The Power of One

RSS Link

One of the biggest trends in IT is the way in which technologies including the cloud, mobile, and others amplify personal productivity and capabilities, allowing, for example, a single person to be an entire IT staff for a small business. This blog focuses on technologies at the intersection of the personal and IT and includes related news, tips, and reviews of individual services or tools.

Trusted Voice

Follow Preston Gralla on Google+

Preston is a freelance writer, and the author of more than 40 books, including "Windows 8 Hacks," "How the Internet Works," and "NOOK Tablet: The Missing Manual." He has written about technology for more than 20 years, and has published in numerous national magazines and newspapers, ranging from Computerworld to USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News, and CIO Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @pgralla or Google+.

How to protect your Wi-Fi network from snoopers...including Google

Posted Sep 11, 2013 - 02:16 pm

A lawsuit against Google for snooping on Wi-Fi networks is moving forward, and it should raise this question for you: Just how safe is your own network against snoopers? If you've got a small wireless network you use for business or home, here's how you can protect yourself against break-ins and snoopers.
Data Center, privacy, security
Your car: The next frontier for personal IT

Posted Sep 09, 2013 - 01:59 pm

It's not just phones and watches that promise to help you be more productive on the go. Ford and Nissan, among others, are developing tools that one day could turn your car into the ultimate mobile machine for getting work done.
Data Center, apps, auto
Why a Chromebook should be your next notebook

Posted Sep 06, 2013 - 11:37 am

Google has just announced a new generation of Chrome OS apps, and for the first time, Chromebooks may be able to compete against their more expensive Windows and Mac OS X competitors. In a BYOD world where companies increasingly ask you to buy your own portable devices, it may be time to opt for a Chromebook.
Data Center, Chrome Apps, chromebooks
6 free IPad productivity apps you can't live without

Posted Sep 04, 2013 - 02:47 pm

Tablets are eating into PC sales for a reason -- they can be big productivity boosters, at much less cost. If you've got an iPad, you don't need to spend a penny for great free productivity apps. Check out six of my favorite ones.
Data Center, apps, free
Five reasons you need a smartwatch like the Samsung Galaxy Gear

Posted Sep 03, 2013 - 03:07 pm

Samsung this week is expected to announce its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, powered by Android and a dual-core processor. You might dismiss it as a plaything, but you'd be wrong. Smartwatches can be surprising productivity boosters. Here are five reasons you need one.
Data Center, Productivity, Samsung

October is...
Unified Communications Month

BY THE NUMBERS: UC&C

HOW-TO: Look alive and professional in Web meetings

TIP: Use your cell phone as a WiFi VOIP phone

TOOLBOX: Six alternative tools for small business collaboration

CASE STUDY: Enterprise social network moves ad agency into the future

Microsoft's Security Essentials isn't the best antivirus program, according to Microsoft

2 comments
AMD pushes forward with new video cards and a few surprises

2 comments
Change Microsoft Office 2013's default search engine from Bing to Google

2 comments
See - and hear - what it was like to surf the web 20 years ago

1 comment
Valve completes its trifecta of announcements with the Steam Controller

1 comment

White Papers & Webcasts

White Paper

Join today!

Get FREE access to premium content, in-depth reviews, practical tips

How it works: The basic tech behind the Internet
You may think you know, but do you really know?
Free and cheap ways to study for IT certifications
Helpful tips for finding inexpensive study resources and getting hands-on experience
iOS vs. Android vs. BlackBerry vs. Windows Phone
Which platform provides the security you need?