Technology Tips and Tricks

Microsoft Office 2010 Review

SuperUser Account — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Do you need the new version?

Since the second beta release of Microsoft Office 2010 last fall, over 2 million users have downloaded the test release, with the official release of Microsoft Office 2010 on June 15. Every application in the suite has been enhanced in an effort to make it easier to navigate and use, so plan on some learning time to get the most from the applications.

Office 2010 is also part of the Microsoft pay as you go licensing program that we participate in for our clients. It allows you to pay for each copy of Office that you are using on a monthly basis. Why is this great? If you are running Office 2003 or 2007 and want to upgrade to 2010, but have held back because of the up-front cost, this program allows you to upgrade all of your systems at the same time without the up front capital costs. How much does it cost per month? For 10 desktops or more, you are looking at $14.95/month per user. Using that number, it takes 18 months of use before you get to the MSRP for one off the shelf copy of Office. In addition to that up front cost savings, you get upgrade protection for as long as you participate in the program, so when Office 2012 comes out, you get to upgrade at no additional cost. Here is a simple table to compare the cost of these two options:

Retail: 10 users * $279 = $2790
Managed Service Client: 10 users * $14.95 = $149.50

Cloud Computing
One of the major new changes to Office 2010 is the ability to collaborate and work using Microsoft’s Cloud Computing file storage. Using Windows Live you are able to save your files to Microsoft’s hosted servers and allow coworkers to access and edit the files from wherever they are—no more emailing documents around—pretty cool.

Outlook
Outlook now includes new features and capabilities
designed to help you stay connected with people and better manage time and information. An improved
conversation view lets you to track and manage related email messages, regardless of what folder contains the message. You can see the complete course of conversations, replies, and the most recent response; the emails are stacked together similar to the Gmail interface. Outlook also integrates with FaceBook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Windows Live.

Word, Publisher, PowerPoint and Excel
Co-authoring in Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher makes collaboration easier and reduces the time it takes to finish a large project with several contributors. Integration with SharePoint is greatly enhanced and improved, with some great new features for collaboration. Furthermore, Word and PowerPoint now have a syncing mechanism to avoid overwriting changes while working/saving.

Excel has been modified as well, with easier-to-read color-coded spreadsheets and smart tools to bring you the information you need. You can easily import data from connected sources and flip through tabs, diagrams, charts, etc. It also allows you to compare data across multiple cells that are easier to read and analyze.

Will It Run on Your Computer?
If your current computer can run Office 2007, it can run Office 2010. If you are purchasing a new laptop or PC, it can run Office 2010.

Pricing
Office 2010 Professional costs around $499, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. Office Home & Business includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook and costs $279. Unfortunately there is no upgrade pricing for Office 2010, because Microsoft found there was little interest in upgrades at retail outlets.

For businesses wanting to deploy or upgrade their systems to Office 2010, the pay as you go model is the least cost alternative, and a killer deal in our opinion. We have had a number of clients jump at the chance to use this program for company-wide upgrades that they normally would not have done if they had to use the old pricing model.

Office 2010 is a valuable upgrade for those who desire new templates and visual styles, better ways of editing multimedia content in publications and presentations, and easier methods of collaboration in email and social media. Additionally, if you are using SharePoint, or plan on using SharePoint, Office 2010 is a must (in a good way).

Call us at 503-241-2499 to learn how your business can get Office 2010 today for a fraction of what you thought it would cost. Δ

The Apple iPad

SuperUser Account — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:00:00 GMT

All about the new Apple product

Talk about the Apple iPad is everywhere. Many people are convinced it will revolutionize computing, some say it’s a highly evolved eReader, and others believe it will evolve to be the next Netbook. The iPad does not have any USB ports and therefore will not be a laptop equivalent, but Apple does expect you to use email and sync files between the iPad and your computer. After reading this article, you will know if the iPad is right for you.

Design

Comparable to the rest of the Apple family, the iPad looks like a big iPod Touch from the front, with a slightly curved aluminum back, making it resemble the top half of a MacBook. The screen size is relatively large at 9.7 inches and only 0.5 inches thick. Furthermore, the iPad’s screen is olephobic (oil-resistant) so fingerprints can easily wipe off. Since the iPad lacks a physical keyboard, you can purchase the iPad Keyboard Dock, which props the iPad and provides a keyboard for $69 (a mouse will not work with the iPad).

