Paul – Page 80 – Paul's Tech Talk

Ask the Readers: How do you fight text spam?

PaulMay 24, 2012

Text spam is a constant problem!

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of text spam for the Walmart spam in my text message box! I’ve really gotten mad at AT&T because it seems that I’ve had nothing but spam from AT&T numbers. I even tried to explain that to a local AT&T store but they kept trying to tell me what the customer does is their own problem. In other words, we aren’t the problem type of deal. I even suggested that they might have a Security Issue where as people have found my Number through their database and I got shot down at that one too. I’m sure they think they are like Apple and nothing could ever happen to their network. I’m sure that is far from the truth in their network but I will let the engineers figure that one out!

Nothing but the Truth!

I’ve been getting only AT&T numbers sending spam to me and I’m quite confused, if they don’t have issues then why are spammers using their network. So far every number, that I’ve looked up in my little app has said that it was Cingular Network, LLC and thus I’ve not seen any spam from any other network since I’ve started using my HTC Android Phone on the AT&T network! The local customer support said, that I wasn’t on their network but Straight Talk, but yet the APN’s that I used are ATT and not Straight Talk. Boy, the people should keep up with other cellular networks.

Don’t Text Stop!

When I went into the local AT&T store, the guy suggested that I reply with the word “STOP” but I’m telling you that is the worst idea possible. I didn’t sign up to get this spam so I don’t know what the spammer will do when he realizes that I’ve read his message and also received it. Will he tell other spammers my number and enroll me in even more spam without my permission. I always encourage people not let the spammer know you read and received their spam message. Your best bet is to report it and hopefully that will slow or stop the spam all together. I can however forward the message to SPAM (7726) since I’m on the AT&T network and report the number that way. I found that out talking to the guy, so at least I found an easier way to report a number on the AT&T network!

So it’s your turn!

I’m wondering if there is an easier way to fight spam or is this going to be a constant problem. I will be doing a followup blog post with people’s comments or if they have more questions than answers that they would like me to discuss in detail about. If you’ve got a question that you can’t seem to figure out. I encourage you to ask it here and I’ll be sure to discuss it in one of my following blog posts. This post is all about you and what you want to discuss to me or others and maybe we can come up with some unique ways to fight spam or solve a problem that you have! If you don’t ask, I can’t help. So start typing and contact me directly or indirectly by leaving a comment.

Paul Sylvester

How Fake Antivirus writers try to fool you

Three ways on how to NOT waste your Money!

How not to be scammed by online dating sites!

PaulMay 22, 2012

It isn’t always Simpler!

I’m not saying that it is impossible to find out for sure but there will always be times when you are going to ask yourself “Is this person for real or are they fake?” I’m here to at least try to show you how you can tell and how you can verify they are who they are. I will show you some great tips and tricks on how you can do just that!

How was it received?

Having seen so much trouble with getting scammed, I thought we should at least look at how it is received and try to show you some great techniques to know if they are really who they are saying they are, or if they are just trying to get money from you. These are what I call the Nigerian Dating Scams but some call them also the Russian Dating scams, which to me are the same!

Check the Headers — There is an example but your main questions is how do I do that? The Mxtoolbox blog has a great tutorial on how to do that!
Are they from Nigeria? — Anytime you get an email with an Nigeria then they are most likely a Nigerian Scam but I’ve seen this in many ways but recently I’ve heard from friends who were scammed while they were trying to find romance on dating sites.
Check the “X-Originating-IP:” or “Recieved: by” fields in headers! — Finding the IP of the sender can be first step determining if they are legit or fake emails. You can find out about an IP by going to Whois.net and putting in all the IP’s that you find and seeing where that IP is in the world.
Syntax and Grammar — Having seen this in emails past, some scammers seem to need translation services and thus the grammar and syntax on emails are off for your location. This is a great indicator that there is something wrong. You should always have a red flag go off in your mind when you see those types of emails.
Good looking females or Males — Depending on who you are trying to meet on an online dating service, then you will receive hits with these good looking people to try to show you how lucky you were to be found. This is another way they lure you into sending them money. (See an Example up at top)

Identify some Keywords!

