I’m always looking for a bargain!  Watching CBS news this morning yielded this story on outlet shopping online.  Check out the sites but remember the old adage:  “Let the Buyer Beware”!

~mary anne

Did you know that the Library of Congress “has the power to define exceptions to an important copyright law”?  In Jenna Wortham’s article in The New York Times, she states that it is “legal to bypass a phone’s controls on what software it will run to get ‘lawfully obtained’ programs to work.”  This is important to iPhone and other smartphone users who want to unlock their phones.  Click here for full details in the article.

~mary anne

If you purchased an iPhone 4 and are entitled to the free bumper or case, do the following:

• Download the iPhone 4 Case Program app from the App Store.
• Launch the app on your iPhone 4 and sign in using your iTunes Store account or Apple ID
• Select your bumper or case.

Click here for full program details.

~mary anne

Here is a terrific article by Jeffrey Rosen in The New York Times entitled “The Web Means the End of Forgetting.”  We live in a time when many people post anything and everything about themselves, not truly understanding that anything posted online can live forever.  Even if you delete items posted from wilder days, there is never any guarantee that someone hasn’t already copied the information and might use it against you at some far in the future date.  We also have to think seriously about what information potential employers might find online about us.  It would be sad to lose out on a wonderful position because of a picture or statement we posted that has the power to change an employer’s view of us from wonderful to poison.  According to Microsoft, “75 percent of U.S. recruiters and human-resource professionals report that their companies require them to do online research about candidates [. . . .]  Seventy percent of U.S. recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online. . . .”  Where can this lead?  Will insurers check out our online activities and deny insurance to us?  There is a serious message here. . .  Think before you post!

~mary anne

You will soon see advertisements when searching for Google images and Google has also updated its design and presentation of this section of its website.  One of the objects of the change is to make searching for images more informative and simpler.  A great new feature is an extended scroll, instead of having to click through many pages of images.  Full details can be found in the article by Nick Bilton and Claire Cain Miller in The New York Times.

This is a really great app!  Line2 was reviewed by David Pogue in The New York Times and it is amazing!  Downloading this app gives you two lines on your iPhone or turns your iPod Touch into a cellphone (for $15 per month).  It runs on WiFi and does not use up your AT&T minutes.  If you have an iPhone, you might be able to subscribe to a less expensive minutes plan and if you have an iPod Touch, $15 per month seems a small price to pay to have phone capability!  Happy Talking!

~mary anne

I remember the days when flight delays meant meal vouchers and/or free nights in hotels.  That was a long time ago.  In Europe, however, the 2004 EC 261 law “requires airlines to pay penalties of up to 600 euros, or about $750, when the problem is the carrier’s fault, and cover hotel rooms and meals even when it is not.”  That doesn’t seem to do most of us any good unless you fly on a European Union airline within the European Union.  Here’s a well-kept secret:  EC 261 “applies to all flights departing from the European Union, regardless of the passengers’ nationality.” If you are returning home from the EU on an American carrier, the law applies to you.  While it may be difficult to navigate the collection process under EC 261, as more people become aware of the rule, it may become easier.  Full details are in Susan Stellin’s article in The New York Times.  Click here for information on EC 261 on the British Airways site.

It’s summer and time to travel.  Although I love hotels so much (luxury is terrific), there are often less expensive alternatives that offer more in different ways.  Renting a room or an apartment gives the traveler a different perspective on a destination, one can truly feel as though they are part of a city or town.  Europe Without Hotels by Benji Lanyado in The New York Times describes a number of sites to rent rooms or apartments.  I’d also like to add the site HomeAway.com, a site I used to rent a wonderful apartment in Verona, Italy.  For many of us, finding accommodations this way can be a real leap of faith (it was for me).  My experience was wonderful but it’s important to do your homework.  Happy traveling!

~mary anne

This is a very interesting article from Richard Frisch in The Hour.  Let’s face it–it’s annoying to need cable boxes at every television.  Not only is it a financial issue, but there is often no available space to add a box, and they are often rather unattractive.  According to this article, depending on your television, you might not need a cable box.  Now, that’s good news!

~mary anne

What will they say?  Will there be a recall?  A fix?  Check out Wilson Rothman’s post on Wireless on msnbc.com for the info on the issue.  Friday’s press conference (7/16) will take place at 1 pm Eastern time.

~mary anne