I admit it—I am a gadget geek. I have the BlackBerry phone, the iPod Touch and the Garmin GPS. I love them all…when they work. I am not talking about working in the realm of the basic function for each one but the advanced functions they offer.

To keep all of my beloved gadgets in top functionality they must be updated with the seemingly endless parade of new technical applications that are offered every day, week and month of the year. I am all for improvements—let me have them all! But, as I said I am a gadget geek. I didn’t say I was a technological genius.

The question is how do I get all of those new advances on my technology when I don’t have a clue as to how to do it. Well, my answer is my son. I am not afraid to admit to him that I have my limitations. He usually grins at me, reaches for the gadget and sets me up. That is really how this blog came to be—I was stuck on something, I was out of town where no one seemed to want to help and I decided there had to be help somewhere and that place was home.

What I am trying to say is that in order to enjoy your goodies you need to be brave enough to say to someone you know—Help me!! Or get in touch with us and let us help you!

In the last couple of weeks I have come to enjoy a level ( construction level) on my Touch, a GPS locator named Google Latitude on my BlackBerry, and up to the minute updates on my Garmin GPS. Each and every one of these have added to my quality of life and I love them. Isn’t that really the point afterall? I believe that everything we can do to improve our lives is a blessing—a lot of them are FREE and most have minimal cost. All we have to do is your homework and ask the “teacher” for help.

Oh, yes I do!! I recently had to replace a very old and very sad cooking range. It was hard enough to choose which one I wanted from all of the brands and styles available but the internet let me do hours of research from the comfort of my jammies and my hot cup of coffee. So I chose the one I wanted, the store I wanted to buy it from and off I went. All I had to do was wait for delivery and installation.

A little wrinkle in my perfect plan occurred when the delivery man “discovered” I had a propane and not natural gas hookup. This little snag sent him into a frenzy and me to the phone to call a contractor friend of mine to come to my rescue. The first guy was very courteous and cleaned up the mess he made in his first efforts and off he went—and so did my instruction book!

Oh boy! I have no stove in place, I have a contractor coming and the first guy says he didn’t see the book after he looked at it once but it is not here!! The only thing I could do was call the manufacturer and order a new instruction book to be overnighted which is a pricey way to do it but I was stuck. They agreed to send it right out and charge the shipping to my UPS account but I needed to give them a credit card for the fee for the booklet.

Wait a minute—only three pages of that book were in English so only three pages are costing me $15.00. NO! I sweetly asked if they had the instruction books on their website and when they said yes I canceled the order and fired up my laptop. Oh yes the cooking gods were smiling!! There it was—all three pages for FREE! I bookmarked the pages and even to this date I have not printed them.

My point here is that even if you are an ‘old dog’ like me the net is for you. It is a boundless resource of information, a port in a storm—whatever you call it I urge you to not fear it but embrace it.

As most of you know I absolutely love my Garmin Nuvi 750. I don’t get lost anymore nor do I have to spend hours printing off maps that usually are erroneous. It will even tell me exactly where in the US I am at almost any given moment. I love it—I highly recommend it but I am so frustrated that I could say a few bad words and have in fact.

Garmin seems to be under the impression that my 60 year old brain is encoded in some way to know the rest of the instructions that were not printed by the printing company and that their proof reader missed. As well, they assume that my bifocal contact prescription for my old eyes allows me to read the smallest serial number ever printed in the history of mankind in the most absurd place I have ever seen. The reason we started this blog was to address just these problems so hold on—here we go.

The Garmin instruction booklet is written in pretty simple terms but leaves out so much that all you can do is pick up the thing and explore all the buttons. I did this with the fear that I might fry it at any moment but I am happy to report that it withstood my crazed punching of buttons and button combinations. I found out how to do just about everything I wanted to know how to do but I am left with a feeling that there are really good things I am missing. As I find out more I will share them with you and of course if you have any questions now please feel free to e-mail them to us and I will find the answer for you. I am trying to do this without help so that I may speak confidently on what was left out of the instructions so please let me try to help you bypass that frustration.

