Techbyter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) With Bill Blinn

It's almost Halloween and maybe you're thinking about buying a new computer before the end of the year. If you've ever tried to figure out how to use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop or Photoshop Elements together, I have good news. A surprising number of websites are unsafe but a Swiss agency says there's a solution. And in Short Circuits ... Are you ready for Office 2013? The digitizing of America continues and we're about a week from Windows 8.

This week, it's all about security. Well, for the most part anyway. "lol is this your new profile pic?" Have you see that message? Smart phones are now a new malware vector. If you download free software, you may may get more than you wanted. And in Short Circuits: PC sales drop in 2012 but not by much, HP falls out of first place, and who are all these people and why are they endorsing me?

The number of security threats on the Internet continues to grow and the fradsters are getting better. Newspapers are changing rapidly. New technology gives us more ways to receive news but will we pay for it? In Short Circuits, the White House security system has defeated a cyber attack. Microsoft settles a fraud case against a Chinese buisinessman, and Adobe continues to release updates at a rapid pace.

Adobe adds more high-end features to its Elements packages. It's possible to learn just about anything online and sometimes for free. It Short Circuits ... IGoogle is going away but I think I've found a good replacement. California becomes the third state to approve driverless cars (with conditions). Windows 8 will be out in less than a month and manufacturers are beginning to show their wares.

The future is approaching and you're going to have more PC choices. Political wonks can enjoy a new Congressional search engine. If you're still using Internet Explorer, I have a question for you. In Short Circuits ... Adobe's Creative Cloud is more popular than expected, LG steps away from the Window(s Phone), and blowing Google off the map.

The latest version of PC Magazine's TaskPower is an improvement that still needs some work. I'll share with you some quick and easy ways to improve your Wi-Fi network. If you like free music, you'll want to check out MusOpen. And in Short Circuits: It wasn't Anonymous but a technical problem that took down GoDaddy, Amazon back-peddles and says you can pay to remove ads from the latest Kindles, Android now powers half a billion devices, and HP's negative growth accelterates.

Some people have backups for their backups and that's a good plan if you don't want to lose important files. Adobe has just released some release candidate and update files for several applications. In Short Cicuits, Facebook stock takes an upward turn as the Instagram acquisition finalizes, Microsoft won't miss the cloud as it initially missed networking, Oracle owes Google $1 million, and Amazon is Fired up and ready to go.

The latest version of InDesign offers only a few new features but they're ones you'll want. Speeding your slow computer: This week, we use the big guns. A security problem in Oracle's Java puts just about every computer in the world at risk. In Short Circuits: Samsung beats Nokia in announcing a Windows Phone 8. The latest version of Firefox finally eliminates a big annoyance. And Monday was the day when everthing that could break did.

Last week I explained how I upgraded a Windows 7 notebook computer to Windows 8 so this week I'll explain why it didn't work out so well. Part 3 of the series on how to speed up a slow computer considers the addition of a solid-state drive and suggests checking power settings. In Short Circuits: Postini is going away (or, more accurately, being absorbed). Fifth graders in 1995 predicted how the Internet would work (including cats). If the recent Microsoft security updates caused problems for you, you're not alone. And after 25 years, Microsoft gets a new look.

Why do scammers say they're from Nigeria? Wouldn't it be better to claim you're from New Jersey? How to speed up a slow computer (part 2). In Short Circuits: New software can idenfity the source of viruses and rumors. The release version of Windows 8 is now available for TechNet members. Flash says adios to Android. If you could crack Google's Chrome browser, you could take home as much as $60,000, and a mystery computer virus has Kaspersky asking for help.

Microsft offers a webmail application that actually works. How to speed up a slow computer (part 1). IBM offers a THINK download for your tablet or Computer. And in Short Circuits: Google pays small fine to close privacy case. Does Microsoft have Surface II in the works? Curiosity: From Earth to Mars, one minute late.

Microsoft Office 2013 is only at the Consumer Preview stage but already some people say they hate it. Why? Editing video in Photoshop isn't new but the CS6 version makes it a real contender. In Short Circuits: Sony continues to limp. Facebook's valuation drops more. Crooks who run "poker" sites discover justice. And Windows 8 is released to manufacturing.

Some tips for dealing with smarter and more dangerous spear phishing. Apple's Mountain Lion beats Microsoft to the finish line. In Short Circuits, Number 2 (that would be Microsoft in this case) must try harder, Kansas City wins Google's big prize, and it was a dark and stormy night.

Microsoft Haters Score a Two-Fer; with upcoming releases of Windows and Office they can vent twice as much. After the latest disaster at Yahoo, I have to wonder why anyone still uses the e-mail produce. In Short Circuits, Yahoo has CEO #3 within a year. MSNBC becomes just NBC News and partners with Facebook for the Olympics. The European Union is once again on Microsoft's case. And Apple has been ordered to say nice things about Samsung on it's website in the UK.

Adobe Audition CS6: I Think I'm in Love! Dwolla Isn't Exactly PayPal (or Your Bank) But That's OK. In Short Circuits: Room Service. Would You Like Some Malware with Your Room? Four Months and Counting. Ubuntu Linux Seemed Like Such a Good Idea. And ... A Personal Message from "God Allah"!

Decide.com will help you decide about electronic purchases. How to create passwords you can leave in plain sight. In Short Circuits: Microsoft announces the surprisingly low Windows 8 upgrade price, hundreds of thousands may lose Internet connectivity on Monday, European legislators surprisingly reject digital piracy measure, farewell to IGoogle, and graphic for your (but not Microsoft's) amusement.

Skype can't seem to eliminate an annoying fraud. This week I'll explain how you can change your Winodws 7 logon screen. The new version of Dreamweaver doesn't look like it has changed much but there's a lot that's new if you look closely. In Short Circuits: 71 identical reminders that claim to be from LinkedIn, Photoshop Lightroom 4 heads for the cloud, and if you wonder what Microsoft can buy for $1.2 billion, I can tell you.

This long-time Corel Draw fan finally has to admit that Adobe Illustrator wins. The up-and-down relationship with an Asus Transformer tablet is up again. Microsoft introduces the Surface and it looks promising. In Short Circuits: A new phone, replacing a notebook computer, and and upgrade plan for Windows 8.

Photoshop CS6: Now Enhanced with Magic Pixie Dust. Adding Eye Candy to Your Photos. In Short Circuits, Near Photo Quality on a Notebook, When Something Happens That Shouldn't, and Happy Fathers Day, Tech Guy!

If you need more that one operating system and you're tired of using a boot manager, how about setting up a virtual machine? Xara continues to surprise me. In Short Circuits, problems for LinkedIn and the almost-ready Windows 8.