Free Software Can Save Big Bucks … and it’s legal

Free Software Can Save Big Bucks … and it’s legal

The fall is traditionally a time when many decide to upgrade their home computer or laptop.  The good news is the prices of desktop and laptop computers continue to be very affordable. While they may be inexpensive, they often come with some very powerful processors and more storage than most of us will ever need.  However, once you make the purchase you are often in for a surprise.  Some of the software on your old computer may not be compatible with your new machine.  Operating systems like XP, have been retired. New operating software, like Windows 7 and 8, provide a plethora of power and features, but if you want to take advantage of many of these improvements you may be required to replace your word processor, spreadsheet and email programs.

Even a basic suite of programs like Microsoft  Office (Student Version) which contains MS Word, a word processor, Excel, a spreadsheet program and Power Point, a presentation program, costs about $150.  If you want the deluxe edition, the price can go over $500.  That is more money than some of us will pay for the new computer.  Even MS Office 365, an annual subscription version, can still cost more than $100 per year.

You may be surprised to learn that you have an option and do not need to purchase these expensive software packages.  There are very good programs available free on the Internet.  No, they are not pirated versions of Microsoft programs.  If you download them you need not worry about having a visit from a contingent of FBI agents.

One of the leading free packages is Open Office, a suite of programs that has been developed by some very smart volunteer programmers spread throughout the world.  In fact, the code for these programs, rather than being a guarded corporate secrete, is available to anyone who wants to make improvements to the programs.  As of this writing there have been more than 120 million downloads of the Open Office software.

The basic package available at www.openoffice.org contains a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation program, database program and a neat drawing program. All of them are compatible with MS Office. You can read and write files in Open Office and use those files in MS Office and visa versa.  Open Office looks and feels much like Microsoft Office.  You will find many of the same conventions, icons and tools.  If you have used MS Word or Excel, you will need little or no training on Open Office.

Getting Open Office is a snap.  Just set your browser to www.openoffice.org and follow the downloading directions.  It will take about 20 minutes to download the programs and set them up on your computer.

Open Office has been around since the late 1990s and is used by people all over the world.  Since the development is ongoing there are new features and improvements offered through the Open Office website all the time.

Before you order that new version of MS Office, you may wish to give Open Office a try.  What have you got to lose?  You can’t beat the price. 

HBO and CBS Expand Online Streaming

Last week HBO announced plans to increase program offerings using internet-based streaming.  While the very popular service has had some presence online, the bread and butter business has been delivering programs in cooperation with traditional cable and satellite services.  In the past in order to view HBO programs on your tablet, computer, smartphone or internet connected TV, you were required to be a cable or satellite service subscriber.  In fact, research indicates that HBO is a significant driver of cable customers to subscribe in the first place.  Simply put, up until now if you wanted to watch Game of Thrones, The Sopranos or Boardwalk Empire, three very popular HBO series, you had to subscribe to HBO via your cable company and pay a hefty monthly bill.

For several years customers of cable and satellite services had complained that they were forced into expensive program packages in order to get one or two of the networks they really wanted to watch.  For example, the average US cable customer pays $5.00 per month for ESPN even if they never watch it.  Recently there has been a slow but steady erosion of cable subscribers who prefer the “pay for what you watch” model promoted by online program providers.  HBO, the 800lb gorilla, has been slow to embrace the online model until now.   Their decision may bring us to a tipping point toward a la carte pay TV on cable.

It is not only the cable networks that are embracing an online pay-as-you-go model.  CBS announced that it will begin offering most of its shows online for a $6 monthly fee.  This will allow popular CBS shows to be viewed on demand bypassing local CBS affiliate (in Cincinnati Channel 12 WKRC).  While the other major broadcast networks have not announced similar services, competition will mostly force their hands.

These developments may offer the viewer more options in convenience and program diversity.  The impact however goes well beyond program choice.  The very basic business model of local TV stations is changed by the CBS plan.  Once a conduit for a national schedule of programs, the local station is no longer required to retransmit programming coming from the networks.  The worrisome outcome may be that the TV stations will follow the lead of radio stations when radio networks disappeared.  AM radio today has become a marginalized service full of shrill talk and a forum for both far left and far right wing zealots.  