Software and User Interface

The iPad comes with a user-friendly interface similar to the iPhone OS. The iPad comes with 12 preloaded apps: Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Maps, Videos, YouTube, iTunes, App Store, Safari, Mail, Photos, and iPod. But unlike the iPhone, you can customize the desktop by using your own photos. Furthermore, there are over 150,000 apps available for download from third party app developers. Apple also anticipates more than 5,000 iPad apps, many of which will be 3D,
specifically for the iPad.

Pricing

There is different pricing in regards to the size of capacity and the type of wireless service. The iPad comes with two options: Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi+3G. The Wi-Fi only iPad 16G is $499, 32GB is $599, and 64GB is $699, and the Wi-Fi+3G 16GB is $629, 32GB is $729, and 64GB is $829. If you buy the Wi-Fi+3G model, you will have to pay AT&T for the 3G coverage, which is around $14.99 per month for 250MB or $29.99 a month for the unlimited data. There is no commitment or contract to sign, and you can switch plans or cancel at any time.

Battery and Power

The iPad comes with its own 1.0Ghz A4 processor. As for battery life, the iPad will last up to 10 hours while surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching videos, or listening to music, and up to 9 hours using the 3G data network. Unfortunately, you cannot multitask on the iPad. For example, you can’t surf the web while streaming Pandora. Although eReaders, such as the Amazon Kindle, can easily last a week on a full battery charge, the iPad promises good time for being a color multitouch tablet; making 9 hours of battery life pretty good if you’re surfing the web or playing video games.

iBooks

Accessing the iBookstore is a simple tap. All the books are colorfully displayed on the swiveling bookshelf and by tapping the cover, you quickly go to the last page you were reading. Book prices are in line with Amazon’s Kindle selections. While it is a good choice for illustrations and graphics, for now you cannot make notes in the margins or highlight text, making it less attractive to business users and students.

Photos

The redesigned photo app neatly stacks your photos into albums and you can easily access them by tapping or using the pinch gesture. Like the iLife on Macs, you can view your pictures based on when they were taken. When you’re not using your iPad, it can double as a picture frame and slideshow pictures across.

Music and Video

iTunes allows you to purchase music, movies, and TV shows directly from the iPad. You can also sync content you’ve already purchased on other computers. The full-screen video looks great, with high quality images. You can also access YouTube for free and watch those videos. Unfortunately the iPad does not support Flash, so you won’t be able to access Hulu.com.

Maps and GPS

The redesigned Maps application features Streets View images, showing the streets exactly as they look. Though the Wi-Fi only iPad can pinpoint your exact location with accuracy, it can provide turn by turn directions to match any TomTom, ALK, or Navigon.

So, should you buy one?

Compared to other tablets, the iPad provides a lot of functionality for $499. It’s interface is highly intuitive and similar to other Apple products. It does a good job with multimedia and can run thousands of different apps at full screen. On the other hand, Apple calls this a mobile device and not a computer for a reason. The gadget is not as versatile as a Netbook. There is no Flash support, no ability to print or ability to save files to your local area network. Other missing features include no webcam or a memory card slot. If you think of the iPad as a bigger iPod Touch or a more robust Kindle, you will be pleasantly satisfied but not if you view it as a cheap PC.

We will write a follow up article on the potential for the iPad as a business productivity tool using custom applications (think remotely entering orders into a point of sale system from the field), and we will go more in-depth in that article – stay tuned…Δ

Taking the Guesswork Out of IT

SuperUser Account — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Having a reliable partner and predictable costs means fewer hassles and headaches for IT staff and business owners

Our comprehensive Managed Services solutions are designed to support your IT staff and compliment your business in a way that makes the most sense for you. We can handle part, or all, of your IT needs, provide strategic planning, and bring additional savings in areas that you might not be aware of such as server and Microsoft application licensing.

1. Lower Total IT Costs

Being proactive is the best way to reduce problems. If you regularly change the oil in your car and perform scheduled maintenance, you will substantially reduce problems. It’s no different with servers and workstations. By continually monitoring for potential problems and dealing with them up-front, we will reduce the likelihood of a major problem developing.

2. Reduced Hidden Costs and Increased Staff Productivity

Because your PCs and servers are being taken care of, there are fewer disruptions or breakdowns, your staff will be productive. Accidently deleted files can be restored quickly, downtime is practically non-existent, and spam is a thing of the past.

