Announcements

Got Memory Cards?

Here's Where You Can Stick 'Em!

Hey everyone, you gotta check out my newest, coolest, computer accessory - a Targus memory card reader / writer! It connects to your computer via USB and is something everyone can use - especially if you have a digital camera.

I've been using this with my digital camera's memory card over the last week or so and will never (ever) go back to downloading images using the camera - this is soooo much better. Plus it works with just about every card out there - Compact Flash, IBM Microdrive, Smart Media, Secure Digital, and MMC.

Here are 4 reasons this is a must have:

1. Download Digital Camera Images Faster & Easier - I really love this part. If you connect your camera to your computer via a serial cable, you know it can take a painfully long time download the images. This will increase that speed by up to 30X!!

What if your camera is already using a USB connection? Well, I have a fairly new camera that connects via USB and this memory card reader still seems to download the images quicker (plus it's lots easier and way more convenient).

Oh, and with this memory card reader, you don't need to worry if your camera's battery is going die during the transfer! This alone makes it worthwhile!

2. Really Convenient - Don't you hate hooking up your digital camera to your computer? You have to find all the stupid cords, can only use the software that came with the camera, and in most cases you have to turn the computer off before you hook the camera to it (even most USB cameras recommend this).

With this card reader, all that goes away :-) You plug the device into your computer and leave it on your desk. When you need to read / write a card, just pop the card out of your equipment and plug it in - even while the computer is running! Saves gobs of time and makes getting those digital images a ton easier - I love it!

3. Works Like A Disk Drive - Rather than setting up some elaborate program to manage the pictures / files on your memory card, this device sets up "removable drives" under My Computer. To access the info (pictures) on the card, just open the My Computer Icon and go to the drive. Poof! There are your pictures, just waiting for you to play with them. It couldn't be easier!

These "removable drives" work exactly like any other disk drive - You can drag & drop / copy & paste your files to a new location with ease (I drag and drop the images on the card to folders on my hard drive). Plus you can delete images / files without messing around with your camera - heck you can even edit pictures / files right on the card (really great if you take your card to a mini lab for prints)! It's fantastic!

4. Writes Files Too - As I mentioned earlier, this is both a reader and a writer. That means if you want to use it to store regular data, you can. Have you ever been in a situation where you had, say, a 20 meg file and needed to move it from one computer to another?

With this little device, you can grab that 32 meg card out of your digital camera, save your data to it, then plug the device into the other computer. Problem solved!

This is also a great way to quickly back up data when doing a reformat / reinstall - assuming you have a large enough memory card. Hmm, you could also grab a card and use it as a drive for info you need at both your home and office (I'm going to use it for this). Just save to your card ("removable drive" in computer talk), then plug it into whatever computer you're using. The possibilities are truly endless.

I tell ya, at first I wasn't too sure about this, but after I started playing with it I can't imagine digital life without it. It's just the handiest little thing. I can see why many newer, high end computers are coming with these built in.

Now for the price. We have a fantastic deal on this - your cost is only $21.97 with FREE US shipping. We did some price comparisons and seems everyone else is getting between $55-$60 for the exact same thing. Told ya it was fantastic ;-)

This is one of the best prices ever offered on this device, and quantities are limited. If you don't like it, we'll take it back, but if you don't get to the link below and order ASAP we may (probably will) run out. Hurry:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/targus-reader-writer.htm

PS - Sorry this write up is so long, but I just can't believe how much I love this thing and how many uses I can come up with for it. It's on my list of must haves, that's for sure (right under my mouse and keyboard!). Everyone I've shown this to is buying one! Grab yours today!!

MS Office 101

There's More To Text Than Just Black & White

I'm sure most of you know that you can change font color.

However, the way I've seen a lot of people complete this repetitive task is to go to the Format menu, Font choice, Font tab then choose a color from the drop-down list in the middle of the screen.

Now, if the font color was changed before the text was typed then the whole process is repeated later on to put the color back to black.

And... if there are other areas to be changed, then it's back to the Format menu, Font choice, etc...

I don't know about you, but that's making me tired and frustrated just thinking about it.

But, there exists, unknown to many people, a faster way.

You see, there's this little button that with just one click gives you a font color palette to choose from.

Simply click the down arrow on the button then click on the color you need. (You may want to note that the last color used stays under the A—so if you need to set that color again, but it only takes another click on the A.)

One click, two click, font color done.

Office Tip of the Day

Formatting That Demands Their Attention

Do you ever find yourself looking for a way to make something really stand out in a Word document?

I don't mean just a bigger or different font—I mean a way to put something on the page that can't be ignored.

There are lots of things you can do (bolding, Italics, AutoShapes, etc...) but maybe turning this

into this

is just the trick you're looking for.

If you're thinking to yourself that you need to know how to do this one then read on.

The first step is to highlight the text that you want to be in the black box. (Just to create a border on the top and bottom of the text, I also highlighted the line above and below the text.)

Next, you'll need to go to the Format menu, Borders and Shading choice. (Alt, then O, then B also gets you there.)

Now that you're in the "Borders and Shading" window—you're looking for the Shading tab.

It's here that you can pick the background color. The example above was with a black background, but, as you can see, you have many choices.

Select the color that you want and then click OK.

You'll be returned to your document and when you click off the highlighted area you should see your information in a whole new way.

(If you have a version of Word that's really old you may have to change the text color to white yourself—newer versions will automatically switch the font color for you.)

By now I'm guessing that most of you can see a world of possibilities with this one. You're not limited to just black and white. If it's a file that will be shared electronically, or printed in color, then you can use this technique in a variety of ways to really grab their attention.

Just add a little color to your life!

~ April