Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle

How to Email Flip Mino HD MPEG-4 Videos

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:52:27 -0800

"I have a Flip Mino HD. I need to email video in MPEG-4. Flip records in this but the problem is that the file must be reduced. How do I do that?"

Sending video in an email is always a tricky proposition because email programs don't work very well for sending large attachments. Most video tends to be well over the email attachment threshold and if you want to email HD video, you are definitely going to be outside the acceptable size for an email attachment. A better solution is to put the video somewhere that the person you email it to can download from.

Windows Remote Desktop for Android

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:03:57 -0800

"Is there a version of Windows Remote Desktop for Android phones?"

There are so many times that I need to access something on my computer when I'm away from my desk that having a remote desktop client on my phone seems priceless. Remote Desktop, which is available to accept connections from most versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, is among the easiest solutions for remote connections from other Windows computers, but connecting from the tiny screen on a Droid or Nexus One can be a little more challenging. There are RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) clients for using Windows remote desktop with Android, although none is perfect.

Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) for iPad

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:57:19 -0800

Is there a Windows Remote Desktop Connection for iPad users? I use my iPad for everything, but occasionally I need to access a file on my computer. With a computer I use Remote Desktop Connection, is there something similar for iPad?"

There are a number of solutions that allow you to use an iPad to connect remotely to Windows. Some of them rely on proprietary connections, some use VNC, and a handful use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to take advantage of the Remote Desktop Connection feature in Windows. Just be sure you choose the right one.

How do I watch Hulu on Xbox 360?

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:07:15 -0800

"I have a laptop and an Xbox 360. I watch Hulu on my laptop, but I don't like connecting my laptop to my HDTV. Is there a way I can watch Hulu on Xbox 360?"

Watching Hulu on Xbox 360 isn't built in on Xbox Live yet, but lets hope it's coming soon. In the meantime, you can watch Hulu on Xbox 360 if you install some additional software on your laptop. Basically you have to play Hulu on your computer, and it automatically streams to your Xbox using the Media Connect technology built into Windows. To set this up, there are a few steps you need to take.

What is HDBaseT?

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:28:52 -0800

"I heard someone talking about HDBaseT for my HDTV. What is HDBaseT and should I be using it in my home theater?"

HDBaseT is the latest cabling standard for connecting your HDTV to other home theater components. The HDBaseT cabling looks just like a standard Ethernet cable and according to the HDBaseT standards organization, if you buy a Cat5e or Cat6 cable, it should just work with two supported components. The bad news is there will probably be a period where we will all need some goofy adapters to connect all of our gear created to work with HDMI to HDBaseT components, but there are several features of this new HDBaseT cable that make it an improvement.

How to save iPhone Text Messages to Computer

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:19:42 -0800

I want to take text messages from my iPhone and save them on my computer. Is it possible to save iPhone SMS text messages to my PC?"

Each time you backup your iPhone, text messages are stored by iTunes just in case anything happens to your iPhone and you want to get them back. For some reason, Apple doesn't make these readily available for viewing on your computer (and if you use secure backups they are encrypted). Fortunately some industrious software creators have come up with software that takes those SMS text messages from your iPhone and makes them available in a readable format on your computer.

Is brightness in nits better than cd/m2 brightness?

Wed, 12 May 2010 16:39:49 -0800

"Is it better to get a computer monitor with a 400 nits brightness rating or a 400 cd/m² brightness rating?"

If you are comparing two computer monitors and one lists its brightness in nits while the other lists cd/m² brightness, you're in luck. Nits and cd/m² are the same thing. Nits is a term that has gone out of favor for measuring the brightness of electronics, but it is fundamentally the same measure of candelas per square meter represented by cd/m².

What is cd/m2 on a monitor or HDTV?

Wed, 12 May 2010 16:12:40 -0800

"I'm shopping for a new computer monitor to use both for my PC and as an HDTV screen with HDMI. I'm trying to decide between two that appear to be the same except that one says 250 cd/m² and the other one says 400 cd/m². The monitor with 400 cd/m² is more expensive, but I don't see any other difference. What is cd/m² and why does it make a computer monitor cost more?"

cd/m² is the measure of brightness for a monitor in terms of how well the screen will show up in brightly lit conditions. cd/m² stands for candelas per square meter and is roughly a measure of how many candles of light are emitted from the screen being measured. Think of a candle as being approximately one candela. The thing to keep in mind about cd/m² as it relates to your computer monitor is where you plan to use it.

Cancel MSN Premium and Keep @msn.com Email?

Tue, 04 May 2010 21:52:23 -0800

"I have MSN Premium service and they gave me a Hotmail email account with an email address @MSN.com. If I discontinue MSN for Internet service, will my existing Hotmail (now Windows-Live-Hotmail) account go away? Will I have to change the @msn.com part?"

If you can keep up with the number of times Microsoft has changed the name of their email offering, you're doing better than most people. MSN Premium stopped making sense when the Windows Live free products started offering more features than the pay version. With the exception of a dial-up service offering, MSN Premium simply doesn't have anything to offer that can't be had for free somewhere else. The good news for you is canceling your account does not mean giving up your email address. If you contact the MSN Premium service to cancel, they will help you convert your Premium account to a free @msn.com account accessible through the standard Windows Live Hotmail login. Save yourself about $10 per month and cancel your account without worrying about needing to change your email address.

