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Mobile working from a tablet

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Mobile working is great.  The ability to work from anywhere without needing an office and all the distractions it brings is priceless.  More and more people are jumping on the bandwagon and starting to use tablets specifically for this purpose.  They offer excellent portability, battery life and in the case of Windows  10 a “proper” operating system to run all your programs on.  One big drawback though is lack of storage space as most tablets are in the 16 GB – 64 GB range which for some people is fine and others not so.

This is where cloud storage helps.  You can store all your files on Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, Onedrive etc and access them when required so long as you have wifi.  In Scotland though 3G coverage (and 4G) can be sporadic outside of the main population centres so accessing online data can be a problem.

So how do you cover all your options?

To increase your chances of actually getting online in the first place go for mobile broadband from either EE or Three (this applies to Scotland only) as these seem to have the best coverage.  I have used Vodafone and O2 in the past and really struggled to get online in large areas of Scotland.

For instant access to your files purchase an SD card for your tablet and in the case of Windows 10 install Dropbox on it which is exactly what I did for a client last week.  The new Windows 10 tablets are actually pretty good and run the full version of Windows.  My client now has all their Dropbox files synced to the SD card meaning they can access their files whether they have internet access or not. There were some teething troubles but this article should help anyone out who wants to set this up.

Sorry iOS and Android lovers (me included here) we have to make do with needing internet to access our files.  Boo hoo!!

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Cisco, Windows, OS X and Linux based IT Support to small businesses throughout Scotland.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

PC or Post PC? I don’t really think it matters

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PC’s, tablets, smartphones and laptops all have one thing in common and that is the ability to get things done.  This could be surfing the internet, printing a document, editing a spreadsheet or even checking Facebook.  So with this in mind does it actually matter which device you use?

PC sales are on the slide and have been for quite a while and until recently tablet sales have been rocketing (only recently has there been any indication of a slowdown). This in turn has led many people to think that PC’s have become the technical equivalent of the dinosaur and tablets are “the way forward”.  For many people this may indeed be the case but for a large percentage of users (both home and business) PC’s and laptops make more sense due to the large screens and the ability to be able to use the mouse.

Everyone has different computing requirements and what works for one person won’t neccesarily work for the next. Take me as an example.  Two weeks ago I bought a 10 inch android tablet (which I am currently using to write this) with the intention of using it for work.  I will be using it for approx 95% of my daily work tasks and for the rest of the time I will change back to my MacBook.  The reason for this change is the mobility the tablet gives me when out and about. Yes I could lug the MacBook around but the tablet is lighter and the battery lasts longer. Is this the correct way for me to work? Maybe  Would this approach work for you? Possibly but it would depend on what software you use and your desire to work on a smaller screen.

To be honest I don’t really think it matters what device you use so long as you are productive and the work gets done.  You will always get people on both sides of the fence who say their device is better because of blah, blah, blah but really who cares?

Get the device, or devices, which work for you and don’t listen to anyone else.

Now go and get some work done!!

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows, Mac and Linux based IT Support to small businesses in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

 

Is Windows 8 in danger of becoming the next Vista?

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First off I personally think that Windows 8 is far superior to Windows Vista.  It is more secure and much faster and on a touchscreen it is a pleasure to use. It seams though that quite a few people just do not like it as shown by the market share figures for June 2014. So what is the problem?

The main problem with Windows 8 is its split personality.  It is designed for touchscreens but at its launch there weren’t many about and on a traditional laptop or  PC it can be clunky.  Then there is the Start screen (which I actually like) which a lot of users just hate and users having to retrain to actually use the new interface didn’t go down well either.

Put Windows 8 on a touchscreen tablet (where it really belongs) and it does start to make sense.  I have a client with a Surface 2 (yes the Windows RT one) which is lovely to use.  The swipe gestures and moving around the OS with your finger is a joy.  Yes it does have its issues with lack of apps but that is another blog!!

