Open Office: Sweet Productivity Suite...For Free

Gimme Great Freeware
Since I'm not into spending money indiscriminately, especially these days, I like to keep my head up for bargains where they are available. And, yeah, I'm the first one to admit that sometimes you do have to spend a little cash to get quality...but when it's possible to get something great for free, I'm there.
That's Open Office. I found out about it when I got tired of the Microsoft Works that is (and has been for several years) preloaded on Microsoft's Operating systems. For basic word processing, Works is okay, but nowadays, even basic users want a little bit more...to say nothing of users like me who need more (on a shoestring budget). No, it's not just for Windows...read on.

Here's The Deal
Open Office is an open-source (free) productivity suite with all the major applications needed for, well, being productive. There's Writer; for word processing/desktop publishing, Calc; for spreadsheets, Impress; for multimedia presentations (think PowerPoint), Draw; for both simple and complex sketches and designs, Math; for both simple aritmetic and complex calculations, and Base; a nifty database application.
Because it is open source, not only is it a free license, but it comes with loads of support. An entire community of developers and other users (which you can certainly participate in, if you want) is always there for you. You want tutorials? Covered. Tips & tricks, troubleshooting, any questions that begin, "How do I..." or "Why can't I...." will be answered. And don't let me forget about updates; the available updates are frequent enough to keep you up to speed, but not often enough to make you groan, "But I just updated the darn thing YESTERDAY!"
While Open Office is a suite, you do have the option of "customizing" the download to include only the applications you want. My advice is this: Unless you have to count megabytes on your hard drive like a miser (which is a good indication that you need more space anyway), just download the whole suite. It's easier, and you just never know when you might miss one of the applications you excluded during the download configuration.
Let's talk about extensions. There are tons of useful extensions (advanced add-ons) for the different applications in the Open Office suite. I had myself a look-see through a small portion of what's available at the Open Office Extension site, and it's impressive. For example, I found one called "Writer's Tools," which has a few advanced features that make my current projects a bit easier.
Open Office will run on all the major Operating System Platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Sun Solaris) so there's no need to be left out. As of this post, the current version is 2.4.1, though version 3.0 is available in Beta.

Tell Me More, Tell Me More
Okay, so here's the "Don't just take my word for it" review plug. Here are a couple of comprehensive reviews for Open Office (current version 2.4.1) from CNET's Download.com sites...a Review of Open Office for Windows, and a Review of Open Office for Mac. You can download Open Office at those sites, or to learn even more about it, visit the Open Office main site.

Coming Soon: Thinkin' about video freeware, Objective view of Mac from a PC guy, My Windows IE is feeling neglected.

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Lookin' for PDA Phone Love

So, Here's the thing: The cell phone I have right now, a Sanyo Katana 2 on Sprint, has served me well so far. The basic features of good call quality and web browser adequate for checking emails or doing a location search were enough. Until now. What's changed is the need for a device that does more, and that takes me into the heavenly realm of the current smartphone and PDA Phone market. I've spent a lot of time looking at reviews on lots of sites and blogs for my idea of a perfect PDA phone. LOTS of time. There have been days when I had to leave the computer and take a walk to look at the nature outside because I feared I would go blind.
My filters are simple. Obviously, the call quality needs to be pretty darn good, first of all. Messaging, especially email and IM are important to me...and I only need them to be reliable and user-friendly. Also, because I plan to take advantage of the office applications (especially word processing) common to smartphones and PDA phones, I'm looking for a comfortable keyboard experience. In other words, FUNCTION over all. The wow factor is nice, but we all know that it wears off, and if it's the only deciding factor, the end of the romance is ugly.
I'll spare you numerous other smartphone/PDA devices I've pretty much ruled out for various reasons, and get to the sweet stuff.
These are the two most likely contenders. According to the rumors flying around, they could both end up at AT&T. That'll be my new carrier of choice for the lucky unit, because AT&T Wireless' plan modules suit my needs better than anything I could get from my current carrier, Sprint. I'm hoping to avoid the unlocked route, since I know that leads to a potentially difficult education for an intermediate personal tech user like me.