My Garmin sent me a New Years message—it said my information and maps might be over a year old and suggested that I visit their website to obtain new maps. Goodie!! I thought some of the information was old and some places were missing so I am all for new maps!! So I went to the website and couldn’t just find out how much my new maps were going to cost unless I had registered the unit and had my USB cord at hand. I didn’t want to download it at that time I wanted answer to a simple question—HOW MUCH! So many companies assume that we are all techno zombies and that anything new will just open our wallets—but not me. Cost has to have a balance in value for me—will that $69.95 reduce my frustration level significantly? The jury is still out on that one—I may wait until after my first two business trips this year to decide so stay tuned. I still have some brain cells left.

I think you all know by now that I am not a true techie. A lot of the tech I have been exposed to is at the behest of my son who IS a tech lover to the nth degree. I do have the advantage on him though of having seen much technological advancement in the olden days that are the grandparents of the technology he now enjoys.

My family had one of the first TVs on our block in the early 50’s—small screen and large cabinet. Only a few hours of viewing pleasure and then the National Anthem which was my favorite in my toddler mind. Everyone had to stand up and salute if I wasn’t asleep yet. My parents really loved me at that hour. Since then I have seen portables, rabbit ears, color and now HD (high definition).

This past weekend I had to make a quick trip to St. Louis and stayed at my favorite hotel chain in one of their brand new locations. After I got past the shock of their view of cutting edge I finally noticed the large (42”) flat screen TV in the living area. Once I turned it on I was really impressed. Now I happen to own a flat screen with HD but my receiving equipment for all my other gadgets doesn’t cut the technology requirements. I know you all have heard or seen the ads about HD as it comes closer to being provided by law but it really isn’t that scary. If you have a satellite dish or cable and are watching tv at this point you are safe. What you should be concerned about is taking full advantage of HD. Wow!! The picture was crystal clear even for my old bi-focal eyes. Absolutely breathtaking color and clarity and it really did enhance my viewing. I actually watched an old movie that certainly was not filmed in HD and it was gorgeous. While I realize that this may sound trivial in light of the volatile economic situation we are in all over the world I would ask you to take a moment and realize that you might just be watching a few more hours of telly as your entertainment choice and I would suggest to you that you embrace HD and enjoy it.

Sean recently wrote why he was against the majority of extended warranties, but now it’s my time to argue for them.

I just recently read an article regarding extended warranties and why you shouldn’t buy them. The article actually pointed out the idea of planned obsolescence and its negating the worth of such extended plans. On the whole I agree with that theory but recent events in my life have proven to me that such plans do indeed have merit.

Now I know you think this blog is just about techie things like computers and such but in my vision it is really to help all of us benefit from anyone of our experiences in this world regarding things that hum, run or befuddle us. Take my refrigerator—please. I researched this purchase for months and finally bought a favorite brand. Great—no. It freezes everything and because I did not get an extended warranty I am subject to the phrase ‘Well, as a courtesy’ Courtesy my foot. It is a poorly designed unit and you know it or you would not have a ‘fix’ available for the problem. I have had five repair calls and two ‘fix’ plans and it is not fixed. Now it is time for them to step up and give me a new refrigerator because the time for ‘courtesy’ has passed.

Will they do it? I don’t know but I am ready for the phrase I have heard after every call “Do you have an extended warranty?’ I really shouldn’t matter if the item is poorly designed but evidently it does. I paid a lot of money for this impersonator of a fridge. The extended warranty was only $89.00 for three years –not bad. Or I could have paid for it with American Express and had the first warranty doubled for free. I am now paying for almost everything with my Am Ex card. But if you don’t have an Am Ex what do you do? Save all paper work and get ready for a fight.

And then there is Apple. We happened to have an opportunity to purchase a barely used iPod Touch and upon adding an application the thing went wonky. I know that is not a tech term but when you realize that even their engineering department was stumped wonky it is!! Their customer service has been exemplary. We have even had progress reports on their research of the problem. No ‘as a courtesy’ bs—just good customer service. So in light of this great customer service should we have bought an extended warranty? My thought is yes. Even though Apple is proving themselves to be a good corporate giant things do go wrong and with a unit that has already gone wonky I would feel better if I had an extended warranty.