The train has indeed left the station and there is no turning back.  Let’s hope that some creative minds can find a sustainable model for local TV stations.  They do provide local services that are invaluable to the communities in which they broadcast.

First Responders Need Your Location

The number of people giving up their home land line telephone service continues to increase.  Many look at the monthly bill from Cincinnati Bell or other phone companies and decide that what they are getting is not worth the price.  For example, many traditional phone companies charge extra for making long distance calls.  Long distance service is usually included at no extra cost with mobile phone plans and most of the internet-based home phone services.  It may seem easy to decide to just dump the hard-wired service, but a little investigation could save more than your money.

First responders have expressed concern about the increased number of calls coming into the 911 dispatch centers from mobile phones.   Many of these calls come in without an automatic location indication of the caller.  If the person needing help is disoriented, confused, or perhaps from out of town and not familiar with the local area, they may not be able to provide the exact location of the emergency and their response may be delayed.  Calls coming in from traditional land lines automatically indicate to the 911 dispatcher the location of the caller.

There has been proposed legislation at the Federal level requiring all mobile phones and carriers to have location software installed on all phones.  To date it is not required and the mobile phone lobby is fighting the requirement.

But it is not only mobile phones that have this issue. Many households have given up the traditional land lines and opted for an internet-based service.  Providers like Vonage, Time Warner, majicjack, basictalk, ooma and others use your existing telephones and wiring in your house, but instead of connecting to a traditional telephone company network like Cincinnati Bell, they use your internet connection to place calls.  These internet phone services are often much less expensive and a can be a good option. 

If you do decide to jettison your land line and go with one of these internet-based services there is an important set up configuration you must do before you begin using it.  This set up identifies the specific location of the telephone to any 911 operator.  A traditional land line automatically is set up to identify the phone’s exact street address.  

So, when you first install the new service be sure to activate the 911 option.  It could save your life.

Wi-Fi on the Go

Our wireless world continues to expand with Wi-Fi hotspots easy to find most anywhere you travel, but there are still times when you are on the go—staying at an old hotel, in a park, camping or traveling in your car—and can find no Wi-Fi.  It can be frustrating not to stay connected and be able to do all those things you need do on the web. 

Just the other day I got a call from a relative who was going to be out of town on business and needed to access materials online using his iPad.  His iPad does not have 4G internet access (many don’t as this feature costs extra).  For him and you there are some options that you might consider.

If you have a smartphone, either iPhone or Android, you can often set up the phone to serve as a Wi-Fi wireless router.  It depends on the model of the phone and, more importantly, your carrier.  Most carriers have restrictions to prevent you from sharing your mobile data and require a monthly extra fee to do so.  Also, you need to be careful as it is very easy, when connected to the Wi-Fi, to use up your monthly data allowance, which will result in extra data fees.

Many carriers like Verizon, Sprint and AT&T also sell stand-alone devices that connect to the 4G network and provide Wi-Fi service to as many as 10 devices.  Many teachers use these devices when conducting class lectures in the field, since it allows a small group of students to all be connected.  Again, these devices have monthly data fees.  I have used the Clearwire version offered by Sprint and it works very well.  Depending on the network coverage, these devices can even be used in a moving car.  Once you are out of a metropolitan area, however, the coverage can be a bit sparse.

Finally, you may have seen commercials touting Chevrolet’s new in-car Wi-Fi.  The new offering provides up to 20 simultaneous internet connections to passengers.  Chevrolet has yet to offer a solution for how to fit 19 people in your back seat.

This new service does open the door for many internet based applications like Pandora, iTunes and other entertainment services.  Also, allowing passengers to use laptops and tablets might make a long trip seem shorter.

Chevy’s new service has an annual price of about $200 upfront and a monthly minimum data fee of about 30 bucks.  The coverage map is impressive, but it is still too early to get actual reports from users. 

For sure the Wi-Fi enabled car is going to be common with others joining Chevrolet’s lead. Ford, VW, BMV and many others already have internet-connected cars; internal Wi-Fi capability is a simple addition.

Two things to remember: When using Wi-Fi in the car, make sure it is the passenger doing the internet browsing.  When using any of these 4G devices, be careful not to rack up a bank-breaking data bill at the end of the month.  Otherwise, the YouTube cat video you viewed while driving over the river to grandma’s house may be the most expensive video you ever watched.