The Digital Dentist

From Microsoft of all people, here's a nifty service called Live Mesh. It basically allows you to have all your computers in sync and to be able to access data from any of those computers remotely. The service is currently in Beta and allows up to 5 GB of data, and it looks really slick.

Here's a great utility that I've always wanted. You know how the Taskbar button and icons can't be placed in any special order? That's always annoyed me...I want to be able to organize them like my Quick Launch bar. Well, that's no longer an issue once you install Taskbar Shuffle. It's free, takes up little room, and does exactly what it claims to do.

I know that many of you are in the market for HDTV sets, either for the office or your home. If you were planning to purchase one, my best advice is: wait. All of the major vendors announced price cuts that will bring the prices way down. I would wait until mid-August to make a purchase, and shop around: there is far too much inventory so the vendors are looking to dump what they have.

Here's one of the scariest studies I've seen online: the average time for an unpatched Windows XP to become infected with malware? 4 minutes! This is anything emphasizes the need to be sure that you have good antivirus and spyware in place the moment you get online.

One of the main reasons that people don't get Microsoft Office is the initial cost, which can run over $500 depending on the version. For people that prefer a smaller upfront cost and yearly updates, Equipt may be a good option. You pay $70 for a 12-month subscription and that gets you Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Microsoft's Windows Live One Care security suite. Not a bad deal, but it expires if you don't renew each year. It's currently available through Circuit City only but that should expand over the next few months.

As you may know from previous posts, I'm not planning on any iPhone anytime soon. Being locked into AT&T has no appeal to me, and the expensive monthly contract isn't worth it. That doesn't mean that I don't want a phone like the iPhone! Here are the closest contenders, with pros and cons of each.

The web is a great, big place and sometimes, gems are hidden in the rough. Here's a list of 21 Free Web Based Applications, most that you may not have heard of, that can be very useful.

I have recommended the excellent Cobian Backup in the past as a great, free backup program. The latest, version 9, has some excellent features, such as the ability to stop and restart databases (needed for programs like Eaglesoft and Quickbooks), and Volume Shadow Copy that prevents file in use errors. Definitely worth the download.

I've always wondered why waterproof keyboards, such as the Really Cool Waterproof Keyboard (trust me, not my name, it's theirs!), aren't more popular for dental ops. Perhaps the $199 price tag doesn't help. But, these are a great option for offices and we are starting to get more requests for them.

There's no worse feeling that booting up your computer to a dreaded prompt that the computer cannot find the partition and you need to insert a system disc. That's where a program like Find and Mount can be so useful, as it will find lost partitions, even ones with a missing Master Boot Record, and allow you to restore the drive. The free version is slower, but other than that, it's just as powerful as the paid version.

There's no worse feeling than when you accidentally delete a file. It's even worse when you find out how difficult it can be to restore that file, if at all. That's where a program like Undelete+ can save you a lot of time and heartache. Like any undelete utility, it's not perfect, and the quicker you use it, the better your chances are of recovery. While this program used to be sold, they now offer it for free for non-commercial use. Definitely a good program to have installed...you never know when you'll need something like this.

It happens to me every day...I get files sent to me or ones that I download that I need to convert. Perhaps it's a movie file I want to play on my ipod Touch. Or a large BMP file that needs to be a smaller JPEG. That's where FormatFactory can help, as it can convert any of these formats to whatever you want. Check it out: its free!

As anyone who uses Windows well knows, your computer doesn't keep it's pristine state for too long. Files clog up the systems, corruption occurs, and all of a sudden your speed demon is just a demon to work with. Here are the Five Best Windows Maintenance Tools as selected by a LifeHacker poll. As with any of these articles, scroll down to see user comments, as there are many other gems in there.

One of the most annoying limitations of Windows Clipboard is the fact that it only remembers the most recent item that you cut. For someone like me that adds multiple websites and links in my emails and newsletters, this is a real pain. M8 Multi Clipboard solves this problem by allowing you to save up to 25 cuts at once. It also does a much better job with image clips, and you can preview any clip before you insert it into a document. Very handy, and free to boot.

Here's a great utility, from Microsoft no less: Windows Steady State. While it's a bit hard to describe how it works, what it does is easy: it allows you to go right back where you were when you or someone else makes changes to the computer. The ideal use for something like this are shared access computers, such as the ones used by you and your kids. All changes to Favorites, downloaded files, programs installed that you didn't want...removed in the blink of an eye. Free software from Microsoft is rare...grab this while you can.

While I've been impressed with the new 3G iPhone that Apple released a few days ago, the pricing isn't so great. While the price of the phones has dropped considerably from where they were a year ago, the monthly plans have gone up, so over time, you'll actually pay more. I think the phone is cool, but will take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to corporate e-mail, the kind many of you use through Outlook.

While there was a lot of buzz a few months ago about the death of Internet radio, nothing could be further from the truth. PC Magazine has reviewed 12 Free Music Sites. Now, there will be some caveats such as you can't skip through songs all that often, but hey...it's free!

Have you ever accidentally deleted a file and wanted it back? Yeah...me neither (just kidding). I've been testing a new program called, well...UndeleteMyFiles. The name says it all. A few things that I like about this software is that you can preview files before you try to restore them, and it also includes permanently wiping files. Free to download and use.

I wasn't a huge fan of Office 2007 at first, but it has grown on me the last year and I now prefer it. If you've been dying to try it but didn't want to use...ahem...less than legal means, here's a way to download and use it for 60 days for free, directly from Microsoft.

I've been recommending online storage for years, especially for personal files. While I don't think you should ever pay for this, the limitation has been the storage: thry usually top out at 5 GB. Humyo ups the ante in a BIG way: 30 GB! 25 of the 30 have to be media files like music and videos, but the rest can be non-media. They also offer a 100 GB plan for $5/month with no restrictions on file-types. Definitely a great bargain.