To take the problem of extended or no to its most base level I feel you have to look at not only original price of the item but also its importance to you. I need a working fridge—it is a cornerstone of my kitchen and yes it was expensive. On the not too expensive side was the Touch and yes I need that too—it is the basis of my road warrior organization. If you find that you can’t accept the idea of planned obsolescence as I can’t then I suggest extended warranties are the plan for you.

GPS is my new friend.

Everyone who knows me knows I have no sense of direction—I can get lost going in a straight line with no turn possibilities. For that particular reason I have come to rely on my OnStar in my car and maps from various sources.

I am on the road and in my car more hours than I do anything else so I must have decent simple directions in a hurry –I can’t read maps while I am driving so I need an alternative. Now, as much as I love OnStar there are times when it just doesn’t get me where I am going due to certain route requirements set up by the provider. The operators have trouble sometimes routing me in a simple manner such as fewest turns, no interstates or gas stations located in front of me not 20 miles behind me!

So I decided to look into a technology I had used before but had set aside for OnStar—GPS. WOW!! How times have changed!! Done all in color, voice rendered directions and a wealth of information readily available—my dream. I purchased a Garmin NUVI 750 and I couldn’t be more pleased. I can change my route easily, find a gas station at midnight, locate food in a small town—and I really don’t have to look at the screen as my new friend “ Chatty” tells me where to go and when to go—heaven!!

I have only one complaint and that is the book of directions left a lot to be desired and I do mean a lot. I worked with the unit for several days and learned so much—I wasn’t afraid of it and I didn’t let it win and now we have a comfortable relationship in my techno zone. There will be more to come on this subject as I learn the basics and the fine points of my new best friend.

This website is really not here to tout any particular company or technology but after this past weekend I have to shout about OnStar.

I was in Dallas, Texas this past week working at a convention in the area of part of my business. I do this quite often—travel to a city with product, set up in a convention hall and sell for the weekend. Of course means I must break down and pack my trailer at the end of the show. This also means there may be nasty people waiting for me to leave the building. This time there were nasty people waiting for me. I don’t feel I made a mistake in my judgment that led to this situation—they were there and so was I.

They tried to stop me three blocks from the event area but I didn’t fall for it—knocked on my window to say there was something wrong with my trailer. I didn’t open the door or lower the window. I went back to the convention hotel where there was light and people and checked it—no problems. Nasty people averted right? No, they followed me on the freeway for 8+ miles—they could see me and my big, red trailer—I just couldn’t see them.

Dinner was at the IHOP. I have eaten there before and had no problems. All of the sudden the staff is telling me someone broke into my car and that they had already called the police. There it was—smashed and grabbed. Lots of damage from drivers side over to passenger side—amazing what a cinder block can do to glass windows and plastic interiors.

So now what to do? Late on Sunday, no window on one door and glass everywhere!! I called OnStar and they spent at least thirty minutes trying to find a glass company for me at that late hour. No luck but they tried and they cared. I realized that I should have hit the red emergency button immediately when they tried the first time to get me to open the door or window. OnStar would have known exactly where I was through GPS and would have contacted the police to help me right away. It is technology, it is helpful. I am not afraid of it but I just didn’t think of it in that way.

So, I have learned my lesson. I have taken the time in the past few days to look at every tech item I own and to judge their uses in such a situation. Some cell phones can call 911 wherever they are—find out if yours does and then use it if you have to! Some other brands of cars have similar units to Onstar—find out if yours does and use it. If you have none of the above consider them for your next phone, or car. This would truly be the grand use of technology that I feel some inventors meant it to be—you are not alone and technology is your friend.

I have to make a hotel reservation in a hurry. I usually plan things out weeks ahead but this trip requires a night out that I didn’t plan. To top it off my destination is for a town that I have stayed in before but not for many years. I have no idea what is available there so where do I start?

