linkedIn » PC Training & Consulting Weblog

post to linkedin

Microsoft Safety Scanner and Malware Prevention Troubleshooter — two free Microsoft tools

amazon, fb, linkedIn, Security & Privacy, twitter, Windows 8 for Seniors

Jun 182013

Microsoft Safety Scanner – Antivirus | Remove Spyware, Malware, Viruses Free

Microsoft Safety Scanner

Do you think your PC has a virus?

The Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free downloadable security tool that provides on-demand scanning and helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It works with your existing antivirus software.

Note: The Microsoft Safety Scanner expires 10 days after being downloaded. To rerun a scan with the latest anti-malware definitions, download and run the Microsoft Safety Scanner again.

The Microsoft Safety Scanner is not a replacement for using an antivirus software program that provides ongoing protection.

For real-time protection that helps to guard your home or small business PCs against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials.

Microsoft Safety Scanner – Antivirus | Remove Spyware, Malware, Viruses Free

Free tool helps prevent viruses – Security Tips & Talk – Site Home – MSDN Blogs

Run the Microsoft Malware Prevention troubleshooter

Some examples of what it does:

Checks status of your antivirus software and prompts you to update it.

Checks Windows Update to help ensure your computer is kept current and secure.

Resets User Account Control to default to help prevent unauthorized changes to your computer.

Checks Internet Explorer privacy settings for safer browsing.

Clears Internet Explorer history and cache.

Checks if your version of Internet Explorer is up to date.

Learn more about the Microsoft Malware Prevention troubleshooter

Free tool helps prevent viruses – Security Tips & Talk – Site Home – MSDN Blogs

Hello, Canon SX50 HS digital camera – updated

amazon, Canon SX50, Digital Photography, fb, HX100, linkedIn, twitter

Jun 142013

Having said good-bye to the Sony line, I’ve bought my first Canon. Among film enthusiasts, Canon and Nikon rank high, but I assumed they had no advantage with digital. I may have been wrong.

What made me look first at the Canon SX50 HS was its super-zoom: 50x, the equivalent of 1200mm (~50% more than the Sony HX-100v and 200v). What made me look twice was Linda Stokes, extraordinary bird photographer. When she blogged about the Canon and posted such incredible photos, I was hooked, though I pulled against the hook for a few months. I know an expert can make mediocre equipment shine just as someone inept can make great equipment look bad — it’s the mind more than the tool that matters.

As I looked more closely at Canon’s specs, the following negatives caught my attention:

Low resolution electronic view finder (EVF — the little eye piece)
Low resolution LCD screen
Switching between EVF and LCD isn’t automatic (a feature I’ve learned to love on the Sony)
No GPS

Any one of these could have been a deal-breaker. I’m trying mightily to overlook these flaws at the incredible range and reported image quality. There are other pluses, of course:

Polarizing filter available (separate purchase) — yeah!
Raw file format (an uncompressed, lossless storage format offering the most post-processing options)
Zoom framing assist sounds interesting (zooms out and back instantly for locating your subject)
Slow motion filming
Creative modes and filters

First impressions (more in a couple of weeks):

The grip is smaller than the Sony, which makes the Canon harder for me to carry and hold
The power button requires a strong press to turn on
I already miss Sony’s multi-point focus; Canon has a single point of focus
Menus and options are easy to step through
Low res of LCD is not an issue; EVF is just OK

Update: My first disappointment is ironic: exposure compensation isn’t available in Automatic mode. (The irony is that EC breaking led me away from Sony, the only manufacturer I’ve seen that smartly enables EC in Automatic).

Imaging-Resource review of Canon SX50 HS

So-long, Sony HX-100v digital camera

amazon, Digital Photography, fb, HX100, linkedIn, twitter

Jun 132013

My first digital camera was an Olympus I purchased at Costco more than 12 years ago. It was a pocketable point and shoot. After my second Olympus, I switched to Sony cameras with the HX-1, a super-zoom, and then the HX-10. My current digital camera is a Sony HX-100v and I have loved it well, though not long enough (10 days shy of 2 years).