Can I play a Blu-ray Disc in my DVD Writer?

Tue, 04 May 2010 08:09:00 -0800

"Can I play a Blu-ray Disc on my PC with my DVD writer drive?"

Blu-ray discs require a Blu-ray compatible drive in order to play Blu-ray movies on your PC or in your home entertainment system. A standard DVD-RW or DVD+RW drive will not play Blu-ray movies on your PC. Fortunately the prices for Blu-ray drives have come down substantially and are now under US $100 for a drive you can connect to an existing Windows PC. Keep in mind in addition to the actual Blu-ray drive, you also need software capable of decoding the Blu-ray video on the disc. The software I use to play Blu-ray on my own computer is Cyberlink PowerDVD, which is a reliable software solution for all versions of Windows.

What is x3player?

Mon, 03 May 2010 20:59:35 -0800

"After I download a movie torrent file it tells me I need to install x3player to view it. Do I really have to pay for x3 player download or is there some other way to view these x3player movies?"

It is very likely the file you just downloaded contains a virus or other malware that will damage your computer. Most of the so-called video files that run an advertisement for x3players are actually just dummy files meant to trick people unfortunate enough to download the files into damaging their computer. The actual movie or tv show file is almost never what it claims to be.

RingCentral Mobile Giveaway

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:44:43 -0800

I'm constantly on the lookout for useful solutions to common business problems. RingCentral Mobile is one of those solutions. RingCentral Mobile is a cloud-based virtual PBX, enabling small businesses to achieve the kind of PBX service large companies used to pay me to configure, without the hardware and software licensing expenses associated with a traditional PBX. RingCentral provides a toll-free number at signup or you can forward your existing phone service to RingCentral to handle and deliver your phone calls to multiple numbers.

All incoming calls get routed to the appropriate member of your team, just like a traditional PBX. The configuration can be as simple as having a specific extension for sales go to your remote sales guy, including automatically having it ring both their desk phone and their cell phone. Internet fax and voicemail capabilities are also included with a RingCentral Mobile account.

What does this have to do with a giveaway? You can always sign up for a free 30-day trial of RingCentral Mobile and test it out for yourself, but I'm also giving away a free RingCentral mobile account to one lucky individual. How could you be that person? Like my Facebook page. From now until 11:59 p.m. on May 2, 2010, anyone who Likes my Facebook page is instantly qualified to win. Sometime after 12:01 a.m. on May 3, 2010, I will announce the randomly selected recipient of the RingCentral Mobile account package.

In addition to being selected as the recipient of the giveaway here, you are also entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of the 5 Grand Prizes, an Ultimate Small Business Start-up Package from Ivy Worldwide valued at over $1100.

The Ultimate Small Business Start-up Package includes:

Virtual Phone System by RingCentral ($300)
Company incorporation services by LegalZoom ($339)
Logo Design services by Logoworks ($339)
1000 premium business cards printed by Vistaprint ($40)
One year web hosting with BlueHost . ($84)

What are you waiting for, go forth and Like.

Solving HTML Menu Going Behind Video Player on Page

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:33:31 -0800

"I want to embed Windows Media Player into an HTML page. Where I run into trouble is if I have a drop-down navigation element that expands on top of the video area. When this happens Windows Media Player wants to stay on-top of and hide the drop-down menu. Are you aware of any reason this might happen. Other than setting the z-index, are you aware of any way to ensure that other elements that may need to sit on-top of the player can do that?"

Embedded video tends to stay on top of all other elements on a web page, regardless of whether the embedded player is Flash, Windows Media or QuickTime. While setting the z-index of the div where you embed the video can help solve the issue, a more reliable workaround requires modifying the player parameters for the particular video player you are using.

GMapCatcher - Offline Map Viewer

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:01:19 -0800

One of the big disadvantages of having all the best mapping tools stored online is that you can't access them when you are offline. I have more access to Internet connectivity than the average person and I still find myself disconnected at the most inconvenient of times. The solution - download the maps you need so that you have them when you can't connect. GMapCatcher is a free app for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux that does just that. You can download Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and a couple other maps I've never heard of, making them all accessible offline. Zooming in on the map works, as does re-centering. GPS support is built-in. When you save a map you can re-sync it later so that the map on your hard drive doesn't get out dated. A variety of languages are supported, making this a fairly global offline mapping solution.

Who makes the best Photo Book?

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:44:09 -0800

If you ever decide to print a book of photos to give to someone, the list of printing companies to choose from is a bit overwhelming. It would be easy to just pick a company and hope for the best, but you might end up with a below average product. Jason Dunn of Digital Home Thoughts attempts to take some of the guesswork out of choosing a photo book printing company in his review of 14 different book printers. The only one I think he's missing is the iPhoto book printing service, but it's highly possible that Apple outsources the book printing to one of these 14 companies. This is a truly epic undertaking in terms of photo book review efforts and something well worth reading before you trust your photography with just any printing company.