Ask Mr. Tech

We all have dozens of passwords we use to login to websites that we need to keep track of. Since password management can be cumbersome, many people simply resort to using the same password for every website, but this is not a good security practice.

What if you could store all your website passwords in an online, encrypted password vault, and access them from ANY machine?

You can have all this — and more — for only $19.99! I’m kidding: it’s actually all free. All you need is Firefox, a free Google account, and the Google Browser Sync Firefox Add-on.

Google Browser Sync gives you the option to sync your “Saved Passwords” in Firefox up to Google’s servers (where they are encrypted). You can also choose to sync your Firefox Bookmarks, Cookies, Browser History, and even Tabs and Windows.

Even if you’re using only one machine, it’s nice to know you have a backup of this information online.

If you use more than one machine, you can login to Google Browser Sync with your Google account (of course both machines need Firefox with the Google Browser Sync Add-on). (NOTE: if you have Gmail, then you already have a free Google account).

These also works between a Mac and Windows machine, since Firefox Add-ons are cross-platform. (more…)

Filed under: Backup, FireFox, Free Stuff, Google, Google Browser Sync, Mac, Security, Small Business Corner, Windows by Mr. Tech
2 Comments »

Question: What’s the best way to use Google Calendar with iCal and an iPhone?

Simply subscribing to Google Calendars from iCal easily: see How to Subscribe to a Google Calendar using iCal.

However, if you want to sync bidirectionally — add things to iCal and have those sync to Google Calendar as well — I recommend Spanning Sync, which has a 30 day trial and costs only $15 to purchase. While there are actually free ways to subscribe from iCal to Google Calendar, it’s more trouble than it’s worth and doesn’t have the flexibility or simplicity of Spanning Sync. (more…)

Filed under: Free Stuff, Google, Google Calendar, Mac, iCal, iPhone by Mr. Tech
2 Comments »