Sony has provided me with incredible macro (close-up) capability coupled with a super-zoom. Each next Sony has pushed that zoom farther. The Sony HX-100v has a 30x zoom. More specifically it reaches the equivalence of an 810mm lens. Those DSLRs you see with the foot-long lens might only be 400mm. To buy the equivalent zoom for DSLR would cost more than a used car.

As Sony has evolved, it has added more useful features, such as GPS tagging to identify where a photo was taken. That was a feature I was indifferent to until I viewed a group of photos on a map with a single click. Cool.

Unfortunately, one component of my Sony HX-100v stopped working just over a year after I got the camera. This is the jog wheel which is used to change a variety of settings. As a result, although I have all the automatic functions as before, I have *none* of the manual functions. Understand that I love automatic features and rely on them 95% of the time. I don’t miss setting aperture and shutter speed, among others. However, one of my favorite features of the Sony died with the jog wheel: exposure compensation. EC allows me to step up or down, that is to slightly alter the automatic setting for a lighter or darker exposure. EC adds subtle but useful nuance to the automatic functions. I miss it every day. And I know that another photographer might never use EC. I’ve lived nearly a year without EC but now autofocus has become a little less reliable.

Each time I’ve upgraded, I’ve given the previous camera to my wife. I won’t burden her with this one, even knowing that it is 90% of an incredible camera. She’s understandably happy with the HX-10, a 20x zoom.

Moreover, each upgrade has been to the next Sony. In the two years I’ve had the 100v, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V and Sony DSC-HX300/B have come out. I recently recommended the 200v to a friend who took it to New Zealand and loved the camera. (I’ve recommended other Sonys to several friends who have loved them.) I still think the 100v or 200v would be a great choice. However, though the Sony HX-300 pushes to 50x, I think Sony has made a mistake in also upping the megapixels. More megapixels are not better if the chip size doesn’t increase. Denser pixels mean more noise and image quality problems. I desperately want Sony to put one of the DSLR chips in a point and shoot zoom.

For the first time in a long time, my next camera won’t be a Sony. The early failure of the jog wheel stung me. The fact that repair prices started at $150 (for a $400 camera) stung me.

What will my new camera be? I’ll tell you later, but I’ll say that its major draw is even more zoom. And its negatives are many — it’s going to have to impress me to truly replace my Sony.

Using Outlook for RSS feeds — replacing Google Reader Part 4 (least but not last)

amazon, fb, google, linkedIn, Outlook, RSS, twitter

Jun 132013

Kidding with the title. Checking to see if anyone notices and poking the perfectionists. This will be the last for a while.

Part 1 – Intro to RSS and using a browser to subscribe to a feed
Part 2 – Saving your Google Reader subscriptions.xml file before 6/1/13 and importing into Internet Explorer
Part 3 – Importing into commafeed (for example)
Part 4 – Using Outlook (you are here)

If you use Microsoft Outlook (the desktop program, not the website outlook.com), you can subscribe to RSS feeds within Outlook. You can add feeds manually or import your GR subscriptions.xml file (save that before 6/1/13).

In this example, I’m using Outlook 2013, but I believe this feature goes back to at least 2007.

1. In Outlook, display your mailboxes.

2. Display the context menu for RSS Feeds (right mouse click or touch and hold). [I couldn’t find the Import option on any other menu or tool bar -- let me know if you do.]

Note the option to Add a New RSS Feed singly by enter its URL (copy from the browser and paste in the dialog).

3. Select Import an OPML file (OPen xML format). Browse for subscriptions.xml. Select the file, OK, then Next.

4. On the next screen, you can pick and choose which subscriptions to import, a feature lacking from many services. Select individual feeds or Select All, then Next.

5. You’ll see a dialog as the importing progresses, then another indicating which RSS feeds were added. Select Finish.

6. Looks good, if you use Outlook.

Import RSS feeds into a new RSS subscription service — replacing Google Reader Part 3

amazon, fb, linkedIn, RSS, twitter

Jun 122013

And here is the crux of the problem: Which service should you use to replace Google Reader. After all the text in Part 1 and Part 2, my short answer is “I haven’t decided.”

