Windows Updates

We're kicking things off with a bang this season! We are starting with the nuts and bolts of computer maintenance, the oil change and lube job for your PC. It is essential to keep your operating system up to date for a whole host of reasons, the main one being security. Windows updates are easy to install and you can even set your PC to automatically update your operating system, easier than taking your car to the garage for a tune up isn't it!

Microsoft Office

Whether you're a student, small business owner, or a volume-license business customer, Microsoft has an Office 2003 Edition that's right for you. Each edition builds on the essential combination of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook adding on tools tailored to your needs. Each one of these programs is powerful by itself, but Microsoft Office ties them together beautifully and the sum ends up greater than the parts! Today we are going to look at Publisher which is available in both the Professional and Small Bussiness editions.

Preparing Your Data

Today is the day for the big switch! If you have decided try walking the Apple side of the street, then tune in to find out how to transfer all your Windows data onto the Mac. Transferring all of our Outlook information is our first task at hand. I did a little research on the web and found a couple of tools to help me complete this task:

Waste Reduction Week

From October 18-24, it is Waste Reduction Week in Canada, so we thought it was perfect timing to give you a little information about how you can keep old computers and technological consumables, like ink cartridges, out of landfills. HP has launched a program called HP's Planet Partners, which is dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint, and is the only manufacturer in Canada that enables customers to return HP inkjet print cartridges free of charge for recycling! They also recycle hardware, even non-HP hardware, for simply the cost of shipping. When you are finished with old hardware, another excellent way to dispose of it is to reuse it, there is a program called Computers for Schools that will take your old hardware and turn it into a learning tool!

HP Printsville

More and more people are discovering how fun it is to use their computer as the center of their crafty world. Iron ons, invitations, scrapbooks, quilts, calendars, photos, you name it, your PC will help you make it a reality HP has an activity center called Printsville, which is a great start for collecting ideas and resources. This week we are going to take you through some of the basics and complete a small project.

Microsoft Digital Image Suite

Digital photos are a huge part of the average computer savvy household, and my biggest pet peeve is having oodles of files with names like renaming every file can be a monumental job. You are also going to want to do some red eye reduction cropping, etc. with your photos ... in comes Microsofts Digital Image Suite.Offering you an expanded set of tools to fulfill your passion for digital photography in one powerful package, Microsoft Digital Image Suite v10 helps you effortlessly organize, enhance, share and archive your photos.

Apple iLife

Microsoft Office may supply all the tools you need from 9 to 5, but when it’s time for fun and you’re ready to create something spectacular, you won’t find a set of creative resources that’s better or easier to use than iLife. This week we are going to walk on the mac side of creative computing. We are going to start with the amazing new music creation application, GarageBand (which we covered in depth last season) and then move through iPhoto, iMovie and finally iDVD, giving you a really good sense of a project from beginning to end in iLife, it is going to be a blast, don't miss it!

Epson Picture Mate

The Epson PictureMate is a compact and lightweight dedicated 4 x 6" photo printer that works with or without a personal computer. When connected to a computer it can be used with the supplied photo imaging software or any photo editing or graphics software of your choice. In standalone mode the PictureMate can make prints directly from most popular flash memory cards. It can also be connected to any PictBridge or USB Direct Print compatible digital camera. And you can also print wirelessly from cellphones and PDAs with the optional BlueTooth adapter.

Adobe Photoshop Elements

Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 is the heart of our show this week! Adobe has done an outstanding job of converting their professional application into an easy to use but comprehensive consumer product. The software provides powerful photo editing functionality plus intuitive organizing and sharing capabilities. You can make quick fixes when you need to or use advanced editing options when you want more control. Organize the way you want and show off your creativity with new dynamic slide shows, themed photo e-mail, and more ... don't miss it!

Canon DV Cameras

This week we are going to delve in to the new generation of home videos. No more having to watch a 2 hour tape for 10 minutes of great footage, I mean who had the time or the patience to edit VHS tapes and compile a decent home video? Well we are now in the era of afordable DV cameras. Not only do we get superior quality from cameras like the Canon Optura that we are going to show you, it is simple to put that video onto our computers and pluck out the great memories from the hours of Dad saying "OK honey do something cute for Daddy!".

Windows Movie Maker

Now that we have some great DV clips to work with, lets show you a great product that is free for Windows XP users. Windows Movie Maker makes home movies amazingly fun, you can create, edit, and share your home movies easily on your computer. Build your movie with a few simple drag-and-drops. Delete bad shots and include only the best scenes. Then share your movie via the Web, e-mail, or CD. You can also save your movie back to the video tape in your camera to play back on a TV or on the camera itself.

Adobe Premiere Elements

In part 2 of our look at the new generation of home movies we are going to show you the latest product from Adobe, Premiere Elements. Last season we showed you the great transition Adobe made to the consumer market with Photoshop elements, now they have done an equally impressive job with their flagship video editing studio for the prosumer, Adobe Premiere. This package offers the perfect combination of creative control and reliability for home video editing. It automates tedious tasks so you're free to create cool effects and transitions and easily burn DVDs.

Taking a Better Photo

This week we are going to show you how digital cameras are striving to make you and I, better photographers. We are going to continue putting the HP R707 through it's paces, while taking a look at some of the inventive features HP has added to really make taking spectacular photos a possibility for the average consumer. This is one show you are not going to want to miss, you are going to be proud to show that next family vacation slide show!

Symantec SystemWorks

I know, we have talked about this before ... but it is just so important, and it is constantly changing. We are talking about system maintenance this week, more specifically how Norton SystemWorks takes care of pretty much everything for you. Think of it as your own personal computer technician, you can schedule all the checkups that your computer needs and let them run seamlessly without intervention. It also meshes nicely with Norton Security, so we have a one stop shop for keeping our computer safe and stable.