AT&T Has Expanded High Speed

Internet Access (DSL) in Wildwood

Well, the long rumored expansion of DSL service from our friends at AT&T seem now, at last, to be a reality. For months now your Web Master has been registered with the phone carrier for notification that  DSL was available in hopes that they could offer high speed internet service which would be cheaper and better than Comcast. They hadn’t yet  contacted me.  A fellow Apple Corps member* said she had successfully had AT&T hook her up with DSL, so I checked out the AT&T web site once again, and found out  they offer it, and it is cheaper, but not necessarily better.

What you can get from them however, is ten times faster than dial-up, and up to 100 times faster-- depending on how much you are willing to pay. Plans begin at $19.95 a month and go up to $89.99 with commensurate increases speed. You even get a free modem when you sign up. They also have bundles of services which offer you phone service, wireless phone service, a satellite television package(s) and DSL service for considerably less than you would pay for each component separately. Some packages even include a cash back offer.

In order to make sure you can get DSL  at your home,  go to the web site and sign-up for a DSL package-- http://www.att.com/gen/landing-pages?pid=3308. (Don’t worry the  sign-up isn’t official at this point). You will then be asked to enter your phone number and  to click on “continue”. In just a few seconds you will be informed whether they can provide service to you. More than likely they can, because they have recently installed several pieces of equipment in Wildwood. One of the equipment installations is just a few feet from Club member, *Lydia Velenosi’s house. She has been bugging the AT&T installers of said equipment for weeks to get DSL installed in her home Her persistence paid off and she is happily surfing the net at much greater speed.  And, thanks to her, I found out that AT&T was finally expanding its coverage in Wildwood.

So why, you might ask, is the Web Master not switching to AT&T? Well, Comcast is four times faster than DSL for the price, and I didn’t want a slower speed and the hassle of changing providers again. But, believe me, you will love NOT having dial-up! It makes web surfing a totally different animal.

Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual

by David Pogue

A review by M. A. Filippelli for Amazon.com

Pogue’s books on Mac keep getting better and better. This book covers all of the features in Leopard in detail. For those that have used Tiger the missing manual will not be disappointed at all by this book.

For the new Mac user this book covers all of the essentials to get started. It also gives you the tools to go in depth with Leopard. For the experienced Mac users there is still so much valuable information here to make it well worth the purchase.

There are a myriad of new features and features that have been changed or have been enhanced. There are so many new features that are not intuitive in Leopard. This book helps you through these with ease. Throughout the book there are There are lots of well placed screen shots to guide you.

The book is methodically laid out in an order that makes sense. It is filled with tips and “how to” . For the user coming from Windows to Mac this book will be a tremendous help.

There are several informational snippets:

Power users guide: Explains the more technical details of the subject being described.

Frequently asked questions: This is pretty self explanatory.

Work around workshop: These sections detail why you can't do something but then gives you a work around.

Gem in the rough: Shows you how to share with other Mac and non Mac machines.

Up to speed: These sections walk you through speeding up your machine and various applications.

As with all Pogue press books this is very easy read. It is detailed but not cumbersome. There are so many new features in Leopard that this book is a must. Pogue press consistently produces the best Mac books and this is no exception. 5 Stars for the Beginner to intermediate user 4 stars for the advanced user.

Purchasing Information

http://www.amazon.com/Mac-OS-Leopard-Missing-Manual/dp/059652952X

Recent price $23.09 including shipping