3. Greater IT Cost Predictability

Even with the most robust IT support structure, most small to medium sized businesses struggle to determine how much should be set aside each month for IT support to deal with tricky desktop issues or server/network outages. With our fixed monthly fees that cover monitoring, preventative maintenance, and unlimited remote support, our clients know what their exact IT costs are each month, so they can budget and plan accordingly and know they are being taken care of 100%.

4. Stronger Alignment of IT Business Goals

As a Managed Services client you will have Quarterly CIO meetings to review what we’ve done, and plan for your future growth requirements.

The feedback that we get from clients is that this is one of the most valuable features of our Managed network program, in that it gives business owners and IT decision makers knowledge and insight into ways of saving or making money using technology that they would otherwise not get unless they took it upon themselves to do a lot of research. Meetings can also be “made to order” by asking us ahead of time to discuss a specific topic (like cloud computing, disaster recovery, etc.)

If you are interested in understanding and leveraging technology that bigger companies are using to make or save money for your business, give us a call at 503-241-3499, and ask for Dave. Δ

Dave's Corner Column - April 2010

SuperUser Account — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Windows Home Server—What good is it?

When I first heard of Windows Home Server, I thought that it would be just another network appliance with limited appeal to business. Being inquisitive, I decided to install it at home and see what value it might have to consumers. I assumed (wrongly it turns out) that it would not have any business value at all.

Have a look at the article that I wrote on page 2 that outlines the good and the bad of Windows Home Server, and some surprising ways that I see it working in businesses, both large and small.

Speaking about learning things, join us for our upcoming Lunch and Learn. The topic is “Cloud Computing— What you don’t know will hurt you, and the 7 ways to make it work for you today.” This workshop will be held at the University Club of Portland downtown and is co-hosted with Comcast Business Solutions.

Businesses are already using cloud computing in some surprising ways. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and cut costs, this is a must-attend event.

Register today on our website or call Cathy at 503-241-3499 to reserve your place. This event is free and is sure to sell out. See you there! Δ

Eliminate Junk Mail Once and For All

SuperUser Account — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Do you receive spam on a daily basis?

Email is one of the most popular ways people and businesses interact with each other. But two out of three email messages received today are spam, even though 60% of companies employ enterprise-wide spam filters. Spam is an on-going problem that has irritated users, clogged inboxes, and wasted countless hours of productive time for years.

The impact on businesses includes downtime, loss of data, user productivity, help desk cost (IT helping end users deal with spam), and spam control software/hardware/service licensing fees. Spam is also notorious for spreading viruses, Trojans, and phishing scams.

A study by Brockmann & Company found that 36% of organizations lost business because an email did not arrive. Users on average spend more than 1% of their time tackling spam in their inboxes every day. You’ll be surprised to learn that the average annual cost of spam is well over $1000 per user per year. This does not take into consideration the time spent looking for lost messages or reviewing quarantined mail.

There are a lot of anti-spam products on the market. Almost all of them rely on the use of filters. A filter is a software program that sorts incoming mail in order to identify junk mail (spam), and then remove it. They are usually installed on a mail server, private network server, or personal computer. Email filtering technologies also have hidden costs of high IT administration and end-user administration. The solution that we use to banish spam forever does not.

A Blended Approach
After trying multiple solutions to rid ourselves of spam, we came across one that works. Instead of relying on filters, it incorporates a very thorough multi-layered approach to stopping spam, viruses, and malware and prevents spam from ever reaching our Exchange email servers. By managing the inbound spam “at the edge” of our network, not only does our Exchange server not have to work so hard (saving us money on hardware), but also reduces the amount of needless network traffic, and provides an excellent security layer that does not allow viruses, Trojans, or malware past the front door.

Prove That You Are Real, and I Will Let You In
One of the key features of our spam solution is the use of Sender Address Verification (SAV). When an email is received from an unknown person (the first time), the system automatically generates a return email to the sender asking that they merely click “reply” and “send” to prove that they are a person and not a spam machine. Once this happens, the system automatically adds the sender to the recipient’s contacts and lets the sender know that their email has been delivered.

This simple, yet elegant solution took us from getting thousands of spam messages per day to none (0) as soon as it was turned on. The system synchronized itself with our mail server, so it automatically created a white list of people who we would accept mail from, and the rest of the world could add itself just by clicking reply. Your white list will grow automatically whenever you send an email to someone for the first time. Since the mail is coming from you, the system assumes that you would like to get mail from that person, and adds them to the list (should you ever change your mind, you can remove that person at any time through a browser).

