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January/February 2010 NewsletterFirstly I would like to thank all my lovely loyal customers for your continued support, and to say that I have really enjoyed being of service to you in 2009, and I sincerely hope I can continue this in 2010 and beyond. Windows 7
Well, in a nutshell, I really
like it, and having set up many new computers with W7 pre-installed, it is a
dream to set up, unlike I won’t go into the many
features of W7 here, suffice it to say that the problems that many people had
with However, I still would NOT
recommend upgrading from Windows XP or If you really want experience W7 to its maximum ability, then consider buying a new system with a Touch Screen, its really clever. However, call me old fashioned, but I still believe that Windows XP is STILL the best operating system, where everything works perfectly and does exactly what it’s supposed to. But there again, there’s Apple’s fantastic OSX Operating System, a whole different kettle of fish. Also, Linux is another alternative to consider. I know it sounds a bit confusing, so if you would like advice about changing your computer, or buying a second one, please feel free to call or email me. Google Chrome
Chrome is Google’s own web browser, and is a direct competitor to Internet Explorer, for viewing web pages. For the last year, I have practically ignored it, favouring other web browsers. However, this week, I’ve been playing with it properly, and I must say, I love it. In the same way that Google is most people’s first choice of Search Engine, I believe that Chrome could also become the first choice of web browser. What makes it so good, I hear you cry. Well the speed it opens it the first thing that strikes you. Once you have clicked to open it, it is on the screen within a second or two (depending upon the speed of your computer and internet connection). The next thing that sets it apart from other browsers is the lack of icons, buttons and clutter. You simply get 3 icons at the top left of the screen, Back, Refresh and Home Page. Then the address bar to type in www addresses. There is a Favourites bar at the top where you can make shortcuts into your most popular websites, for quick easy access. That’s all. Simple and efficient. I should also mention that for anyone that uses Roboform (the password keeper) you can’t add that toolbar to Chrome. Instead there is another version of Chrome, called Chromium, which look identical to Google Chrome, but allows you to use the Roboform toolbar as normal. I really like it now for its speed and efficiency, and would recommend it to all my customers. To download it, simply go to www.google.co.uk/chrome and follow the simple instructions to download and install it. It should take less than 5 minutes to do. Or of course I’d be happy to come and do it for you and show you how to get the most out of it. Netbooks
They are relatively cheap to buy, starting at around £200 currently, which I think is unbelievable value. The are designed for people who are on the move and need to access their emails, internet and documents and pictures. The market leaders are Dell, Samsung and HP/Compaq, although most of the major manufacturers have Netbooks on the market. The will do everything a normal sized computer will do and are ideal for taking away on holiday or business trips. The have a much longer battery life, which can be up to 10 hours on some models. The only downside is that because of their size, they do not have room for a built in CD /DVD drive, so if you want to play CDs or install programmes or watch DVDs you would need to buy or borrow an external DVD drive (costs around £50). In 2010 you will see Netbooks become more and more popular. I can’t see how the price can drop much more, but you will find the technical specification will get better and better. A standard Netbook now has 1Gb RAM and 160Gb Hard drive, which is perfectly fine, but 2 or 3Gb RAM will soon be the norm. They are also ideal as a second computer or great fun for the kids. For a while you can buy them with Windows XP Home installed (which are a bit cheaper), but soon only Windows 7 will be available. Again if you would like advice or help setting it up, I’d be happy to help you. Sending Large Files by Email
Most email providers will impose a limit on the size of an email you can send. It is usually between 10 and 20 Mbs. If you wanted to send a larger file e.g. video file, most providers would simply not allow it to be sent. Even if it did go, the person at the other end may have problems downloading and opening it. There is, of course, an answer. One of my lovely customers (Annabel in Hampstead) has shown me a great website called www.yousendit.com You can use it, free of charge, to send files up to 100Mb. You simply go to the website, enter the recipient’s email address and then browse to find the file(s) you wish to send. You can add a covering message if you wish and request a read receipt if required. Then simply click Send, and the message and attachment is sent. The recipient receives a simple
short email message (without the attachment, so it comes in easily and quickly)
containing a link, which they can click on to download your attachment.
Brilliant and efficient. And finally…..Thanks to my 12 year old nephew George for this one. Sporcle is a really fun site that has loads of short quizzes and puzzles. Here’s a quick 2 minute challenge for you. Go to http://www.sporcle.com/games/3letterbody.php and name 10 three letter body parts in 120 seconds. Bet you can’t do it! Once you have done that there are many other similar challenges to do. That’s it for this month. I would like to wish you a very happy healthy and prosperous 2010 and I look forward to being of service to you. Henry
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Just to
continue where I left off last month. I’ve had more time now to use and
evaluate Windows 7, and many people are asking my opinion of it.
2009
has seen the rise of the popularity of Netbooks, which for the uninitiated, are
small, light laptops with usually an 8-10 inch screen, rather than the usual 15
inch standard size.
