by Felicien | Aug 3, 2018 | Education
Windows 7 is being “put out to pasture” by Microsoft at the beginning of 2020. Not all Windows 7 users are aware of precisely what this means and how it can affect their day-to-day business. Because of impending issues, such as steadily degrading usability and increasing security vulnerabilities, Windows 7 users need to know what to expect and what their options are.
Quick Background On Windows 7
Windows 7 was released in October of 2009. Its purpose was to serve as an incremental upgrade to the not-so-well-received Windows Vista operating system. Windows 7 included some much-needed improvements to Windows Aero, the new user interface that Microsoft introduced with Vista, and with improved performance. Users responded far more positively to Windows 7 than they did Vista, primarily because it addressed so many of Vista’s deficiencies. The Windows 7 Service Pack 1 came out in 2011, and a platform update was released a few years later in 2013.
By 2014, however, Microsoft began preparations for the retirement of Windows 7 as they began stopping its retail sales. Next, mainstream support for the operating system came to a halt. In 2016, PCs were no longer shipped with Windows 7 pre-installed. Microsoft then announced that on January 14, 2020, extended support for Windows 7 would end. That was the official sunset announcement.
What Sunset Means
Sunset begins with Microsoft no longer offering extended support for Windows 7. It also means no more security updates, bug fixes, or service packs. That, in turn, means the usability, security, and performance of Windows 7 will begin to degrade with time. On the surface, applications and the operating system will generally perform all right, but there will always be exceptions. Over time, however, there will be a definite trend toward more issues, steadily poorer performance, and serious security vulnerabilities.
Why This Important to Windows 7 Users
Here is what a Windows 7 user can expect to see after sunset begins:
Software, utilities, and features may become incompatible
Applications no longer receive updates that apply to Windows 7
New devices (g., printers or webcams) may not be able to connect with Windows 7
Antivirus will not be updated, and third-party virus protection software will eventually stop supporting Windows 7
Software bug fixes are no longer patched, leaving the system open to exploitation
Online banking transaction systems may expire if their authentication and encryption methods cannot be supported by Windows 7
Also, incompatibility can quickly become a problem for companies whose customers or partners need them to use or interface with software that simply will not run correctly on Windows 7. Running a sunset operating system can also cause problems when attempts are made to add devices or install new software.
The most serious issues with sunsetting are those involving security. Hackers will know that Windows 7 has become vulnerable and will seek out ways to exploit those weaknesses. This leaves a system susceptible to malware, ransomware, and viruses. The probability of suffering from an attack that renders your computers unusable will continue to increase with time.
Options Available to Windows 7 Users
If you are running Windows 7, then now is the time to start migrating to a new operating system. The most straightforward upgrade path would be Windows 10, which still has some of the look and feel of Windows 7 with a plethora of new features and even better usability.
The other option for most businesses is switching to Mac OS. This means an entirely new work environment for traditional Microsoft users. This option can involve a steep learning curve. While some Microsoft packages, such as Office, are available for Mac OS, they work a bit differently and it will take some time for new users to become proficient. Macs can also be more expensive than a Windows-based computer system, but have a reputation for being more reliable.
Unless a business is heavily involved in video production or graphic design, Windows 10 is probably the best option.
Getting Ready to Migrate
Before migrating, perform an inventory of software and group each application into one of three groups: unwanted, optional, or required. Some software may require an upgrade to run on a newer operating system. Next, prepare a similar inventory of hardware. As with the software, some hardware may need to be updated or replaced to remain compatible with the new operating system. Also, check the requirements of the replacement operating system, paying special attention to available hard drive space, physical memory, and processor or CPU needs.
Please note that if a machine is already getting a bit outdated (e.g., 7 or more years old), it might make sense to purchase a new machine with Windows 10 pre-installed. The Trump tariffs will cause an increase in the price of computers, scanners, printers, servers and even their components. So now is definitely the best time to buy!
Conclusion
With the sunset of Windows 7 impending, now is the time to start the process of migrating to a new operating system, whether it be Windows 10 or Mac OS. Failure to upgrade will not only lead to issues with compatibility and performance, but will involve serious security risks.
by Felicien | Aug 2, 2018 | Education
My Health Record is Australia’s approach to centralising the digital health records of its citizens. It provides an online-accessible summary of a person’s key medical information, including data such as medical histories, prescriptions, and known allergies. While this type of program isn’t anything new to Americans, My Health Record has only been in use for six years in Australia. Today, almost 6 million citizens are included in the system. The opportunity to opt-out is ending on October 15, 2018. Many Australians are not pleased about its implementation, beginning with the opt-out situation.
Opt-Out or Opt-In?
Currently, Australia’s My Health Record gives people the opportunity to opt-out. This means that unless someone chooses to take the necessary steps to opt-out, then a digital health record will be established for them. While many supported digitising and centralising health records when it was proposed as an opt-in situation, more and more people are distressed about its implementation using opt-out. They feel that the default for an individual should not be the creation of a digital health record; it should be just the opposite.
Benefits Of My Health Record
Many individuals that struggle with chronic medical conditions could benefit from digitalising health records. These citizens require multiple medications and many have life-threatening allergies (especially medicinal allergies). The general feeling about having all medical records centralised is positive, regardless of this odd opt-in/opt-out situation.
Australians who travel a great deal view this as a good thing because, no matter where they go, their medical records will follow them. Individuals living in more rural areas are also expected to reap the benefits of centralised digital health records.