99.99% Perfect
While this solution is not 100% perfect (no system could be), it is by far the most effective that we have ever seen. It is important to note that all mail that hits the system is kept and can be manually released by the user in the event that it is machine generated email that they want (think an emailed order receipt from an online merchant). You can review your list of stopped mail in a browser, or get a daily email digest that allows you to approve any stopped mail with one click of your mouse.

Ok, How Much Is It Going To Cost Me?
Very little, as far as we are concerned. For 50 users, this solution can be leased over 36 months for as low as $144/month. Compared to the cost of each of your employees spending between 10 and 30 minutes per day dealing with spam, on average, it pays for itself in less than a month.

Try It Free For 2 Weeks

We are currently offering a free two week trial of our solution to the first 5 businesses that respond to our offer. Δ

Is the Paperless Office Now A Reality?

SuperUser Account — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

You probably have an awesome Document Management System and don’t even know it...

The dream of a paperless office is now becoming a reality and you can move your company further in that direction (saving both time and money) using a solution that many companies own but don’t even know it.

The solution that I am referring to is Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). WSS comes with Windows Server 2003 and 2008 and unless you know to look for it, you probably never knew you had it. WSS is two things: a workgroup collaboration platform and a development platform for business solutions like business reporting tools (dashboards, key performance indicators, real-time charts and data from multiple systems, etc).

Workgroup Collaboration

Think of SharePoint and WSS as a web portal that can store documents, images, and other files that individuals and groups can access through a web browser. Beyond file storage, WSS has some very cool features that you do not get with the traditional file system on your network. For example, you can automatically save multiple versions of documents to provide both an audit trail and a roll-back solution as a document evolves—no more saving the file over and over again with different names. Additionally, if you are working collaboratively with another person or a team, the person editing the document can “check it out” and you can be automatically notified when the work has been completed and “checked back in.” You can also be automatically notified whenever a new document is saved into a document workspace (say when a new quote has been created in Excel, or an employee handbook has been updated). All documents saved in WSS are full-text searchable (including the content of PDFs!) and can be sorted and filtered using any number of criteria including date, author, version, or any other attribute that you would like to add to a document. My favorite feature is the ability to access and work on any document that I need remotely without the need for VPN or other complicated technology.

Reporting Platform

This is my favorite part of WSS and SharePoint. As some readers know, I also own and run an online bike clothing business (www.veloclothes.com). Running a second company requires me to split up my time and know what is going on in both companies. We have developed a reporting dashboard that pulls in data from three different sources (E-Commerce Engine, QuickBooks, Exchange) and presents them in a way that makes sense to me, so I can see the health of the company at a glance. From one screen, I can review how many orders we have, how long they have been in the system (with color coding so that I can see the ones that need attention), our sales to date compared with the same time period last year, our most popular items (with images), my email, and other business metrics that I need to know on a daily basis. No longer do I have to log in to multiple systems, run reports, and then mentally process the information—it is all served up to me in real time whenever I want it. It is not an overstatement to say that this solution completely transformed how we do business.

WSS is a hidden jewel that can completely change the way you do business, share information, save paper, and provide you new visibility into other business systems without spending a bunch of money on software.

If you would like to see how we use WSS and SharePoint, give me a call at 503-241-3499 and I will give you a peek.

The most common response that I get when people see what can be done is “Wow—can you turn that on for us?” Δ

Increasing Office Productivity

SuperUser Account — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

How to ensure that your employees are doing all that they can to make money for the company and keep you out of court...

The Problem

Employee productivity is always important, even more so during hard economic times. As we work with clients, we find that one of the biggest hits to productivity and profitability is the Internet. We all spend some time online doing personal tasks—personal email, an occasional purchase, social networking, etc., but how much time is too much? While most companies have some sort of acceptable use policy (sometimes unspoken), few have the tools in place to know where their employees are spending their time and how much time they are spending.

The issue transcends mere productivity however, as employers can be held liable for employee behavior using company resources on company time. In many cases, companies think in terms of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” but that is a recipe for disaster. Spending time in chat sessions, posting on forums, and using social networking sites can lead to the need for a very expensive legal defense should any of those behaviors exceed legal or moral boundaries.

We consider the following to be best practices when establishing and enforcing an acceptable use policy for network resources:

1) Install a network monitoring and reporting tool on your network. Let it run for a few weeks, and then look at the information that it captures. Doing this before issuing an acceptable use policy will give you visibility into what activity has been occurring that you may be liable for in court.