I want a service that will be around in a few years. I prefer free, though I’ll pay for more features. The new service should work like GR (including shortcut keystrokes) and most of them do. Because I really like NextGen Reader for Windows 8, I have to use a service that app is compatible with or give up NextGen. At this time, NextGen limits me to Feedly. But Feedly currently doesn’t support IE or provide a Windows app — say what? — (except as part of Chrome, another Google product I don’t use). NextGen may add support in the next 3 weeks, but how good will it be? Roots in Apple and Android and nothing in IE doesn’t bode well. I may have to give up NextGen, unless they add support for another service soon. (This stuff changes daily.)

But time is running out and it will never be easier to switch than while GR still exists. You have to try something and hope you can later switch to another without too much pain.

Take commafeed, for example

Commafeed is open-source, so free and supported by enthusiasts. It looks and works a lot like GR. Will it be around in a few years? No one can know in advance. However, there is a way to host your own copy of the RSS subscription server, which appeals to me, though it doesn’t seem easy. (Much as I host my own WordPress installations rather than use WordPress.com.)

Here’s the process for switching to commafeed, which could serve as an overview of any RSS service.

1. Browse to www.commafeed.com and scroll down to the Register section. Enter the name you want to use and a password. Entering your e-mail address is optional, but important when you forget your password. If you do this before July 1, check Google Reader import. After July 1, you’ll need that subscriptions.xml file for any service. (See Part 2.)

2. While Google Reader exists, you’ll be prompted for permission to link the two services. Select Allow access. (You’ll have to sign into Google, if you aren’t already.)

3. And you’re done. Yes, it’s quite easy until GR closes down and a service can’t connect directly. All the more reason to choose one of these services before GR is gone. Just be sure that service will continue to function without GR — some might not. And be sure you have subscriptions.xml.

My immediate reactions to commafeed include that it looks a lot like GR, perhaps a touch prettier, but it is much slower. In defense of its speed, the issue may relate to my new account having 2701 items to fetch or to commafeeds own rapid expansion.

Import subscriptions.xml

If you’re doing this after 6/1 or with a service that doesn’t connect directly to Google Reader, you may have to follow steps similar to these (illustrated using commafeed):

1. Look for an Import option and select it.

2. Browse for subscriptions.xml on your computer. (See Part 2 for steps. Note commafeed’s option to Download it from here.) Select Import.

3. And you’re done. It doesn’t seem so hard, does it? Enjoy.

Beyond your browser’s built-in RSS support — replacing Google Reader Part 2 (updated)

amazon, fb, Internet Explorer, linkedIn, RSS, twitter

Jun 112013

In Part 1, I provide an overview of RSS as well as how to use Internet Explorer (or any other browser) to subscribe to RSS feeds from websites you choose. The weakness of browsers as RSS tools is you can’t aggregate content, i.e., combine feeds from multiple sources into one stream. Thus, the need for an RSS reader program/app or service.

The advantage of a Web-based RSS service is that you already know how to use the Web and your browser. Many of these services look and work like Google Reader. I see Feedly and Netvibes favored by many. In my quick search, I like the look of Commafeed. (It’s too soon to endorse any.) Disadvantages of services include interface issues, advertising, fees for services, limits on number of feeds, and more. Not to mention that a robust service may disappear abruptly (as in Google Reader).

RSS reader programs

As you get into RSS, as do 1 in 100 people (or 100 in 100 nerds), you need a reader, which is a program that fetches and displays feeds from multiple sites at once, allowing you to organize those feeds into groups. In fact, the right reader will inspire you to use RSS more. For millions of nerds, Google Reader has been the best for many years. However, GR is going away — never, ever, ever trust Google again, or any “free” service. (Everyone wants to monetize Web content, even me — please deposit $1 to continue reading. Waiting. Waiting.)

What tool will replace Google Reader? There are lots of opinions out there and even more distress as no equal emerges — and I think none ever will. I don’t think this is the death of RSS, but services may balkanize further.

I’m still looking for my GR alternative and I’ll be posting more about that search. Spoiler: I’ve been using a Windows 8 app for months to read my subscriptions: NextGen Reader. It’s excellent. However, it is the front-end, the reader, and it does not provide the back-end, the subscriber. NextGen is going to work with Feedly, which is emerging as a front-runner to replace GR. I’m still looking.