Here's a really useful site that many of us can relate to. You jut bought all this great new computer or electronics gear, but have no clue how to connect the wires and cables together? Wirewize does just that...you enter the devices you have, and they tell you what cables you need for the best quality and then show you how to hook them all together. Very cool site.

While I initially drooled over the MacBook Air, on closer insepction, I realized it was not the laptop for me. However, there are many laptops that have tried to emulate and improve on that model. Here's a list of Seven Thin Laptops with pictures and reviews of each. If I had to choose, I'd lean towards the Lenovo X300.

Here's a great little tool that will definitely have a place in the Lavine office: Chargepod. It's basically a wheel with 6 adapters that allows you to charge up to 6 gadgets, like cell phone, iPods, cameras...all at the same time. Very cool and only $40; extra adapters are under $10 each.

One of my favorite charting systems, PerioPal, is now offering a free trial and downloadable software. Here's the press release:


PerioPal® Software Launches a FREE Download Program for Periodontal Exams

PerioPal's PAY-PER-USE Licensing Takes the Next Logical Step with a Free Download.

Beaumont, Texas – June 20, 2008 – PerioPal LLC today announced a landmark move to create a software platform for the next-generation of internet and periodontal charting software users. Having seen a tremendous momentum with its ‘Pay-Per-Use’ licensing policy, PerioPal has now developed a free download version to acquaint clinicians across the world with its powerful voice driven periodontal
charting software.

“As PerioPal's user population continues to grow, practice owners across North America have asked us to take the next logical step – a free download.”, says Michael Reeves, PerioPal’s software developer. “Internet developments in the health sector are rapidly evolving to challenge existing systems and create
new ways to enable clinicians to better care for their patients. We are excited to offer the dental community a risk-free opportunity to explore, train, and integrate PerioPal into the practice. We believe a free download together with our proven ‘Pay-Per-Use’ licensing model increases quality care, practice revenue and business planning.”

The user-focused download version allows clinicians to get acquainted with the benefits of PerioPal’s voice driven periodontal charting software. Complete with 25 exams, comprehensive training materials, and a link to PerioPal-compatible headsets, users have everything they need to test and evaluate PerioPal’s voice driven periodontal charting software.

The Download copy of PerioPal’s software is 100% functional including the latest version of PerioPal. Users can download, install, register, train, record and report up to 25 periodontal exams. To use the software beyond the trial exam period, users simply order more exams and have the system integrated into the dental system.

Another new feature is the ‘Accelerated Advance’ which offers an improved advancing option to efficiently navigate the screen as the exam occurs reducing the enrollment time of periodontal data by 25 %.

After an evaluation with the download exams, additional blocks of exams may be purchased on the internet through a simple transaction activating the additional exams on the database. The price per exam is based upon the number of exams purchased. Purchasing in bulk will save as the cost per exam decreases at higher quantities. Ongoing software upgrades are automatically included.

The download version of PerioPal is available at www.periopal.com/pages/download.htm.

About PerioPal

In 2006, PerioPal LLC responded to the needs of the dental practice by launching an innovative ‘Pay-Per-Use’ licensing policy for periodontal exams enabling the PerioPal system to be installed on as many
workstations as desired. All workstations sharing a database are able to access a common “pool” of activated exams. When an exam is initiated, the system utilizes one activated exam. Any PerioPal workstation having access to the database can recall a previously recorded exam regardless of which workstation initially performed the exam.

PerioPal is a verbal software tool, allowing hands-free periodontal charting. With PerioPal, the user can verbally record, chart, store and report a periodontal exam as it occurs, dramatically resolving the clinical challenges of traditional periodontal charting as well as increasing office productivity. PerioPal records
periodontal exams with either the Universal Numbering System or the FDI World Dental Federation System.

To learn more about PerioPal, visit www.periopal.com

I've been recommending online document storage and sharing like Google Docs fpr some time now, especially for people who travel a lot. However, what do you do if you cannot get online? No problem...Google Docs now offers an offline feature. You can edit your documents on your computer and it will sync back up the next time you are online. Very slick.

Even though you can (and should) get Windows XP on your new computers, as time goes on, it will be harder and harder to do this. So, assuming you are stuck with a Vista machine, can you make the software a little more fun to use? Yes you can...and here's a great review of How to Make Windows Vista Less Annoying.

So, now you've downloaded Firefox 3 but want to customize it to your own tastes? Or, just want to learn a few tips and tricks? Here's a great Power User's Guide to Firefox 3.

The long awaited version 3 of Firefox was finally released to the public last week. Here's a list of all the major new features for this excellent browser.

You've just downloaded that must have program only to realize that Windows has no idea what to do with it. After an hour of Google searching and forum posting, you finally figure it out. If only there was a guide that showed you how to get all those needed programs. Download Squad has put together a list of 10 free programs that will take care of those pesky "Windows cannot open this file" messages once and for all.

As I mentioned earlier this week, Patterson will now be giving Eaglesoft away for free. The modules, such as Charting and Cosmetic Imaging, will still cost you, but for the most part, this deal really has no "catches" that I can see.

The bad news is that they have elected to discontinue their mult-location nSite product, for the time being. There are still options for connecting two Eaglesoft offices together, such as VPN or remote access, but you lose the reporting abilities that nSite provided. They will let me know when they have a replacement product. Current users will, of course, still be supported.

This has got to be one of the coolest things I've seen: Developed by New Patients Inc, it's web-based video that you add to your website, usually of you, so that patients can get to know you better. You really have to see this to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.newpatientsinc.com/first_impression.html

It's around $10k for first-class production and accommodations for filming. Check it out and tell them I sent you.