Just because you got an email, doesn’t mean that you can’t read between the lines. Whenever I get emails about some of the stuff like this you have to read the emails carefully. Some of the most common word to look for are:

Relocate — If the email promises talks about relocations, then you should be weary of the person.
You’ve Won — This is also a great way to know that you may be scammed, because how were you entered in the contest in the first place.
Someone is hurt — compassion is something that the scammers, although you never know who they will saying is hurt you can expect them to want you to send money. You should never send money to anyone to anywhere because you don’t know what they will do with the money once they received it!

I could go on and on about all the scams that are being used in emails but if I do that you’d be bored to tears. So I am just trying to help you recognize how and what to look for when you are dealing with email correspondence with another person. One thing I always remember is “Never assume the person is real, until you can verify their identity”.

Paul Sylvester

5 Top Google App that you Must have for your HTC Inspire!

PaulMay 14, 2012

I’ve been using my Phone a lot!

Lately, I’ve been really busy with my Google Android Phone that I’ve unlocked to work with Straight Talk. It has been so good to me, but yet I’ve found that I need to buy a few Google Apps from the Market place. I’m going to share with you the ones that have helped me increase my productivity with my HTC inspire and hopefully it will help you with your time. After all time is money has they say.

Google Maps!

If your like me, You like to know where your going. This little app has helped me in my city and thus I don’t have to remember to turn left or right. I’ve been using a Cassette Adapter [Affiliate Link] to listen to the directions of the Google Maps tell me which way to go when to take a left or right and so on. It is a great GPS Navigation that you can’t really do on the Iphonne to a point. With the 4 pc Combo Accessory Bundle Kit [Affiliate Link] you can keep your HTC inspire charged and see the directions on screen if your really are looking to have a way to navigate in the city. I’ve not tried this out of the city so I’m unsure as to how reliable this is but it works really well with my HTC Inspire!

Podkicker Pro!

This App is great for those who like to listen to your podcast on the go. I hate traveling and not having anything to listen to while I drive, if you are one of those that have to drive alot this little App is for you. It cost $2.99 but I found it to be well worth the price. I can do so much with this little app like Stream podcasts or download them for later view. It even can help find podcasts that you might want to find while on the road. If you want to try it before you buy it. They do have a Demo version, available in Google Android Market place. I did and loved it so much, I just decided to buy the player and keep using it. Once your demo runs out it becomes a really lite app and thus you can’t do as much as when you have the pro version, but at least you get to see it in action before you pay the $2.99. I think it is well worth it! Use the Cassette Adapter [Affiliate Link] and 4 pc Combo Accessory Bundle Kit [Affiliate Link] together to keep your phone charged and listen to podcasts in the car!

Swiftkey X keyboard

This is the greatest little app that has ever come by my way. They’ve got a free app version but once you used it the trial version of the pro version, you will see that you productivity slows down and you’ll want to buy it for $2.99. I’ve been using this to text people and it’s predictive text is remarkable. I have had to use very little typing to write text and other things to my family and friend. I recommend this to anyone who doesn’t have to time to peck and type and waste time text messaging the old way.

Gmail!

This is one of those apps that I can’t seem to not do without. I like to be able to read any email that I might get from anywhere I am at the time. It even tells me when I get email. I like this little app, because I can also email back people when there is a need. I love to be able to read my emails when I need to.

Voice Search!

Hey when your driving you don’t have time to type out what you want. Google is working really hard at fixing that. I can just hit the app and tell it what I want. I can call people or Antyhing you may want. I can listen to podcasts or even music if I ask it. I think Google is looking for a way to be like SIRI but I am unsure. This is also a Free app from the Marketplace and thus you should give it a try!

Paul Sylvester

Why I don’t use Antivirus Software!

PaulMay 8, 2012

What no Antivirus software!

Your probably wondering why I don’t use Antivirus software. I’m going tell you why and see if you approve or hate the idea. I know it isn’t going to be a popular believe but we all have our reason why we want to be protected and what we are try protect against. I on the other hand know some ways to protect my computer from viruses and thus I will not use antivirus software to interfere or slow me down.

I’m not saying that it isn’t good to use. I’m just not going to use it and you really shouldn’t either. Here’s why!

