How You Like ‘Dem Apples?

Apple device users have a lot to celebrate. The new iPhone 5 was introduced, and the new iOS6 operating system was made available for newer iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. There’s a lot to talk about, most of it good news.

The models that can accept the new iOS6 are the iPhone 3GS and newer, iPad 2 and newer and fourth generation iPod Touch and newer.

As you would expect, I have my new iPhone 5, and I really like the bigger screen, the thinner device size, the lighter weight and the much faster speed. The 4G speed on the new iPhone could be faster than some home computers, and that can be good and bad.

The good? No explanation needed.

The bad? Getting all that streaming content in all its glory can be very addictive, and you can exceed the limits of your data plan before you know what hit you. So, make sure you’re on a Wi-Fi connection before you go wild.

The iPhone and new iOS are generally good, and I recommend them. However, like all new technology, some upgrades will be needed:

  • Apple’s maps are not up to the Google maps, but they will catch up. Both mapping systems are based on input from use data, and as more people use Apple maps and add more data, the quality will improve. It took a while for Google to get where it is today.
  • Siri seems to be on a break every time I ask her for some information.  Got to make sure she’s on the job.
  • Passbook has a bug that won’t let you connect to the iTunes store.

We’re pretty sure we’ll see iOS6.01 in the near future.

We’ve seen a few posts on some sites that might interest you.

  • Although the iPhone 5 is a 4G phone, you might notice you’re talking on a 3G connection. That’s because it’s clearer – for now. They’re working on making 4G voice clearer.
  • If you’re on the Verizon network:
    • Your iPhone 5 has international capability
    • Your iPhone 5 is unlocked, enabling you to use a SIM card to switch to the AT&T and Sprint network at 3G

On the whole, we recommend installing the new iOS6 on your Apple device if you are able to. If you have any questions about  the new phone or OS, we’d be happy to answer them by phone – 973-433-6676 – or email.

This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.

Office 365 Coming to Your Home

We’ve always been proponents of cloud-based computing. You can keep your applications up to date and your data secure – and pricing has always been good for businesses. Now, Microsoft is about to make cloud computing more accessible for home and small-business users with Office 365 Home Premium and Small Business Premium.

According to a recent post by Microsoft, a single subscription to Office 365 Home Premium covers up to five users, essentially an entire household.  Each user can each sign-in with an individual Microsoft account with its own settings, and all users can access their own documents. Each subscription includes:

  • All Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, and Publisher. (However, only PCs can use OneNote, Publisher and Access.)
  • The ability to use Office on PCs or Macs – a real benefit for multi-platform households that will no longer need to buy separate versions
  • Nearly 3 times the amount of SkyDrive storage with an additional 20GB over the 7GB you get for free.
  • 60 minutes of SkypeTM world calling per month – but restrictions apply

Microsoft is also offering the new Office 365 Small Business Premium for organizations with 1-10 users. Each gets:

  • All the Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access, and Publisher plus Lync. (Again, however, only PCs can use OneNote, Publisher and Access.)
  • The ability to use Office on up to five PCs or Macs for a single user. Users also have flexibility to change their five devices at any time, and full featured Office applications are available for temporary use on any PC.
  • A 25 GB Outlook mailbox, shared calendar, contact manager, scheduling and task-list tools, and 10 GB professional-grade cloud storage for the organization plus 500 MB per user.
  • The ability to host online meetings with audio and video using one-click screen sharing and HD video conferencing (HD video camera required)
  • The ability to set up, build, and maintain a public-facing website with no additional hosting fees.

Premium licenses are regularly updated, giving you the latest features and services.  A free 30-day trial will be available online for both packages. The Home Premium package is $99.99 per year, and the Small Business Premium package is $149.99 per year.

We can answer any questions you have about the new online Office 365 packages and help you will installations and configurations. We believe it’s a smart way to go for better cost-efficiency and for keeping your systems up to date and secure. Call us at 973-433-6676 or drop us an email to discuss it.

This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.

Getting Straight with Windows 8

Microsoft is scheduled to release its new Windows 8 operating system Oct. 26, and for the first time in almost 25 years of tech support, we have some real concerns about a new OS

Windows 8 makes a drastic change in the computer interface, starting with the elimination of the Start menu. It’s going to take users a lot of time to get used to the new way. In a lot of ways, we expect the learning curve to simulate that of the switch from Office 2003 to Office 2007. It was not a well-received upgrade, but we all got used to it, and many of us are happily humming along with Office 2010. (We’ll have more to say about Office in our next article of this newsletter.)

Windows also has a track record since Windows 98, in our opinion, of making every other OS release an intermediate step before another upgrade. Windows 2000 was quickly replaced by XP, and many IT managers kept it as their OS, skipping over Vista to Windows 7.

Windows 8 impresses us as an OS that’s more designed for tablets and – by extension of the concept – mobile devices. It will work on desktop and laptop computers, but here are some red flags:

  • You likely will not be able to go directly to Windows 8 with all of your existing software packages.
  • We don’t know how well the software publishers will support the new OS. Their support will depend on how well their customers buy and install Windows 8.

On the other hand, here a couple of reassuring factors:

  • Although computer manufacturers will go to Windows 8, you will have an option to have Windows 7 installed – and we’re betting a lot of people will take that option.
  • We will continue to support Windows 7 and the software packages designed to run on that OS.

One other thing to keep in mind if you’re still running XP is that Microsoft will stop supporting that OS within the next 18 months or so. If you want to continue using your XP, we can help you with some work-arounds, but that may not be your best move.

Call us at 973-433-6676 or email us to talk about how you can get the most out of your hardware and software systems for near-term and long-term effectiveness and cost-efficiency.

This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.