Microsofts biggest problem is that business customers were never going to switch to Windows 8 in huge droves due to the retraining costs and have instead switched to the tried and tested Windows 7.  This leaves the home market where tablets have overtaken laptops and PC’s thereby squeezing out Windows. Windows 8 should have been developed purely for PC’s and laptops (businesses would have preferred this and uptake would have been higher) and develop a separate OS for tablets (and do not call it Windows).  Windows RT can (and possibly should) be used for this purpose but it would need a complete rebrand as people still expect to run Windows programs on it.

At this point people generally bring up the Surface line of hybrids stating that Microsoft got it right and Surface is the proof.  The Surface Pro 3 is a cracking piece of kit and if I had the money I would seriously consider buying one but that is the problem – they cost too much.  Pricing something in MacBook Air territory generally doesn’t work as Windows is seen as “for everyone” whilst Apple products are seen as “premium”.  Maybe I will be proven wrong (it won’t be the first time) but somehow I doubt it.

Windows 9 is due to be released early next year and when it does I can honestly see Windows 8’s market share start to go the same way as Windows Vista, which would be a shame as it does have some good qualities but it just can’t make its mind up what it wants to be.

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows, Mac and Linux based IT Support to small businesses in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

 

 

Why doesn’t tech get fixed anymore?

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I wrote a post last week asking if “old” tech was still any good? to which I received quite a few responses, especially from LinkedIN (thanks for the comments guys!!).  One of the comments suggested that we have entered a world where tech is now so hard to fix that once something breaks it basically gets replaced.  I couldn’t agree more!!

Take tablets as an example.  I own a basic 7 inch Android tablet which I bought off Amazon about 12 months ago.  I can’t get at the battery to replace it if something goes wrong and god forbid the screen goes as it would be uneconomical to fix as on most tablets the screen makes up approximately 70% of the tablet price.  Don’t even get me started on trying to fix hardware issues on an iPad!!

It is the same with smartphones. I own a HTC Desire 500 (great phone by the way) and one of the main reasons I decided on getting it was that I could physically get at the battery.  My phone gets hammered on a daily basis so I expect the battery will go before most peoples phones and it is very nice to know that I can change it rather than having to get a new phone.

It is not only “newish” gadgets that have this issue but also laptops. OK apart from Mac’s most laptops aren’t that bad but the issue is rather peoples perceptions of economics.  I have lost count of the number of times when a laptop had a hardware issue (failing hard drive for instance) when the owner has decided to get a new laptop rather than fix the one they have because the costs (to them) are similar.  To me getting a laptop fixed for £150 is cheaper than buying a new one for £400 but I seam to be in the minority.

What do you think are we stuck in the middle of a non fix culture?

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows, Mac and Linux based IT Support to small businesses in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

 

 

The rise of the mobile office

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Yesterday was a scorcher with temperatures reaching 25 degrees in Stirling and hardly a cloud in the sky at times.  Not a day to be stuck in the office then (or a non air conditioned server room as happened the previous day).


I am never in the office at the best of times and there was no way I was getting stuck indoors yesterday so off I went to Kings Park with my MacBook and trusty wireless broadband to get some work done.  It is wonderful that in this day and age we don’t have to sit behind a desk to actually get work done.  The rise of cloud based solutions means you can now access your data from anywhere.  For example all my files are on Dropbox (and so are many of my clients) which means I can access them from anywhere and on any device which is very handy when I am out and about.

If you so choose you can now work from a tablet, a smartphone or even your trusty laptop underneath a blue sky and in the fresh air. With apps like HP ePrint you can now print to virtually anywhere too – this is very handy!!

Two things to keep in mind though when you work like this.  First is the internet.  If you have no mobile signal you have no internet (unless you go satellite based).  I moved 5 metres yesterday to get some shelter underneath a tree and my signal died!! I tend to use either my EE mobile broadband or my HTC Desire 500 which is on O2 but sometimes I get no signal from either which means a) no mobile working or b) find a coffee shop with wireless.

