Bryans Blog

Excerpted from NetworkWorld

Microsoft on Tuesday began publicly previewing a new webmail service for consumers called Outlook.com that will eventually replace Hotmail.   Microsoft’s posture is changing from winning the desktop with the most horns and clangers to trying to dominate the cloud with the best interface and most valued features for online applications.  They spent considerable time over the last year+ enhancing Hotmail.  Outlook.com is built on the improved Hotmail that it is phasing out.

Outlook.com features what Microsoft describes as "clean" and "intuitive" user interface that gives more prominence to messages and less to other elements, like headers and search boxes. It doesn’t include display ads.

With Exchange ActiveSync, Outlook.com accounts can be synchronized across a variety of devices, and it features native integration with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and, in the near future, Microsoft’s own Skype.
This means that users can access content and notifications from those social media accounts within the Outlook.com interface.

Outlook.com also sorts messages of different types into separate buckets, so that e-mail from contacts, newsletter subscriptions, e-commerce notifications and social media content is arranged into different groups.

The new webmail service also includes Office Web Apps, the online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote along with the SkyDrive cloud storage service.

I looked at this yesterday and it does seem fresh.  I did not opt to "upgrade" my existing "@hotmail" but did create a new account which was fairly easy. The interface is fresh, and once you get used to where everything is, I can see it as the one of the "go to" webmail services like Gmail seems to be now.

If you have any system questions or concerns, contact the CCS Retail Systems Department at 800.672.4806 or email us.

-Bryan

Excerpted From MSN

Get ready to buy Windows 8 on the cheap. Microsoft announced that the Windows 8 Pro upgrade will cost just $39.99 if purchased before January 31, 2013.

The Windows 8 Pro download will be available to laptops running Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 with different upgrade options for each. For instance, Windows 7 users can port over settings, personal files, and applications. Windows Vista systems can move over settings and personal files, and users who have stuck with Windows XP can transport over personal files. All updates include the option to perform a clean install.

For those who want a disc-bound version of the OS, a $69.99 DVD package will be available at local retail stores. Look for that price to rise after the January 31, 2013 deal-end date as well.  Microsoft mentions that a Windows 8 Pro System Builder option will be available for those who create their system from scratch, but there’s no price included for this option yet.

There is a spot of good news for fans of Windows Media Center. Contrary to earlier word from Microsoft, the Windows 8 Pro update will include the suite of tools, which adds support for live TV to Windows PCs and lets users use their machine as a DVR for streamed television.

There’s still no official release date for Windows 8, but the release window has been opened for sometime this fall

-Bryan

PayPal Checkout

I received an email from PayPal the other day to sign up for "PayPal Checkout".  What is PayPal Checkout?  Well from what I’ve been reading, Its a new "easy" way to pay for merchandise at stores.

According to PayPal’s site, after you sign up, or setup your current account, all you need to use it for payments is a mobile number or a PayPal payment card. I noticed a few "Bigger" stores (see PayPal’s site for more info) that are now offering PayPal as a payment option.

After you select PayPal as your payment type, you enter your mobile number (and Pin which is set up on the PayPal site) or swipe your PayPal card and that’s it.  Store coupons and offers are automatically applied when you pay. The seller/retailer never collects your financial info with PayPal checkout.

As with all buying experiences with PayPal, there are no fees when buying and from what I could tell, the fees for selling are the same as selling on EBay.  Your transactions are emailed to you or a text is sent. You can review all your transactions on the PayPal site.

I guess we will see how this catches on.  It sounds interesting to me, I think its a great idea.  The limiting ths amount of personal and financial info yon have to share, is best in my opinion.

If you would like to explore using PayPal Checkout in your Store?  Let us know. 

If you have any system concerns or questions, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800.672.4806 or email us.  Remember that we have one of the Card processor for Retailers – RPS.  Ask us about RPS as well. 

-Bryan

Microsoft Windows 8 to be Available in October, 2012

Excerpted From Fox News

Computers running on the next version of Microsoft’s Windows operating system will go on sale in October.

Microsoft Corp. announced the time frame for Windows 8’s mass-market release in Toronto. A specific sales date in October wasn’t provided.

Most industry analysts expected Windows 8 would go on sale in the fall to ensure that the machines running on the operating system would be available for the holiday shopping season. Consumers and businesses who don’t want to buy new computers will be able to buy Windows 8 and upgrade their systems.

