“Microsoft” collection
Master your productivity with in-depth guides on the Microsoft ecosystem, including Windows operating systems and Office software. From software troubleshooting to Surface hardware reviews, these articles offer practical solutions for both professional and home environments.
HTD Tech Briefs
View all →January 21, 2011
How To Automatically Set Up your Mac’s Work Environment Based on WiFi Location Detection – AirPort Location
There is a lot of great free software out there that provides tremendous value. Smart programmers always want to showcase their talents and I love the fact that there is a never ending stream of interesting applications coming from the developer community. I won't even start to mention some of the free Mac apps that I use that help me…
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January 11, 2011
Ford Truly Deserves to be at CES: Ford Sync AppLink & 2012 Ford Focus EV Pave the Way!
For many, many years, I never thought much of Ford . I had been unimpressed with their cars (with a few exceptions like the Mustang) and especially with their styling and technology. In the 80's and 90's, to me, Ford was "just another American car" which said a lot. All of the technology, style and innovation had been coming from…
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December 17, 2010
Not Just Next Gen Gaming, but Future Computer Interaction? Xbox 360 with the Kinect
My family and I have had the Xbox 360 and Xbox Kinect for about a month now, and I must say that I'm personally impressed by the level of technology that has gone into the Xbox Kinect. I'm not a huge gamer and neither are my kids. Of course, we pretty much have everything: Nintendo N64, original Xbox, Nintendo DS,…
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November 22, 2010
“For the Love of Thighs and Breasts” – Cast of Dads Podcast #35
Well, the last episode had some gremlins doing a number with CC's voice. And there is actually now a "missing episode" of Cast of Dads that never even made it to production…the same gremlins were at play. But we recorded Episode #35 "For the Love of Thighs and Breasts" just in time for Thanksgiving. So first of all, Happy Thanksgiving…
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November 8, 2010
A Convergence of Offices – Office for Mac 2011 & Office 2010 for Windows
I must admit, I’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to getting early access to the latest versions of Microsoft Office. Earlier this year, I participated in a program set up by Microsoft called “Office 2010 Real Life Stories”. Leveraging the success of that program, I was able to get involved in the tail-end of the Office for Mac 2011…
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October 25, 2010
Get Beyond those Home Video Style Webcams & Move to HD with the Microsoft LifeCam HD Cinema
Let's face it, when you buy a laptop, you don't usually think about the built-in webcam. But if you look at many of the laptops out there, you will see that the built-in webcams are dramatically underpowered and are pretty much like using a really old camcorder to do video calls or webcam-related actions. Many netbooks, for example, come with…
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September 16, 2010
Parallels 6 is Some Serious Tech Mojo for Mac Virtualization – Run Windows on your iPad or iPhone
I was lucky enough to get early access to the new release of Parallels (version 6). To put it bluntly, I was and still am impressed. Let's face it, virtualization has been around for quite a few years. Currently on the Mac platform, VMware and Parallels have been playing a leapfrog game, one upping each other on features, performance and…
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August 25, 2010
Develop Locally & Publish into the Cloud with Microsoft WebMatrix & GoGrid Cloud Computing
DISCLOSURE: I work at a Cloud Computing Infrastructure Service Provider (GoGrid) where I get to evaluate and talk about various solutions coming from our company as well as from our partners. I normally don't cross-post articles, unless I feel that they are relevant and can provide a service to multiple audiences. Over the past few weeks, I have been evaluating…
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July 13, 2010
Laptop Got Stolen? Send PREY Out to Find It, for Free!
I'm sure that many of you have heard of the Find My iPhone service for MobileMe that helps you locate missing iPhones or iPads. Or the equivalent on Windows Mobile phones called My Phone. And I'm sure you know about LoJack that helps you locate stolen cars. LoJack also offers a service for computers as well, for a price. There…
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June 10, 2010
A Microsoft Companion for the Apple iPad or iPhone? YES! The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000
When the iPad first came out, some of the biggest questions were "how well does the keyboard work?" or "is typing on the screen fairly easy?" In fact, I still get asked that question repeatedly. My answer is usually short and sweet, "Great!" I always say, and that is normally because I'm deep in note taking or writing a blog…
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June 8, 2010
Stream Your Family’s Media to the Big Screen TV using the Western Digital TV Live
Father's Day comes at almost the perfect time of the year. School is just ending and you are literally "gearing up" for the summer. If you are thinking about gifts for your Dad and he happens to be the resident audio/visual guy, I've got a great recommendation for a device that will easily allow you to play all of the…
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May 20, 2010
The Ripple Effect of Social Media – Get Mobile for More Waves!
We all know the well used imagery of throwing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples spread out from the center. The same imagery can be applied to social media, I believe. But there are different ways choose the rocks and throw them. Most of the time, I stand in the same place, casting similarly shaped rocks into…
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