Apple device owners beware…you may not be as safe as you think from malicious hackers

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/05/01 22:15 Posted in (Mostly) Free Tools, General, Tech Tips  |  Comments (5)

I finally have what I lovingly refer to as my first ‘iThing’. Yes, I was among those who got the latest iPad (mind you, NOT called the iPad 3, but still, it is the 3rd generation of the iPad). And technically, this isn’t my first iThing…it is my 3rd. I have owned two iPods (one currently still in service), and not newer than about the year 2003, so I think its safe to say that this is my first iThing of the modern era of iThings. My iPod is the ‘classic’ design (‘classic’ being a better term than ‘old’). So, it was with great anticipation that I waited for the UPS person to show up at my door on release day.

I thoroughly enjoy my iPad. Quite honestly, I haven’t explored all its capabilities, but I look forward to getting to know it, and its seemingly infinite array of apps. It certainly is handy! Love being able to slip it in a shoulder bag and hop on WiFi where I find it (I did NOT pay for the 4G version, though I may regret that down the road). Because I work on computers all day – and not just doing emails, etc., but coming up with technology solutions to business problems – I don’t have any interest in playing games, etc. I’m looking to use my iPad for office productivity solutions, so that will take some trial and error. Suggestions from you readers on ‘must have apps’ is welcome!

Anyway, I figured that if I am now in the world of (modern) Apple device owners, I should brush up on any protection software required for Apple products. I know that many people consider the Apple operating systems fairly bullet-proof and/or low on the radar, so that the ‘bad guys’ who spend their time writing malicious code just ignore it. In fact, in the Apple App Store, there are a couple of Apps out there which give INFORMATION on malware threats, but don’t actually provide protection to the iPad/iPhone. So, IT people might like them for alerting them to breaking threats which might be positioning for attack on their Microsoft based equipment, but the apps do NOT protect the ‘iThing’.

Hmmm…why, I ask? A little more searching found the explanations…all the apps install in their own ‘sandboxes’. In other words, each app is discreetly partitioned from the other apps. Therefore, an ‘iThing’ (either an iPod, iTouch or iPad) is inherently safer from attack than a traditional computer. As I understand it, data in one application is not accessible by other applications. In essence, each area is blockaded from other areas. Safari (the internet browser installed by default) or other browsers that you might install, would be the most susceptible to infiltration by ‘bad guys’ which might pick up (and steal) keystrokes, information, etc. as you type them. So, even on your ‘iThing’, use safe browsing techniques. Don’t surf the web carelessly when you’re on public WiFi.

What I found most interesting as I was reading up on Apple and susceptibility to infection was that the Mac platform is actually susceptible to infection by trojans (malicious software that gets installed without the computer owners knowledge). I found two recently published articles about the rise of vulnerability as the platform gains popularity – one in Forbes magazine and one in a technical site called CRN. Both say that there are over 600,000 infected Macs. The more people decide to leave the Microsoft world, the more the Mac system will get attacked.

Not to worry, however, as there is free software available to protect your Macintosh. Just head over to Sophos or ClamXav and download/install a free anti-malware tool. After all, while the threat of infection on a Mac is less than on a Windows machine, there is a chance – and that chance is increasing as the popularity of the Mac OS grows. Why not protect yourself?

Do not get fooled by fake anti-virus messages – and never, ever click unless you are sure!

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/04/21 21:40 Posted in (Mostly) Free Tools, Tech Tips  |  Comments (5)

I figure its rarely a good thing when the phone rings at 7am…particularly when it’s your cell phone (a number that most of your clients have for emergencies). Most people haven’t even had their coffee yet! Clients on the West Coast are still tucked in bed. Has to be an East-Coaster. Has to be a problem.

So began my Friday morning. I try to put on a chipper, pretend-post-caffeine voice as I answer. “Good morning, this is Sandy…(bright smile – well, trying for a bright smile – in my voice)”

The voice at the other end begins, “So I clicked on an email that LOOKED like it was from my friend, Joe, but when I opened it, the email was actually offering me prescription drugs via the internet. I don’t know why Joe sent it to me, but then a Microsoft message popped up from my toolbar telling me that my anti-virus is not operating, so I clicked on the ‘fix-it button’ and now I can’t open any icons on my desktop.”

