozens of unique passwords to memory is virtually impossible. But instead of writing your passwords on paper or storing them in an unencrypted text file, use a password manager to encrypt and store all your passwords. There are several tools available such as LastPass, KeePass/KeePassX and RoboForm.
   
   
4. Privacy — Many people use one or more social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, and others. These sites can contain quite a bit of personal information that perhaps not everyone should see. Social networking sites typically let you set privacy options to restrict access to specific information. It's a good idea to periodically review the privacy options to see who can view your personal information.
   
   
5. Safe Browsing — Everyone should exercise safe browsing habits. Start by using anti-virus and spyware/malware protection software from ESET, Microsoft, and Secunia and others to prevent and fix malware problems.
   
   When using a public Wi-Fi hotspot it's a good idea to use a VPN (virtual private network) tool such as the free Hotspot Shield. VPNs encrypt your connection to prevent malicious hackers from "sniffing" your data from the air.
   
   Safe browsing habits also include not clicking links in email until you verify its source. Access online banking services from a bookmark or favorite rather than a link in an email, even if the email appears to come from your bank. Also be careful when using links from URL shortening services like bit.ly and TinyURL since some people use these services to hide malicious links.
   

Let's keep our computing safe in the new year. Please share your experiences, tips, comments and questions on safe computing.

Happy New Year!


Disclaimer: The author uses some of the products mentioned in the article and participates in some of the product vendors affiliate programs.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 29 Dec 2009

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HTC Bravo smartphone due April 2010

HTC, the mobile phone maker that built T-Mobile's first two Android phones (G1 and myTouch 3G) and Verizon's DROID ERIS, is apparently planning to release a number of new Android phones in 2010. Rumors abound over HTC's 2010 Android lineup, including its flagship handset Bravo.

With all the speculation and confusion surrounding HTC's new line of smartphones, it's difficult to tell which rumors are true. The most credible source on the Bravo so far is a leaked HTC brochure (below). Based on the specs outlined in the brochure, the Bravo will be a spectacular smartphone.

This sleek handset measures 4.41" by 2.2" by 0.46" thick. It sports a large 3.7 inch AM-OLED touchscreen.

The Bravo features HTC’s Sense user interface. It has a virtual QWERTY keyboard (no physical keyboard) and includes an optical joystick below the screen.

The processor is the fast Qualcomm QSD8250 1GHz Snapdragon. Internal memory consists of a 512MB flash ROM and 256MB RAM, plus a removable 16 GB microSD card.

The camera is a 5 megapixel auto-focus unit with LED flash and 720p HD video capture/playback. It also has DivX and Dolby support.

Other features include an FM radio, 3.5 mm audio jack, compass, accelerometer, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, microUSB data/charger jack, and a 1400 mAh battery.

Maximum download and upload speeds are 7.2 and 2.0 Mbps, respectively. The Bravo supports dual-band (900/2100 MHz) 3G WCDMA/HSPA networks and quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) 2G networks GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks. Although the Bravo is apparently slated for T-Mobile, it does not support the 3G network uplink/downlink bands (AWS 1700/2100 MHz) used by T-Mobile USA.

The Bravo is scheduled for release sometime in April 2010. Since it only supports WCDMA 900/2100 3G used primarily in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, it will probably released in these regions rather than the US.

Hopefully T-Mobile USA or one of the other US carriers will also get a version of the Bravo. In any event, the Bravo promises to be one awesome phone.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 21 Dec 2009

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Google previews the Nexus One

Google announced they are releasing their first smartphone dubbed the Nexus One. The handset, built by Taiwanese phone maker HTC, will run Google's Android 2.1 operating system and sport the Google brand. Last weekend, Google announced they "shared this device with Google employees across the globe" on their mobile blog.

A few specs on the new Google phone have leaked out thanks to the folks at Engadget and These Are The Droids. It appears the Nexus One handset is a GSM phone with specs similar to the HTC Passion or Dragon. Engadget also has some pretty cool photos of the Google Nexus One.

Here are the purported (but as yet unconfirmed) specs for the Nexus One:

• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor 
• OpenGL ES 2.0-capable graphics
• noise-cancellation chipset
• AM-OLED touchscreen (3.5, 3.7, 4.3 inch?)
• trackball and no physical keyboard
• 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
• microSD card
• GPS (?)
  
• proximity and ambient light sensor
• accelerometer and magnetic compass
• FM stereo tuner

Google's Nexus One is reportedly thinner than Apple's iPhone. It also has two mics, a standard mic up front and one on the back for eliminating background noise. Although rumored to have 802.11n Wi-Fi capability, this feature was not mentioned in the FCC test report.

The handset supports both quad-band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band HSPA (900/1700/2100 MHz). The last bit means it works with T-Mobile's 3G network in the US.

T-Mobile will most likely sell this handset because of the 3G support and their prior relationship with Google's first two Android phones (G1 and myTouch 3G). However, it's rumored that Google will sell the handset directly to consumers.

Pricing for the Nexus One is vague. Google could sell the Nexus One through a carrier (T-Mobile) with a contract at a subsidized price. Google could also sell an unlocked Nexus One directly for either a full unsubsidized price, or at a discount subsidized by Google’s advertising.

As January approaches, more details on the Nexus One should become available. Until then it's anyone's guess what Google has in mind.

(Android 2.1 screenshot slideshow — Examiner.com)

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 17 Dec 2009

DNS: Internet's hidden treasure

On December 3rd, Google launched a new DNS service. While this may not be earth-shattering news, it does expose the wealth of information DNS holds—at least from Google's perspective.

If you're not familiar with DNS, you might think it's yet another mysterious three letter acronym (TLA), or maybe it's the component that contains the genetic information of the Internet? Perhaps both.

Actually, DNS is short for Domain Name System, a service that translates domain names to the IP addresses used by computers and other networked devices. For example, a domain name like www.examiner.com translates to IP address 205.209.52.72.

A domain name's IP address is retrieved by a DNS service running on your network or ISP's network. To speed up IP address retrieval, results from previous DNS searches are temporarily stored in a local cache. DNS cache entries expire after a period of time (typically 24 hours) to ensure changes to a domain name's IP address are updated.

Third party DNS services like those from OpenDNS have been available for years. While ISPs typically provide basic DNS services, third party DNS providers offer premium services with large efficient caches and user dashboards for managing the service. Third-party services also pay more attention to security to prevent phishing and malware attacks.

Google's new service is a bit different. They claim their service is faster because they use strategically located servers with huge caches that are continually updated as DNS entries expire. And they will undoubtedly keep the DNS service secured from threats. But so do other third party service providers. Unlike other providers, though, Google doesn't allow users to filter and block domains. In fact, they say they do not perform blocking or filtering of any kind.

More importantly, how will Google use the data they collect from DNS retrievals? Despite assurances that they only retain anonymous data, Google certainly can't ignore the knowledge of which web sites their users visit. After all, DNS just could be one of the Internet's hidden treasures.

For more information on the "how and why" of DNS, see HowStuffWorks and Wikipedia. Information on DNS services, can be found at OpenDNS and Google Public DNS.

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Disclaimer: The author uses producs and services and participates in sponsor affiliate programs from Google and OpenDNS.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 6 Dec 2009

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