Techmadrad

Reading and storing journal articles on the iPad

drsanjuuk — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:43:28 +0000

There is an awesome review of the apps on the iPad to organize your PDF files your iPad.

In these reviews, iMedicalApps looks at PDF management apps that allow iPad users to annotate, organize and access their documents. The two-part review breaks down the pros and cons of using GoodReader, PDF Expert, PDF Reader Pro, Sente, Papers, iAnnotate, & Dropbox. Although this review found that PDF Expert was the best overall application for annotation and organization, the reviewers also point out that Sente and Papers allow users to manage especially large PDF libraries and easily search for documents. These reviews are essential reads for iPad users–particularly those who use their iPads to store journal articles for research.

Part 1: http://www.imedicalapps.com/2011/12/pdf-management-app-healthcare-professionals/

Part 2: http://www.imedicalapps.com/2011/12/pdf-management-app-healthcare-professionals-part-2/

I personally use Goodreader and papers in tandem with dropbox as my master storage and way to make sure I have my articles on every iOS device and computer I use.

Ibooks author

drsanjuuk — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:02:44 +0000

Apple announced the new “ibook author” for the Mac last week. I am excited as a radiologist educator. Think of all the possibilities- scrollable CT and MRI that one can interact with and 3D models that can be manipulated! I would like to publishers take this on board and stop trying to convert existing textbooks into pdfs and calling them “e-books”.
This changes things in a big way and I am for one, all for it. Way to go, Apple!!

See the announcement keynote here

10 easy steps to creating your own radiology blog

drsanjuuk — Sun, 01 May 2011 15:16:42 +0000

Using wordpress or a new service called posterous, it is now easier than ever to set up your own blog.
As wordpress is more well known, I will make a quick push for posterous- a service which allows you to post via email and even upload PowerPoint presentations within seconds.
Extensive technical knowhow about HTML or CSS is no longer required.

I spoke to a group of radiology educators at the ARRS in Chicago and was surprised that more people in our community have not heard about these kinds of blogging platforms before the class.

5 easy steps to increase size of your dropbox

drsanjuuk — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:16:56 +0000

Click the Getting Started Tab and go through the steps – 250 mb

Connect Dropbox to Your Social Media Accounts – 250 mb

Refer Your Friends to dropbox (without spamming them) – 250 mb for each referral

Send it Out to Your Friends and Family – 250 mb

Connect your .edu account to dropbox (doubles the space for referrals – 500 Mb instead of 250 mb)

Courtesy: lifehacker.com

Microsoft signature edition

drsanjuuk — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:54:58 +0000

I was at a Microsoft focus group event today, arranged by the company in association with Paul Thurrott, author of a number of excellent books like Windows 7 secrets and Windows Phone 7 Secrets, the commentator on the Windows Weekly podcast on the Twit network and the creator of the very informative website Winsupersite for windows.

At this event, Microsoft demonstrated its signature series PC. As per Dave, the Microsoft representative at this this event, consumers who buy a PC directly from Microsoft from their online store or the physical real-life Microsoft stores will get the “Microsoft signature series edition” on their machine. These computers are equipped with Windows 7, and just like a Mac bought from the Apple store, these will have all the Microsoft software that you will need pre-installed or will be available for automatic download or update after purchase, so you can just plug and play.

Microsoft’s programs like Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Center, Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft Silverlight , Adobe Flash for IE 8, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Virtual Earth 3D, Zune 4.0, Live ID login wizard, Windows Live Essentials, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Writer, Microsoft Office Live Add-in Toolbar with Windows Live Sync, Windows Live Movie Maker, and Windows Live will be pre-installed on the machine. You can also get Microsoft Office and other programs pre-installed for you so you do not have to. Your computer will be ready to use right out of the box! This is a boon to those among us who support their colleagues and friends to “set-up” a new PC!

These PCs will be priced competitively compared to the retailer’s prices so you do not pay a premium for the “Microsoft experience”.

This approach is similar to Google selling its Google Nexus loaded with the latest version of Android without the cell phone manufacturers’ “crapware” installed on the machine. Based on my experience comparing the two machine configurations side-by-side, the Signature edition PC will improve our perception of windows PCs in general. If any one is planning to buy a computer in the next few months, I would encourage you to explore the option of buying directly from Microsoft. I can assure you that the experience on this PC will be vastly better than the PC one buys from manufacturers like HP or retailers like Bestbuy.

Microsoft promises to take care of all the problems that arise, both hardware and software, within the first 90 days, on these machines- no questions asked. And one should have the choice of various hardware configurations at this store.

I must admit- even as a critic of Microsoft and an Apple enthusiast, the signature series PC is a refreshing development!

New apps and hardware for the holidays

drsanjuuk — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:29:49 +0000

Some real nice ipad applications and devices for the holiday season, couple are new and others are older ones that have received awesome updates

Flipboard for ipad- Google reader support and beautiful rendering of content from magazines and newspapers (free)

Pogoplug- sort of like dropbox, but for your hard drives at home- you can store up 4 TB data at home on your hard drives, which connect to this device through USB – then you access the data from anywhere (129 dollars for hardware and no monthly charges)

Tango- facetime for iphone 4 or iPod touch over 3G (free)
Word lens- translates Spanish to English and vice versa when you point your camera at some text (like a sign or book or menu)- $4.99
Pulse- news reader app for the ipad

Kindle 3- newly updated with native pdf support, better navigation, faster page turn and excellent contrast resolution

Macbook air review update

drsanjuuk — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:38:03 +0000

According to most reviewers, the MacBook air base model is rather slow for multiple tasks. I bought the top of the line upgrade with 4 GB RAM and this has been excellent in my experience- I have used this as my main laptop last two days and done journal article reviews, surfed like crazy and written an article without any dithering. BTW, I have had no screen issues, and I have been using Chrome as my browser almost exclusively.
Multiple applications and a Netflix movie- all running without problems.
Tried iMovie editing, but slightly limited by screen size, but not necessarily by lack of horsepower.

