Windows Backup Made Easy

One of the aspects of Apple's Leopard update to OS X that was so attractive to so many was Time Machine, the transparent yet effective backup system. I recommend Leopard upgrades to my clients that use Macs simply for the value that Time Machine provides. But, backup of Windows machines has been notoriously challenging, and virtually impossible for the typical PC owner. Enter Clickfree, who announce their new Clickfree Traveler and DVD Transformer today. The Traveler is a credit card-sized device with a 64GB capacity. Like all Clickfree devices, simply plugging it into a Windows computer causes the application to run and to back up the selected files. The combination of size and simplicity makes the system usable for any PC owner at home, at work, or on the road.

The DVD Transformer similarly provides one-step backup to the writable DVD or CD drive in your computer without the challenges of typical burning software. Plug the device into your PC's USB port, stick a writable disk into the drive, and it goes to work. You can span disks, and both backup and restore are straight-forward.

Over the next few days I'll have a more in-depth review, but if you have a Windows PC and haven't come up with a clean, consistent, and simple way to back up your files, the Clickfree devices are definitely worth a look.

Religion on an Airplane?

I'm sitting here at 38,000 feet somewhere over the central US, thinking about religions. But not the religions you may think I mean. Instead, technology religions. I have been involved in various forms of technology for many years, going back to the first time I programmed a machine with patch cords when I was in 4th grade. I have heard much of the preaching over the years, too, first from geeks, but more recently from the man on the street.

For example, as I settled into my seat here on my flight home, the young women next to me turned after hanging up her cell phone and ask, "I see you're using an Apple iPhone... do you use an Apple computer, too?" After I told her that I did now after many years of using a Windows PC, she told me that she was thinking about getting one.

"I am really thinking about it," she said, "But, I'm in the legal field..." and her voice trailed off. That's when I told her that a Mac can run Windows, and is able to run anything you might want. What you are unable to run on a Mac should no longer stop you from getting one.

Although there may be other reasons.

What I've noticed, though, is that people react to my use of an iPhone and a Mac. They often have a very emotional response, and make all kinds of assumptions about me: "Oh, you're an Apple guy," they'll say. Or, like the new Microsoft commercials, they'll say, "I'm not cool enough to have a Mac."

Thinking like this has no place in business. While entertaining at a cocktail party or questionably effective in an advertisement, there's no reason to waste any time with it as you try to work out what's best for you. For that, you want to look at what you want to do with your technology and find the most effective option.

This takes the religion out of the conversation and makes the choices much clearer.

After talking a bit about what it was like to use their current computers for their work, we talked about her options. I listened to her needs, and let her know my reasons for using a Mac for everything after years of being a Windows expert. I also told her why I often recommending them to my clients. Since I can (and do) run Windows on my Macs for things that will only run there, it's not a limitation. And since the Mac has been far more reliable and secure than Windows was for me, I haven't had any downtime due to a hung system, a virus, or any other malware.

Of course, I don't make the same recommendations for everyone.

She has asked me to work with her firm to get her the right computers, and software. I'll also help her make the changes she'll want to make. I'll work with her just as I've worked with dozens of other companies and business leaders to put the right technology to work for them.

It's kind of like that with social media. Is it something that can help you and your business?

Almost certainly!

But which and how? Those are the questions. And the answers depend on you, your business, your strategy for leads, customers, and engagement with them.

Because social media are so new, I've been asked to help business leaders understand it. It's NOT hard to understand, but you DO want to understand it before you make any of the mistakes made with social media every day.

Go to this special page for more information on how you can quickly get going with social media in a way that will help you and your buisness.

To YOUR success, Stephen Hultquist Your Geek Whisperer™

PS There's even more to social media and its benefits than you realize. I'll show you at this new page.

PPS For information about that amazing photo of the airplane in the Hudson, look here:

Twitter the Business Way

Recently, a few friends ganged up on me and asked me to coach them in using Twitter, the latest Web site to gather media attention. It turns out that you can use it as part of your business strategy, but there are a number of challenges along the way. So, I put together a coaching program. Here's the intro video:

Click to Play

Using Twitter, Facebook, and social networking for your business. Build relationships, increase sales, manage costs, increase profits. All by learning how to use these additional tools for your existing business.