My pre-caffeine brain was still waiting to hear ‘Hi’, but I realized that this was not going to be a relaxed conversation over a cup of coffee or cold-caffeine (Diet Pepsi being my caffeine of choice – even in the morning). This was a 911-type call because a machine was ‘down’. They needed help and they needed it NOW.

Quite truthfully, I’ll never know if a link in that email masquerading as coming from a friend was clicked, if a link on an infected website was clicked, or if the infection came via another route, but the FAKE anti-virus message was received and acted upon. The EVIL virus was launched and was trying to work its nefarious ways.

What does a fake Internet Security or Anti-virus message look like? Well, below are a couple of examples. Yes, these are FAKES!!!

So, why this message to all of you? To help you learn from others mistakes – how to recognize a fake Internet Security warning.

First, BEWARE OF ANTI-VIRUS/INTERNET SECURITY MESSAGES. Make sure that the message really comes from the anti-virus or internet security package you use. My client read the message to me, and it was a Windows message, but they use Norton. Giant warning flags. NEVER EVER follow a link/message from a software feature that you are NOT using. While this client uses a Windows platform, they do NOT use Window’s Internet Security. A neon DANGER, DANGER sign should have gone off in their heads.

Second, Google the message you’ve received to find out if that particular message has come up as a fake warning.

Third, close the questionable window and open up your Internet Security/Anti-Virus via that program’s interface (use the Start-Program menu). If your computer is really at risk, it will show up in that interface (e.g. the Norton or McAfee interface). If no ‘risk’ displays, then your computer is probably safe, but you still need to get rid of that errant warning. Keep on reading and follow the instructions below.

What happens if you mistakenly clicked somewhere and your computer is infected as my client’s was. Well, there are a couple of FREE tools which might help to solve your issues.

Download Malwarebytes (I use CNET.com or PCWorld.com for safe downloads).

Install, then launch Malwarebytes. Perform a scan.

Check “Perform Full Scan”, then “Scan”. Let it run. It could take several hours. Once it is done, if it found ‘cooties’ in your computer, Malwarebytes will offer to quarantine or fix the issues. Allow it to. Reboot your computer when it is all done. Click around…hopefully, all of your issues are solved.

Use this next tool in conjunction with Malwarebytes – in other words, run it after you’ve run Malwarebytes. CC Cleaner is another free computer fixing ‘friend’. Download and install this program.

Install, then launch CC Cleaner. You will need to run two different scans with this tool. Click on ‘Cleaner’, then ‘Run Cleaner’. When that completes, click on ‘Registry’, ‘Scan for Issues’, then allow CCCleaner to fix any registry related issues. Before allowing CCCleaner to fix issues, accept the offer to save a copy of your current registry (save it to your Desktop – you can delete it after a week or so, once you’re sure nothing ‘odd’ is happening).

These two programs, which contain a myriad of tools, are your BEST FRIEND when something goes awry on your computer. I always keep them installed on my machines, and use them as part of my normal housekeeping. Running them regularly will help you to catch issues that you may not even be aware exist on your computer.

And I beg of you…do NOT click on emails/links/websites of which you are unsure. Hover over links to see the REAL URL’s. Type in URL’s yourself into your web browser. Don’t open e-mails from friends that look ‘odd’. Instead, email your friend back (on a new email) and ask them if they had sent you an email with “Whatever” in the subject line…if they confirm, then its probably safe to open it.

I hope you don’t need to resort to these tools for more than maintenance.

Radio Show – Critical Mass: Coast-to-Coast – February 16, 2012

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/03/18 16:13 Posted in Business Processes, General  |  Comments (0)

I had the pleasure of being asked to appear on an Orange County, CA Radio Show, Critical Mass: Coast-to-Coast on February 16th, 2012. It was a distinct honor to be asked to appear, however, I was delighted to learn of the show because it is a fabulous resource for business owners, C-level managers, and people who are striving to become C-level managers or business owners. I’ve had a blast listening to recordings of past shows, and now try to catch it live if I’m at my desk late Thursday afternoons (6pm on the East Coast).