Export / Save from Google Reader

Some services or programs allow you to connect to Google Reader for the purpose of importing your selections with minimal effort. Regardless, everyone who uses Google Reader should export their subscriptions as a file for future use with reader services not yet imagined. In fact, users of any Google function — all of us, right? — should backup/save/export everything from Google for safekeeping. Google thoughtfully provides the means to do this: www.google.com/takeout . The full extent of Takeout is beyond this piece. However, follow these steps to save your Reader data:

Updated 06-12-13: I just learned that there is a much simpler method that obviates the following steps. Simply browse www.google.com/reader/subscriptions/export and you will be prompted to save subscriptions.xml. That’s easy. (Hat tip to www.commafeed.com.) However, you may need the following for other Google data. Moreover, a Mac user reports this didn’t work on her Mac; she would have to follow the steps below.

1. Browse www.google.com/takeout. Sign-in, if necessary.

2. Select Choose services (unless you want all of your data from all over Google).

3. Select Reader.

4. After a brief wait, you’ll see information on how many files are involved and their total size. Choose Create Archive.

5. The archive is created as a zip file. On the next screen, select Download. (You may be prompted to sign-in again as a security measure.)

6. When prompted, select Save. The file will be stored in the default downloads folder. In the strictest sense, you’re done — you have your backup. But, let’s have a look.

7. Open the zip file (from the prompt or from the Downloads folder). Open the second zip nested in the first, like Russian dolls, because Takeout can be used for multiple services, producing multiple zips containing multiple files. In fact, I found a third level — just keep opening until you see files.

For most of us, most of those files aren’t of value. The important file is subscriptions.xml, which contains all of the URLs for your RSS subscriptions. That file can be read by other RSS services and programs to spare you from recreating your subscription. You’ll need subscriptions.xml to switch to any service that doesn’t provide an easier method (and some do, at least until GR is shut down).

8. For easier access, especially with IE, move subscriptions.xml out of this deep folder, perhaps up into Downloads or somewhere you’ll remember. Use cut and paste, drag and drop, or extract al files. Just note where it ends up.

Import RSS feeds into Internet Explorer

Keep in mind that starting over from scratch can be liberating. I have many subscriptions that are no longer active and a few I no longer care about. Why carry those forward to the next reader? The fewer subscriptions you have, the more sense it makes to skip export and just start using something new.

We already know that a browser is a simple though less-than-ideal RSS reader. You can import your Google Reader subscriptions.xml file from the previous steps into your browser. To do so in Internet Explorer, follow these steps.

1. Start Internet Explorer on the desktop. (The Windows 8 version doesn’t support these steps.)

2. Select the Favorites star (between the Home icon and the Settings gear).

3. Select the triangle to the right of Add to favorites for a menu. Select Import and Export.

4. Select Import from a file, then Next.

5. For these purposes, select Feeds. (You can use the Favorites (Bookmarks) and Cookies options when importing browser settings.) Select Next.

6. Browse for subscriptions.xml. Recall that the file may be many levels down from Downloads. Select the file, then select Next.

7. Under Select a destination folder for your feed, select Feed, then Import.

8.This could take a while, if you have a lot of RSS subscriptions. You’ll be informed of success or failure. In either case, choose Finish.

9. To see what you have wrought: in IE, select the Favorites star, then the Feeds tab. You should see your subscriptions with indications of which have new posts. Select a feed or a folder for more feeds. Enjoy.

In Part 3, I’ll import this information into a RSS reader.

My books are at Walmart

amazon, Digital Photography, fb, linkedIn, twitter, Windows 7 for Seniors, Windows 8 for Seniors

Jun 112013

Fittingly, I bought Windows 98 at Walmart 15 years ago.

mark justice hinton @ Walmart.com

RSS, the end of Google Reader, why you should care, and what you should do – Part 1

amazon, fb, google, linkedIn, RSS, twitter

Jun 102013

RSS (Really Simple Syndication, in one of its variations) enables you to read Web content someplace other than on the originating Web site. There are at least 3 potential benefits:

save time that would be spent moving between sites;
strip/clean/homogenize content (more content, less website fluff, including ads);
organize content: read all your tech articles together, all your local news, save/search/tag/highlight as you wish.

