Since the early 1990s, Microsoft Office has revolutionized, changed, and dominated office spaces and workplaces around the world. Today, with the new Microsoft Office 2016, they’re changing the game…again.
Microsoft Office 2016 will offer Office’s 1.2 billion users an offer they can’t refuse: cloud-based service. But despite the new Office cloud, this new updated version will run and look just like it always had. New features include a ‘share’ button, new file sharing field, an email window to share that file, and an inclusive list of people who can work on that file. However, this can only be done through Microsoft cloud service One Drive. A lot of offices have meetings through Skype these days. Through this new file sharing style, a pop-up occurs telling you about Skype and other ways to contact the person. It may be a subtle way to push Skype on us, but it’s effective. Multiple people can work on these files and use these tools at once (sounds like Google Docs, doesn’t it?). Even edits can appear on the app. Microsoft Office is available on Windows and Mac. The reasoning of this software price is debatable. Microsoft Office 2016 will cost you $6.99 a month through Office 365. Or you can pay $149 for the student version or $229 for the business version.
For a business, $229 may bot seem like much. But for a struggling student, $149 seems like a lot. But I noticed Microsoft Office 2016 are using a lot of tactics Google Docs already use. Is this their way of competing with them? Then there are the cloud and file sharing features. While the Skype option would work for conferences, when someone is out of the country, would the rest of the office embrace this file sharing? At best, Office 2016 would work if a handful of workers are sharing a super secretive project. Other than that, I don’t think the new Microsoft Office offering too much that’s worth $229. Would you make the upgrade?
Cloud storage companies trying to get into the game of free storage to get people in the door are growing and growing. We also have plenty of pay cloud storage as well. Here at Computer Geeks, we have done some digging, and found something great for you! Well one of the big players is making a big stake. Microsoft is ready to strike hard with an offer that may be too hard to refuse. Microsoft is offering 100GB of free OneDrive cloud storage for two years!
If you don’t know Onedrive you may know it as Skydrive which was the original name for the cloud storage for the Microsoft office products. Microsoft has really been doing a great job at getting the One drive integration into Windows which makes it the easiest cloud storage for your Windows operating system. Especially once Windows 10 come out for sure.
Now the offer is for US residents only but you do have to do something to get this enormous amount of storage. You must sign up for a free Bing Rewards account. When you have done that you go to your Bing Rewards dashboard and then click on the 100GB free link. Once you click the link you have to agree to receive promotional One Drive e-mails which is a minor price to pay for a 100GB of cloud storage.
So now you must be asking yourself, what do I do after the two years are up? Well if you think Microsoft is trying to trap you with big prices for that storage after the two years, well your wrong. After the two years your storage will only cost you $1.99 per month. Which is around $24 a year, for tons of storage!
Now if you are worried about getting this storage and figuring out how to use it, our friends at C|Net have a tutorial to show you how to move your data from your PC to your cloud. Click here to view the tutorial.
So there you have it. An easy two years of free 100GB storage. Microsoft is coming up big with the new Windows 10 looking so promising and now with the free storage they are really trying to get some good will from consumers. What are your thoughts on Microsoft just giving away so much storage? Let me know in the comments section below.
Whether it’s Conflickr or a new fake anti-spyware program, it seems like spyware and viruses are inescapable for any computer connected to the Internet. It’s estimated that the amount spent annually on security software in the United States has risen to over $800 million in recent years, but computers are still getting infected daily. Why aren’t we virus free yet?
The answer lies in the nature of malicious programming. Computer viruses don’t spring up out of nowhere, they’re designed by programmers who either have nothing better to do and think it will be interesting, or professionals who make money by abusing your computer. Whenever anti-virus vendors are made aware of a new virus, they create a new definition for their anti-virus software to help isolate and remove that virus if it is downloaded onto your computer. Once the new definition is widespread enough that a significant percentage of computers are safe against that virus, a new one is created by the malicious programmers and the cycle begins again. Nearly two thousand new viruses were identified every day in 2007, and the problem isn’t going away any time soon. This is why you need to allow your anti-virus software to download new virus definitions so often.
Frustrated hackers tired of the rapid turnover of “regular” viruses have graduated to attacking your computer’s defences directly: your anti-virus software. Many new viruses include programming that either hides itself specifically from several popular anti-virus programs, prevents them from downloading new virus definitions, or shuts them down entirely. Even when these new viruses are identified quickly, many computers will already be infected and the software on the machines will be unable to remove the virus. In cases where one virus shuts down the anti-virus software entirely, other viruses will often infect the machine and can render it inoperable in a matter of hours if not minutes. Still other nasty viruses employ tricks to avoid removal techniques, and will re-infect a machine after an anti-virus program or a user tries to delete them.
The fight against computer viruses is non-stop, but you can do something to help protect your system. Installing a good anti-virus program and allowing it to update frequently is just the first step, but beware of fake anti-virus programs you may find online (many of these are viruses themselves). The fake anti-virus programs normally go by the names: Antivirus 2010 Pro, Windows Pro Police, System Guard? 2009, Personal Antivirus, Antispyware XP 2009, and many more. You can see a pattern in how they name themselves. Never download anything from a person or website you don’t trust, never open a suspicious email (you don’t always have to open the attachments to get infected), and don’t go to websites with a poor reputation. If you take these steps and your computer still gets infected, have a trained professional remove the virus for you instead of trying to remove it yourself. Modern viruses can be very difficult to isolate and remove, and it’s very easy to damage your system accidentally while trying to remove one.
If you’ve got a slow computer and think you’re infected, call Computer Geeks today. Our techs have the tools needed for proper virus removal and have access to fast breaking news about new types of viruses and their removal. Computer Geeks is a nationwide on-site computer service and repair company.? If your computer has any of the following problems, we can help: Slow computer, Virus or Spyware, Computer startup problems, Printer not printing, Not connecting to the Internet, Scanner not working, or the “blue screen of death”. We also offer other technical support services, including: New pc setup, Data Backup or Recovery, Wireless network setup, Business Network Firewall setup, Upgrading memory, cpu, hard drives, video cards, and more. You can pick up the phone at any time and call us at 1-800-GEEK HELP (433-5435).
It?s no secret there are many more cases of diagnosed autism in children today. These children need much more attention in order to overcome the challenges that they face with this disorder, and now the old saying ?There?s an app for that,? will allow parents to use apps in order to assist their children in a whole new way.
Brain Power, a Cambridge, MA, start up, has developed Google Glass apps to help assist autistic children with developing their social skills, and communication skills, while providing much needed feedback to their parents, teachers, or caregivers. Developed by neuroscientist Ned T Sahin, Google Glass (Empowered Brain Suite for Autism), focuses on the use of games and paly in order to teach autistic kids to interact with their parents and others. Apps helping autism is kids will not only aid children and their caregivers, but also assist and encourage autistic kids with making eye contact, and also give teachers and parents feedback on how well the children are engaging with other by utilizing social engagement monitors. This is crucial when evaluating a child?s progress.
Google Glass is an ideal app helping autistic kids, as it has a chip which enables head gestures, which then allows data to be recorded on how often the children are engaged with their parents, and how much progress they are making with looking at their parents or other caregivers. Google Glass also plans to explore language in the future, by identifying an object, then speaking it through an ear bud that the child wears.
Needless to say, using play, games, and fun activities with children has always been a valuable educational tool, and it has now become even more useful when trying to encourage children with disabilities. Way to go Google Glass! We here at Computer Geeks salute you! Smartphone apps have now become a tool that can change the life of a child with disabilities, and improve how they function in life later on.
New Years Resolutions are everywhere this time of year. Everyone else makes them, but when it comes down to actually doing it, people rarely follow through. Those of us that frequent our local gym, will have it inundated with people for the first month, maybe two,? and then like magic, everyone is gone. So why don’t people just make New Years Resolutions that they can stick to? Things that are easy, and that don’t take a ton of your valuable time. Well, here at Computer Geeks we have compiled a list of New Years Resolutions for all of you to help your PC thrive in 2015! And if your computer and everything on it is fast and safe, then it will save you time, and potentially a lot of money. Without further ado, here is the list
7. Viruses, spyware, malware, adware protection
Listen, most people have anti-virus software because it comes with virtually every computer out there. But do you have Anti-Malware on your PC? How about Anti-spyware? Probably not. Computer Geeks has several solutions to this problem that we can put on your computer, and the best part is that the software is free!