Ric Franzi, co-host of Critical Mass (the the host who interviewed me), is very able at blending two of his greatest passions: educating CEOs and talk radio. Ric has a unique interviewing style which helps his guests feel comfortable and enables them to focus on answering the questions in a conversational and relaxed environment. With expertise in running CEO Peer Groups, Ric knows the questions to ask and the ‘pain points’ that that top-level management experiences.

CRITICAL MASS: The Radio Show strives to share knowledge and information from an assortment of top business leaders. By sharing information and experiences, Ric enables anyone to gain knowledge often only available during CEO Peer Groups experiences.

The format is one that can be used when meeting new people, networking, and developing business relationships of many shapes and sizes. Here’s how Ric approached the interview with me:

1. What does your company do? (That question SOUNDS far easier to answer than it really is – at least for me!)
2. How did you get to your current position (owning or running a company)?
3. What is your guiding principle in business?
4. What is a current challenge facing your firm and how are you working on/approaching a solution?
5. If we speak again a couple of years down the road, where will your company be?

When I thought about it, that question ‘formula’ is perfect on a radio talk show, but also in meeting new clients, developing new vendor relationships, not to mention in those Peer Groups that Ric runs.

To hear how I answered those questions, click below on the podcast icon below, or on the link below that.


Listen to the interview with Sandra Clitter

(Shameless plug: The part of the show on which I appear begins at about 2:20 into the show)

How do I know if someone is talking about me on the web?

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/03/06 10:00 Posted in (Mostly) Free Tools, General, Tech Tips, Web Tips  |  Comments (2)

As “they” say, your reputation is everything. This includes your reputation among family, friends, colleagues, and now, what appears about you online. Yes, you need to make sure that you stay abreast of any information posted on the web about you.

Have you ever had the experience of having someone – maybe a casual friend or business acquaintance – call you out of the blue to congratulate you on the award that you just won, tell you ‘atta boy’ or ‘atta girl’ for a speaking engagement you just landed? As a former boss of mine used to say, “How do it know?” (please forgive the poor grammar, that’s a direct quote!). In this case you might be wondering, “How on earth did they find out already, I didn’t tell anyone/see anyone, etc.?”

Well, back-in-the-day, just a little after dinosaurs roamed the earth, there used to be services called ‘clipping services’. Companies paid handsomely for people to comb through various publications for mentions of the name of their company, mentions of the appearances of their top executives, etc. You paid by the number of periodicals you wanted reviewed, as well as, by the number of times those periodicals were published, plus the number of names/mentions you were searching.

I was always fascinated by this concept. Did one person read the same newspaper or magazine 100 times, each time with an eye out for a separate reference, or did they have an incredible memory and were able to scan the names/references that they needed to find, then read the publication once and picked up all the mentions – whether it was one or many? I still wonder. I could probably do a search and find out. If you want more information on “Clipping Services”, you can start with this Wikipedia link.

But I digress…Those services have sort of gone the way of buggy whips. They were indispensable at one point in time, but are used only by a select few today. Why? Because each and every one of us has access to our own “Clipping Service” – FOR FREE!

Google (yes, good ‘ole Google again) provides the free service called ‘Google Alerts’…and I strongly advise each and every one of you to at least set up a ‘vanity search’ for your own name…so you know what people are saying about you on the web.

It couldn’t be easier to set up. Simply go to www.google.com/alerts. The service DOES require a Google signon, but its a small price to pay for a VERY powerful service.

