Technology

What You Need to Know About Upgrading an Unsupported PC to Windows 11, Learn About Windows 11 and Windows Speech Recognition/Voice Typing

January 11, 2022

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 has higher than usual hardware compatibility requirements that many PC are not able to meet (and therefore do not qualify for the upgrade). Fortunately, Microsoft has left some pathways open for users of many non-compatible PCs to still be able to install the upgrade. Unfortunately, the upgrade process is more…

The Latest on: Chrome Browser Bookmarks Cleanup Tool, Gmail Tip and Headset Recommendation

December 13, 2021

Are your Chrome Browser’s bookmarks a mess? If so, consider installing and using a Chrome Browser extension called “Bookmarks Clean Up.” The following text comes from the product’s description page: “This extension allows you to find and delete duplicate bookmarks, empty folders, merge folders with the same name (within the same path), find no longer…

What’s Up With Paper (Less) Tips, Better Folder and File Management, iPhone Tips and ‘Tenkeyless Keyboards?

November 12, 2021

Each year, the utopian goal of getting to a “paper-free” situation in the workplace (and/or at home) keeps getting closer. Unfortunately, we are still not there yet. Meanwhile, I thought I would share a few tips that can help you convert many of your current hard copy documents (that may be piling up somewhere) into…

What You Need to Know About Excelsior Pass FAQs, Windows 11, New Google Pixel Event and More

October 18, 2021

New York State maintains online information and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding both, the Excelsior Pass and Excelsior Pass Plus (proof of Covid-19 vaccination) apps. While you may not have an immediate need to know more about the different versions of the Excelsior Pass, I would encourage you to take some time to…

The Latest on Booster Shot Info, Online Reputation Management, Paper Document Reference and Organization Products

September 15, 2021

This month’s COVID-19 “authoritative information” page is the CDC’s “COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot” webpage. Since many (particularly older) Realtors were vaccinated early on, and now there is a lot of talk regarding “Booster shots” and “third doses,” I thought now would be a good time to point everyone to a CDC.gov webpage that discusses these…

The Latest on: Excelsior Pass Help, Bookmark Management Options, Sales Writing Tips, Citing Sources Help

August 13, 2021

This month I am going to start by focusing attention on New York State’s Excelsior Pass, and Excelsior Pass Plus webpage and related/companion Smartphone app. The blocks of descriptive text below come from the following webpage… https://epass.ny.gov/home (I suggest you bookmark this webpage on all your computers and devices.) What is Excelsior Pass? Excelsior Pass…

Realtors Believe Drones, Cyber Security are Industry's Most Impactful Emerging Technologies

August 4, 2021

WASHINGTON—Realtors view drones and cyber security as the most impactful emerging technologies to their business, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors released on Aug. 3. NAR's 2021 Technology Survey examined NAR members' current tech usage and attitudes about the future of real estate technology. In addition to drones (37%) and…

The Latest on Windows 11, Converting an Old PC into a Chromebook, Sharing Webpages Without Ads, Saving, Recovering Storage Space on Your iPhone

July 14, 2021

Back on June 24th, 2021, Microsoft unveiled its next operating system “Windows 11.” Although this new operating system is not scheduled to become available until this fall, Microsoft has announced the minimum computer hardware specifications/requirements for this new version of Windows. As I am writing this, Microsoft has not yet formally released its “PC Health…

Text Messaging/E-mail Tips, Improved Gmail/Google Photo Integration, Website Monitors, Cairo Desktop and Improving Sound on Android

June 10, 2021

Did you know that in many cases you can send a Smartphone user a text message by e-mail? If this is news to you and you would like to learn more about it, please review the following article that I found at digitaltrends.com titled “How to send a text message from your e-mail account.” Here…

The Latest on: Mouse/Touchpad Settings, Better Webpage Printing, Smartphone Keyboards and Some Browser Tips

May 11, 2021

In my experience, most computer users (myself included) do not fully utilize their computer’s mouse and/or touchpad capabilities. Since mouse and touchpad settings are usually hidden from view, they often remain unknown and unused (out of sight, out of mind). To help you discover all that your mouse and touchpad has to offer the following…