You can learn more about this from the coaching page itself. I'd love to have you in the group!

Another External Disk Solution

As I wrote in my last post, I had a very frustrating experience trying to use a Cavalry external disk enclosure for expanded storage on my Mac Pro. I still needed the space, though, so had to go back to the drawing board. My next step was to look for an alternative. I did some additional research, and learned the eternal SATA (eSATA) disks come in two different types of enclosures: those that use eSATA Port Multiplier technology to connect multiple disks to a single cable and those that have one cable per disk connection. During my research, I learned that Port Multiplication reduces the throughput for data transfer from the disk to the system, so I elected to purchase the Icy Dock MB561S-4S Serial ATA 3.5-Inch Multi-Bay eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure. I combined the enclosure with four Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 32 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD1001FALS, and a Tempo 4CH Sata II PCIe Controller Ext E4P Multiplier.

In that list you see one of the downsides: I had to put the system together myself, instead of simply buying one packaged product. Too bad.

But, it worked well. Immediately after I installed the Tempo card and booted the system, I was able to configure the disks using the software RAID on the Mac Pro. I have run the enclosure now for over a month, and it has run very well. One thing that you'll want to know is that eSATA (unlike Firewire, USB, and even internal SATA) does not provide for a power-saving mode, so the disks will not spin down. The fan on the IcyDock will always spin, as well, adding noise to your environment. You will want to keep this in mind while making your own decision.

At this point, I have enough space to store and protect my media files and other data that had been clogging my smaller and slower disks. I can recommend this configuration as a solid option for those looking to expand their storage capacity.

The Cavalry... Didn't Rescue Me

You may remember that I recently wrote a review about the Cavalry CADA-SA4 4TB external RAID hard drive solution that included the eSATA RAID card in the package. After contacting the US support team, sending in the unit under RMA, and receiving it back, the problems persisted. The grey screen of death on a Mac is a rare event, and this hardware managed to do it consistently. Out it came and back to Amazon it went!

I admit to being very disappointed. I was looking forward to having an external drive array that would enable me to have sufficient space with protected disk. At this point, I had to go back to the drawing board... and I'll review the results in my next entry.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I fancy myself an audiophile, primarily because of my history. In my earlier years (before kids, minivans, and car seats), much of my discretionary income went to high-end audio equipment and source music. I still have my B&W 801s, but they are relegated to the basement. Like most of you, most of my music is now personal. I carry my iPhone everywhere, and my 80GB iPod on my travels. The limitations of the digital sources are not nearly as challenging as the limitations of the sound transducers... those little micro-speakers that you stick on or over your ears.

That is changing dramatically.

Two years ago, before a trip to teach skiing in Europe, I picked up a pair of Westone UM2 in-ear monitors to make the long plane flights more bearable. I had taken to using earplugs to block noise because I arrived less fatigued, and my musician and audio expert friends were using UM2s on stage as in-ear monitors.

So, I decided to give them a try, even though they were designed for stage and not personal music devices.

They sound very nice, but aren't quite the top-end audiophile 'phones. At the time, I was hearing rumors about a three-way design that Westone was planning (three speakers in each ear, one each for high-, mid- and low-frequency reproduction), but it wasn't available, yet. So, I settled in with the UM2s.

Last November, Westone released the Westone 3, their first earphones designed for the discriminating consumer and audiophile. They are, without question, the finest in-ear speaker system available today.

Shortly after I received my pair, I tested them at home and on domestic plane flights. Then, after Christmas, I headed off on another long trip to Europe (this time to Frankfurt and back) to test them in a noisy environment for a long period of time. I tested them on my iPhone, my video iPod, airplane audio systems (more on those in a minute), and computers.

The executive summary: an audiophile's dream in-ear sound transducers.

First, what you get:

The box comes backed full of eartips so that you can find the ones the work just right for you, including foam tips for soft, noise-blocking fit; Shure baffle-style, and the mushroom-style that is familiar from other earphones on the market. In addition, you also have an in-line volume control, an adapter to make the Westone 3 compatible with standard headphone ports, and a pouch for carrying them.

That's a lot in a relatively small package, and the 3s pack a punch.

