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Ask TUAW: GPS, Hamachi, student questions, and more
Wednesday is Ask TUAW time! This week we tackle questions on GPS solutions on the Mac, zero-configuration VPN with Hamachi, dealing with a slow starting Mac, as well as a couple of student questions on taking notes and using the Summarize Service, As always, please leave your own comments, and ask more questions for next week either in the comments to this post or using the tip form. Now let's turn to the questions.
Take your PC anywhere with RingCube's MojoPac software
If your remote access setup just ain't cutting it, RingCube Technologies has developed software that allows your iPod, external HDD, USB drive, or other fancy form of storage to be utilized as a "private and portable PC." MojoPac manages to cram your Windows XP desktop, settings, accounts, and even programs and preferences onto any portable storage medium to be accessed as a virtual desktop. The software essentially relocates your data to an on-the-go device, while it borrows the resources from any other Windows XP computer you manage to locate. RingCube touts the software's ability to run "side-by-side" with the host PC, allowing you to work in both domains while keeping all of your private info secure; since all data transmissions reportedly occur on your MojoPac-equipped storage device, no traces of your work (in cache form or otherwise) are saved on the host PC. Of course, the utility of such a setup is greatly reliant on the speed of your storage device, so attempting to render a Photoshop document from a USB 1.1 thumb drive would likely create a fair amount of frustration. Nevertheless, satisfying your curiosity here won't cost a dime -- MojoPac is currently available for a free month-long trial, after which the "introductory price" is $29.99 for the initial license ($14.99 for add-ons), while the late bloomers will pay nearly double that.[Via SiliconValley]
One Time Password DisplayCard heightens transaction security
While we were a bit skeptical when Chase sent us one of their questionably-secure RFID-equipped "Blink" cards last year, we're gonna be all over a new technology from several companies that actually gives credit cards a heigtened level of security by generating a one-time passcode for each transaction, viewable on an embedded e-ink display. The OTP DisplayCard, as it's being called, was developed by InCard Technologies in conjunction with security firm nCryptone using technology from SiPix Imaging and SmartDisplayer, and is being targeted at financial institutions or at other companies as a replacement for the password-generating key fobs used to enable VPN access to their intranets. While the added security feature would come into play for both online and in-person transactions, it will probably be most useful for Internet purchases, making your credit card info almost worthless to identity thieves who can't get their hands on the card itself. Oh, and to answer the inevitable question: no, these cards will not be able to play Doom.[Via mobileread]
Setting up OS X as a VPN server
If you have spent any time in the corporate world you have probably heard of VPN. Virtual Private Networks are a way to securely connect to one network, say your work's network resources, from another place (like your home broadband connection). OS X server has a VPN server baked right in that allows both OS X clients and Windows clients to connect securely, but how do you set it up?Maclive.net has just posted a great article that explores setting up an OS X VPN server as well as connecting to that server from a Mac or a Windows box.