HTC Touch Pro
According to the info I've read, this is the next generation of the HTC 8925, a.k.a. TyTn 2, AT&T Tilt, Sprint Mogul, etc. It features a left-sliding QWERTY keyboard, touch screen, HTC's "Touch Flo" interface for initial access to main functions. It runs Windows Mobile, including the mobile version of Microsoft Office. The build quality looks pretty good, though I've seen several reviews pointedly mentioning it's resemblance to a brick...and sure, that's noticeable, but not of huge importance to me. There are numerous reviews of this badboy out there. I've watched a fair few "hands-on" and "unboxing" videos on YouTube, and checked out many review articles. For a start, check this one out at Gizmodo.
As of this post, The latest rumor I've seen about Carrier Branding here in the U.S. is that it will be branded by AT&T as the "Fuze." It's only a rumor at this point, and as far as I know, the point of origin is a blurb at WMExperts. And that doesn't mean other U.S. carriers won't pick it up as well. The general chatter is that this may appear in the U.S. sometime in September or October.


Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
According to Sony, this is the "flagship" of the Xperia line of devices. I gotta admit, it's a pretty sexy launch unit. This, too, sports a touch screen with a distinctive user interface they simply refer to as "panels." The sliding QWERTY keyboard has an oh-so-slight concave arch to it, being both artistic and slightly more comfortable in the hand (I'm guessing). The Xperia X1 also runs Windows Mobile. Its construction is pretty impressive, too. Besides just looking solid, it has stainless steel elements in the outer shell. There isn't nearly as much information available (as far as reviews and chatter) on this one yet. I'm thinking that might be because it's being talked about for a November-ish release. There may not be many reviews, but I have a great one for you. Head on over to The Boy Genius Report to find out much more about this delicious phone.

In all my swimming through reviews of these two tasty devices (and all the others I've cut from the running), I've gotten a bit of an education about expectations versus reality. Generally, the official release shows off the device's potential. Then, when it's picked up by a carrier, it gets loaded with the carrier's branding software (so often referred to as "bloatware"). Many times, this reduces or removes some of the features that make a device so attractive. So, as much as I am in love with both of these honeys, common sense tells me to calm down a bit and watch what happens. As far as it goes, I'm leaning toward the HTC Touch Pro, just because it's supposed to be coming sooner.

Upcoming: Open Office rocks, and More on Firefox v. IE

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Just For Fun From YouTube

Okay, So I'm a MetalHead, but I saw these videos on YouTube a while back, and I think they're pretty cool. I mean, who would think of making music from Microsoft Operating Systems?

First up, a Song made entirely of Error Sounds from Windows XP:



Not bad, huh?

Now, just to show that I'm not singling out Windows XP, here's one Titled "The Windows Vista Error Song"



I think this one was a little more funky and inventive. Feel free to leave a comment with YOUR opinion.

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Mozilla Firefox 3 Challenges Windows Internet Explorer 7 For "My Default Browser" Title

For Internet navigation, I've only been familiar with Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer (currently, version 7). Since it's always been good enough for me, there was never a need to look around for something better. However, these days I've been feeling more confident about exploring options outside of my "stock" set.
I've heard people talking about Mozilla Firefox for a long time now, and I can't remember exactly where, but I recently saw a discussion that made me decide to give it a try. I followed that up with a search of comparison reviews Firefox 3 (latest version, available since July) starting at CNET, which also has Firefox 3 available on their Download.com page. There are loads of other places to find great practical reviews, so I won't list them here, because you have a search box too, and I can only assume you know how to use it.
There were three basic points in the comparison reviews that gave me the green light to try it out.
Number one: Firefox 3 is FREE...ya gotta love Open Source software (you're more likely to try if you don't have to buy).
Next was the comparison of browsing speeds/page load times, which I think is touted as the main attraction.
The other was the user interface (UI), described as more intuitive and VERY customizable.
I also suggest a full exploration of the feature set on Mozilla's Firefox 3 info page.
After downloading and installing the correct version for Microsoft Windows Vista, off I went.
Note: Firefox 3 runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux Platforms (as if anyone running Linux wouldn't already know this), but is not supported by some older versions of these OS's...so you'll want to verify that.
I'm not going to go into detail on those custom options; there are so many choices, and you can explore that on your own. What's important is that Firefox 3 offers tons of add-ons and plug-ins (both useful and just plain fun), available through the Tools menu.
For me, the biggest attraction is the "Awesome Bar," search box located conspicuously at the top center of the browser. It remembers all sorts of keywords/tags from every page you've visited in the Firefox 3 browser (as well as the bookmarks automatically imported from your default browser when you install Firefox 3). As soon as you start typing a relevant keyword (a site name, a subject, a title, etc.) in the "Awesome bar" you see a drop-down menu below the box listing the most likely options. This feature gets more and more useful the more you browse. I consider this very intuitive to the way we all think in keywords. This also means you don't have to clutter up your bookmarks with a lot of obscure pages you don't visit often.
The browsing speed also impressed the pants off me. All this time that I've been using Windows IE, I assumed the sometimes painfully slow page load times to be the fault of my Internet connection alone (Sprint Mobile Broadband USB Card). Oh, sure, the bandwidth doesn't offer as much love as, for example, a high-speed Internet connection...but it was NOT just my Aircard. The Firefox 3 browser showed me just how fast I can go with my little Sierra Wireless 595U friend. I can only assume that Windows IE, as great as it may be, is probably bogged down with all sorts of redundant program codes (a mystery to the average user like me) that Microsoft feels is necessary. I'm not hating....remember, I'm on Windows Vista.
I should also mention that there's a fair bit of security goodness built in to Firefox 3, with plenty of additional advanced security options available. These options are every bit as good as (maybe better than) what's available with Windows IE.
Another selling point (for me) is that the Google integration on Firefox 3 is giving me a new place to combine my development of writing (can you say: Blogger and GoogleDocs?) with general life stuff...in a more user-friendly way than Windows IE.
Now, since I've only been rockin' the Firefox 3 for a week or so, this is not the last you've heard about my experience. And yes, when I come across something in the browser that I want to compare to Windows Internet Explorer, I'll check it out. So, I'll be bringing it up from time to time.