6. Maintenance Checkups
I know, I know, nobody likes to schedule to fix their computer. But checkups are important. So many people who call me up with a dead computer that they haven’t had serviced in 5 years. What if you didn’t take your child to get a check up for 5 years? Sounds outrageous right? Same thing with your computer. That could be all of your family memories on that computer, or your entire business database, gone because you didn’t see a problem coming. A computer should get a thorough cleaning and tune up every 3 months to keep performance optimal. Simple checkups can increase the average computer life span by up to 4 years. Computer Geeks can set you up on scheduled maintenance calls for the entire year, all at once! And you can always reschedule at no cost if something comes up!
5. Use Better Passwords on your computer
I’m sure your dog is cute, and is a great companion, but he’s a BAD password. Most hackers who get into your computer can find personal information, like your pets name. And when they go to steal your email address, or your bank account info, you might as well have not even set a password. You want there to be 3 variables to your password, a capital letter, lowercase letter, and numbers, but please don’t just do R4m35eS, they’ll try that too. Combine two things to make your password unguessable, like your dog and your birth year backwards. My birth year is 1982 so my password could be this: S2e8se9ma1R, now that’s a password! (FYI that’s not my password)
4. Archive your old emails
For you outlook users, your inbox/outbox for your email can look like the warehouse from Indiana Jones. Filled with so many items that you’ll never find anything. Outlook has an auto-archive function that will archive anything that is older than a certain amount of time, that you can dictate. Set it once, and then forget about it! The best part is that if you need to view the archive emails, they will still show up when you use the Outlook Search feature.
3. Watch what you post on social media
Listen, we’ve all done it, had a bad day at work and then go home and blow up Facebook about how much your boss’ management style reflects that of Adolf Hitler. The problem is, when you go to leave Hitler’s company, your new potential employer is more than likely going to find you on Facebook before he hires you, so he can see what he may be getting himself into. Be careful what you post online, there is no escaping something once its on there…
2. Be careful where you surf on the web
Seriously, this should be self explanatory. Don’t go to a site that you don’ t know what it is. And if you do go to a bad site and pop-ups and people saying you have viruses comes up, CALL GEEK CHOICE FAST!? Once a virus is on a computer the longer it sits there the more damage it can do. Turn the PC off, and give us a call 800-433-5435.
1. BACKUP ALL YOUR FILES
This last one is so simple, so important, but almost always not done. People think backups take up a lot of their time, or that they are expensive. But Computer Geeks is here to tell you they are neither, they are just lifesavers. 10 times a week some poor soul wanders into my office telling me their hard drive is dead, and they’re whole life was on it. I ask if they have a backup, and they give me the frowney face. Backups are really cheap, and for the most part can be set up 1 time, to perform backup either daily, weekly, monthly or ever quarterly. And you can set the backup to occur at 3AM while you sleep, so you never have to deal with it! Computer Geeks can get you on a yearly backup plan for UNLIMITED DATA at only 59.95! Just give us a buzz and Computer Geeks can help
We hope you have enjoyed our New Years resolution blog, feel free to follow us on Twitter @geekchoice, and like us on Facebook Here to get all of our daily blogs to keep you updated with everything technology from cell phones, gaming systems, to computer tips and hints!
Computer Geeks would like to take this time to wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas! We hope all is well and everyone stays safe this holiday. Lets hope that Santa was nice and got you a fancy new tech gadget, or a new computer! If you are having any issues with your new technology device feel free to call us. Our call center is open all day today and we are available for service calls starting Friday the 26th!
We’d also like to thank all of you out there that have supported our business and our staff throughout the years that you have been great, loyal customers. It has been an honor and a privilege servicing the Beacon Hill and Boston community every day for the last 18 years! We look forward to a great new year in 2015, but for now, let me summarize some of the new, and old services Computer Geeks can provide for you
