Southwest Computer Conference Recap

By Douglas Agee, SWIPCC member

The 17th annual Southwest Computer Conference (SWCC) was held at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, CA, from 4 through 6 June 2010. Conference venues included 30 workshops, a vendor exposition and special presentations by representatives from Microsoft, Smart Computing Magazine, Sunbelt Software and Markem Communications. Also featured were interesting presentations by Rick Edwards on digital photography and Abby Stokes on computers. And, of course, there was the digital photography contest!

The highlight of the conference for SWIPCC members, and in particular for our President Kathy Beltran, was that she won one of the coveted awards in the digital photography contest--third place in the digital art category for her entry “Fractured Stars.” Her prize was Corel Painter Essentials, a popular painting and illustration software program. Congratulations Kathy!

As in previous conferences, the workshops were arguably the best and most productive sessions of the conference. The five workshops I attended were very informative, laced with information to keep computer users updated on the latest developments. Recaps of these sessions are summarized below.

The Identity Theft workshop was presented by Wayne Widener, President of the Lake San Marcos Computer Club. His presentation stressed the importance of personal vigilance in countering ID theft and summarized the actions you can take to protect yourself (see the workshops link on www.swcc.org). Additionally, he identified a number of websites where you can obtain current information relating to ID theft including

• www.SpendOnLife.com/IDtheftKit (ID Theft Kit PDF Download)
• www.idtheftcenter.org (The ID Theft Resource Center)
• www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ (FTC-Fighting Back Against ID Theft)
• www.javelinstrategy.com/research/research/Brochure-169 (ID Fraud Survey)
• www.idwatchdog.com or www.idtheftassist.com (Resolution Assistance)
• www.annualcreditreport.com (Credit Report Request)
• www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351669,00.aswp (Safest Browser)

The Communications workshop was presented by Terry Currier, President of WINNERS and Cheryl Wester, Program Chair of the Temecula Valley Computer User Group. This was a broad based presentation that highlighted a variety of methods to “stay in touch” with friends and acquaintances using the Internet, including e-mail, video chat sessions such as Skype or modestly priced subscription services like Magic Jack.. Among the free e-mail offerings you can sign up for are Gmail from Google, Yahoo Mail from Yahoo and Hotmail from Microsoft. Terry and Cheryl also mentioned some services that Skype users can avail themselves to make free conference calls, record and edit video calls and share desktops with people to whom they are talking. The presentation further highlighted services like Magic Jack, Tokbox, Share My PC, Log Me In and Team Viewer:

• Magic Jack (www.magicjack.com) is a subscription service that enables you to make unlimited calls in the U.S and Canada for $20 per year. You simply install the Magic Jack software on your computer, connect the Magic Jack hardware between your PC and phone line and you’re ready to go! You can obtain Magic Jack from places like Fry’s or Wal Mart for around $40.
• Tokbox (www.tokbox.com) is a free video conferencing service for up to 20 parties that you can use to make video calls to your friends. You can use this service by accessing the website (no downloads are required) but you’ll need to install Adobe Flash on your computer to use Tokbox.
• Show My PC (www.showmypc.com) and Log Me In (www.logmein.com) are services that allow you to share your PC with others, providing desktop viewing and other capabilities such as allowing others to remotely access or control your computer. These services can be used to expeditiously resolve some of your computer problems with the help of friends who are more techno-savvy than you.
• Team Viewer (www.teamviewer.com) enables users to do a variety of things including chatting, video calling, executing file transfers, remotely controlling computers, and giving team presentations. You can download a free version for non commercial use or purchase a full version for commercial use.

The MicroSoft workshop was presented by David Lynn, Woody Pewitt and the tech support staff of San Diego’s new MicroSoft Store. The workshop was essentially a follow-up to MicroSoft’s special presentation at Saturday’s luncheon. Some of the topics discussed included Windows 7, BING, Windows Live, Windows Phone 7, Windows Security Essentials and MicroSoft’s new stores. Some highlights are summarized below:

• Windows 7 has an embedded “easy transfer” capability that enables you to efficiently transfer files from your old computer to your new PC. If your old computer isn’t running the Windows 7 operating system, you’ll first need to download and install the “easy transfer” software on your old computer. You can then connect the two computers via a LAN and quickly transfer the files.
• The new Windows Phone 7 is MicroSoft’s answer to Apple’s IPhone. The phone is currently under development and is expected to become available during the coming holiday season. The phone will feature MS Office applications, e-mail capability and x-box gaming.
• Security Essentials (www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/) is a virus and malware protection program available as a free download from MicroSoft for Windows XP and above. It is easy to use, provides real time protection and is automatically updated. One of our SWIPCC members, George Holloway, has been using it for awhile and is an enthusiastic advocate.
• MicroSoft has opened stores in Mission Viejo, CA and Scottsdale, AZ and will soon be opening stores in San Diego, CA, Denver, CO and possibly other cities. The stores will showcase MicroSoft technology and sell MicroSoft products and services. The stores will also sponsor special events for community outreach, provide personal training and host a variety of workshops.

The Klassic Specialties Ink Products workshop was presented by Don Baker of Klassic Specialties. He provided a detailed tutorial on digital printing, discussing the different printer technologies as well as paper, ink and toner characteristics. Klassic Specialties offers a variety of refilled ink and toner cartridges at very reasonable prices. (www.klassicspecialties.com)

The I’s workshop was presented by Kate Gertz, a member of the Sunland Village East Computer Club. The I’s, of course, refers to the plethora of products available from Apple—the iPods (Shuffle, Nano, Classic, Touch), the iPhone, the iPad—and iTunes, the software application you can use to manage your digital music and video files. Ms. Gertz discussed the features and capabilities of iTunes and then demonstrated all of the aforementioned iProducts, highlighting their capabilities, specifications and costs. You can find out about all of these products on Apple’s website, www.apple.com.

Vendor Exposition. The Saturday evening vendor exposition featured a dinner buffet as well as myriad opportunities to dialog with the vendors and discuss the latest computer hardware and software as well as new books and services available. The exposition had many interesting and informative exhibits, far too many to summarize in this recap, but two that piqued my interest were those of Abby Stokes and Rick Edwards.

Abby was selling autographed copies of her book, “Is This Thing On?’ The book, billed as “a computer handbook for late bloomers, technophobes and the kicking and screaming,” is a guide to computers for older adults who grew up before the computer revolution. The book is paired with a website, www.abbyandme.com, which contains tutorials on the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging and photosharing. It also contains a Q&A web page with information on computer terminology, how to buy a computer, website navigation and other topics.

Rick Edwards, a professional photographer who spent a lot of time in Africa photographing animals and nature, was selling prints of two of his photographs. He described to interested attendees how the pictures were taken and showed them the cameras and lenses he used. Proceeds from the evening’s sales were donated to the Southwest Computer Conference. If you’re interested in viewing his images of African animals and people, check out his website at www.fotodimensions.com .

Rumors

Rumors a plenty:
Tentative conference dates are June 3-5, 2011
A special Thursday outing
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