bestlaptopbattery

 I heard you mention on your national radio show that Apple is about to release the next version of OS X. When can I get it? Will it work on my system?

Answer: It's already here. You can download OS X 10.7 Lion for $30 from Apple's Mac App Store. Your current system needs to be running OS X 10.6.6 Snow Leopard. Your computer needs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or higher. PowerPC and older Intel computers won't accept Lion. Lion is a large file; it's more than 3 gigabytes. This will take a long time to download over slower Internet connections. If you don't have a speedy Internet connection, Apple will soon release Lion on a flash drive. It'll cost $70.

Q. I have some older negatives of my kids. I want to bring them into the digital age. Can you scan black and white negatives with a color scanner?

A. Yes, a color scanner can scan black and white negatives. Be careful. If you use the scanner's default settings, it can add unintentional colorization. So, set your scanner software to grayscale mode when scanning the negatives. It will only scan the image using shades of gray. Your scanner may offer black and white mode. Don't use this as it is intended to scan text.

Q. I'm ready to take the plunge! I'm going to buy an iPad 2 from Verizon. They have better coverage where I live. Which data plan should I get?

A. For the iPad 2, you choose from tiered data plans. You pay to use a certain amount of data a month. If you go over, you get charged. Which plan should you get? It depends on your usage habits. If you're always using your gadget on Wi-Fi, you don't need a large plan. Wi-Fi use doesn't count against you. If you like to stream video while out and about, get the biggest plan. Video uses up a lot of data. Verizon does have a data calculator. This can help you get an idea of how much data an activity uses. It makes estimating your data use easier. AT&T also has a calculator.

Q. I'm concerned about my privacy using the Internet. How much data does my browser store? Can someone using my computer figure out the sites that I have visited?

Other Business News:

A. Your Web browser essentially stores everything you do online. It records where you go, information you enter in forms, passwords you use and more. Anyone with access to your computer can pull this information easily. If that concerns you, open your browser's options or preferences. Turn off history functions and password saving. You can also use a free program like CCleaner. It will erase all the recorded information from your browser.

Q. I just switched from a PC to a Mac. Someone lied. My Mac does freeze from time to time. Is there an equivalent of ALT+CTRL+DEL to end a stuck program on a Mac?

A. I hear you. The three-finger salute of ALT+CTRL+DEL is a staple of Windows computing. You use it to bring up the task manager and stop frozen programs. Macs do have a similar command. Press CMD+OPT+ESC to bring up the Force Quit menu. You can then select and close a troublesome application. Pressing CMD+OPT+SHIFT+ESC will automatically Force Quit the foremost program on the screen. If you're not good at holding down those keys at once, there is another way. Click and hold on the program's icon in the dock. A menu will pop up. Select Force Quit from the available options.