Handheld computers

In recent times you would have seen people using touchscreens while they are walking around town. You have probably wondered what these people were using and why. This article is to explain the different types of technology produced in recent years and also to explain how the technology benefits everyday life.

Handheld devices such as smartphones and tablet personal computers are becoming a popular alternative to laptop computers as a way of keeping connected to the internet while away from home or the office. Although they are not a complete replacement to a laptop or desktop computer, they still allow you to carry out many of the simple tasks you are most likely to require while out and about.

A smartphone is a mobile telephone that can also access the internet. A brand of smart phone you may have heard of is an iPhone. It is ideal for checking emails while on the move. A smartphone is not meant as an alternative to a personal computer as the small screen mean it isn’t practical for tasks that require a lot of key strokes or to view files that require a large screen.

Tablet is the generic term to describe a mobile device, primarily operated by  touchscreen rather than with a mouse or keyboard. A brand of tablet that you may have heard of is an iPad. Tablet PCs don’t usually have a mobile phone option and are much larger than a smart phone, meaning it’s much easier to type with the onscreen keyboard and to view images on the screen. Although it is easier to perform tasks on a tablet compared to a smartphone, there are still some tasks such as word processing and spreadsheets that a best left to the PC rather than mobile computers.

The most common operating systems on tablet PCs and smartphones are iOS (Apple iPad and iPhone) and Android (Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note, Kindle Fire).  Android is found on a wider range of devices whereas iOS is limited to Apple devices only. The two operating systems have many differences in appearance, functionality, as well as the operating system within the device. This means that software isn’t compatible between the two different devices and has to be downloaded individually. Apple software is downloaded from the AppStore and Android software is downloaded from the PlayStore. This software is referred to as apps.

The best tablet PC often comes down to personal choice. The Apple iPad is a popular device, often chosen by people who have already used an iPhone or iPad and who are already familiar with how the operating system works.  There are many other tablet PCs on the market that use the Android operating system. Android is available on a wider range of devices so it is quickly becoming a more widely used operating system. While the operating system on the Apple and the Android devices are quite different, they still allow you to perform the same tasks.

Tablet PCs come with basic apps such as an email client and a web browser allowing you to email and surf the web without installing any extra apps. Apps give the device extra abilities such as games or social media such as Facebook. There are many apps that can improve productivity at work or help you to work while away from the office. When traveling, tablet PCs can double as a GPS. Tablets are popular when traveling overseas as a way of keeping in touch with family as they can be used anywhere with wifi and do not take up much space in your luggage. Many banks have apps available that allow you to check your balance and transfer funds without visiting a bank or ATM, saving you time and ATM fees.

An e-reader is another type of portable device that allows you to read eBooks, newspaper articles and documents. It often only displays in black and white, not colour and does not operate as a phone or surf the web. A regular kindle is a brand of e-reader. Although a tablet can be used as an e-reader, and e reader cannot be used as a tablet.

Backups

With so much technology in our lives these days you may find a lot of your photos, invoices and other documents are stored in your PC in digital versions rather than as a printed hard copy. While this minimises clutter in your office it can cause many frustrations when important data or photos are lost after your PC crashes. To minimise the risk of this happening it is a good routine to backup all of your important data.

There are many ways to backup data. CDs, DVDs, flash drives and external hard drives are all common methods. A newer method is called ‘cloud storage’. Cloud storage is where your files are uploaded over the internet to secure servers. You never actually see or touch these servers, whereas the other more common types of backups will mean you have a physical device you can hold. The drawback of the physical device is that you have to be responsible for ensuring your backup is safe. For example, if your home was to burn down in a fire, you need to ensure your back up is stored out of your home or it too would be destroyed. This is where cloud storage is most beneficial. Your files are guaranteed to be stored away from your home and thus there is no responsibility to regularly update the files and to keep your backup in a separate location.

If you are using CDs, DVDs, thumb drives or external hard drives you will need to remember to manually back up, as well as remembering to return the backup to its safe storage location out of your office. Ideal places can include your vehicle, your handbag or a relative’s house. This ensures that if a disaster does wipe out the original files in your home, that the backup files will still be safe in their alternative storage location. It is also worthwhile to develop a back up strategy to make sure you remember to regularly back up files. This can be daily or weekly. The more often you back up the more secure you can feel that there are less files which could be lost if the original is destroyed.

There are many options for cloud storage. For large amounts of storage you will be required to pay a monthly or annual fee. Fees vary between companies and the amount of storage you require, but you can expect to pay from $5 per month depending on the features you require. This can be a worthwhile investment if you have lots of important files. Free storage is available from Google with Google Drive and another website called Dropbox. They both offer 5GB of storage for free, with the option to increase your storage for a monthly fee. Compared to the cost of buying backup devices such as external hard drives and the extra reassurance cloud storage gives, the investment in cloud storage may be worth investigating.

Google Drive and Dropbox require you to install their software on your computer. The programs are small and run in the background and will automatically update the files that are put into the “Google Drive” or “Dropbox” folders. You can install the software onto multiple computers and your files will be kept updated automatically. You can also access your files via a smartphones app so that you can access your files wherever you need.

The free storage of 5GB would be filled very quickly if you were to store photos or videos in your Google Drive or Dropbox folder. For large files such as these the best value for money is an external hard drive. External hard drives vary in price and capacity. A 1TB hard drive can hold around 200,000 good quality photos and will cost between $100-200.

Many external hard drives come with backup software you will need to install to automatically backup your entire computer. CDs, DVDs and flash drives work much the same as an external hard drive, except they often don’t have backup software so you need to remember to do it manually. Also CDs and DVDs do not hold as much data as an external hard drive. A CD will hold about 140 good quality photos, a single layer DVD will hold around 840 good quality photos and an 8GB flash drive will hold around 1600 good quality photos.

Windows 7 comes with its own ‘backup and restore’ software and can be found in the control panel. It is simple to use and allows you to backup selected folders on a schedule to CD, DVD flash drive or external hard drive. It will advise you if a backup has failed so that you can re-run it manually. This means you will always have a current back up.

Internet Security

I have had many people coming in to the Internet Centre recently who have encountered computer problems as they have no internet security. They may have had it at one stage, but it has expired, or they may have never had sufficient internet security and had been relying on the limited free options which are available. Although the free options are better than nothing, they do not offer as complete protection as a paid version of internet security.

If you are connected to the internet it is important to have some kind of Antivirus or Internet Security. Having reputable up-to-date Internet Security software will ensure that your personal data is safe and your computer continues to run smoothly. Most new computers will come with a preinstalled trial version of an Internet Security program, which may last 30 days, sometimes longer. After the trial version expires you are required to pay a yearly subscription, ranging from $50-$100 in price. When a subscription is close to expiring the program will display a message, usually when you first turn on your computer, warning that your software will expire in days.

Internet Security software will update daily and requires a connection to the internet to do so. This will usually be done automatically and may require you to restart the computer for this to be completed. It is a good practice to allow the computer to reboot as soon as possible if one is required. Other software updates can also help keep your computer secure.  You will often find that update requests will appear when your first turn your computer on. Examples can be Adobe Flash or Reader and Java. Installing these updates will often fix security vulnerabilities in the program that can allow hackers to compromise your computer.

Windows Updates are very important as they fix security vulnerabilities in the Windows operating system or other Microsoft products such as Office. Sometimes older machines can be slowed down by the newer updates, but it is important to install these when instructed.

Internet Security software will run a scan daily or weekly depending on the program. These scans will detect and remove any viruses that may have found their way into your system and prevent them from doing any damage. Real-time scanning by the Internet Security software ensures that files you load onto your computer, or websites you are visiting don’t contain viruses. When a virus is detected it will be removed or placed into a secure quarantine so you can continue using your computer.

It is important to know what Internet Security software is loaded onto your machine. If you know what program you are using you will be less likely to fall for a rogue Internet Security scam. Often these fake programs are installed by an inexperienced user clicking a link that has appeared on their screen saying there computer is infected. By knowing what Internet Security software you are using you can avoid this kind of scam. If you notice any programs, other than the ones you have deliberately installed, saying your computer is infected, close all windows and complete a full system scan as soon as possible.

It is also wise to regularly check whether your Internet Security software subscription is still valid. If you cannot remember the last time you purchased a subscription, or cannot remember what the name of your Internet Security software is, it is probably time to purchase a new subscription. It is also wise to remove any expired Internet Security software to ensure that the new software can run smoothly.

Free protection is available and there are many companies to choose from such as AVG Free, Avast! Free and Microsoft Security Essentials. Free protection offers minimal protection and lacks the features of a full Internet Security.

AVG Free offers basic easy to use protection against viruses and helps prevent viruses before they get into your computer, however there are more than just viruses that put your computer at risk.  Full AVG Internet Security cost $70 per year and offers the Anti-virus protection as well as a range of more advanced features such as an Anti-malware and Anti-rootkit which will stop other unwanted nasties from getting on to your computer. In addition it offer a link scanner, which can help prevent you opening an unsecure link in an email or on a webpage and a spam filter, which prevents spam from getting to your email and in turn protects you from scammers. Also AVG Internet Security offers a firewall, which helps prevent hackers from being able to access your computer, and stops rogue programs from being able to access the internet if they have been installed.

Some risks on the internet will take common sense to avoid even if you have full internet security.  Often on website you may see a link telling you that you have won a new iPad or a Samsung phone. These are just a method spammers and con-artists use to collect your details which they then sell.  You cannot win a competition or lottery that you haven’t entered despite what websites tell you. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true. A common scam doing the rounds at the moment encourages  people to transfer a small amount of money overseas on the promise of millions of dollars being sent to you from your long lost uncle’s estate. This is a scam and you are guaranteed to never receive any benefit, and you have lost the money you transferred to the overseas account. Scammers prey on desperate people who are hoping for some good luck, yet their only intention is to collect the money people transfer into their accounts, they never intend on returning any money to you. With trusted Internet Security software and some common sense you can be safe when using and browsing the internet.

Send a Christmas E-card to Friends and Family

Rather than sending out Christmas cards this year, why not embrace technology and send a Christmas E-card instead. This is very simple to do and only takes a few minutes. E-cards can be more fun, personal and entertaining with cards being animated and allowing you to choose your own personal greeting.

There are plenty of E-card websites out there but I am going to use Hallmark. Their website can be accessed here.

When the website opens you will see a variety of different occasions as well as a search box. I found it strange that Christmas wasn't listed in the occasions as it is Christmas season (just about), but it can easily be found by typing Christmas into the search box and clicking search.

A list of results will appear. Click on a card to view it larger and view the animation. When you find one you like you can start to personalise the card.

You can now personalise your card. You will need to enter your name and email and have the contact details for the person you wish to send the card to. When you add a contact click on add recipient. You can then add another person to receive the card aswell.

Type in a personalised message and the card is almost ready to send. You can also set when the card will be sent so that the recipient can receive it today or on Christmas eve.

When you are finished playing around will the different options click on submit. The recipient will receive the card in their email inbox on the date you have selected, a nice little Christmas surprise.

Hope you enjoy sending out personal Christmas E-cards and hope that you also receive a nice Christmas E-card from your friends and family.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Grenfell Internet Centre.

Tech Tips

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