Microsoft Surface release date reportedly October 26 2012

According to information appearing on the internet, the ARM version of the Surface tablet running Windows RT, will begin selling on October 26th, the same date as Windows 8 is released.

An article mentioned the Intel version will be released 90 days later.

Only time will tell.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
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Google Blogger's mobile blogging not working

For those using Google Blogger to submit a blog post using an email, this feature appears to have stopped working.

My last successful post using the email method was on Thursday 26/7/2012 at 4:29pm. I noticed blogging using email stopped working on Sunday 29/7/2012 at 12:15pm. Blogging thus ceased to work between these times. A number of other people appear to be experiencing the same problem.

I've written this blog entry so that people who find this post will know the problem isn't on their end, but on Google's end. Also if you need to post a blog entry, I've found the web site and an app on the iPhone I use works.

Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.onlineconnections.com.au/
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Update: Monday 11:40am. I noticed that some blogs have been updated by email but not all. Can't be sure if when the updates occurred to the blogs which received the posts. This reminds me of when a mail server stops working and then because of the large backlog created, it takes time to clear. I just tested and email post to a blog and it didn't work. Blogger could still be trying to clear a backlog or it may simply have failed. All we can do is wait and test.

Update: Monday 12:52pm. I noticed another blog was updated from an email post that I sent yesterday. This gives me a good feeling the backlog may be progressively clearing.  If they do clear it will be a good idea to check that posts have come through and you haven't inadvertently doubled up by trying to repost.

Update: Monday 5:11pm. All blog posts sent via email have now come through. All posts accounted for so no posts were lost.

ATO Tax Calculator is an example of a web app which makes money.

Many computer developers develop apps for the iPhone and Android.

An article I read recently said that 80% of paid apps are downloaded less than 100 times. At 99 cents for an app less the App Stores 30% commission, most developers won't even make enough for a tank of petrol.

I like to write apps which help me such as the ATO Tax Calculator I wrote for family and friends. That way the app usually pays for itself and any money I make is a welcome bonus.

ATO Tax Calculator

With a little practise you can create a web app at no cost and if you make money through advertising, affiliate links, or selling you own products, you get to keep the money.

No complex learning curve compared to app development on mobile platforms. No need to buy an Apple Mac to develop iPhone apps, and basic apps will work on most devices that can display a web page.

Got an idea for a simple web app. Why not give it a go. If you've written a web app drop me a line and I'll check it out.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

MyAnswers: Windows XP loops from start-up list to Windows XP screen. Error c0000218.

The following MyAnswers solution 2235 is now available:

After the computer was inadvertently turned off at the switch, Windows XP now displays a start-up list of options in text. No matter what is selected the Windows XP splash screen will display and then it loops back to the start-up list.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

ATO Tax Calculator to calculate income tax for 2012-2013

I find in discussions a lot of people would like to know the tax on their income. It is not possible for me to provide tax related advice as you need to be a qualified tax professional to provide tax related advice. As a computer consultant however I’m able to use the information provided by the tax office on their web site and create a calculator others can use.

As well as a calculator for the 2012-2013 tax year, I’ve also written a calculator for the 2011-2012 tax year which recently ended. A link is provided to the prior year on the Tax Calculator.

Tax Calculator 2012-2013 ... Read More

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

MyAnswers: Email stopped working for bigpond.com and bigpond.net.au users.

The following MyAnswers solution 2234 is now available:

Email stopped working for bigpond.com and bigpond.net.au users.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

MyAnswers: Dropbox (Drop Box) folder appeared in Gallery on Android tablet.

The following MyAnswers solution 2233 is now available:

Dropbox (Drop Box) album appeared in Gallery on Android tablet which I can't delete. I've never installed Dropbox on the tablet. Where did the album come from?

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

MyAnswers: Outlook 2003 has a message "unknown error" and has stopped working.

The following MyAnswers solution 2232 is now available:

Outlook 2003 is not working. There is a message "unknown error". I haven't received emails for a number of days.

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Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.myanswers.biz/
(An Online Connections service.)

MyAnswers: Adobe Flash Player Update Service 11.3.r300 has encountered a problem

The following MyAnswers solution 2231 is now available:

In Windows XP I get the message Adobe Flash Player Update Service 11.3.r300 has encountered a problem and needs to close.

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Kelvin Eldridge
http://www.myanswers.biz/
(An Online Connections service.)

Windows 8 Release date October 26th

It's now official. The next version of Windows, Windows 8 will arrive on October 26th 2012.

If you're thinking of a new computer now is a good time to see if you can wait. Yes there will be a low priced upgrade if you buy now, but keep in mind there is time involved in installing the upgrade software.

Before rushing out and buying a new computer or the upgrade, keep in mind with every upgrade there are things which stop working, such as attached hardware. As an example it took nearly a year before drivers were available for the very expensive HP 4700 colour laser with Vista.

The upgrade won't work with all Windows XP computers based on my testing of the Release Preview. Ten's of millions of Windows users will potentially be irate they can't upgrade their computer even though it is more than powerful enough to run Windows 8. To me Microsoft will alienate a lot of current users who will gladly move to a Mac or tablet as a sign of their annoyance.

For most users I'd suggest waiting until the hype dies down. I'll learn what works and what doesn't work as I install and upgrade computers and this knowledge will assist other clients.

With the upgrade, if you have an older computer, see if you can get a test version first. The upgrade is only around $40, but if it doesn't work it's a waste of money. I hope Microsoft offers a money back guarantee, otherwise there could be a lot of complaints to consumer affairs.