Macbook air review

drsanjuuk — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:36:59 +0000

Having spent time with the new Macbook air, this is my opinion-

If you are a current Apple user, who hates carrying a bulky Macbook pro to every conference or trip, then the Macbook Air is definitely for you. It has to be your second laptop, as it offers most of the functionality of the Macbook pro, but most importantly, not the same power. The advantage is obviously, the reduced weight and more friendly size.

If your use of the Macbook is for email, surfing and iphoto, you should be fine with the Macbook Air. But if you do heavy video editing and you want to do this on the road, you cannot rely on this as your only laptop. Also, it is important to remember that the lowest end model will not suffice for most people who carry this on a trip or conference. You’ll want to upgrade and that will cost you- and it will cost you a lot. Getting the 256 GB hard drive and 4 GB RAM particularly, if like me, you want to run parallels to run Windows will set you back $1699 (without the educational discount for the academics amongst us).

Another thing to remember is that this is not a netbook- its cost and its capabilities are different from a netbook.
Also, if you’re shopping for a standard notebook, don’t buy this. Get a Macbook Pro or better still, a Windows 7 computer- you will get a lot more for your money.
However, everyone is different and if you have the cash and the urge to buy a very slim MacBook and wow the people around you, then go for it!
For others who need a full-fledged laptop, I would look elsewhere.

Apple’s magic mouse- it will transform the way you use your computer

drsanjuuk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:51:50 +0000

I bought a new magic mouse from Apple today. And my God, it is amazing! My Imac has become a new computer just by replacing the Mighty Mouse with this new Gizmo. Scrolling pages, moving between websites and zooming in and out is effortless. The cost was 74 dollars (including tax)- so it was not cheap. But I do not regret buying this expensive piece of equipment.

If you have a Imac or macbook, get one of these and believe me, you will love it!

Click here for apple’s website to have a look at the MagicMouse

Google becomes Santa- offers free airport Wi-fi for the holidays (until January 15th, 2010)

drsanjuuk — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:58:43 +0000

GOOGLE BECOMES SANTA

Google has announced that it will be offering free Wi-Fi at selected US airports and on all Virgin Atlantic America flights within the continental United State this holiday season. Google says the Wi-Fi will be available until January 15, 2010.

For a complete list of participating airports visit Google’s dedicated Free Wi-Fi for the Holidays Website. Google also has a list of FAQs for the eager public interested to learn more about this generous offer.

When you are stuck in the airport terminals due to weather delays with only your laptop for company, you will definitely appreciate the value of free Wi-Fi.

Google has partnered with airports across the country, as well as Time Warner Cable, Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group and many others to offer Wi-Fi. Because Google’s partners don’t have a presence in all U.S. airports Google’s free Wi-Fi won’t cover everybody traveling this season.

Here is breakdown of how this free Wi-Fi offer works:

Get Online For Free

Airports across the country offering Google’s free Wi-Fi include Boston’s Logan Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Las Vegas’ McCarran International, Seattle’s SeaTac and many others. But a number of important hubs like Chicago O’Hare, LAX in Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Dallas-Fort Worth and all three New York-area airports are missing from this list. On the other hand, Google says that Seattle and Burbank airports intend to offer free Wi-Fi for an indefinite period as a result of this free Wi-Fi program.

Prizes and giveaways!

Starting next Monday, you will be able to win prizes by submitting photos of yourself using free in-flight or airport Wi-Fi during the holidays. Google doesn’t specify what the prizes are or what constitutes a winning photo, but it looks like you’ll be submitting photos to Picasa, Google’s online photo storage and sharing service. To get more details about the photo contest, you have to enter your e-mail on Google’s Holiday Wi-Fi Photo Contest page.

Google is also encouraging free Wi-Fi users to open their hearts and their wallets this year. When you log on to free Wi-Fi from any of the participating hotspots this season, you will be given the option of donating to your choice of charities including Climate Savers Computing, One Economy Corporation and Engineers Without Borders USA via Google Checkout .

Google says it will match donations across all the free Wi-Fi hotspots up to $250,000, and the airport that generates the most donations by January 1, 2010 will receive $15,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. Check out Google’s charity page for more information.
What is the catch?

No catch is evident from a careful reading of this offer. You will not need to enter any credit card or other payment information to get the free Wi-Fi. Ensure that you choose the free complimentary Google hotspot among the available wireless networks. There will be scattered ads as expected with any Google free product, but I expect this to be unobtrusive.

You should also know that Google says it “will have access to some aggregate, non-personally identifiable information.” This should not come as a surprise to regular Google users, but if you’re squeamish about Google and its data practices then free Wi-Fi may not be the gift for you this year.

Simple security while using free Wi-Fi

Sure sounds like a great way to save money, but it is worthwhile to remember to employ adequate security measures to thieves and nefarious hackers who will no doubt, throng airports to prey on clueless travelers.

Public hotspots, are open and unencrypted, and therefore notoriously insecure. There are ways to stay safe, however and here are the top 5 hotspot safety tips:

1) Configure your Wi-Fi device so that it does not automatically connect to an open network without your approval.
2) If there’s a storage device or another PC on your home network, you may have sharing enabled on the laptop you’ve brought to the airport. Before connecting to a public hotspot, make sure that you disable sharing.
3) Use a virtual private network (VPN), to access secure and sensitive information like hospital data.
4) Switch on your personal firewall, (Mac or Windows PC), or a from a third party vendor like Symantec.
5) Avoid paying bills and shopping online at a hotspot? If you do have to, use a hotspot that has WPA2 security.