The Latest on Microphone Muting, Troubleshooting Windows 10 Problems, Mini PCs, Browser Tracking

April 13, 2021

When it comes to mute buttons on computers, they are often found on a computer’s keyboard and are usually configured to mute audio that is playing from speakers. However, these days, increasing numbers of people are using audio and video conferencing applications that sometimes do not provide a quick and easy way for users to…

Realtors Should Revisit HGAR.com and Find Out the Latest on Chrome Extensions on Android and ProWritingAid.com

March 12, 2021

Often the help you need can be found at HGAR.com! When was the last time you explored (or re-explored) the site? There’s helpful information, news, resources and more to be (re)discovered. If you don’t have the time or interest in doing a deep dive at the site, consider at least visiting (and bookmarking) the following…

The Latest on Online Calculators, Blocking Webpage Elements, Chrome Tabs Help, Phone Lanyards and Cable Management

February 17, 2021

It’s time for some friendly reminder nudges... 1) Is it time to back up your computer(s) and other devices? 2) Is it time to check for operating system and software/app updates? 3) Is it time to do some computer and other device maintenance activities? 4) When was the last time you ran a full antivirus/malware…

Google Alerts – Robocall Help – Headset Help – ANC tip – Product Tips

January 15, 2021

Happy New Year! Before jumping back into things, as usual, I want to first mention some random, but exciting and consequential topics that I've been following, and would encourage you to consider following as well. The topics are: Quantum Computing; Protein Folding; Artificial Intelligence (a.k.a. "AI"); Augmented Reality (a.k.a. "AR"); Solid-State Batteries; and CES 2021…

The Latest on Highlighting Webpage Text, Route Planning, New Phone RCS Issue, Lesser-Known Gmail Features and More

December 11, 2020

Imagine you are a sales manager who spent the last 10 minutes reading an article that discussed some helpful sales tips. If you decide to send the article to 10 others, about 100 minutes of reading time will cumulatively be invested by all who received your message. If you continue to send articles to others,…

CoStar to Acquire Homesnap in $250M Deal

November 23, 2020

WASHINGTON—CoStar Group Inc. reported on Sunday that it had reached an agreement to acquire Homesnap, Inc. for $250 million in cash. Homesnap is an industry-leading online and mobile software platform that provides user-friendly applications to optimize residential real estate agent workflow and reinforce the agent-client relationship. More than 300,000 agents nationwide use the application an…

The Latest on Phrase Express, Oleophobic Coating, and Reader View/Mode

November 12, 2020

Phrase Express (Windows, Mac & iOS) is one of my favorite and most used software applications. I use the application to help me quickly insert commonly used text(s) into e-mails, text messages, documents, online posts, and just about anywhere I need to enter text. Sometimes I use Phrase Express to help me insert as little…

The Latest on Wi-Fi Calling, Headsets, Popupoff, Automate Social Media Posting, iOS 14 Camera Improvements and Screen Sharing Services

October 19, 2020

If you live in an area where your mobile phone's reception is weak or unreliable, you may be able to improve things by using your phone's "Wi-Fi calling" feature. Fortunately, most mobile phones have a Wi-Fi calling feature built-in, but unfortunately, it's not always enabled by default. If you're unfamiliar with Wi-Fi calling and would…

Check Out Some File Management Tips, RE Lead Generation Ideas, PDF-Xchange Editor, Win 10 Home/Pro, Dictation and Transcription Tips

September 16, 2020

Computer file management can be challenging! For example, what can you do if you want a file to exist in multiple locations (folders), but you don't want to create and manage duplicate files. The following links will lead you to articles that will introduce you to file labeling/tagging and symbolic links, which might be a…

Joseph Rand Named Executive Director Of Broker Public Portal with Homesnap

September 9, 2020

ARROYO GRANDE, CA—The Board of Managers of the National Broker Portal, a joint venture between Broker Public Portal (BPP) and Homesnap, announced on Sept. 9 that Joseph Rand of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate|Rand Realty of Nanuet has been named executive director of the Broker Public Portal with Homesnap. Rand will remain the Chief…