Whilst there will be some negatives with the upgrade, there will be plenty of positives. Those with Vista should now have a cheap upgrade option to a faster operating system at last.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

MyAnswers: Windows 8 Release Preview "Your PC's CPU isn't compatible with Windows 8".

The following MyAnswers solution 2230 is now available:

Windows 8 upgrade for possibly tens of millions of Windows XP users may be a waste of money.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Alert: PayPal - Please, update your personal information!/Your account access has been limited

Every couple of days now I receive phishing attempts aimed at PayPal users. In each case checking the link within the email shows if you click on the link you won’t go to a PayPal site.

The text of the link shown to the users appears to be a PayPal site, but by hovering over the link in Outlook the actual site address is shown and it isn’t a PayPal site. Some email clients won’t show you the actual address and for some web based email clients, you need to enable the Status bar on your browser where the actual address is displayed. In the iPhone, if you press and hold on a link the address is shown along with options on what to do next.

In all cases you shouldn’t click on the link. The site may be one of the sites which aim to trick you into filling in a form and provide your details. More recently, just by clicking on a link, the link could take you to a site and infect your computer using one of the many exposures in software on your computer.

If you want to go to the site, open your browser and enter the address of the site you want to go to. Don’t click on the link in the email.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Serving Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

MyAnswers: How do I shut down a Windows 7 without applying the updates?

The following MyAnswers solution 2229 is now available:

How do I shutdown a Windows 7 without applying the updates?

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Mozilla Thunderbird email users should now consider migration plans to another actively developed email client

I read recently the Mozilla project is now reducing the resources they put into the Thunderbird email client and will in the future no longer have any fulltime developers dedicated to Thunderbird.

The core issues for me are:

 

1.       There will be no fulltime developers actively developing Thunderbird.

2.       There are no plans past 2013 for Thunderbird.

 

Thunderbird is a popular email client with over 20 million users. This is an example of where the Open Source model doesn’t work. If every Thunderbird user paid just one dollar, the income generated would probably close to exceed the direct income Mozilla generates in total, excluding the contribution from Google. The majority of income for Mozilla is payment from Google for having Google as the default search engine for Firefox.

Since users don’t generally directly contribute financially to the project they are not the client. The client in this case for Mozilla is mostly Google.

For users there is no rush to make a decision. I expect Mozilla Thunderbird will enter an extended period of maintenance which for many people may be sufficient. For example many people still use Outlook Express. Development for Outlook Express stopped around 2005-2006 and Outlook Express users and generally very happy with their software.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require computer support
in the Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and surrounding areas.

 

MyAnswers: Why I'd recommend that business users not use Microsoft Windows Live Mail.

The following MyAnswers solution 2226 is now available:

Why I'd recommend that  business users not use Microsoft Windows Live Mail.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

MyAnswers: Migrating from Outlook Express to Outlook 2010/2007

The following MyAnswers solution 2225 is now available:

How I migrated a user's emails and contacts from Outlook Express to Outlook 2010. The same technique can be used for Outlook 2007.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Microsoft Windows 8 Pro upgrade for $39.99 (USD?) announced

Microsoft have just announced what I think is a bold but necessary move. They’ve announced on their blog that Windows 8 Pro will be available as an upgrade for all existing Windows users using XP, Vista and Windows 7, for an amazing $39.99 (via download). This is probably in US dollars and whether it will be the same for Australians I don’t know, but if there is a small variance it shouldn’t make much difference.

Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets.... Read More

The reason I say this is a bold but necessary move, is a lot of people will be put off with the new interface and would put off purchasing Windows 8. Many people love Windows XP and are still reluctant to move to Windows 7. Some see Windows 8 as potentially another Windows ME disaster about to happen. For me, having users who want to start in the Desktop mode to have to first start in Metro mode already sounds annoying. Microsoft’s low cost upgrade changes all that.

For the first time, if Microsoft’s Windows 8 doesn’t cause too many problems, it may be possible to upgrade all machines in a home or small office environment to the one operating system and to do that cost effectively. That is a huge bonus.

My approach will be to first test Windows 8 on one machine and see what devices continue to work and what devices don’t. For example some printers, scanners, camera software, email clients simply won’t work or be available. Those using Windows XP who still use Outlook Express will lose Outlook Express if they move to Windows 8. They have to decide if the move is worth it.

For me I’m typing this post using a netbook running Windows XP. I chose Windows XP because at the time XP and Vista were the only choices for a netbook (linux didn’t appeal to me) and Vista would have run like a dog. XP on the other hand has proven to be light and fast and even to this day the netbook has been one of my best investments. Will Windows 8 run on the netbook? What won’t work?

As soon as Windows 8 Pro is released to market and I have the chance to install Windows 8, I’ll start recording what does and doesn’t work and make the information available to clients via MyAnswers.

To me this is indeed a very smart move by Microsoft and one that Microsoft needed to make, or otherwise they’d continue to see their market share decline as it has for the last couple of years. This move may just get people to refocus on Windows for a short while and that is what they need.

The upgrade period will run through to the 31^st of January 2013. I’d suggest clients seriously consider at least purchasing the upgrade for each computer during this period, but do sufficient testing to make sure all your existing software and hardware you need to use works with Windows 8 Pro.

- Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for help with your computer problems.
No problem too small.

Alert: Transfer of 1,500.00 EUR to your account in ANZ Bank

Today I noticed a large number of scam emails targeted at ANZ users. You should simply delete these emails.

The suggestion I give to clients is never click on a link in an email to go to a site you need to log on to. In addition, if it is convenient to you, have your banks remove your email address. I don't provide an email address to my bank so every email I receive I know is a scam. This has had no impact on my using bank services and if anything, it may even mean I don't get unnecessary or unwanted marketing material.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.