With Internet Fax, Is There a Limit to How Many Faxes I Can Send?

Q: I need to send a lot of faxes, is there a limit to how many I can send each month?

A:  Different Internet fax services have different allowances on how many faxes you can send each month. And even if you feel like you spend a substantial chunk of your day faxing, don't worry, you're in the clear with some of our top rated companies. In your case, a name that stands out is Fax 87. For $8.99/month, you get an allowance of 1,000 faxes that you can send and receive. Need even more? It only costs $0.08/page when you go over your monthly limit. Our reviewers enjoyed using this service and found that the send and receive response times were quite fast. Check out the review and sign up for the 15 day free trial.

MetroFax is another one of our favorites. Signing up for the annual plan will bring the monthly cost down to a mere $6.63/month. This plan includes 500 pages, and only $0.03/page when you go over the limit. We loved the sleek interface and their 30-day free trial offering. Go ahead, read the full review.

As you can see, not all Internet fax services are created equal, nor do they offer the same faxing limits. Use our handy Internet fax compare table to find the right service for you.

• Tweet

What Is a Good Cloud Storage/Online Backup Service for My Spouse and I to Share?

Q: Is there a cloud storage  and backup service recommended for backing up my wife and I's Macs together, sharing some folders but not others? How can we consolidate all of our photos together?

A: This is an excellent question because using one cloud storage service to backup both of your computers will save you a lot of money and is extremely convenient. A great option for you is Spideroak, one of our top online backup and cloud storage services. For $8.33/month (with the annual plan), you and your spouse can share 100 GB of storage space, with the option to purchase more space at any time. With Spideroak, both of you can choose to backup whatever files you need, and once they are safely stored in the cloud either of you can access the account anywhere with an Internet connection.

You can then choose to sync whatever folders you want together. That way, both of you can have access to the files you need to keep updated between the two of you. Spideroak lets you sync two or more folders together, so if you make a change in one folder, that change will show up in the other folder no matter which computer it is on. Even the tiniest change like switching the order of files in a folder will be recognized and show up in the corresponding folder, keeping both of you super organized. This is also a great way to consolidate all of your photos —  just sync photo folders from each of your computers together, and voila! Now both of you have an extensive and constantly updated photo library to browse, not to mention your photos will never be lost since you backed them up safely in the cloud.

Want to do your own comparison? Click here to see all of our cloud storage and online backup reviews.

• Tweet

AVG Internet Security Review: New Features Give AVG a New Edge

AVG Internet Security 2012 gives its users a few extra features that raise its game to compete with the larger Internet security suites. The most important of those is the identity protection feature, which helps protect your identity and password from hackers. It also includes a PC analyzer which will clean your computer of junk files, broken shortcuts and other things that could be slowing down its performance. And for a price, you can also add parental controls ($0.99/year) or online backup ($79.99/year). All this for half the price of the bigger security software suites! You can also get an additional 20% off through NextAdvisor. To get the deal or read the full review, click here.

• Tweet

Can I Transfer Credits from One Online College to Another?

Q: I am currently attending University of Phoenix. I have 2 more classes to go for my Associates. I wanted to know if I would be able to transfer my credits and go for my Bachelors with American InterContinental University.

A: In theory, American InterContinental University will accept your transfer credits. In practice, the number of credits that can be transferred depends on whether they are applicable to your area of study.

AIU will accept transfer credits from any school that is accredited by an agency that is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association, so you should be fine. AIU will evaluate the credits you took at University of Phoenix and determine if they fit in with your desired program at AIU.

You should have no problem transferring general education classes, such as composition or basic math requirements. The more specific classes are where it becomes tricky. If you were an art student at University of Phoenix, but want to study business at AIU, most of those art classes won’t count for much. If you want to stay in the same area of study for your Bachelors at AIU, most of your credits should transfer with little issue. But each credit is subject to AIU’s evaluation process, so nothing is guaranteed.

Our other top-rated online college, such as Capella University and Kaplan University, have the same transfer requirements, as do many accredited colleges. Check out our compare page to see how other online schools stack up.

• Tweet

Which Online Backup Services are HIPAA Compliant?

Q: Which online backup services are HIPAA compliant?

Source: BHM

A: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)  not only protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families, but is also meant to address the security and privacy of health data. Because the electronic transfer of health data is much more efficient and effective, HIPAA requirements strive to create safe standards for these practices.