New versions of Windows typically come out every three years, but this update is the most widely anticipated overhaul of the software since 1995.

Applications will appear in a mosaic of tiles on Windows 8. Microsoft also designed the operating system so it can run on personal computers or touch-based tablet computers.

Microsoft, plans to make its own tablet running on Windows 8 to compete against Apple Inc.’s hot-selling iPad. The company hasn’t yet announced a price for its tablet, which will be called the Surface. It also will be competing against a variety of other tablets, including the Kindle Fire from Amazon.com Inc. and the Nexus 7, which is being released in July by Google Inc.

As part of its efforts to develop more touch-based software, Microsoft also announced the acquisition of Perceptive Pixel Inc. The deal gives Microsoft access to technology used in large multi-touch displays for TV broadcasters, as well as government, defense, engineering and educational markets, Microsoft said.

Windows 8 is being counted on to help revive demand for laptops and other personal computers.

The operating system’s versatility is expected to encourage leading PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. to release hybrid machines that are part laptop, part tablet computer. Both HP and Dell have also indicated they plan to release tablet computers powered by Windows 8, thrusting them into competition with Microsoft’s Surface.

Microsoft is releasing Windows 8 computer manufacturers during the first week of August.

To discuss how Windows 8 ca be used with your existing POS and back-office applications contact CCS Retail Support.

Bryan .

Smartphone Locking

I recently wrote about how 89% of the time a phone is lost the finder will violate the owners privacy in one way or another.  To protect against this invasion of privacy, it is recommended to have a lock on your phone.  Most phones have some type of locking mechanism.  It may be a pattern to be drawn on the screen, a gesture of some sort, and even a pin code that needs to be typed in before the user (or finder) even gets to a screen where anything can be done.

There are some "apps" on the market that can help you find your phone.  Recently I found an app that allows you to pop up a user defined message on the screen, or if you want can even speak a user defined message.  One of its more helpful function is to "scream" a siren on your phone to help you find it.  The "scream will work and be audible even if your phones settings are silent.

The one feature that I found that should be a must have on whatever "lost phone" app you find is a "wipe" or erase function. On one of the apps I was researching, it will allow you to wipe or reset your phone back to a factory default state, Meaning the phone will look like it was just taken out of the box. This app also had a wipe/erase function that cleared the SD card. 

An SD card is usually and extra device that can be inserted into a phone to give you more space to store music, pictures or whatever else that may not fit in the phones native storage space.  The other feature I found interesting is the app can tell you if your SIM card has been removed.  The SIM card is like your ID card for your phone.  It tells your carrier what device is doing what.

What amazed me the most was that this app is FREE, that’s right, no charge for a full featured "what if I lose my phone" app that can save you time and money by either helping you find your phone, or removing sensitive data from prying eyes.  

If you are deciding whether or not to go mobile with your business, an app similar to this would be a great benefit and piece of mind.  Even if you have a pay a couple bucks, it is well worth the cost.

Now if they only made something like this for your keys… 

If you have any system questions or concerns, contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800-672-4806 or email us.

-Bryan

Google’s Answer to Apple’s Siri Smartphone Voice I/O System

Google showed off its Siri clone Wednesday, and she not only seemed to get the answers right, she also threw in photos too.

One of the IPhone touted apps is called Siri, a digital assistant that can be asked questions, set appointments, make phone calls, and tell jokes.  Not be be outdone, Google has come up with its own digital assistant.  It will be available in Google’s new Android OS "Jellybean" Tablet, which will be in their new devices mid-July.

I have found quite a few apps that try to imitate Siri.  Some do a good job.  I am anxious to see how well Google’s entry will do. According to the MSN article I read, the demonstration profiled had lots of "Ooo’s and Ahh’s".  The device not only answered correctly (which seems to be an issue with Siri occasionally) but also showed images pertaining to the question.  For example, it was asked "How tall is the Space Needle in Seattle?", the device answered (vocally) 604 feet and showed a picture of the Space Needle.  Pretty cool!!!

In the next few years I can envision a scenario where, when you dine at a restaurant they hand you a device that you tell what you want to eat.  Your meal is served, you swipe your card, and then sign your name on the same device to paid for the meal.  The device simplifies all you interactions in a an almost omnipresent way.

With the advancements in technology, your retail store is just around the corner from being "mobile".

If you have any questions or other points to discuss, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800-672-4806 or email us.   CCS is an AT&T Associate for Apple and other Mobile Products.