I listened to the 3s reproducing music as varied as Dvo?ák and Genesis. The personal entertainment system on United's new Boeing 767 international business class allowed me to test with music beyond my own 53GB digital library, and to see how they handled both quiet sections of orchestral music, subtleties of jazz vocals, and even the interesting crackle of tower communication. Regardless what I listened to, the eartips blocked most background noise, allowing me to listen in peace whether awake or asleep (Westone specifies 25 dB passive noise attenuation).

I will say that I am not one who likes active noise canceling. I think it messes with the audio too much. As an electrical engineer, I certainly understand the theory behind it, but I also recognize the distortion that the process introduces. That's why I prefer the passive approach that Westone uses, and together with the exceptional sonic characteristics of the units, you will find a very pleasant experience, indeed.

Bass? From these tiny things?

One of the primary areas missing from headphones and earphones is effective, clear bass. In the case of the Westone 3, you will be pleasantly surprised. The deep bass pedals of Genesis' Suppers Ready (from their live Seconds Out album) and the deep echoes on the Chant album (by The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos) were clear and deep. I almost felt that I could feel them, but decided it can't be possible that I would feel bass from these small devices.

Similarly, treble was clear and without coloration, with strings and woodwinds sounding natural and not strident.

The bottom line is that these are as sonically close to a studio monitor as I have yet heard. For anyone who is looking for ways to enjoy music in more places (and who isn't?) without the expected compromise in quality, I highly recommend the Westone 3s.

I Just Hung Up

"I just couldn't believe it!" Ross was practically beside himself as he recounted the story, "Here we are, their customer, having spent thousands with them, and they were acting like it was all our fault that we were getting nothing from the system!" "And what about all the challenges you were having with it?" I asked.

"That was our fault, too. We apparently aren't smart enough or dedicated enough to use it."

I spent more time with Ross, discussing the needs his business had for a tool to help track critical business information through his business, and we came up with some idea about what to do next.

Needless to say, the plans didn't include their former vendor.

I admit to being more than a little surprised with the way some businesses are treating their customers these days. They seem to think that you -- as their customer -- are a necessary evil. Like their products are perfect and if you would just be smart enough to use it, you'd be fine. They are getting in a fight with their customers.

What garbage!

I actually spend more time than you'd think unraveling situations like this and working with my clients to find a path that will work for them.

I will also say that technology is a fickle mistress. There are times it works amazingly well, and times when it fails miserably. Unfortunately, there are times when it's the same technology succeeding or failing, and the reasons are hidden and their appearance fleeting. The good news, though, is that there's always a solution.

If you'd like to let me know some of the things that are frustrating you right now, drop over to the survey and let me know.

This all came back to me last week. I was invited to participate on a call with a couple of "Internet Marketing Experts." Always open to new ideas and to hear what others are doing that's successful, I dialed in. However, I didn't last long.

I had just entered the call when one of the hosts started his introduction, "Today," he said, "we know you're on this call to learn money-sucking strategies..." and that was all I heard. I hung up. Maybe I should have kept listening to see what I could have learned, but some things are too important to me, and he was violating one of them: integrity. I have no interest in "sucking" money from someone. Nor do I teach it to my business and entrepreneurial clients.

It bothered me enough that I brought it up with my coach, Matt Furey, when we spoke later in the week.

"I don't like it," I said to him. "It's about providing value. When we provide more value than we ask in return, it all works. When we don't..." I let it trail off. "Exactly!" he said. "More so now than it has been for the past few years. Some people just don't realize it, yet.

"Be clear about the value you generate," he continued. "Make sure that you know what it is and how your clients see it. Then always deliver more than they expect."

Good advice. I follow it and you should, too.

Let's go! ssh

PS I'm pretty excited about the ways that Facebook and Twitter are changing lives and business. I'd love to have you as a friend on Facebook and Twitter.

Life Would be Pretty Good...

I've been here in my office a lot the past few days working on a web site transition for one of my clients and getting my hands a little dirtier than usual tearing apart a hard drive that decided to go bad. I posted a few photos of the hard drive as I tore it apart to both Twitter and Facebook and made a few comments. It was very interesting the number of people who got caught up in my tearing apart a hard drive, including Mark, who has a couple of the same type of drives connected to his Mac, and Jim who asked if I had pulled the drives out and tried to mount them directly.

Great idea! I hadn't done that. So, I did. In the process, I found that one was completely dead, but the other would work (and allowed me to recover the data that had been on the disk since the data was the same on the two disks; they were mirrored).

Once again, my friends saved me some frustration... and money!

Of course, not everything went so smoothly. I was reminded of Rob Golden, who I worked with many years ago.

Rob was a great engineer at IBM. He was a programming engineer, and worked on a wide variety of projects across the company. I was grateful to get to know him as a young, wet-behind-the-ears IBMer. One day, I walked into his dimly lit office to catch up on projects, completely ignorant of the impact that the short meeting would have.

I leaned against his desk as he typed away, then he looked up at me over the top of his glasses. Rob was a veteran, with the gray hair and lines on his face to prove it. He was thoughtful and focused. He could laugh when we played a joke on him, but could be as serious as he needed to be.

On this day, we were talking about his latest software project, and the reactions of the users. "How's it goin'?" I asked innocently enough.

"Well," he replied, "It's going well. Life would be pretty good if it wasn't for these damn computers."

I miss Rob. And his irony.

...and I can certainly relate to his point. At least he didn't blame the users.

Like Bill Gates and other business technology experts, I am often asked about various technologies that people are considering using. Since I've worked with forums and sites like Facebook and Twitter for a while and they are really gathering momentum, I've been getting a lot of questions about them. So, I've decided to put together a new Benefits of Some Social Networks package of video and an executive summary. You'll be able to quickly scan, learn which systems you should -- and even more importantly, shouldn't -- use, what do watch out for, and how to make them beneficial instead of painful time-wasters.

Keep your eyes open for that... it'll be out next week.

Let's go! ssh

PS If you've got some technology frustrations, take the survey.

Scanning the Underbelly of the Web

I had a great conversation with Lifelock CEO Tod Davis (the "Here's my social security number" guy) about their new capabiltiies on this CIO Views blog post.

iPhone Update: Do the Upgrade to 2.1

The big upgrade to the iPhone that came in June, with the ability to add third-party applications, was huge.

It was also bug-ridden.

Your iPhone 3G likely experienced a lot of dropped calls, short battery life, applications that would crash and suffered performance issues, and a number of other annoying and possibly detrimental problems. Some of those crashes caused data loss, and it wasn't pretty.

Also, the earlier versions of the software claimed more power from the cell towers than they really needed, thus making them available for fewer other users.

The 2.1 software, released last week and broadcast via text message to all iPhone users by AT&T today, addresses many of these issues. In testing, battery life is considerably longer, and many of those performance issues are gone.

For example, selecting "Contacts" from the Phone application or the home screen would take a long time to come up. Searching was sluggish, and using the alphabet along the right side was painfully sluggardly. The new software addressed this.

So, iPhone users, it's time to upgrade, even if you've waited a while.

Gentling the Savage Technology

It has long been a frustration to me that the very things that can help a business -- especially the smaller, entrepreneurial effort -- are the ones that are kept somehow secret or fearful. Many leaders hire someone to take care of technology, hope they do the right thing, and view it as a necessary evil; as a cost of doing business.

It can be the foundation of competitive advantage. It should always be a profitable part of your business.

My calling is to show you the benefit that technology can be to you. First, though, we have to gentle the savage technology. I'm The Geek Whisperer.

Google's Chrome Team: How It Should Be Done

I love what the Google Chrome team is doing, and wrote about it on my CIO Views blog.

E-mail Deliverability: Steps to Take

Things you can do to defend yourself against being blocked in this CIO Views blog post on InfoWorld.

Google's Chrome's a Shining Beta

I've just posted a CIO Views on Google's Chrome.

E-mail Deliverability: Things That Go Bump in the Night

Second in a series at the InfoWorld CIO Views blog: E-mail deliverability: things that go bump in the night

Email Deliverability: When Critical Isn't Reliable

First in a series of CIO Views blog posts on InfoWorld: Email Deliverability: When Critical Isn't Reliable.

Real Performance is Hard to Find

Another CIO Views post at InfoWorld: Real Performance is Hard to Find.

Microsoft + Yahoo! => Google

Another CIO Views blog post at InfoWorld: Microsoft + Yahoo! => Google.

The Purpose of IT

Another CIO Views blog post at InfoWorld: The Purpose of IT.