Coming Soon: Which smartphone will I marry? Also, my days and nights with Open Office...

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Just A Few Thoughts on Windows Vista

As, I said in my initial post, I'm not the world's biggest technophile...I just know what works for me. That being said, I'd like to offer my humble opinions on Windows Vista.
I used Windows XP Home edition on my former roommate's system for three years, and I thought (and still do) that XP is a great, solid OS...I mean, it's been around for a few years now, and it's had eons (in tech terms) to mature and develop into a very useful system. I definitely became familiar with it, got used to it, and even became infatuated with the system sounds (even the "critical stop" alert that most people I know find too jarring and loud).
When I bought my own Toshiba Satellite laptop one year ago, it was after much consideration on usage, price, and hardware specs...but one of the most agonizing was: Should I go with XP or Vista? I had heard the wailing and gnashing of teeth from those who had updated from XP to Vista, and I was concerned, too. I kept hearing about crashes, and incompatibilities, and thought, it couldn't be that bad, could it? What made the decision for me was pricing and availability. At the same time I was doing my comparison shopping, I noticed a sudden price jump for systems with XP, while pre-loaded Vista was (not surprisingly) priced lower and were immediately more prevalent. Though, even now, I think it's still possible to get a brand new computer loaded with Windows XP, but they're scarce.
Back to now. After a full year of using Windows Vista Home Premium on a 200GB HD, 1GB RAM, for lots of web browsing, typical communications, and average use...not to mention lots of system updates (including Service Pack 1) that have kept anything icky from happening, I am quite happy with it.
Having said that, here's the caveat: I've given many people I know this advice, based on my experience tempered with reading loads of articles/blogs from people who know way more than I do. If you are getting all new hardware, I can't see the need to be afraid of Vista. It's far easier to buy a new system with Vista, and XP's support is going to be yanked soon, anyway. When it's pre-loaded, unless you have too many needs that it can't fill, just go with the Vista. HOWEVER (and I'm still saying this), if you don't find yourself severely limited with your maturing Windows XP, stay with it. I'm pretty sure a lot of current XP users will be fine skipping Vista altogether, since Microsoft is cooking up "Windows 7" for release in another year or two. I've actually begun to wonder if me and the other Vista users are on the "transition" system between two solid OS's.
As an end note, a quick word about the system sounds in XP and Vista. A little thing, I know, but sometimes it's the little things that matter. I never quite got used to the drastic change in the sounds that Vista has. On my Toshiba laptop, even with Harman Kardon speakers, some of the sounds were barely audible, and not exceptionally distinctive (except the "system start" sound). I looked everywhere for the wav. files of the Windows XP sounds, found them, snagged them, and created a theme in the settings. They never worked properly, so I restored the Vista default sounds and reassigned the XP sounds to my Yahoo Messenger alerts. That works out better, because I get to hear them more often.

Coming Soon: I'll talk about my current tryout of Mozilla Firefox version 3, after being a Windows Internet Explorer user for ages...and my continuing search for (my) perfect PDA/smartphone.

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The Compressed Backstory

Okay, so we start back in my childhood. Since I'm in my late thirties, that means the glorious '70s. Everyone was on the Bell system and, at my house, there was ONE wall-mounted rotary phone. By the way...I'll try to remember to post the Google Video link for the educational film I watched in Mrs. Mintz's second grade class; produced by AT&T and called "Telezonia," its sole purpose was to teach elementary school students about telephone use and all of the magical things the "Phone Company" could do.
Let's not forget the other areas of life. Television (in the Chicago metro area) consisted of ABC, CBS, NBC, WGN, WTTW (PBS), WFLD (Before it was FOX), and two Spanish-language channels: 26 and 44 (I have forgotten the station call letters). Back then we were rockin' the Vinyl LP's and 8-tracks. Before MTV, radio was everything...and no, I won't list all the great Chicago radio from the 70's. If you get it, you get it...if you don't, you don't.
As I grew up, I did stay a bit behind the times where tech is concerned. The main reason for this is being lower-middle class and not having the funds to jump on every tech development that came along...whether just a trend or 'here to stay." As a result, I kind of stayed with the "johnny-come-lately" theme.
I built up a huge cassette tape collection and didn't switch to CD's until the mid-90's, when no one was releasing new stuff on tape anymore. Never had a full-on stereo system; I just used those "boomboxes." Never had cable T.V. in my parents' home (they still don't), Though, these days, I'm not watching T.V. anyway. Internet? I had a brief encounter with it in the early 90's, and while the concept blew me away, I didn't think it had any practical uses for me at the time. I finally got an email account in 2001, and had to use an "Internet cafe" for a while. Nothing wrong with those, but if it's your only source for Internet, even moderate usage adds up to big $$. I held out on a cellphone until early 2002, when I ditched my land line and got a Cingular prepaid phone. That didn't last long, because I had seriously misjudged my usage and it seemed I was forever loading more and more minutes, spending way too much. At the moment I'm with Sprint PCS, but I have an upcoming change to AT&T Wireless (and whatever tasty smartphone/PDA I end up with). What really brought me up to date, and has shortened my tech lag time, was moving in with my former roommate in 2004. He's an Internet/Systems tech, so his PC (Windows XP) along with all the hardware and gadgety goodness really has given me an education.
I moved out of his place a year ago, got my own little Toshiba laptop with a Sprint Mobile Broadband (Sierra Wireless Aircard 595U), Vista Home Premium (don't hate...pre-loaded Vista is not as problematic as "upgrading" XP to Vista) and should soon be adding a home Internet connection.
So, there you have it. As you can see, I fall somewhere in the middle (along with most people) between "total tech noob" and "grand supreme tech guru." I'm neither bragging, nor putting myself down. I'm an average end user who learns when he needs to, and is a fairly quick study.

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What is "My Tech Evolution?"

Welcome to My Tech Evolution!
You are reading this because you wanted to know what this blog is about.
The short answer is: I wanted a place to share my discoveries and things I've learned in the realm of internet, communications, software, and consumer electronics technology....and to have you (the reader) share your similar interests here.
In this space, you're going to read about software and gadgets, web sites and services, and maybe a helpful hint or two.
The focus of My Tech Evolution is the average/novice user who uses computers, cellphones, software, internet, etc...but wants to foster a better understanding of the hardware, software, and communications networks we all take for granted. I'm certainly not a hardcore "tech geek," and you're probably not either, but we are interested (sometimes rabidly) in learning more...so let's do it together.

Just in case the arrangement of the page is not self-explanatory, I'd like to share a few tips for navigating it.
I assume you already understand the purpose of the tabs at the top of the page, since you most likely clicked the About tab to arrive at this post, but maybe you don't, so here's the rest:

The Home tab is to navigate back to the My Tech Evolution main page.
The RSS tab takes you to a page that will let you subscribe to the Post Feed for My Tech Evolution.
The Profile tab lands you on my Blogger Profile page, where you'll find basic info about me, and any other blogs I might be running (currently, there are no others).
I may add other tabs in the future to make navigation of My Tech Evolution quicker and easier.

Take some time to explore the sidebars on the right side of the page:

I positioned the tags list to be very visible just to the right of the posts, so you can see a list of topics found here on My Tech Evolution. Click on one that interests you, and you'll be taken to a page listing all the posts with that particular tag.
To the right of the tags list, you'll see the recent posts list. This is to let you see titles of recent posts that are further down the page, or on subsequent pages.
I've discovered that these two modules invites readers into the blog without necessarily scrolling through page after page of posts.

I've also included a useful search bar, always located just above the most recent post. This lets you search my blog posts and sites I've linked to in the posts for keywords.

There are many other goodies in the sidebars. Some will remain, some will change, but all of them are there to be explored.

One last thing...for My Tech Evolution to be useful for you and me, make sure to leave comments. I'm very easygoing about reader comments. The only ways to get a comment deleted are being hateful/spiteful/otherwise derogatory, repeatedly spamming, and being antagonistic.

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