Ty's Tech Blog

Everywhere I turn, I hear “iPad this….”, “iPhone that…..”. While I don’t have anything against Apple products, I know not everyone has one of these devices.  I don’t.  But I do know that many people have an Android based device (mostly phones) and they can be every bit as useful as their Apple counterparts.  The Android Market is growing exponentially every month and offers many of the same apps as the iTunes market.  Some Android apps are even better and/or cheaper than similar Apple apps.

Case in point.  CamScanner and SIGNificant are two FREE apps available in the Android market that work great.  CamScanner allows you to take a photo of anything and turn it into a .pdf file.  SIGNificant is an application that gives you the ability to physically sign a .pdf file.  The two applications are developed by two separate companies, but they work hand-in-hand.

Here is a video demonstration of how you can take a paper document, scan it, sign it and e-mail it, all from your Android OS device.

Not many people have to work on public computers. However, when you have to use a public machine, whether it is a friend’s computer, a work computer or a machine at an Internet cafe, there are a few things to remember to keep yourself (and others) protected.

First, if you are going to use a public machine, it is likely to check e-mail or one of you social media websites. Most people just close their browser when they are done working. I can attest to the fact that this does not always guarantee that you have been “logged off”. On NUMEROUS occasions, I have accessed a public machine at my work, opened a website only to see that I am signed in as someone else. I HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OF THEIR ACCOUNT!!!! Obviously I have no intentions of doing anything within another person’s account without their permission, but there are people that may not feel the same way. To avoid this scenario, there are two things to remember.

1. NEVER select a box that says, “remember me” or “keep me logged in” when entering in your user name or password on ANY website. Some websites even make you de-select this option, so BE CAREFUL.

2. When you are done working within a website, ALWAYS click the “sign out” or “log out” link on any site where you have to sign in. The option is usually in the top right or left corner of the website.

Another important thing to remember when working on a public machine is that if you are going to download a file or scan an image or document onto a computer, remember to DELETE the file when you are done (unless you need it for later and the information is benign in nature). Not only does the build up of files on a computer potentially slow down the machine, you are also making the information accessible to ANYONE else who uses that computer. All you have to do is remember where you downloaded the file, find it, delete it and MOST IMPORTANTLY, empty the Recycle Bin when you are done. Just because you deleted a file, doesn’t mean it has been removed from the computer. Just right-click on the Recycle Bin (which is usually found on your desktop) and select “empty recycle bin”. That should take care of it.

In a digital age, it is more important now than ever to make sure you take every precaution necessary to keep your information from falling into the wrong person’s hands. It is easy to forget things like these and I hope that if nothing else, this will act as a reminder to help keep yourself protected when using a computer, other than your own.