Use standard Google Search ‘rules’ (e.g. put a proper name in quotes to get results with the first and last name together) to get the results you are searching for, enter the search string in the ‘Search Query’ field. For example, if I want notifications for anything posted on the web about my company, I’d enter “Your Tech Tamer” (quotes INCLUDED). If you have a common name, you might want to tweak your search string to eliminate some errant notifications about the OTHER person/people with your name. We’ll use “Phil Collins”, but not THAT Phil Collins as an example. If you are A Phil Collins, but not THAT Phil Collins, you could enter a search string “Phil Collins” -Genesis -drummer -music. This will give you notifications of “Phil Collins” where the words “Genesis”, “drummer” and “music” are NOT mentioned. That helps to weed out some of the ‘other guys’. Additionally, if you go by a formal name and a nickname, you should set up BOTH alerts, the one above AND one for “Phillip Collins”.

If you want to limit the type of information you receive, you can select from the ‘Result Type’ drop-down and select ‘Everything’ or ‘Videos’ or ‘Blogs’, etc. to narrow down the amount of information. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want everything for this ‘clipping service’ on your name, but you have the option.

‘How Often’ will determine how frequently results are sent to your e-mail. You can choose from ‘As it happens’, ‘Once a day’ or ‘Once a week’.

‘How Many’ is a quality filter…changing this from the default may create a deluge of e-mail.

‘Deliver To’ is the e-mail address to which the digest will be sent.

Hit ‘Create Alert’ and Google will begin trawling the web for any new posts that match your criteria. NOTE: It does NOT give you all the things ALREADY posted…you can run a normal Google search for those. It WILL give you any NEW posts on the web that meet the criteria.

Sit back and wait for Google to deliver your newly created ‘clippings’ to your Inbox.

Only your own imagination limits the amount of information you can have filtered into your inbox. After you set up alerts for your own name and company, create ones for friends, family, co-workers, clients, and competitors. Then YOU will be the first person saying ‘Hey, I just heard you won that coveted award…Congratulations!’

If you need help with creating accurate Google search strings, check out this post from last August.

Who Are Your Neighbors?

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/02/19 16:05 Posted in (Mostly) Free Tools, General, Tech Tips  |  Comments (5)

Let me begin by saying that I am absolutely HORRIBLE with names. I don’t know why, but I am awful. I try to remember, I try all the mnemonic devices and still, I forget names that I really should know. Most embarrassingly are the names of my neighbors.

I’ve lived in my current house for almost 20 years. I love my neighborhood. I love my neighbors. That lady down the street that I wave to when she picks up her mail. The people at the end of the street with the adorable little boy who is rapidly becoming a young man. The people with the “Harley” mailbox. Over the years I’ve learned to at least recognize most of my neighbors, but I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know many of their names.

A reader of this blog (and a neighbor!) gave me a HUGE piece of assistance when he pointed out this website to me:

Who are your Neighbors?

Just click on the link (or the image above), enter your address, click the ‘Get Started’ button and your whole neighborhood (courtesy, I’m sure of Google Earth) appears with indicators over each neighbor’s house and their names/phone numbers. Now, I can figure out the missing names!!! YEAH!!!

How handy could this be?!?!

To ‘Unsubscribe’ or ‘Not Unsubscribe’, that is the question…

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/02/05 15:31 Posted in Business Processes, Email Management, General, Tech Tips  |  Comments (2)

(With all due respect to Shakespeare and Hamlet)

We all get Spam. Its probably safe to say that we all get wayyyyyyyyyyy too much Spam. Spam, by definition, is e-mail that you do not choose or want to receive. It is junk.

On the other hand, there are newsletters and such that you really DO want to receive. So, how do you know when you can ‘make it go away’ and when you shouldn’t because it will just get you MORE junk in your inbox? When should you click ‘unsubscribe’? What are the ramifications if you do?

Normally, I don’t say ‘why’ I write particular posts…I just write them. Sometimes I am asked to write on a subject by a reader. Sometimes I get asked a question so many times that I figure it would make a good blog post. Sometimes an event in life causes me to write on a given subject…and so it is with this topic. Many of my ‘life’ blog posts have had their origins with my Uncle. This is another one of those posts!

