Loving Windows 8

It was a big decision.

And I had been looking around for quite a while.

My working computer is five years old now, and I still use the Windows XP operating system.

My son's computer has Vista which I have checked out but never really got into it.

A new laptop has now joined the network in our house.

And it has Windows 8.

I was concerned about it as I have heard that many people do not like it and find it confusing to use.

I was afraid that my current programs would not work and I would have to invest in updated ones.

 I was afraid I wouldn't be able to run my business and websites on it either because I thought it ran on mostly apps and it was hard to get back to what I was used to.

But I really had no worries once I started using it.

My programs all work fine even my Photoshop 7 which doesn't work on Vista and on only some versions of 7.

There are no problems with accessing and running my websites and business software either.

And Window 8 - I really like it!

It's like having a tablet with all it's apps and a laptop computer all in one.

And you just have to hit the "start" key to toggle back and forth between the two.

The apps are much the same as my iPhone and tablet so everything stays updated on every device - especially my books and music.

Much of the back end of getting into the computer files remains the same as in XP.

There are many cool features that Windows 8 offers and I am learning more each day.

I am excited about my new laptop and can't wait to give out all the details.

So don't be afraid of Windows 8 - keep an open mind and you will find it is fun and not very hard to understand.

Finally A Choice Made

We spent a lot of time reading reviews, checking our finances, and coming to a decision as to what type of DVD system or surround sound system that we would like.

It had finally gotten to the point that we couldn't put up with the speaker in the TV any longer.

We spent time in the electronics stores listening to the different brands.

We checked out the component systems too, which we really liked, but our pocketbook did not.

So that whole style of set-up was ruled out.

Now we knew we needed the surround sound type of set-up.

Since we also needed the DVD player, we needed to decide on what style of that too.

We elected to go with a blu-ray player since it also plays regular DVDs which we have plenty of.

And it really wasn't all that more expensive to go with that type.

We listened to some pretty bad systems, even though they were in our price range.

And the really awesome ones were too expensive.

So we chose to go with a Pioneer system, which has always offered quality products for a reasonable price.

It has 1100 watts, is blue-ray, has a dock for my iPhone, and it has built-in wifi so we can stream movies from online to our TV.

That was the really cool part that we had never even considered in the beginning of our search.

It took a whole day to get everything set up correctly, and learn how to use the machine with the TV and also the VCR as we still have loads of VHS tapes too.

It was well worth the work and effort, and we love the sound of this system.

It retails for $399, and we picked it up, brand new in the box, for $274 shipped to us.

All is working great - I just now need to figure out the wifi streaming part and sign up with one of the online software companies that came included in the system.

We are pleased with our choice and so is the pocketbook!

In Search Of

The DVD player with surround sound has bit the dust.

We have had it for about six years, and it wasn't one of the better ones, so I guess it was time.

But now we have no speakers for the TV as we had it running through that player for the better sound quality than the speakers on the TV.

So we have been in search of a new home theater system and DVD player.

There are so many different kinds and choices.

We have been thinking about a blu-ray, but they are rather pricey.

We have also given thought to going with a component system rather than running everything through the DVD player for the sound.

That way, once something goes, we only have to replace that part, not the whole system as we have to do now.

No matter which way we go, the prices are high on all these items.

We are keeping our options open, and are considering used also.

We are really hoping someone gets a new system for Christmas, and will be selling their old one.

The search will continue, and I will let you all know what we end up with.

And of course, how we were able to piece it all together - the blend of old and new technology that we have now.

Discovering Pinterest

Not sure how long Pinterest has been around, but I have just recently discovered it.

And it is a blast - in my opinion anyway.

I cannot believe how much is connected through these "photos" that get posted to the different boards.

Anything at all that you can think of searching for on the internet can be "pinned" for later use, viewing pleasure, promotion, or just plain bookmarking and sharing.

I have found I can post many of my images for sale and my blog posts - and it is a free promotional tool when used this way.

But there is so much more.

Find a recipe you want to try - pin it and get back to it later - the link on the photo will take you to the sight online where it is posted.

Want to start a list of your favorite movies or books - you can easily do that.

Planning a wedding, party, reunion, or vacation - it's all covered.

Hobbies, sports, animals, cars, space, celebrities, quotes, home decorating, art, tech stuff, anything at all is there just waiting to be discovered in a photo.

It is addicting - I have 83 boards already and over 4000 pins - and new ideas for boards are just waiting to be created.

You can find me here - follow along with me if you like.

I have great boards filled with awesome pins - I am picky and only take the best I find in all my subjects.

And I love that I can do it from my computer, cell phone, or best of all my tablet - where the images are big and bright and I am comfy in my evening chair.

Google Tablet

In my last post I mentioned I had decided on which tablet I thought was the best deal for the money.

And I have been using it for over a month now, and it is just as great as I thought it would be.

I bought the Google Nexus 7 by Asus.

It is a seven inch tablet which I liked the feel of rather than the ten inch ones - they were too big to hold in one hand for an extended time.

And compared to my iPhone, the seven inch screen is great.

And the HD display it has shows gorgeous colors and details.

It has a quad core processor which just flies - no waiting around for things to load on this baby.

I decided to go with the 16gb memory, and the cost for it was $249.

At the time, Google included a $25 credit to be used in the Play store.

It is great for apps and books and I still have about $8 left - I try to get the apps on "sale" when they sometimes have them.

The memory is about half filled up now, and that includes all my music from my iPhone.

It uses Wifi instead of 4G, so there are no extra charges on my cell phone plan.

I love the smooth scrolling across the glass face, and a stylus is a plus.

I keep it protected in a book-like case which swivels and can be a stand also.

There are several apps I use on it that sync with my iPhone, so everything stays up to date on whatever I input into the programs.

I love that I am always on the right page of what I am reading through the Kindle app - it syncs perfectly all the time.

The app updates run smoothly, and I have had absolutely no problems with this tablet at all.

The apps have not stalled, froze, or messed anything up with it.

Of course, I am pretty careful on what I download - there are problems with some of the games bringing viruses through with them.

Good thing I like the productivity, educational, and reading apps the best - they are the least likely to have problems.

If you are looking for a great, up to date, reasonable priced tablet, then check out the Google Nexus 7 - you won't be disappointed!

Inspecting Tablets

I have a new toy - a tablet.

And I spent quite a bit of time researching which one was the best.

All reviews pointed to the Apple iPad, and I must say it was tempting.

But the price was not.

I have an iPhone with 16gb memory, and I only have 2gb left.

And since the two would sync - it would be filled up quickly.

And the 32gb was just too much money.

So I kept researching.

Then I went into the electronic stores to check them out.

So many different ones - different sizes, different features, different memories and memory capabilities.

And some of them were quite expensive too.

I made my decision - price, size, and memory being the deciding factors.

I have been using it for a couple of days now.

And I couldn't be more pleased!

In my next post I will give you all the details - so stay tuned!

Drops Are Done

I have been reading on a couple of blogs that I drop my Entrecards on each day, that the future of EC is not looking good.

The system has been down on that site for the past  few days - it has never been down this long with problems in the past.

I can only think that it is down for good this time.

There were a group of us there that would visit each other's blogs.

I enjoyed them and what my fellow bloggers had to say.

I would like to find a way to add them to some kind of list that I can visit periodically to keep up with them.

I had cut my drops down about a year ago and kept the blogs that I really enjoyed.

Almost like a second family - I will miss the daily visits, and the traffic source that Entrecard brought to all four of my blogs.

If anyone has any good suggestions for a list or for increasing traffic - please let me know!

Farewell Entrecard - it was good while it lasted!