Generally if I know where I am going and I have been there recently I start with the web page of my favorite hotel chain. When I have some questions though, I start with Yahoo! in the travel area. Just enter the name of the city at the prompts and there you are. Typically you will find listings for each hotel in that town/area and you will be able to view costs and reviews on the same pages. I must admit I hardly ever make reservations through the avenues provided there as I want to make sure I am getting the very best price. So, after my initial searchings I go to the web site of my chosen hotel and ask for all of my discounts like AAA or AARP and do a final search on that site.

I know what you are saying—what about Hotels.com or Travelocity? Well, I would love to but I travel with a 7’ by 14’ cargo trailer and those sites never give parking info. I can’t pull up at a hotel in the dark and no place to park my rig. So I don’t use them and I even call the hotel I choose from my favorite websites if I have never stayed there before just to check on the parking lot!! Hysterical, huh? No, hysteria is driving into a parking lot and not being able to park or get out!! I do not like surprises!!

So you may ask what does this have to do with Starter Tech? Well, it is pretty simple—it is all about taking the frustration out of using the web. In this case the web is my dear friend as I really hate calling a hotel reservation service and having them ask me ad infinitum if they can make a plane reservation or order me a car. All I want is place to lay my weary head and park my rig—simple, simple, simple. The web allows me to do just that—KISS—keep it simple stupid. I love it!! Try it, embrace it—you will love it too!

I told you earlier I am in the market for new office equipment. I need to find a new fax machine and a new copier. A back up scanner and printer would also be nice but they can wait or may not even be in the immediate picture. Now to get started, I have to decide how basic or fancy I want to go.

I am not really a bells and whistles kind of girl—I really just want stuff to do what it says it will do. I want reliable service and the least amount of repair calls I can muster. My present fax machine is an HP (Hewlett-Packard) and it has given my office 10+ years of spectacular service. It has just been in the past few weeks that trouble has started. I have checked on the basic repair avenues and right now it seems counter productive and just downright wasteful to spend money on a ten year old piece of equipment when I can’t get a definitive gaurantee that I will have even 1 more year of service for my repair money. For me that is not an option so I am in the market!! This fax machine was huge—it took up a lot of space but it did just two things—fax and copy. No bells and no whistles other than plain paper usage which ten years a go was a bell and whistle. So what do I want now?

The same two functions are available on several machines from several manufacturers. I am starting my research with HP—in my office it has been king. I even have a 12+ year old laser printer (must have for shipping labels) that has not had trouble one! So the logical place for me to start is with HP—but where? Well, there are several places to go to shop, read reviews and place an order without ever leaving my desk—remember I live in a very small town. But also remember that you may do your research on line and then take your facts with you when you visit an actual facility so you will have all of your ammunition at hand when you are ready to buy.

I am going to search for a HP fax machine that faxes and copies and perhaps scans and prints at Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Staples.com—all offer reviews, discounts and free shipping for the most part. I am not committing to anything with any one of them, no salesman will follow me and if I have a question I am going to ask my son to explain things to me. If you are on this journey with me—no matter what you are looking for please let me remind you that we are here to help answer your questions—bells, whistles or plain old doughnuts—we are here to help.

I don’t have a lot of extra time—I am gone on the road at least half of the month. When I am home I need to make the most of my time. This fact does not leave me time to research new or replacement purchases. Added to this is the fact that I live in a very small town and we don’t even have a Staples or Office Depot where I could do business research.

This is why I love the WEB!! I can spend as little or as much time as I want to to find information on something I need. There is no salesman dogging me and I have no stupid questions because all the specs I need are usually in the product description. Also, there are reviews—yes, reviews from people just like you and me. They have already tried it and either loved it or hated it! What is it? Anything you can think of—tomato paste in a tube, toothpaste, fax machines and so on and so on. If my head starts to hurt from too much input I just bookmark and stop until I want to look again. It is perfect. The web gives me a luxury of time that I wouldn’t have otherwise and all I need to know is accessible anywhere in the world on the world wide web.

Right now I need new office equipment. I need to replace a fax machine, copier and I need a new printer. I am going to replace all of them using the web and I am going to take all of you with me so you too can see the value of this amazing tool. It will be a fun ride.