Q&A: Cooking With a New Computer

Taste Largely Decides

Choice of Computer

Q. My wife would like to put together a keepsake family cookbook of her best recipes but needs a new computer first. We currently have a PC, but would a Mac or a new Windows model work best, and with most cookbook programs?

A. Unless you need to run a specific program that works on only one type of operating system, the decision between a Mac or a Windows computer comes down to personal preferences and how much money you wish to spend. Windows-based PCs tend to be less expensive, and if you have been using Windows you would probably have less of a learning curve — as well as an easier time transferring files and other data from your old machine to the new one.

Apple’s Mac computers may cost a little more upfront, but have their devotees for elegant software and ease of use. Things are shifting, but Macs are still generally less of a target for malicious software as well.

Although the Mac may require some getting used to after years of Windows, the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system — Windows 8 — is noticeably different from previous versions of the software. If you can, you may want to go to a store that sells both types of computers and try out each one. (With extra software, a Mac computer can also run Windows if you cannot decide which to choose.)

Since both systems can easily handle standard tasks like e-mail, Web browsing, word processing and displaying photo, audio and video files, the cookbook software you like best may be a deciding factor. Some cookbook creation and printing services (like makethefamilycookbook.com or familycookbookproject.com) are Web-based and work on both systems, as does desktop software like Cook’n. Other programs, like Living Cookbook, are Windows-only.

Voice Memos

In Extra Large

Q. I used the Voice Memos app on the iPhone to record three hours of audio, but when I try to e-mail the file to myself, the app says it can only send a shortened version. I don’t sync my phone with iTunes, so is there a way to copy this recording to my Mac?

A. If Apple’s iTunes-syncing solution does not work for you, there are alternatives. One method is to use a third-party app like iExplorer for Mac or iFunBox for Windows and Mac to browse the files on the phone and copy the ones you need to the computer.

For future large voice memos, there are apps like DropVox which records the audio and sends it right to an online Dropbox account for easy retrieval. And if you ever decide to try out iTunes, voice memos are automatically copied back to the computer’s audio library when you have the “Include voice memos” option selected on the Music tab.

TIP OF THE WEEK To help protect your Facebook account, you can turn on the login approvals option in your settings, which requires that a special code be sent to your phone when you log in from a new computer. But even if you do not have a cell signal when you use Facebook from a new machine, you can still use the company’s mobile app on your Android handset or iPhone to get the necessary security code.

In the Facebook app, tap the top left menu icon. In the iPhone version, flick down the screen, tap Code Generator and follow the steps on screen to grab the numeric code you need to log in. In the Android version, tap Account and then Code Generator from the top left menu button. Tap the Activate option and wait a minute or two to receive the code required to get into your Facebook account.

Personal Tech invites questions about computer-based technology to QandA @nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually.

Bits Blog: On Amazon, Cooking Up Friendly Reviews

Beneath the placid surface of Amazon, authors and reviewers have been in a ferment this fall. After several well-publicized episodes involving writers soliciting or paying for reviews, the retailer seems to be cracking down on log-rolling. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of book reviews have been killed. Amazon has not explained exactly why.

One possible target: authors who have sent gift certificates to reviewers to buy their books. While it’s easy to see the potential for abuse here — “Here’s a $100 gift certificate. Buy a copy of my novel for 99 cents and keep the change” — some writers argue it is no different than sending a physical copy of a book to someone, which is what publishers do in the offline world and therefore is allowed by Amazon. At least, the line between the two is blurry.

Consider the case of Tim Ferriss, the self-help specialist whose extensive promotional activities help power his books onto the best-seller lists. He gave away a thousand advance copies — many more than most authors — before “The 4-Hour Body” was published two years ago. Some went to friends, some to companies where Mr. Ferriss had been a guest speaker, still more to those who helped or volunteered to help with the book. On publication day, all the recipients were sent an e-mail marked urgent asking them to spend 30 seconds writing a review. Many complied. But some readers saw something suspicious.

“Although this generated a fair amount of backlash from skeptics, it was an immense boon for us to have a solid foundation of 200 positive reviews in the first week,” a Ferriss marketing associate wrote in a guest post on the author’s blog in March 2011. “Having a solid Amazon rating gives the book an enormous amount of social proof that can last for years, and (although immeasurable from our end) boosts the conversion rate on the sales page substantially.”

Two weeks ago, Mr. Ferriss brought out his third book, “The 4-Hour Chef.” Published this time by Amazon itself, the nearly 700-page tome came equipped with many five-star reviews posted on the date of publication. Only a few of the reviewers said they had gotten advance copies. Once again, some readers saw something suspicious. “Tons of fake ratings have been posted on the first day that this book came out,” posted a reader who goes by carmex. “Please do not encourage this type of behavior.”

A debate sprang up about whether it was permissible to solicit advance reviews from friends and others you strongly suspected were going to give you a rave. “Would you consider those reviews as being within the spirit and integrity of what a review should be or is that more akin to network marketing?” asked one reader, who put himself in the second group.

Mr. Ferriss said in an e-mail message that he sent out from 200 to 300 advance copies of “The 4-Hour Chef” to “people I identified as being potentially interested in my book and who would probably enjoy the content. Does that stack the deck? Perhaps, but why send the book to someone who would hate it? That doesn’t help anyone: not the reader, nor the writer. ”

Some critics noted that some of Mr. Ferriss’ fans had written no other reviews — usually a tip-off that the reviewer has been paid or was a friend of the author. “No conspiracy required,” Mr. Ferriss said. “How many people routinely leave Amazon reviews? Very few. Even reading as much as I do, I very rarely leave book reviews. But if a writer I loved, one who’d written more than 400 blog posts for free (as I have) — posts I benefited from — asked me to do so as a 30-second favor, would I be inclined? Absolutely. That would make me a new reviewer.”

The most controversial of Mr. Ferriss’ reviewers are not reviewers at all. These are fans who straightforwardly admit they haven’t read the book, but nevertheless give it four or five stars:

“It baffles me how excited I am to have this book in my hands — Just arrived home and it was sitting on my porch waiting for me,” wrote one “reviewer.” “Just ordered this hope it’s as good as the other titles,” said a second. “I’ll write a review once I’m finished,” exclaimed a third.

Some people review books on Amazon before they read them.

Surprisingly, Amazon says it is completely legitimate to do this. “We do not require people to have experienced the product in order to review,” Craig Berman, an Amazon spokeman, said. “Some people write reviews on why they decided not to buy, or write a review as a gift giver rather than the product owner.”

Perhaps, but I see a future where we have virtual enthusiasm for virtual books. Reviews are crucial to online commerce in a way they never were to offline sales. If Amazon can devise a system that is transparent and fair to all involved — author, reviewer and customer — it will be a greater achievement than same-day delivery.