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April 15 Newsletter
Spring is almost here and
the days are getting longer again. I hope this finds you fit and well. Here’s a roundup of the
latest IT news. Spring
Clean.
What better time to give
your PC or laptop a Spring Clean and brush away the winter cobwebs. If your
beloved computer is not performing as well as it used to, and has slowed down,
it could be for many reasons. For a fixed fee, I could come over and restore it
to its former glory, check to make sure it is clean of viruses and nasties, back
up all of your valuable documents, pictures, emails and contacts etc. Or help
you decide whether it’s time to get a new shiny one. If your computer hasn’t
been serviced for at least 6 months, then now is a good time to do it. Please
call or email me to arrange a convenient time. Apple
MacBooks.
I’m always being asked
whether I prefer Windows PC or Apple Macs. The truth is that I have only really
had a problem with Apple Macs because they are usually twice the price of a
Windows PC or laptop, and for the average user, a good Windows laptop is more
than sufficient for a light user, who only needs to use emails, browse the
Internet, do a bit of word processing or play with pictures or music. Most new
Windows PCs will cost £500 or less, which is usually half the price of an Apple
Mac. HOWEVER, that said, if money
was NOT an issue, then I’d go for an Apple every day. They are beautifully
designed (even down to the packaging of cables and accessories), are easy to
operate (many people are worried about changing because they don’t want to get
to learn a whole new system), and one of the biggest advantages is that they are
very unlikely (not impossible though) to ever get infected with viruses or
malware. They just are fabulous
pieces of kit, beautifully designed down to the last detail, rarely go wrong,
are quicker to start up from turning on, and simply just work perfectly. In my
opinion, you can’t get better; just ask anyone who has one. If you own an Ipad
or Iphone, you’ll know what I mean about the reliability and ease of use. This week I set up a new
Apple MacBook Air, which has the latest Apple Operating System, called Yosemite
10.10 installed. What a complete joy it is to set up. From taking it out of its
box, until the time I had Google on the screen, was about 4 minutes. Amazing!
And the new Yosemite OS has been redesigned to make it even easier to use. And best of all, it’s NOT
as expensive as I thought. A decent Windows laptop will be £500 ish. You can
now get a new MacBook Air from £728 from Amazon, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-MacBook-processor-PCIe-based-Yosemite/dp/B00K1VXLPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427642462&sr=8-1&keywords=macbook+air If you are undecided and
would like further advice, please call or email me and I’d be happy to give
you my unbiased opinion. But they say, “Once
you’ve had Mac, you never go back”. I can see why. Microsoft Office 2016
Microsoft recently announced
the arrival of the update to Office, called Office 16, which will be launched
later this year, probably to coincide with the launch of its much heralded
Windows 10, the successor to Windows 8 (there will be no Windows 9 for some
reason). There is very little
information regarding what changes they have made, but as soon as I have any
news of course I will let you know. If you're interested, you
can read the latest reviews by clicking this link: However, if you are a
subscriber to Office 365, you should get the updated Office 16 free as part of
your subscription. I really like Office
365. For those unfamiliar, it is subscription based service which you pay
either monthly or annually, and gives the full range of Office programmes, Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and Access. It can be bought either as a
single user, for use on 1 computer and 1 tablet, or the slightly dearer Multi
User version, where you can use it on up to 5 different devices and tablets.
It’s the best value package especially for those who use Microsoft Outlook,
which if you bought that as a standalone programme, would set you back £100
alone. It’s actually cheaper to
buy it through Amazon than buying directly from Microsoft, for some strange
reason. Click below for more
information. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=office+365 And finally….. Paris Half Marathon
You may be aware that I
recently ran the Paris Half Marathon.
I’m no Paula Radcliffe and have only been seriously training for the last 6
months. I saw that Macmillan Cancer Support was offering places for the Paris
Half Marathon, so I applied and was accepted. So, in early March, my
family and I set off on Eurostar to Paris. How typical, the night before the big
race, I hardly slept a wink; I was so hyped up and excited. So I got the start
feeling like death. But I did it, and pushed through the pain and fatigue, and
crossed the finish line and got my medal, even though my time was rubbish, it
didn’t matter. The best bit was that I
raised in total around £4,500 for Macmillan. It also made me realise that
fulfilling my ambition to run the full London Marathon ain’t never gonna
happen! I’ll just get better at half marathons. Running 13.1 miles in around 2
and a half hours, is more than enough for an old boy like me. I’d like to thank everyone
who donated money to this fantastic worthwhile cause. Everyone has been so kind
and giving and I’m quite overwhelmed at the amazing generosity that all my
lovely friends, family and clients have shown. If you haven’t yet
donated, you still can, although it’s not necessary as I’ve exceeded my
target by 400%, but if you would like to, then the easiest way is by donating
online, quickly and easily, at www.justgiving.com/henrymoss That’s it for this month. Please let me know if I can
be of any further help or assistance to you. |