-Bryan

Is Your Backup Drive Properly Mounted?

With more and more businesses using External USB drives for their backups, I see a common problem arising with backup failures.  The most common cause is that the backup drive has a current status of "safely unmounted" or "safe to remove" similar to when you insert and remove USB flash drives.  This is not correct for backups.

Although the system "sees" the drive, and it shows up in "My Computer" as a valid drive, when it is in this state, no files can be written to or read from the drive.  The easiest way to fix this is to physically unplug the drives’ USB cable and re-insert it to "re-activate" the drive for read/write operations, or to reboot your system.

If this is a common problem, you may want to check your backup software for a setting that might be called "safely eject drive after backup", or "unmount drive" or even "swap drives" depending on your software and setup.  This will leave your drive in the wrong state for the next backup.   These settings are really for removable media.  If your drive is not removed and stored offline for physical protection, do NOT select these options.

If you have any system questions or concerns, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800-672-4806 or email us.

-Bryan

Tablet Wars

With Microsoft unveiling its latest entry into the tablet market with its "Surface" product, Google is said to be unveiling its latest creation on Wednesday during its own annual developer conference (Google I/O) in San Francisco.  These are firsts for both Google and Microsoft in the Tablet arena.

Google’s entry is said to be a Nexus-branded 7-inch tablet, called the Nexus 7.  It will be running an unreleased version of the Android OS code named "Jellybean"

If you are in the tablet market and still on the fence about Apples IPad, you may want to wait to see all the competitors before you make your decision.  Although Apple has a high market share, with plenty of apps to go along with it, it is only a matter of time before Google and Microsoft put a dent in Apples dominance.

If the Google tablet is anything like their phones, there will be plenty of apps that will rival Apples, and more than likely be free.

We also need to look at what tablets will do for the retail side of things.  CounterPoint SQL already has an Apple solution, and it would not surprise me if an Android solution is in the works,  I have seen mobile devices in many of the retail stores and restaurants I frequent.  Talking to the users, they enjoy using the devices because of the ease of use, less human error and the more "up to date" feel that the whole establishment enjoys.

If you have any system questions or concerns, call the CCS Retail Systems Sales Department at 800-672-4806 or email us.

-Bryan

Cleaning Out Your PC or Server

Its that time of year again, time to check or clean out your PC of all the dust bunnies that build up over the year.  In my opinion, heat is one of the nastiest things your PC will endure.  Without proper cooling, your PC can, and most likely will, do some wierd things.  Usually never the same thing twice.

If you decide to clean out your PC on your own, be careful not to knock anything loose.  I can recall a story I heard about a customer taking his system into the shop for a good power clean out.  As soon as he blow it out with the shop air hose he realized he had blown all the jumpers off the motherboard.  Needless to say it never booted again.  Use compressed air designed for Computers not an air hose designed to clean out manufactuered car parts.  Also,  powered air compressors have moisture that builds up in them that can damage the electronics not just the excessive air flow.  

Be sure that if you use a vaccuum do not use the sucking mode but the blowing mode.   Be especially sure to clean all the dust out of the CPU and Power Supply fans.  These keep your system within the operating temperatures it was designed for.  Most electronics will fail if its components are overheated.

If you have any system questions or concerns, call the CCS Retail Systems Support Department at 800-672-4806 or email us.

-Bryan

Apple Safari and Flash Player Vulnerabilities

Not too long ago, I wrote about Apple Malware and how it is becoming more prevalent.  So Apple recently released an update to their browser (Safari). Not much was added besides the normal security fixes and a few bugs, but one interesting thing they did was to disable the use of older versions of Flash, which was the cause of a big "stink" because Apple took their time in releasing a fix.

When you download the new version of Safari and install it, the browser disables Flash, alerts you to the fact and then offers to take you to Adobe’s site to grab the latest version of Flash.

It has been also been mentioned that the Windows version of Safari doesn’t include this feature. That’s because the Flash player for Windows now auto-updates in the background (if you give it permission), which will keep Windows users current without being constantly nagged.

Mac users, meanwhile, continue to have to update Flash manually. Adobe says a Flash background updater is in the works.

So if you have not updated your Mac OS to fix the security hole in Flash, your Safari browser will disable it, which will cause some websites to not properly work.  Do yourself a favor and update Flash, and your browser so you are on top of any security issues that have been identified.

-Bryan