How did I ever live without a smartphone?

I recently got a Blackberry. It's my first smartphone and I wonder what I ever did without it. Now that I have the Internet at my fingertips virtually at all times, I can't imagine not having a smartphone with email and Internet capabilities.

As content becomes more available to mobile phones, it's often faster and easier to find info on the go. For example, Tuesday I headed to Paducah, Kentucky to do a story on the quilt show that brings thousands of people to the area each year. So, I wanted to do a little research. On my hour and a half long ride there, I was able to go to the American Quilter's Society website, read their history, look up directions, check my email and even tweet on Twitter.

As technology continues to evolve, it will become accessible to more and more people. This connects the world, providing entertainment, information, and communication 24/7 in your pocket or purse.

While I'm not sure I'm ready to watch a full length movie on my phone yet, I am excited about all the possibilities I've discovered.

I want to know...do you have a smartphone? What kind do you have? Why do you like it? Which smartphones would you recommend for other people?

cNews - Be a part of the news

We have a new way for you to share news with us at Heartland News and the rest of the Heartland. It's cNews. Just click on the icon on our home page. You can upload your own pictures and video and view the uploads from other people. You can even rate the pics/videos and leave comments!

The Heartland is a big area and sometimes it's difficult for us to get to everything, so here's your chance to be a part of the news. If you see news happen, snap a picture, record some video. Upload it and tell us what happened. It might just make it on-air during one of our newscasts.

cNews is another way for you as a viewer to get more involved and hands on. It's also great because you can see what others submit.

If you do submit something, just know that it will take a bit to show up on the cNews page because each submission is reviewed before it is posted.

I look forward to seeing your pics and videos!

Conficker worm still squirming its way to computers

Conficker squirms it way to Utah, the University of Utah that is. According to the Associated Press, the computer virus infected more than 700 campus computers.

The worm can even wiggle itself onto thumb drives, so be careful. Get this, according to Gizmodo.com, Conficker is charging $49.95 to remove itself from your system. Computerworld.com says the worm has been downloading a "noted Trojan horse bot" that could be used to rent PCs out to spammers. Yikes!

Conficker worm shows signs of activity

One week after the big "to-do" the Conficker worm seems to be out there doing some damage, updating via peer-to-peer between infected computers, according to CNET.

However, I'm not sure what the actual damage is if a computer gets infected. Trend Micro says their still analyzing the new payload dropped via peer-to-peer communication.

I found a site with five free tools to help exterminate Conficker.

Test your computer for Conficker worm.

Still worried about the Conficker worm? Here's a quick eye chart test to see if your computer has been infected.

If your computer is affected. Find out what to do with at this link.

Find broadband options where you live

Looking for better broadband Internet access? CNET provides a service to help you find out the options available where you live. Just enter in your home phone numbe and it searches more than 30 ISPs to show what's available at your home.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4002-6549_7-5114723.html?tag=bandwidth_sponsorship

You can also test your current bandwidth, with the Bandwidth Meter Online Speed Test from CNET.

Windows Anti-Virus 2009 is bad!

The threat of a malicious Internet worm called Conficker had many people updating their anti-virus software recently.

While the potentially dangerous Conficker worm hasn't caused the damage as predicted, another virus could be causing you more problems.

It's called Windows Antivirus 2009 and it's very tricky. It disguises itself as antivirus software, but it's actually a virus that could do major damage to your PC. It's so tricky in fact, that a couple of people here at the station accidentally clicked on it.

It hides in ads on websites that you may visit, so there's really no way to avoid the bug.
The owner of Computer 21 in Cape Girardeau says a lot of his customers have been tricked by the virus. He says he's seen a lot of computers affected by the virus over the past three months.

"If you're on a website that has that ad, you're going to notice that the screen goes blank in the background," said Andrew Bard, owner of Computer 12. "Little window pops up, says you've been infected with something, click ok to scan now. If you click ok, you're done. Best thing you can do is cut the power."

Sounds scary, so how do you tell the real deal from the virus? If it just pops up on your computer and you didn't click anything, then it's probably the virus. Like Bard said, don't click on anything. Just cut the power.

To help protect against the virus you can download an anti-malware application. Windows provides some Antivirus 2009 removal instructions if you get bitten by the bug.

Conficker Worm - April Fool's Computer Virus

The Conficker worm is squirming its way through the Internet and it could infect your computer! Mass hysteria! Ahhh! Ok, really it's not that big of a deal...at least not so far today.

The malicious Conficker worm was set to update to become more aggressive today, but so far nothing noticeable has happened.

Computers already infected with the worm were to be told to step up their attempts to "phone home" for commands (E.T. anyone?). However, the chief research officer at antivirus company F-Secure says that the only thing that's happened so far with the bug.

Computers running Miscrosoft Windows operating system are suseptible. It could be used to send spam or perform other cybercrimes.

It's believed the virus, discovered in 2008, has infected 10 million computers worldwide. But, most of those are in Asia, Europe and South America, according to an article by PC World.

It mainly affects big companies with networks, but it's a good idea to make sure your computer is updated with the latest antivirus software. Microsoft offers this help.

A good rule of thumb to find out if your PC is infected is to try to visit an antivirus software company like Symantec or Microsoft. If you can't log on, your computer may be infected.

Twitter for Videos - Gawkk.com

Can't get enough Twitter? Now there's a social video community for videos.

Gawkk.com a way for members to "discover, share and discuss videos from around the web with their friends by answering the question: What are you watching?"

You can search videos by category or popular and newest videos.