Thursday, February 09, 2017

Notes from the Field

Microsoft apparently will introduce a new version of Windows called “Windows Cloud.” They don’t even acknowledge it’s existence yet, but a tech reporter got his hands on a copy of it. The new OS is designed to compete with Google’s Chrome operating system which has become quite successful. As reported here earlier, Chrome-based laptops are cheap and the new ones will also run Android Apps. The rumor is Windows Cloud will be released in early April…same time the updated Windows 10 version (Creator’s Edition) is released. We shall see.

I still use eMClient as my mail/calendar app on my Windows computers and am happy with it (see story #6 below). It is free, but limited to 2 e-mail addresses. For me, that is OK. The eMClient calendar app syncs nicely with Google Calendar which is my base calendaring system. As I use Windows, MAC and iOS devices, I need apps that can sync with Google Calendar cross-platform and there are apps that do…even though I do not use the Google Calendar app on any of my machines.

I still use my 9.7” iPad tablet on a daily basis. If you are thinking about getting a tablet for yourself, don’t even bother with an Android Tablet. In my opinion (and the opinion of tech journalists), Android tablets stink! Just get an iPad…you won’t regret it.

I still love my HP Spectre laptop that I bought on Black Friday. It is the best laptop I have ever used. With an i7 chip, 512 SSD drive, and 16 GB of memory, it is so fast! When I turn it on, Windows boots up in about 4 seconds, ready to go! And the keyboard is just wonderful. My fingers fly on it…which was not the case with my Apple MacBook Pro. I never got used to any Apple keyboard.

In years past, I’ve written about the problems I have with Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud backup on my MAC. Well, all problems with OneDrive were solved some time ago! It now works like a dream. Documents and photos are backed up to the cloud almost as soon as I create them. With an Office 365 subscription, OneDrive with 1 TB of cloud space is free. For $10 a month, that is a great deal…at least for me.

Speaking of the cloud, Apple’s iCloud is a joke when compared to OneDrive, Dropbox, Amazon Cloud, and Google Drive. Can’t believe Apple can’t get it right.

Those are my thoughts this day.  Will write more in the future about my computing experiences. -JRC

 

Tech News and Opinions

Watch the latest drone video of Apple’s new $5 billion Cupertino campus

“It’s a little like a spaceship has landed,” said Steve Jobs...and it is close to opening.

 

HBO NOW’s streaming service surpasses 2 million subscribers

HBO’s streaming service for cord cutters, HBO NOW, has grown to over 2 million subscribers in the U.S., parent company Time Warner announced

 

Evernote is getting faster thanks to Google's Cloud Platform

You might see Evernote's pages load faster than usual going forward, now that the service is almost fully done moving 3 petabytes of data to Google Cloud Platform.

 

The 7 best tech items from AmazonBasics

Amazon sells many good items with their own brand name. Many of them are quite good. Here are the best of the bunch.

 

Walmart kills its Amazon Prime copycat

Walmart waited a decade to introduce a membership shipping service to compete against Amazon's hugely successful Prime program. Less than two years later, it's killing off the new service and changing tactics.

 

Desktop and Laptop Tips and Tricks

3 great email app alternatives to Windows Mail: Mailbird, eM Client and Inky

Windows 10's default app isn't the best option for unruly inboxes. Try one of these instead.

 

How to customize your reading list in Edge for Windows 10

There's more to read online than you could ever hope to cover, but thanks to Microsoft Edge's Reading List feature, you can create a reading list of the awesome stuff you can't to get to right now.

 

The Best Tax Preparation Software of 2017

Doing your own taxes isn't as intimidating as it sounds. These top-rated online tax services get the job done without the fuss

 

How to force Firefox to retain your preferred search engine

If you're a Firefox user, you've probably noticed that it reverts to Yahoo as its search provider each time it automatically updates. Here's how to stop that.

 

3 Ways to Speed Up Windows 10

Windows 10's settings offer a few surprising ways to make the OS run faster (video included).

 

Mobile Computing

15 Cool Smartphone Camera Tricks You Should Know

Chances are, you're not even taking advantage of all the cool things your phone's camera can do.

 

How to share your Android phone's connection with Wi-Fi hotspot

You don't have to be a networking wizard to turn your handset into a personal hotspot.

 

The safest ways to lend someone your Android phone

You can let people borrow your device without revealing your open apps, browser tabs, or personal data.

 

5 ways Android has taken Apple’s ideas and made them better

Google took one look at the iPhone Apple unveiled in early 2007 and it instantly knew it was cloning the wrong mobile experience.

 

Choosing the right (and best!) Lightning cable for the job!

While the standard lightning cable that comes with your iPhone is great, there are some really reliable, high-quality alternatives out there that may actually give you a bit more bang for your buck.

No comments: