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New Year’s tech resolutions

What tech-related resolutions will you endeavour to keep in 2010?

Everyone vows to drink less and exercise more in the new year, but I like to keep my resolutions a little more realistic. If you’re looking to mend your ways in 2010, or just stay on the straight and narrow, here are a few New Year’s tech resolutions that should guide you in the year ahead.

- Don’t buy a phone without a decent apps store

I’m very attached to my iPhone, although I think Google’s Android phones like the HTC Hero show a lot of potential. My one rock solid rule for phones is the need for a decent apps store. Apple is leading the way but Android, Blackberry, Nokia and Windows Mobile have also thrown their hats in the ring. The beauty of a phone with an apps store is that it can evolve to meet your needs, thanks to an army of application developers. A phone without a decent apps store is obsolete the day you buy it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

- Don’t rush to install major upgrades to operating systems

As a Mac user, I got burned by Snow Leopard this year - it ran like a dog on my two year-old MacBook until, after a few months, the 10.6.2 software update finally knocked it into shape. Even now it’s still lagging behind Leopard in a few areas, despite Apple’s promises. I had the same problems a few years ago when I upgraded my imported iPhone 2G from 1.1.4 to 2.0 - it ran like a snail on valium for a while and it took a few more minor software updates before it returned to its former glory. If your computer, smartphone or AV device is chugging away happily, don’t rush to install the latest updates to the operating system (security patches aside). You’re not getting paid to bug-test your devices, so let someone else rush in first and pull their hair out dealing with the problems.

- Backup up your data, on and off-site

Disasters don’t just happen to other people. Digital family photos are impossible to replace. Keeping your backups in the desk next to your computer won’t protect you against fire and theft. Along with a local USB, disc or NAS backup regime, keep a copy of all your most precious files in the cloud.

- Don’t buy a home entertainment device without Ethernet or wifi (actually, any household appliance)

In my dream home, everything talks to everything. Sometimes that dream turns into a nightmare, but it’s still my home networking nirvana. When you’re buying devices, check to see if they include an Ethernet port or wifi adaptor for connecting to your home network and the internet. Always use wired networking where possible, as wireless networking introduces a whole swag of extra complications. Televisions, Blu-ray players, printers, picture frames, aircon and heating - it’s worth looking for network-enabled devices even if you might not use those features yet.

- Don’t blog/Tweet/Facebook about what you had for lunch

Social networking tools are useful when used sparingly. Don’t be *that* guy who has to tell the world every time he eats a great sandwich. Your friends will thank you for it.

I’d say they’re five good tech rules to live by in 2010. What would you add to the list?

[Thanks: http://digihub.smh.com.au]

Hackers To Hit Apple iPhone, Google Android Handsets Next Year

Roel Schouwenberg of Kaspersky Lab Americas made a number of either intemperate or prescient comments to USA Today. It may take a year to find out if he is a fool or a profit.

Schouwenberg predicts that hackers will make major assaults on the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone and handsets running the Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system beginning in 2010. “The first malicious programs for these mobile platforms appeared in 2009, a sure sign that they have aroused the interest of cybercriminals,” he commented to the national newspaper. Google is scheduled to launch its own handset, the Nexus One, early next year.

The most often hacked and often attacked software products in history are certainly Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows and Office, although some versions of the software have proven more vulnerable than others. Microsoft regularly issues “patches” and in July went so far as to release a statement saying that its Office desktop applications suite, which has already been hit by cybercriminals, could still be vulnerable to attacks unless users take proper precautions.

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