The second is the form factor you work on.  In the office you might have two monitors and a PC which gives you loads of space to organise your open applications. If you decide to work off a tablet (or smartphone) bear in mind you will have a smaller screen and only one app open at a time.  This is usually not an issue with things like email and web browsing but when you start getting truely productive (spreadsheets , word processing etc) this may or may not become an issue.  Try in the office before you head out into the “wilds” to see how it works for you.

Now while the sun is still out I am off to get some work done and maybe even get myself an icecream!!

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows, Mac and Linux based IT Support to small businesses in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

 

 

Tablets and the “How do I access my documents?” problem

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Tablets are fantastic pieces of kit.  They allow you to work from anywhere (without carrying a “huge” laptop around), are quick to power up, last longer on a charge than a laptop whilst also allowing the user to carry out almost any task they can think of.  There is one big problem though which I came across last week and that is accessing documents.  Let me explain.


A customer rang in last week with a Windows 7 laptop which was running very slow.  It turned out that the hard drive was on its last legs but before it died I managed to get the clients files off and store them onto an external hard drive.  Great all I have to do now is transfer them across to another laptop / PC which the client owns and job done.  One problem though, along with the dying laptop the client owns an iPad.  Last time I checked iPad’s don’t come with USB ports and even if they did the amount of data recovered was 25 GB while the available internal storage on this particular iPad was only 10 GB.  This was not going to happen.

A lot of home businesses use iPads and Android tablets (and slowly Windows tablets too) as secondary devices to a laptop or PC. How do you access your files if you main system dies?

You see iPads, and tablets in general, are designed to work with cloud storage and that’s why they tend not to have huge hard drives.  Connect a tablet upto a Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, iCloud or Google Drive account and you can access all your documents from anywhere and only download the files (or pictures) when you need them.  All of your files will be safely stored online which means that you can never lose them.  You do have to pay a monthly fee but it does depend on the amount of storage you need. Personally I think it is a small price to pay to know your files are safe.

Now I know that some Android tablets come with USB ports and yes they can read external hard drives (I have done this myself) but lugging around an external hard drive just to plug it in to a tablet and read files is a hassle. You also run the risk of damaging the hard drive if it gets knocked.  Get yourself some online storage as it is so much simpler.

And the client? She borrowed a laptop from a friend so at least I could transfer the files across to something. They are now looking into Dropbox.

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows, Mac and Linux based IT Support to both business and personal clients in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

What next for the Linux desktop?

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I was browsing Distrowatch this morning just having a look at what is new in the world of Linux. Something hit me when I was looking at the list of distributions and their page hit ranking (don’t actually take notice of the ranking personally). Most of the distributions are desktop based.  Yes you have RedHat, CentOS, Debian and Ubuntu (last two make good desktop distros too) and a couple of others which are server based but the majority are desktop distributions.


As the PC market is shrinking and more people turn to tablets and smartphones to access the internet and carry out their tasks is Linux in danger of becoming marginalised and only being used on a shrinking platform?

Now before anyone mentions it I know about Ubuntu and Mozilla pushing into smartphones and the strength of Linux based servers and I am not disputing this. I also know that Android is opensource (ish) but do we really need another Ubuntu based desktop distribution or should Linux now be aiming for the tablet world instead.

What do you think?

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows, Mac and Linux based IT Support to both business and personal clients in Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

Is Windows 8 really struggling that bad?

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I have been reading quite a few articles this week from zdnet regarding the failure of Windows 8.  Windows 9 is even apparently being brought forward for a release in April 2015. Is it really a failure though or is this something drummed up by the media?


Lets take a look at the numbers.  As of the end of December 2013 Windows 8 and 8.1 combined has a market share of 10.46%.  Windows 7 is still way out in front with 47.52%.  The installed PC base globally is estimated to be approx 1.6 billion which means at the moment Windows 8 (and 8.1) are installed on approximately 167 million PC’s (and laptops).  To me that is a very large number of installed systems.

