Hi and welcome to another Aspiring newsletter.
The main things I have been doing in the last month are; setting up new laptops and desktops, doing annual services, upgrading wireless routers and sorting out new tablets and especially iPhones. (Transferring contacts, setting up e-mail, backups etc)
Do you want to learn more about maintaining your own computer? I run courses in Hornsby every couple of months, see here for details.
The most common question lately is how to use an iPhone/iPad etc effectively when travelling overseas. It is easy to just use the device, and then find yourself with a rather large bill on return. The most important thing is to know how to use WiFi and know how to find WiFi hotspots. Before you go, practice using WiFi at home, a friends place etc. This is important. In terms of finding WiFi hotspots when overseas, there in a Application for that. Find it in the App Store and get practicing with that too. If you are away for more than a week or so in a single Country, it is probably worth buying a local pre-paid SIM in the Country. If you have specific questions around this, then contact me. Also, you need to ensure that your e-mail is setup to work properly on networks outside of your home network. This is called SMTP Authentication. Generally your e-mail provider can provide instructions for doing this. Else, ask me. Did you know that your Contacts aren’t backed up in your SIM like they used to be. It is very important therefore to backup your iPhone regularly via iTunes. All this is covered and more in the I Learn iPhone course I run at Hornsby KuRingGai Community College. See here for more details.
Seem to have been doing more viruses than usual lately, and it’s not just PC’s, Mac\’s are being attacked too. The best thing you can do for a PC or a Mac is to keep the operating system up to date. You need to do this regularly (especially Macs at the moment) If you don’t know how to do, book a service and I will show you. Prevention is much better than cure!
I am still getting calls from customers who have fallen for Hoax’s, either delivered via e-mail or phone calls. If you get a mail or a phone call from someone you don’t know, assume they are giving you information you don’t need and delete or hang up immediately. Email examples here: Telephone calls here.
As the use of portable devices (iPhones/iPads etc) increases, so does the need for better WiFi coverage in home. The good news is that WiFi equipment is getting better and better all the time. If you WiFi router is more than 2 years old, there is certainly more powerful ones available now and it is a simple upgrade replacement. Additionally, we can add more access points more easily now greatly extending the range.
Know keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are convenient to quickly check, send, and save emails. Some of the most commonly used shortcuts (+ means ‘in combination with’; not the + ‘addition’ key) are:
CTRL + D Delete
CTRL + R Reply
CTRL + F Forward
CTRL + N New Message
CTRL + P Print
CTRL + C Copy
CTRL + V Paste
CTRL + X Cut
ALT + S Send
F7 Spell Check
F9 Check for Mail
F12 Save Document As
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For a full list of keyboard shortcuts for Outlook, click here.