Subscribing to RSS

Any blog and most news-oriented sites provide RSS feeds. Many sites have multiple feeds (entire site, specific categories, updates to one post, and comments only). For example, http://www.mjhinton.com/help/?feed=rss2 delivers all my computer blog posts, while http://www.mjhinton.com/help/?feed=rss2&cat=83 delivers just content related to my next book on Windows 8.1. You don’t need to figure out or type RSS URLs. In the worst case, you’ll have to copy and paste them.

Click on either of the preceding links to see how your browser handles RSS feeds. Then come back here.

Using the browser as an RSS reader

If you are just getting started with or simply curious about RSS, use your browser’s in-built RSS support. That won’t show you the full strength of RSS, but it is a good start.

Using Microsoft Internet Explorer as an example (but all browsers have similar functions):

1. Browse a site.

http://www.mjhinton.com/help/

2. Look for the orange RSS icon. Select it. (If the site has multiple feeds, select the triangle to the right to display sub-feeds. Selecting the main icon defaults to the main feed.)

3. Internet Explorer loads the latest feed. You can read posts, sort, search, and filter by category. Actually, IE has had a robust RSS tool for quite some time. (You are now the second person to know that. With sufficient entreaty, I’d be willing to document more of IE’s RSS support.)

4. This is the same content you were just looking at but reformatted. Note that RSS strips out my banner, my sidebar, my whitespace. As a Web designer, RSS used to anger me: I work hard on presentation and RSS strips most of that. As a consumer of Web content, I LOVE RSS.

Compare my wilderness blog to the feed:

Keep in mind that IE’s RSS display is not as compact as many other RSS readers.

5. More to the point, select Subscribe to this feed. Note the dialog box. Select Subscribe.

6. IE will display You’ve successfully subscribed to this feed!

7. Select View my feeds. This opens Feeds in a sidebar. You may see other feeds listed, if your browser came with some or you’ve added RSS feeds before this. You may also see (new) if a site has new items or a number in parentheses indicating how many new items that subscription has.

8. Later, to see more recent articles, select the Favorites star, then the Feeds tab, then the specific feed. Unlike the preceding step, this drops down the feeds list, which disappears after one selection. Note the green arrow to Pin the Favorites Center. If you hover over a feed, you may see when the feed was last updated and a Refresh button to force immediate updating.

Note that the modern/Metro Win8 Internet Explorer app doesn’t support RSS. You must use the desktop version.

In Part 2, I’ll write about going beyond the browser using a RSS subscription service or reader.

Bing Translator app for Windows in the Windows Store

amazon, apps, fb, linkedIn, twitter

Jun 062013

<a href="http://video.us.msn.com/?vid=425a3eff-6955-438b-adad-00a1a1059539&src=v5:embed:syndication:&from=shareembed-syndication" target="_new" title="Bing Translator Arrives on Windows 8">Video: Bing Translator Arrives on Windows 8</a>

Bing Translator app for Windows in the Windows Store

Description

The Bing Translator App for Windows is your companion when you need to quickly translate what you are looking at. Use your camera or just type the text you want to translate. Text and camera translation work offline with downloadable language packs, so you can get the power of Bing Translator on-the-go, even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

Read more

Features

Text translation – Type and translate text into more than 40 languages.

Camera translation – Translate signs, menus, newspapers, or any printed text with your device’s camera in an instant.

Text to speech – Hear translations spoken with a native speaker’s accent.

Offline translation – Translate when you are not connected to the Internet and when you want to avoid expensive data roaming charges by using downloadable offline language packs.

Translate from anywhere – Translate text from other Windows Store apps using the Share charm. Just select and share

Multitask with Snap View – Translate quickly while doing other tasks by snapping Bing Translator to the right or left of your screen.

Bing Translator app for Windows in the Windows Store

Microsoft Demos Windows 8.1

amazon, fb, linkedIn, twitter, Windows 8 for Seniors, Windows 8.1 for You

Jun 052013

Watch this short video demonstration and follow the link after it to an article with screenshots. Interesting things are coming soon.

Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

Today (5/30/13), I am happy to share a “first look” at Windows 8.1 and outline some of the improvements, enhancements and changes customers will see.

Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

Photo Gallery let me down — after all these years

amazon, Digital Photography, fb, linkedIn, Photo Gallery, twitter, Windows 8 for Seniors

Jun 042013

I’ve used Microsoft Windows (Live) Photo Gallery almost daily from its first availability many years ago. It’s a great tool for organizing photos. Photo Gallery works with Flickr, Picasa, and Facebook. Its editing features are sufficient for 99% of my needs. I like it.

I add tags, ratings, captions, and “author” (photographer) to photos on my computer. That information is written to the photo file itself. If I copy that photo anywhere or send it as an email attachment, the copy has that same metadata. Cool.

Naturally, we share photos between computers on our network. I learned a long time ago to be careful deleting files over the network (using any tool). If I delete a file on my computer, that file moves into the Recycle Bin, but if I reach across the network to delete a file, that file is permanently deleted. (Windows 8 File History could come to the rescue.) Why? Ask Microsoft why.

If I edit a photo on my computer, I can revert to the original. If I reach across the network to edit a photo, I can only revert on the computer used to perform the edit, not on the computer that hosts the original.

Only yesterday, did I learn another peculiarity of working with photos across the network. I spent several hours sitting on the couch in front of the 40 inch TV tagging and rating 500 photos from a recent trip to Chaco, which were on my desktop hard drive. Everything seemed perfectly normal until the next day when I searched my desktop for those photos using those ratings and tags. None were found. I panicked, but was relieved to see my originals were still in their folder, albeit without any tags, ratings or captions. WTF? It got weirder when I went to the TV system to look at those same files across the network. The TV showed my hard-wrought ratings and tags.

I knew Photo Gallery uses a database, partly because when that database becomes corrupted, it creates problems. I also knew the database holds data that cannot be written to a file, most typically a video file that doesn’t support the same metadata JPeGs do.

Unfortunately, Photo Gallery also uses this database for metadata updates made across the network and does NOT write that data to the file. In no way does Photo Gallery indicate that some data goes in the db and some goes in the photo files. I’m sure this is regarded as user friendly at Microsoft — users don’t want to be nagged about technical matters. I’m at a loss as to why Photo Gallery won’t simply write this data as it would to a local file — I have permission, I can crop or delete that original across the network.

So, all that metadata, hundreds of tags, ratings, and captions, was locked up in the database on the TV system and impossible to transfer, export or otherwise write to the files on the original system. Damn.

I spent hours in an effort to get around the problem, including renaming, copying, and deleting the database files on each system, as well as reinstalling or upgrading Photo Gallery. Moving or copying photos didn’t make a difference, either. I had to accept that data locked up in one database was as good as gone.

If you use Windows Photo Gallery — which I still recommend — avoid this problem: only edit metadata on the machine that holds the file, not across a network. Treat the network as read-only for this purpose.

Computers often make me feel like a rat in a maze. I have trouble surrendering — I think computers should work for me. So, I do have a work-around. If your photo collection is small enough, consider storing it on SkyDrive, which will synchronize files between systems, including metadata, so long as you edit the local copy or the SkyDrive copy — you still don’t want to reach over the network to another local machine. Let SkyDrive handle it.

I’m unwilling to upload 50,000 photos to the cloud, though that day is coming. My personal work-around is to use a backup program to sync photos between my desktop and TV system. As a result, there are two local copies of each photo. If I change anything about one copy, the other system gets an updated duplicate. The two machines are equals — I can work on either equally and not face this problem again.

Except with flags — I don’t know why flags don’t go into the file — and video, for which all metadata always goes into the database, none of it goes into the file. Oh, well, thankfully, I don’t shoot a lot of video (I took 8 videos in Chaco Canyon while I shot 500 photos).

Windows 8.1 details

amazon, fb, linkedIn, twitter, Windows 8.1 for You

May 302013

Microsoft has reveaedl/confirmed many details about the 8.1 update to Window. A public preview version will be available at the end of June. General availability will be before the end of the year (likely in October, one year after 8.0).