There are a handful of online backup services that are HIPAA compliant. Carbonite and Mozy,  two of our highest-rated online backup services, both comply with HIPAA standards.

Another service that really stands out is IBackup. Though it isn't exactly at the top of our list, businesses, particularly those in the legal, health, or financial fields, will want to give IBackup serious consideration. IBackup's business-level services help businesses backup their MS SQL server databases and Exchange servers. Of course, they also boast support for HIPAA and a number of other compliance issues relating to business. The service, like various other online backup providers, also lets you set your own private encryption key, for all plans.

Always make sure that the online backup service you choose follows all of the regulations necessary to support your business, and always feel free to call their customer support!

• Tweet

SOS Online Backup Review: SOS Gets a Makeover

Thanks to its new features and sleek interface, SOS Online Backup now has a place among our other top-rated online backup services.

Not only does it have an intuitive mobile app for both iPhone and Android, but it also has a Facebook application that backs up your social media life. It also lets users share their files and offers unlimited file versioning. You can even stream your favorite music from your computer to your mobile device. Though its a little on the pricier side of the online backup chain, many users will find the many new features to be a great value. Backup a max of 5 computers and choose from annual storage plans starting at  50 GB for  $79.95 and 100 GB for $99.95. External hard drives welcome!

Read the full review here.

• Tweet

Network Solutions Offers Reliable Web Hosting, 55% Discount

New to the website building game? Want an easy-to-use, inexpensive and reliable host service? Network Solutions could be the perfect web hosting service for you. The service offers a site builder with hundreds of templates to choose from and a slew of features that are user-friendly and can easily be added to your site. Although a solid web hosting service, Network Solutions isn’t without its issues, namely a somewhat confusing interface and some technical issues with the site builder. But it makes up for its shortcomings with its wide range of features and reliability. And right now, Network Solutions is offering NextAdvisor readers a 55% discount on their web hosting packages. Want to know more? Read the review and get the discount here!

• Tweet

NextAdvisor Launches New User-Friendly Look

Welcome to the new NextAdvisor! It has the same trusted research and great deals you have come to expect, but with a new simplified, user-friendly look. With our readers in mind, we have enhanced the site’s navigation, to make it easier for you to find the reviews and deals that you are looking for. We’ve given you more choices on the homepage, so you have easy access to all of our content, including the most recent blogs and in-depth reviews. And we’ve also highlighted some of our featured reviews and deals that you might not even know about! The new NextAdvisor is all about you, so let us know what you think. Leave us a comment, like us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to get all the most recent research and deals that fit your needs.

• Tweet

15% off SugarSync this Labor Day Weekend

SugarSync is offering NextAdvisor visitors a special 15% discount on their annual plans for a limited time only.  Today through September 4th if you sign up for a SugarSync personal plan via the NextAdvisor site you'll automatically get 15% off.  Plus, this offer includes a 30-day free trial.  Get it now while it's hot!

• Tweet

New Facebook privacy concern: your cell phone number

Facebook has a history of fishy privacy practices, so we're not surprised at its latest grab for user information. If you use a Facebook app on your cell phone, have provided your phone number to it for "increased security," or entered it into your profile under certain sharing settings, your data could be at risk.

Rumors abound that Facebook is now making public contact lists from smartphones that use Facebook Mobile. Although Facebook denies that this is true, a longstanding feature that syncs contacts from your phone to your Facebook account has been discovered by many. This means that Facebook has probably stored every number in your phone on a server somewhere.

You can see the phone numbers of all your contacts, which means that they can probably see your phone number. Regardless of the method Facebook may have used to get your number, here's what you should do:

1. In your phone's Facebook app, tap the Friends icon in the main menu. Then in the upper-right of the screen, click Sync.

2. When you're on Facebook, click on Account at the top-right of the screen. Then click Edit Friends. On the left side of the screen, click on Contacts. You'll see this text on the right: "If you would like to remove your mobile contacts from Facebook, you need to disable the feature on your mobile phone and visit this page." Click to go there, and then click the Remove button.

3. Double-check the privacy settings on your Facebook account to make sure that only the right people are seeing your number. We recommend deleting it completely.

For those worried about protecting their privacy, we recommend identity theft protection. Companies such as Identity Guard, Trusted ID, and LifeLock monitor your credit score and other records and alert you of fraudulent activity. Plus, NextAdvisor offers you a discount!

• Tweet