Here’s the story…

December 31st of last year, I sent out a mail blast (using the free email service, MailChimp) to my entire email list. It wasn’t a newsletter, but rather a note that the name of my company was changing on January 1, 2012. Accordingly, rather than ‘SLC Consulting’, I wanted people to start using ‘Your Tech Tamer’ and to update their email addresses, etc. What better way to communicate important information to a wide-range of people? So far, so good. Off goes my e-mail. The next morning, I get an unsubscribe notice from, you guessed it, MY UNCLE!!!! What on earth?!?! Talk about dejected…if your own flesh-and-blood doesn’t want to read what you have to write, then why bother, right?

Fast-forward about five days. I’m visiting with him and he sheepishly tells me that he accidentally hit ‘unsubscribe’ when he was scrolling down the page and was there a way to ‘resubscribe’ because OBVIOUSLY, he didn’t want to unsubscribe from something that I had sent. Whew!!! He still loves me!!! While we laughed about the incident (and I showed him how to resubscribe), he was surprised to find out that I ALREADY KNEW that he had unsubscribed. How could that be?

So, to get to the ‘meat’ of this post, here are a few things to think about and know BEFORE you hit the ‘Unsubscribe’ button:

1. Only hit the ‘Unsubscribe’ button (or the ‘If you no longer wish to receive these emails…’ type of links) if the e-mail comes from a reputable e-mail blast service. ConstantContact, MailChimp, SendBlaster, iContact, etc. are all ‘reputable’ email services. You’ll know that an e-mail blast came from those services because you’ll see their ‘bug’ (logo) in the footer of the e-mails. The ‘bug’ identifies the e-mails as having been sent through these services. Clicking ‘Unsubscribe’ on an e-mail sent by one of these services will truly ‘unsubscribe’ you, and the owner of the e-mail list will NOT be able to resubscribe you…only you will be able to resubscribe yourself.

2. **BEWARE**: The owners of the email list (me, in the example above) RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION that someone has unsubscribed and their name/e-mail address. In other words, if you unsubscribe from your best friend’s list, he/she WILL KNOW!! If you really don’t want to receive that mail, it might be preferable to mark it as ‘spam’ or ‘junk’ in your email service…your friend won’t know if you do that, so there will be no hard feelings.

3. If the email does not show an email ‘blast’ service in the footer, but appears to come from a company that you know, then double-check the ‘from’ address (the sender’s email address) – not the name that displays, but rather the actual e-mail address from which the e-mail was sent. If you recognize it as being legitimate (e.g. emailmarketing@coke.com), then hitting ‘unsubscribe’ is probably safe to do. Here’s an example of a legitimate e-mail address from which it would be ‘safe’ to hit the ‘unsubscribe’ button:

4. If the email has a sender’s name that your recognize, but the actual ‘from’ e-mail address is ‘odd’, then DO NOT hit ‘unsubscribe’ or otherwise ask to be removed from the e-mail list. If you hit this link, you will likely get EVEN MORE unwanted emails because you have only verified to spammers that your e-mail address is a ‘live’ one!

Bottom line: The rules are pretty simple.

If the e-mail comes from a legitimate e-mail blast service, it’s safe to unsubscribe, but the owner of the list will know that you unsubscribed, so decide if it’s better to send the e-mail to the junk bin, rather than unsubscribing and potentially hurting someone’s feelings.

If the e-mail comes from an apparently legitimate e-mail address, make sure by checking the exact address. Only hit ‘unsubscribe’ from e-mail addresses that are ‘real’. Otherwise, you may be bringing a deluge of further unwanted mail by clicking ‘remove’ or ‘unsubscribe’. Again, block the sender via the Junk Mail or Spam feature in your mail service, rather than unsubscribing.

Friendly word of advice: NEVER EVER unsubscribe from close family or friends e-mails :-)! It is far better to keep the peace!

Do you ever want to delay the delivery of an e-mail?

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/01/15 23:18 Posted in Email Management, General, Tech Tips  |  Comments (0)

There are a fair number of times when I compose an e-mail, but it’s not the correct time to send it. Perhaps I don’t want someone to know that I was working on something over the weekend. Maybe I have a report to e-mail on Monday morning, but I’m not going to be in my office at that time. Whatever the case, there are times when I want an e-mail to be sent LATER…and I don’t want to have to try to remember to send it.