While talking to a lot of my clients regarding Windows 8 there is a very noticeable split of opinion between the younger generation and the older one.  The older generation was quite happy on XP (and in some cases Windows 7) so when they see how different Windows 8 is they hate it.  Compare that to the younger generation with their smartphones and tablets who seam to gell with the “Metro” interface.  Personally I don’t mind it (I used to hate it) but I still disagree with Microsofts vision of one interface for all systems.

For a long time wherever Microsoft led the market followed (UEFI anyone?) but times have changed.  Microsoft is no longer the leader of the pack as the market has been turned on its head by tablets and smartphones.  In the enterprise things are chugging along as normal as Microsoft has a very strong grip with the likes of Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V but the poor PC and laptop are taking a battering.  The PC is not going anywhere anytime soon but the market will reach a point where it can’t shrink anymore and stabilize leaving Microsoft as the big fish in a very small pond.

Microsoft knows this and that is why we have Windows 8.  Would it not have been better though to continue to develop Windows along the same lines as Windows 7 and have a brand new operating system developed specifically for tablets rather than the one interface across everything.  Something along the lines of iOS and OS X perhaps?

I don’t think that Windows 8 is struggling as bad as the media is suggesting but I do agree that it isn’t doing as well as Microsoft had hoped.

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in Stirling and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

 

Welcome to the world of one device for everything – not me!!

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I had an interesting couple of conversations with a client this week regarding finding them a device that will do everything.  They were looking for something like an iPad that would allow them to produce word documents and excel spreadsheets in the office while being able to read emails and access documents from anywhere and of course print too. Now an iPad can cover all those basis for them but I asked them what was wrong with the perfectly good PC in the office that was running Windows 7. I suggested to them why not use the PC while in the office and use the iPad to supplement it when out and about. “You mean use two devices instead of just one? Why would I want to do that?”

Now call me old fashioned but I am yet to see a device on the market that can do everything I need it to do in a manner I want it to (an iPad comes close).  For example when I am configuring routers I will turn to my trusty Linux netbook while general web browsing goes to either my Blackberry Playbook or my 7″ Android tablet. Virtual machines go to my Linux PC along with my remote desktop sessions running Teamviewer. Lastly I now have a nice “new” shiny Macbook which allows me to work in the back garden on those days I work from home and the sun is out.

Until recently I was also looking for that ‘magic device’ that could do everything but I have come to the conclusion that I am better using a specific device that is suited to that role rather than trying to use one device and comprising on productivity. I will keep an eye out for that one device though!!

What about you? Do you try and use one device for everything or specific devices for specific roles?

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in Stirling and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

Why your tablet is just a toaster

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I love PC’s I really do.  They are generally well built and seam to last for ever and have one significant advantage over tablets in that they are upgradeable.  You buy a PC (or laptop to a lesser extent) knowing that if you require more RAM, bigger hard drive or your power supply suddenly goes pop you can swap the part out for a new one and off you go.

But, people are turning to tablets and smartphones for their daily tasks (home users especially) and these units are sealed.  Whatever spec of phone or tablet you buy is what you are stuck with forever with no chance of upgrading the parts.  This means that every two or three years when the user requires more processing power, bigger hard drive etc they get binned.  Tablets and smartphones have become an appliance just like the toaster in your kitchen.  You switch the toaster on every day and make toast. You do this for as long as the toaster works and when you decide you want a new one, or it breaks, it gets binned (have you ever tried getting parts for a toaster?).

The price of tablet parts is also pushing the tablet upgrade cycle.  When parts are available, and they aren’t always available for every model, the price is ridiculous.  For instance the screen on an average tablet costs approx 70% of the tablet price.  Add in labour on top and fixing a tablet suddenly becomes an expensive business.  Users instead throw away their existing tablet and buy a new one.

For techs like me who generally fix both hardware and software issues this is becoming an issue. To stay in business we will have to adapt to be more software centric rather than the nuts and bolts stuff which is a pity as I tend to love getting my hands dirty pulling out the insides of a PC.

Over to you guys (and girls). What do you think is your tablet just a toaster?

About the Author

P1020114

Hi I’m Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in Stirling and Falkirk.

Follow @Comtech247 on Twitter

 

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