Every change I’ve read about is a real improvement. I can’t wait to get my hands on 8.1.

Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

Today, I am happy to share a “first look” at Windows 8.1 and outline some of the improvements, enhancements and changes customers will see.

Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

Ed Bott has a summary of the changes.

Windows 8.1 unveiled: will it change your mind about Windows 8? | ZDNet by Ed Bott

The final version of Windows 8.1 is due before the end of the year and will be delivered free to all Windows 8 and Windows RT users through the Windows Store.

Windows 8.1 unveiled: will it change your mind about Windows 8? | ZDNet

Although I’ll be blogging about 8.1 once I have my hands on the preview, my priority will be working on a reasonably priced book on 8.1 to be available in the fall of 2013. peace, mjh

There is one free version of OneNote and it is a great Windows 8 app — get it!

amazon, apps, fb, linkedIn, OneNote, twitter

May 072013

OneNote Blog – Tips and tricks for the OneNote Windows Store App

Introduction

If you’re new to Windows 8, you probably noticed that the OneNote app looks and feels very different from other versions of OneNote. How do you search? What happened to the menus? The new Windows is designed to avoid distracting you with commands you don’t need, but all that change can be a little intimidating at first. Fear not! In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to use the OneNote app from the Windows Store. These tips and tricks can be applied to most other Windows Store apps as well.

OneNote Blog – Tips and tricks for the OneNote Windows Store App

OneNote app for Windows in the Windows Store

Description

Take notes that save to the cloud so you have them when you need them.
Fast and immersive, OneNote has been reimagined for Windows 8. Whether you draw, type, click, or swipe, this app will shine on your Windows 8 device. On the go? Use a browser or one of the many OneNote mobile apps to get to your notes when you need them..

Features

Make lists — Quickly write up to-do lists with check boxes.

Draw and write — Use your device’s pen to draw in your notes as you would on paper.

Take pictures — Take photos with your device’s camera to put in your notes.

Customize formatting — Organize your notes with tables, bullets, colors, and more.

Search — OneNote works with Windows 8 search, so you can always find the notes you’re looking for.

Snap view — Need to reference another app or website while taking notes? OneNote can snap to the side of your screen so you can use both apps at the same time.

Paper — Take notes on a white background or change the background of your notes to grid or ruled lines.

Share — With Windows 8 share, you can quickly email notes to friends or send information from other apps directly into OneNote.

OneNote app for Windows in the Windows Store

Skype video messages – a new, hidden gem

amazon, fb, linkedIn, Skype, twitter

May 062013

Skype has added a feature that allows you to record and send a video message to any of your contacts. I think this feature has huge potential, especially for those of us who don’t really want to talk to each other but still stay in touch. (I hesitate to imagine the pornographic potential.)

The following steps apply to the Windows 8 app. I’ll add steps later for the desktop program available to other versions of Windows.

1. Start the Skype app.

2. Select one of your contacts. It doesn’t matter whether they are online or not.

3. On the contact screen, select the plus sign. (This is why I consider this a hidden feature.)

4. Select Send Video Message from the popup.

5. On the recording screen, you see yourself. Comb out those eyebrows. To begin recording, select the red button (middle).

Note: The first control, which looks like a camera with arrows switches between two cameras on those computers so equipped, such as most laptops and tablets.

6. You have up to 3 minutes recording time. I found that a 13 second message took a minute or more to upload at the end of recording.

7. To stop recording, select the only control available, a white circle with a red dot. There are no options to pause and resume recording. (Expect that in the future.)

8. A preview of your video appears after you stop recording. Use the play button (>) to review the video. The two controls to the right of 00:13 mute the volume and display full screen (respectively). Compare the figures immediately below and above this paragraph. The image is as if you were face to face with your recipient (my right side is to your left). That may be as it should be, I find that disorienting.

9. Select Send if you intend to do so.

10. The file takes a little time to upload. The recipient’s Skype app or program will notify them, if it is running or when they start the program. This notification may go unnoticed.

11. If you choose Cancel instead of Send, a popup gives you the option to re-record or to delete the message.

Pretty cool, huh?

Page 1 of 14 1 2 3 … 13 14 Older Entries