2) Draft an acceptable use policy and have it reviewed by your corporate council, then follow their direction on rolling it out to the company.

3) Keep monitoring your network use and take action as appropriate.

We have recently included network use in our network audits, and all of our managed clients receive monitoring reports as part of our management service. This is one of those areas where “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” for any company, large or small.

Take Action!

If you recognize the importance of maintaining productivity and the value of staying out of court defending yourself against the actions of a bad employee but do not have the time or skills to take action, call us at 503-241-3499 and we will do a preliminary audit for free. We will tell you who is going where, and how much time (and your money) they are spending on non-productive (or worse) activities, and help you decrease liability and increase productivity. In some cases, using our services and solutions can more than pay for itself in recovered productivity alone, and the cost of staying out of court or the newspapers—well, that is priceless...

Give us a call at 503-241-3499 for more details. Δ

Disaster Proof Your Business

SuperUser Account — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:00:00 GMT

You hear it all the time from us – back up your data, keep your virus protection current, and install and maintain a firewall to protect your business from hackers.

Circumstances beyond our control such as fires, windstorms, earthquakes, theft and vandalism can occur with very little, or no warning. Knowing how to protect your business and having a plan of action is vital to making sure you experience minimal downtime when disaster does strike.

Here is a checklist to help you begin to set up an effective and comprehensive small-business disaster and continuation plan.

Map out a disaster plan.

Many business owners have not given much thought as to what they would do if their business critical files were destroyed. Start by working up a detailed plan, taking into account as many variables as you can imagine. You should know where you can take your property (merchandise, equipment, machinery, etc) to safety and where you can reach your insurance agent in a hurry. Draw up a map of shut-off valves for gas, electricity, and other utilities. Draft the same sort of plan for other emergency situations, including floods, fires, etc. Give copies of your ID, SS Card, and other important personal data to a relative or close friend who lives in another part of the country in case your house and personal records are destroyed or unreachable.

Back up files to an off-site location outside of the Pacific Northwest.

Every business owner with business critical data and applications needs to back them up frequently. This can be as often as every 15 minutes, or once per day, depending on their individual circumstances. In addition, they should be encrypted, and sent off to a different geographic location in case they are unable to get to their business. Ask us about our very affordable on-and-offsite backup and disaster recovery solution for small and medium businesses.

Keep insurance current.

Growth is wonderful, but prosperity without commensurate insurance can be disaster knocking on your door. Meet your insurance agent on a regular basis to make certain your coverage is current. Find out about guaranteed replacement coverage. This will keep you from having to reach into your own pockets to make up for any coverage shortfalls.

Set up an emergency cash reserve.

Personal financial experts routinely suggest that families set aside between three and six months of living expenses for use in family emergencies. If possible, do the same for your business. That way, in case of an emergency, you will have money available to pay your rent, bills, and keep payroll flowing without having to resort to layoffs or loans.

Let your employees know your disaster strategy.

Don’t treat your disaster strategy like a secret. Make sure your employees know and understand what they need to do should the worst occur. Take that even further, and let your clients and customers know what you’ll do in the event of a disaster. Telling customers that you have contingency plans in case of an emergency will increase their confidence in you; they’ll know you plan to keep your business up and running, no matter the circumstance. Δ

Should you leave your computer on at night or turn it off?

SuperUser Account — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:00:00 GMT

We have been asked by clients whether or not they should leave their computers on all the time or turn them off at the end of the day when they go home.

Several years ago, we would have told them to turn off their computers to save power. But with the proliferation of viruses and threats over the last few years, we have changed our mind.

Today, the anti-virus programs and anti-spyware applications need frequent and regular updating. These updates are often scheduled to run in the wee hours of the morning, when you are not using your computer.

Furthermore, Windows needs to be updated whenever a new security patch is released. This is usually not a daily occurrence, but does happen several times a month. It is important to update your operating system as soon as the patch is available because hackers move very quickly to reverse engineer Windows updates. As soon as a Windows update is released, hackers create a specific virus to that vulnerability and start looking for unprotected machines to infect and invade.

In addition to the above, you should be backing up your data every night (preferably to an offsite location!) and the best time to do this is at night when you are not using your computer.

So bottom line, leave your computer on all night and restart it two or three times a week to clear the memory.

Call us if you have any questions at 503-241-3499. Δ

Windows 7 - What's In It For You?