Outlook 2010 has a FABULOUS and easy way to allow you to send mail later – even if you’re not at your desk.

Compose your e-mail as you normally would:

Before hitting the ‘Send’ button, click on the ‘Options’ tab at the top of the screen. Now, select the ‘Delay Delivery’ button on the toolbar:

Set the date/time you want the e-mail sent:

Close this window. Finally, click ‘Send’ (just like you normally would).

Your email will go to your ‘Outbox’, but will not leave the Outbox until the specified date/time:

The email will be sent at the date/time you specified in the delay. Most of you will probably see the current date in the ‘Sent’ field. This is the date/time you pressed the ‘Send’ button and exiled your email to the Outbox. If you want to see what that date/time your e-mail is scheduled to go out, we need to add a field to the columns shown. Simply right-click on the bar with the column titles:

Select ‘Field Chooser’ from the list.

Select ‘All Mail Fields’ from the drop-down, then highlight ‘Defer Until’

Left-click and drag the ‘Defer Until’ field onto the column headings bar:

Voila! You see the date/time your email is scheduled to be sent.

Word of warning: If your email is NOT on an Exchange Server (and if you don’t know what that means, you’re probably not!), then you need to make sure that your Outlook is open and an internet connection exists at the date/time the email is to be sent. If Outlook is closed and/or there is no internet connection at the specified ‘send’ time, then the e-mail will be sent the next time that Outlook is open after that date/time.

Did you get a Gift Card that you have no interest in using?

By Sandra Clitter  |  2012/01/03 21:02 Posted in (Mostly) Free Tools, General, Tech Tips  |  Comments (4)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Everyone!!!

Sorry things have been quiet on this end, but I got caught up in the holiday crazies (and loved every minute of it!). The days just seemed to fly by. Now that we’re in the January doldrums, it’s time to get back to work!

I am always amazed by the number of Gift Cards are are given/received each year. It seems like the numbers just go up and up and up. While I usually love getting a gift card, there are times when someone purchases a card that isn’t for a store/restaurant that one can actually frequent. Maybe someone bought you a gift card for Applebees, but the nearest Applebees is over 50 miles away. You might like getting the card, but never have a chance to actually USE it – or using it is impractical!

Well, if you’ve found that you have one or two of those ‘less than useful’ gift cards in your possession and you’d like to get some cash for them, you don’t need to beg an exchange with friends anymore. There are actually several sites which allow you to sell your unwanted gift cards for a fair percentage of the face value. WOOHOO!!

I came across two good articles this week that wrote about this phenomenon and decided that I would share what I read. The first is on a favorite site of mine: CNET How To. “How to sell your unwanted gift cards” by Jason Cipriani was the first that I came across. I was fascinated because it never dawned on me that such sites existed (although in retrospect, it makes sense).

The second article I found on a My Money Blog. Entitled “Selling Unwanted Gift Cards for Cash“, this one caught my eye, as well…probably because after reading the first article, I was pondering the pros/cons/risks of, in essence, reselling gift cards.

There appear to be four major services specializing in Gift Card “redemption”:

Cardpool.com
PlasticJungle.com
GiftCards.com
GiftCardRescue.com

For each type of card you want to redeem, compare between the sites – some pay better on one type of card and another may pay better on another type of card. I did a quick ‘what if’ with a card that I got (but which I’m not really going to redeem because I want to use it) and found the following results on the quote:

Regal Entertainment Card worth $25.00 face value would fetch:

Cardpool.com: $18.00
PlasticJungle.com: $18.00
GiftCards.com: $18.25
GiftCardRescue.com: $17.50 for Cash or $18.38 for an Amazon Gift Card

Both these authors cited above have done some good research on the topic and written excellent articles. Please check them out for further details, but I wanted to let everyone know that if you got a gift card for someplace you simply can not or will not patronize, there may be an option to turn that card into cash.

(Disclaimer: I have NOT completed any transaction, so can only go on the comments others have left regarding the subject)

Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Oh My! What does it all mean?

