Friday 28 September 2012

FREE Security Protection For Android Devices

Sophos Mobile Security is a FREE lightweight app, but is more than just an anti-virus app. It scan apps as you install them, as well as the usual scanning options. Also includes Loss and Theft Protection features to find or remote lock your device in case it is lost or stolen, as well as informing you if your SIM card is changed. See: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sophos.smsec

Thursday 27 September 2012

Adobe Edge Tools & Services

Edge Code is a FREE HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript.editor, based on the Brackets open source project.  Features have been added to make it easy to integrate and use the other 'non-free' tools in the suite as well as the free Adobe Edge Web Font service.
To use Adobe Edge Tools & Services you'll need to sign up for a free Creative Cloud membership. See: http://html.adobe.com/edge/

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Test Your Internet Connection for Microsoft Lync or VOIP

Microsoft have a Java based internet connection reliability tool for their Skype for Business/Lync Online Service, to test VOIP and video conferencing speeds. To run test you need a Live Meeting or Lync Session ID (copy and paste this one: 819357201282883635). See: https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com/?tabid=lync

Monday 24 September 2012

Upgrade an old XP or Vista PC to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99

Microsoft is offering a special upgrade price of $39.99 for existing Windows users after the official October 26th launch of Windows 8 until January 31st 2013. The upgrade assistant will let you keep your personal files, but not your programs (unless you are using Windows 7).
So if you have an high spec XP computer or anything running Vista that you don't mind wiping clean, I'd seriously consider upgrading. It may to wise to invest in a new hard drive though and possibly some more RAM. See: http://windowsteamblog.com/

Friday 21 September 2012

Automate Your Recurring Tasks For FREE

WinParrot is a FREE easy to use macro recorder which lets you record your mouse and keyboard actions to control any application in Windows. You can even make adjustments and enhancements to your macros after they have been created. Available for Windows 7, Vista and XP. Portable, no installation required. See: http://www.winparrot.com/

Thursday 20 September 2012

Put An Old Unused Computer To Good Use

If you have an old unused laptop or desktop running Windows XP or Vista, bring it up to date with the FREE Linux Ubuntu operating system. Ideal for surfing the internet and most day to day tasks. Ubuntu now has a Windows installer that automatically creates a dual boot system or you can make a bootable USB stick or CD, that leaves your current system untouched. See: http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Encrypt Your USB Drives Using Windows 8 Pro

BitLocker encryption is now a standard feature in Windows 8 Pro, previously it was only available in Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise. Use it to protect your removable drives in case you lose them. It's easy to use (just right click the drive and select 'Turn BitLocker on') and once setup you are asked for a password when you plug the device into another PC (which doesn't have to be Windows 8).  

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Antivirus To Use If You Know You Have A Virus

For years now the FREE Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has helped me remove viruses from many PCs after they have been supposedly cleaned of viruses by other antivirus systems after an infection. The is no automatic on-access scanning in the FREE version, so I wouldn't recommend it as your main antivirus program, but it's great for a 'second opinion'. See: http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/

Monday 17 September 2012

Windows 8 Pro Keyboard Shortcuts

There are over 25 new keyboard shortcuts for the new Windows 8 Pro user interface. Some of these are for features which are harder to apply with a mouse, such as snapping an app to the left or right. See the full list at: http://t.co/SMqf4OCi

Friday 14 September 2012

Even More FREE Fonts

This huge site has over 800 hand-selected FREE fonts licensed for commercial use, as well as prepackaged @font-face kits, a forum and blog. Fonts are classified and categorised for easy searching. See: http://www.fontsquirrel.com

Thursday 13 September 2012

Certain Emails in Outlook Never Arrive

Do you use Outlook (or another local email client like Thunderbird) to collect email from webmail based email providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, or your ISP own email system. Sometimes emails never arrive, despite being sent multiple times by the sender and the Outlook junk folder is empty. If this sounds familiar, you need to log into your webmail and check the spam folder there.  Spam filters are not perfect and sometimes get it wrong (currently my Gmail spam reports are blocked as spam) so don't forget to log into webmail, which includes your ISP's webmail if you use their email system, at least once a week to check if anything has been blocked by mistake.

Monday 10 September 2012

More FREE Fonts

If you are still not satisfied with 500 FREE fonts from Google, try Font Fabric who have another 39 FREE fonts available as well as their paid for offerings. See: http://fontfabric.com/

Friday 7 September 2012

Autoruns for Windows v11.33

utoruns is a Microsoft Windows utility) that lists everything that automatically runs when your computer starts (including tasks and IE add-ons) and gives you the option to disable them. See: http://technet.microsoft.com

Thursday 6 September 2012

Research and Compare Mobile Phones

My mobile phone broker always points me to GSMArena.com to answer any of my queries about a new mobile phone. This huge site gives you detailed information about every phone, as well as a neat side by side comparison feature. Also includes reviews and a 'rumor mill' of phones that have not officially been announced yet.

Wednesday 5 September 2012

FREE Cloud Storage - updated

There are a number of Cloud Storage providers all offering FREE storage space in the hope you'll pay them for more. Sign up for all of them and see which one selves you best.
Google Drive
15GB FREE
http://drive.google.com
    Microsoft OneDrive
5GB FREE
http://onedrive.live.com/
DropBox
2GB FREE (+500MB per referral)
Apple iCloud
5GB FREE
http://www.icloud.com


Box
5GB FREE
http://www.box.com
Amazon Cloud Drive
5GB FREE
http://www.amazon.com/clouddrive


SugarSync
5GB FREE
https://www.sugarsync.com
LogMeIn Cubby
5GB FREE (+1GB per referral)
https://www.cubby.com
4Sync
15GB FREE
http://www.4sync.com

Tuesday 4 September 2012

How To Upgrade A New PC To Windows 8 Pro

Anyone who purchases a Windows 7 PC between 2 June 2012 and 31 January 2013 will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 / £14.99 via a download (you have to choose your country). An installation DVD will also be available for an additional fee. See: https://windowsupgradeoffer.com/