SuperUser Account — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:00:00 GMT

With the release of Windows 7, you have probably noticed that there is a new look along with some pretty cool new features. If you are hesitating to make the transition to Windows 7, call us and we will answer any questions you might have about this new operating system.

Windows 7 is loaded with changes including a jumplist, new taskbar, and a better Windows Media Player. What’s more, it has new and improved features you might be unaware of, but are definitely worth knowing:

Security. Windows 7 firewall is now more secure and easier to use. When you connect to a network for the first time, you are prompted to select the type of network you are going to use (Home, Work, or Public). Select the appropriate one, and the firewall settings are automatic and appropriate for that network.

Performance. Windows 7 is faster than XP and Vista, and requires less powerful hardware for better performance. We have loaded Windows 7 on old laptops and desktops that did not work well with Vista and they work great now. The benefit to businesses is that you can adopt Windows 7 without looking at a big hardware upgrade bill.

Laptop Features. Finally, when you tell your laptop to hibernate, shut down, or sleep, it does what you want, unlike XP and Vista (which must have a random action generator built in as a joke!). Battery life and startup times have improved as well. This is a great laptop operating system.

Upgrade Cost. There are many different versions of Windows 7 on the market. We recommend that businesses buy new machines that have Windows 7 Professional, or upgrade existing machines to Professional. The good news is that the cost per desktop for 7 Professional is under $200 per machine, making it a no-brainer upgrade from a cost perspective. All of the systems that we provide to our managed clients as upgrades or desktop replacements come with Windows 7 Professional.

Taskbar. The very much improved taskbar has some very nice features, including preview panes to reveal an X which allows you to close the window. If you hold your cursor over one of these windows, it will automatically increase to a full-sized preview of the program or website. Pinned programs that feature larger icons let you put programs you frequently use on the taskbar and ‘pin’ them there.

Sticky notes. Windows 7 has updated the tradition sticky note by going digital with their Sticky Notes. They can be put on your desktop as little reminders, or even sent through email. The Sticky Notes app can be found by clicking the start button and typing in “sticky”. A new note will appear on your desktop. You can change the font, size, color, and even flip through a number of sticky notes.

Children’s Security Settings. Windows 7 allows you to create different accounts with set restrictions for different users, like your children. You have the ability to set specific times of day the computer can be used, how long it can be used for, and what games each family member can play (based on game ratings). You can also set up filters so they will get an error message if they attempt to access an “adult” rated game. To set up these accounts, go to the Control Panel and click Change User Account Settings.

Calculator. Windows 7 amped up their bare-bones calculator and can be operated in four modes: Standard, Scientific, Programmer, and Statistics. It can convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, ounces to grams, and joules to BTUs. Furthermore, it has templates for calculating miles per gallon, auto leases, mortgage payments and a unit conversion utility for measurements such as area length, time, velocity, and weight.

Device Stage. The Device Stage allows you to simplify connections to a camera, printer, or cell phone to your PC. Instead of the generic device icon in the system tray, a screen with color pictures of the device pops up and displays all of its applications and services, in addition to helpful links, user manuals, and the device homepage. You can then minimize the device to the Taskbar and access information by right-clicking and using Jump Lists. The Device Stage works for Windows 7 compatible devices connected using USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Problem Steps Recorder. This new feature is for the IT pro or tech-savvy user who often helps co-workers or friends with their computer problems. Problem Steps Recorder can record, step-by-step, what a user is trying to do and then creates an HTML slideshow of the actions, with descriptions of what took place. The file can then be sent through email to the person who needs help. This app can be found by searching “PSR” in the Start search field.

Desktop Themes. Windows 7 introduced a plethora of new background, screen savers, border colors, and sounds from artists all over the world. The themes range from stunning landscapes, architecture, and nature, and have more downloadable themes that include Pepsi, Ferrari, and the new Avatar movie. To access themes, right click anywhere on the desktop and click “Personalize.”

Netflix. If you have a Netflix membership, you can watch movies in the Windows Media Center. The Netflix option should be in your Windows 7 Media Center, but if it isn’t, you can go to Task > Settings> General > Automatic Download Options to manually install it. You can sign up there and try Netflix for free if you aren’t already a member. You can scroll through streaming movies in your Instant Queue and watch them in Windows Media Center. Windows Silverlight is required to take advantage of this feature.

If you would like to know how Windows 7 can help your business be more productive and secure, or have equipment that needs to be upgraded or replaced, give us a call and we can share how some of our clients have used our programs to do low cost, or no-cost upgrades to Windows 7 with us. Δ