By Sandra Clitter  |  2011/12/13 19:01 Posted in General  |  Comments (12)

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a black phone that sat in the hallway. It went ‘ring-ring’ when someone wanted to speak with you. You dialed when you wanted to speak with someone else, and the black phone went ‘ring-ring’ on their end. Alas, that time has come and gone. Today, we have a multitude of ways to connect to or hear from the outside world. Maybe you still have a ‘ring-ring’ phone, but I’d venture to day you don’t ‘dial’ any more…you punch buttons. Fewer and fewer people even have ‘land lines’ (those phones that plug into a phone jack somewhere in the house). Cell phones are becoming the norm.

So far, I’m not confused. So far, I understand that we’ve migrated from ‘ring-ring’ phones to phones which aren’t connected to the wall in one location (cell phones). I’m good with a phone which allows people to reach me, no matter where I am. I didn’t understand how sound traveled down the wires into my ‘ring-ring’ phone…I certainly don’t understand how the sound bounces off of a satellite somewhere and ‘appears’ in my cell phone. Honestly though, I don’t really care. I take how certain things work on faith (you can add to that list electricity and television).

Here’s where things start getting hairy. First, I have my cell phone which works wherever/whenever. Then, my computer decides that it doesn’t want to be tethered to my desk, so it goes wireless. My cell phone becomes ‘more than a phone’ and actually allows me to get e-mail and surf the web from wherever I find myself. Then, I get a Kindle/Nook and it needs to ‘talk’ to the internet as I roam about.

Each time I go to purchase a new device, I have to learn a new lesson in alphabet soup! At the heart of it all is the confusion about whether I need a separate service plan to connect, or if I can connect using what I already have, or if it is a different type of connection than I currently have access to. Whew! Makes me not want to expand my horizons for fear of the ensuing headache (not to mention additional charges).

So, thanks to Rick Broida at PC World, I got a FABULOUS explanation of the difference between 3G and Wi-Fi – both internet access (and, oh yeah, 4G is just like 3G, but faster) in the article aptly titled “What’s the difference between 3G and WiFi“.

Both WiFi and 3G (or 4G) allow you to connect to the internet. These are NOT your traditional cell service (the ability to make calls on your cell).

If you have wireless internet in your house/business, then you have WiFi. You probably have a box somewhere (called a wireless modem or wireless router) which has a little antenna and allows you to access the internet without wires from anywhere in a building.

3G or 4G are, as Rick states, “Internet everywhere”. 3G and 4G use the same cell towers that your phone uses, but access the internet instead of the calling system.

So…if you are buying a new device or gizmo during this holiday season, make sure that you understand the following:

1. Does it access the internet?
2. If it does access the internet, does it do it wirelessly? (most of the time the answer is ‘yes’ these days)
3. If it accesses the internet wirelessly, is it WiFi or 3G/4G connectivity (or both)?
4. If it can access the internet with WiFi, do you need the password for the particular WiFi location(s) where the device is located? (If the answer is ‘no’ to this question, then there are no additional charges even if you’re not around a wireless internet service that you pay for).
5. If it uses 3G/4G, do you need to pay for additional service?

The reason for the last two questions is that SOME devices, like my particular Kindle, do NOT require you to purchase additional wireless services…they just piggyback off of existing WiFi or 3G/4G with NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE. Like my old ‘ring-ring’ phone, I have no idea how/why that works, but it does and I’m thrilled about it because I don’t want to pay any more for additional internet services…I pay too much as it is!

That is NOT the case for iPads, etc. Those actually need you to create an internet connection – either via WiFi (free if its available free at your location, but you need a signon/password to access if the wireless is not available publicly) or additional carrier charges if you choose 3G/4G.

So, before you get all excited about that new ‘toy’ under the tree (iPad, Kindle, Nook, etc.), make sure that you understand which type of connectivity the device needs. Figure out where the device will be used (if you never take it out of your house and your house has WiFi, and the device has WiFi, then all is well, but if you take the device elsewhere, you may be subject to additional internet connection charges/plans). Then, look at the additional costs (if any) of purchasing the internet connectivity. That will help you make the best decision on that ‘perfect gift’!