Most Viruses disable Anti-virus!

If I told you that even if you have an antivirus software on your system that it has probably been disabled by an virus, so that you didn’t know that it wasn’t really doing you any good! You probably haven’t seen any problems from your antivirus software lately but I am sure it isn’t doing it’s job like it should. I’ve seen in thep ast where unless I update my Antivirus manually, the software would never update thus hiding the virus from detection of the antivirus. This is something that has been a constant problem with Antivirus software, they are programs and thus can be fixed to do the virus needs.

I don’t use Windows that much!

I know you probably know this but lately haven’t needed to use Windows but instead I have been use Kubuntu for all my computer needs. Since I have an HTC inspire to let me do all the fun stuff on the net, I no longer have any need to use my computer for anything other than blogging and streaming of some of the content out there. I’ve not had many uses for my laptop lately because of the Android OS being used more and more.

I don’t want to be slowed down!

As many of you know, viruses no matter whhat they are used for will most likely slow down you because of the way the virus writer might of wrote the virus. They seldom do any testing of the new virus and thus will likely interfere with programs and slow down Windows. So I tend not to get onto the Windows system unless I really need to. I usually keep t o my Kubuntu O/S, and even though it sounds like Linux is Virus free. It’s really not, I just surf the web like I should. I don’t give myself super root access. I also make sure I am not logging in as an Administrator on Linux or Windows. These are some reasons why I don’t use Antivirus. If you don’t go to websites that you don’t trust then you will likely never get a virus but that doesn’t mean you should not use an Antivirus.

Who needs Antivirus!

That is something that is a big controversy, but most of the time it is big companies who have laptops all over the world and always connecting to insecure websites and insecure wifi outlets. So if you are keeping your laptop home and you know how to surf the web and not download anything that you aren’t looking for then you will be safer than most people. It is those people who do this that cause the most problems. I’m really smart when it comes to which software I will install or use and which software I tend to stay away from. Nothing is set in stone but I usually let my instincts tell me if it is safe or not. If you do some of these things you are far better off than the average man!

Paul Sylvester

Free Cloud Services that you can use with your Android Phone!

PaulMay 4, 2012

There are Several Cloud Services out there!

We’ve got so many options out there that we sometimes don’t know where to start or how to start. I’m about to change all that with you on this post. We will be discussing which cloud services are best and which ones look to be the most reliable when it comes to be using with your android phone. Remember, this isn’t a substatute for having full backups but at least you can have your files where ever you go.

The Cloud Storage Apps I’d Recommend!

So I want to help people find the free storage options and also maybe not have to worry about paying for any money for storage so here I we go:

Ubuntu One Files — Ubuntu One Personal Cloud the freedom to access and enjoy your content your way Your Personal Cloud Ubuntu One gives you 5GB of free storage for all your files.
Browser for Skydrive — Gives you a 7GB free unless you got the 25 gb for being a loyal skydrive user. You can register and use Skydrive and figure out if you qualify for the 25 gb upgrade.
Dropbox — Dropbox gives you 2 gb with the option to get 18gb more with referrals. I don’t know if it works or not because I’m haven’t used Drop that much but I do like the fact that you get 2 gb of free storage.
SmeStorage — This isn’t free App but it is free 5 gb using Amazon S3 service. You have to pay 4.80$ for the android app but I think it is worth it. I haven’t had much time to play with this service just yet but it looks like it lets you use multiple free services in one and saves you time and money with your storage options.
Sugarsync — SugarSync Have you ever been away from home or the office and realized you need a file that is on your computer? (Free 5 gb of storage)
Box — Box for Android and Android Tablet lets you view and share files from anywhere! Box provides simple, secure sharing from anywhere. (5 gb free)
Opendrive — A powerful cloud based drive accessible from anywhere. OpenDrive is a free service providing you 5gb of cloud storage to view, share, and collaborate on your documents.

There are seven android apps that I’ve found but I’m sure you can find more if you look but these look promising, in my opinion and I thought I would at least get people a chance to use all these free services to get more than 40 gb of free storage for your Android device. If you know of some new ones, then by all means leave a comment and let me know! I’d love to find out more free options that people recommend!