Microsoft Windows
Just a bit of fun, but with the imminent launch of Windows 10, we had a timely requirement to boot up a virtual PC running MS DOS and Windows 3.11. Read more
Trip down (Microsoft Windows) memory (386) lane
Author: tinsleyNET Admin
Get Windows 10
(How To) Get Windows 10
Users of Microsoft Windows 7 & 8 will start to notice a new icon in their system tray with the slanted Windows logo informing them of the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10. No, it’s not a virus or malware, it’s a genuine offer from Microsoft.
Anyone currently using a genuine Windows 7 (with SP1) or 8.1 PC or on Windows Phone 8.1 will have the opportunity to upgrade, for free, to Windows 10 when it is released in July this year. Read more
Solid State Drives – Not suitable for long term storage
SSD v HDD – Which is best?
SSD’s are slowly but surely replacing their mechanical counterparts, the HDD, in modern computers, they offer more storage per square-inch and can read/write data to and from memory significantly faster than the spindle and articulator arm of a standard HDD, and of course, they are not prone to shock and data head crashes.
So all good? well, yes… but….
Send commands to your Android Phone from your desktop
New rollouts to Google internet search add quick links to your Android phone
Over the past few weeks Google have been adding some functionality to the Chrome desktop browser, allowing you to interact with your Android phone even if it’s not near you.
At the moment the browser commands only work for American users, but it’s easy enough to get them to work for you, just add the “&gl=us” tag to the end of the URL. Read more
Could your WiFi router be hosting a backdoor allowing hackers to access your network?
Wifi Routers could be compromised
Several new exploits have been identified recently that are designed to attach your home or business router from inside, and install code to allow hackers to open a backdoor to your network and your data.
The exploits are designed to get into a network either by infecting devices that go outside of your firewall, such as mobiles, tablets and laptops, or by tricking the user into downloading a malicious file. Once inside the network, the malware gets to work on your firewall, attempting to inject code into the firewall that will allow external code to be added to innocent web pages. So you might be viewing the BBC site for example, and the code adds advertising and other unwanted scripts to the page as it passes through your firewall, meaning the page you see if very different from the one served up by the BBC servers. Read more
Twitter is getting Foursquare locations
Twitter + Foursquare
Twitter users are going to start seeing a new ‘check-in’ feature in their geo-tagged tweets soon, provided by Foursquare, one of the first geo-check-in providers.
The new partnership will mean twitter users can see reviews and tips for places they check in to, and gives businesses a chance to advertise specials and offers to passing potential clients who use the foursquare what’s nearby feature. Read more
Shropshire is going superfast
Rural Broadband
Having lived and worked in Shropshire for most of my life, I am fully aware of the issues of rural connectivity. But that’s changing as part of the the government’s Broadband Delivery UK which aims to have 90% of the UK connected to superfast broadband by next year, and basic broadband access for everyone. Read more
Should I be FREAKing out?
Do the FREAK
It seems like only yesterday we were all being told about the Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL, and how to avoid affected sites until they had been fixed, then there was the Shellshock or Bashdoor vulnerability that meant the servers running your favourite websites were being broken into, you may even have heard of the Poodle attack that could allow an attacker to break into your SSL 3 connection, and now Freak, exploring another SSL vulnerability, albeit one that this time was practically imposed on you. Read more
What is the cloud and do I need it?
“The Cloud”
So what is this cloud thing that everyone is talking about, where did it come from and what do I need to know about it?
The Cloud will often be described in different ways by different people. Sometimes their definition might contradict, sometimes they will be talking about different situations or services. The confusion is because ‘The Cloud’ is not a thing, it’s a collection of things that work mostly seamlessly in the background allowing you to share information across different devices without having to worry too much about how you’re going to get your information from point A to point B.
The cloud was used to represent the internet in computer network diagrams, though originally nothing was kept in the cloud, it was just a means of transferring data from servers to users. Read more
Samsung Galaxy S6 – swooning at the curves
Samsung S6 & S6 Edge
You can’t have failed to have heard about the latest flagship mobile from Samsung, the S6 and the S6 Edge, here’s a run-down of what’s getting everyone so excited;
It’s thin, think of the thinnest smartphone you have ever had, it’s thinner than that!
It comes with wireless charging, yep – you don’t need to plug it in to charge it up, just rest it on it’s charging pad and it starts to recharge, and quickly if we take Samsung’s test results as a benchmark.
The Edge has extra screen space wrapped around the side of the phone, making the screen truly edge-to-edge display, but also giving some neat uses, like contacts, phone, news alerts and other notifications giving quick-access to apps.
The body of the phone is metal and sturdy, with a glass front and back face.
The screen on front is 4xHD with 577 ppi in a 5.1 inch screen space. Not sure what that relates to in real life? It means the display will be sharp and crisp when looking at HD movies or photos. If you wan’t bragging rights, the iPhone 6 Plus has 401ppi
16MP back camera with flash, and a 5MP front facing camera for those selfie moments
It’s coming with Android 5 (Lollipop) installed, along with a handful of Microsoft apps, such as OneDrive (Microsoft’s online ‘cloud’ storage) OneNote and Skype, the over-the-internet video calling service.
Images and data, Samsung Page : www.samsung.com/uk/galaxys6
CNET Review : http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-galaxy-s6-edge/