Many argue that access to records will improve the healthcare that individuals receive, especially in emergency situations. Better access to health records will help to eliminate dangerous medical mistakes that come from a lack of information about a patient. This can help medical professionals make more informed decisions on behalf of the patient. Healthcare groups and leaders also point to a better coordination of care and a significant reduction in duplicate testing.
Potential Issues
Privacy is a major concern for most Australians that are opposed to digital health records. Health records are a big target for hackers, and such records contain some of the most private information about an individual. There are concerns about exactly who has access to medical information and whether access might be overridden in the case of an emergency. Also, health professionals do not have to explicitly request patient information in order to upload it to the record system as long as the patient has not opted-out.
Children and babies are automatically being assigned digital health records unless the parents take the appropriate steps to opt-out. Even when parents opt-out, mistakes are being made as digital records are still being created for children in some instances. The digital file created for a child can be canceled later on, but in the original plan, it would not be deleted. All files are to be kept on hand for thirty years after a person’s death, and then they will be archived for an additional 100 years. Recent changes have been made regarding concerns about this.
Another issue that arises with regard to children is the use of a shared Medicare card for families. This can prove especially problematic for non-traditional families or parents that are in situations where they share custody of their children.
Responding To The Objections
According to the Australian government, these digital health records are very secure and safely backed up. There have been only 35 breaches in the past financial year, which is a tiny fraction of the almost 6 million users already contained in the system. However, in response to citizen concerns regarding privacy, the Australian government has agreed to allow records to be permanently deleted, even after the deadline for opting-out.
In addition, it has been clearly stated that government and police agencies will not have access to records without the person’s consent unless they have a court order. Finally, leaders insist that no one is being signed up without their consent (not even children) although it is possible that they (or their parents) may not have recognised that they were giving consent.
Conclusion
Many see the recent government response to user concerns as a positive thing. But other Australian leaders insist that the system is still evolving. While providing critical medical information for those suffering from chronic illness, serious allergies, or victims in emergency situations, Australian citizens still see My Health Record as a potential invasion of privacy and a target for hackers. It is hoped that this program will evolve to better address issues where parents share custody of children. Generally speaking, most Australians believe that children’s rights to privacy should be respected regardless of what happens.
by Felicien | Aug 2, 2018 | Education
With the business world rapidly moving towards the digitization of documents, mobile scanning apps are becoming necessary for both work and personal use. However, in our day-to-day interactions, we encounter entities, such as the government or doctor’s office that require old-fashioned forms that are printed on paper.
Sometimes we are handed a business card from someone with important contact information we need to retain. Because not everything has moved to digital media, the most useful resolution is to quickly transform any paper you’re handed into digital data, which you can store and edit on your computers and mobile devices. Once stored, you have them practically forever if need be.
Think about the amount of physical information you encounter daily that you need to retain for your professional and personal life: spreadsheets, software information, receipts, financial records, old photographs your parents have, etc. If you need to capture that data or images for future use, having a scanner at your beck and call is an efficient way to operate.
The availability of a mobile scanning app that runs off your smartphone and uses your phone cam to snap the image can allow you to capture more information. This gives you the freedom to correctly analyze and pull out the important stuff for later.
Let’s look at some of the best mobile apps out there. Some of these scanning apps are free, while others are highly affordable. Try to match up your needs to the right app.
What Are The Best Free Mobile Scanning Apps?
Microsoft Office Lens for Android
Microsoft recently launched Office Lens for Android, a scanning app that lets you shoot photos of written materials like notepads, printed documents, and whiteboards, converting printed words in the image to editable text through OCR. Microsoft has other mobile scanning apps such as Evernote, but they’ve added some remarkable functions to this new app. The Office Lens gives you the ability to scan documents, cards, and whiteboards with your Android phone, making them more readable and editable. Best of all, it’s a free app!
Evernote Scannable for iPhone
If you are already an Evernote user, this app scans anything you put in front of it and sends it to your Evernote account, or another place that you designate. It has the capability to share the files with other people very easily, as well. Imagine you’re in a meeting with a number of team members or clients. You can use the app to scan a few files from the meeting, and Scannable will instinctively ask you if you want to share the images with the people in your meeting. If you have already listed the attendees in a meeting invite and you’ve granted Scannable access to your calendar, it will send them the data immediately. How’s that for convenience?
Adobe Scan for iPhone
If you already have a paid Adobe Document Cloud or Creative Cloud account and use it regularly, this app is a no-brainer. Sometimes you have a piece of paper that you need to get into digital form. The Adobe Scan app can not only produce a PDF using your smartphone camera, but it can also employ optical-character recognition (OCR) to the scanned image so that you can freely edit its text. For an app that automatically detects, captures, and converts printed text to digital form, Adobe Scan is a perfect app. But once again, you need a paid subscription to get all its impressive features.
What Are The Best Mobile Scanning Apps Under 5 Dollars?
Abbyy FineScanner
Abbyy has been in the scanning technology business for a very long time, and that gives them a leg up on the new and robust competition. Experts have been impressed with its use on older high-end desktop scanners. Its mobile scanning tool Abbyy FineScanner, is impressive as well. FineScanner does a terrific job of scanning any type of printed document. It’s very fast at snapping the photo image and also gives the user the option of color or black-and-white.
The one downside to the Abbyy FineScanner is its price disclosure. You can download a free version, but the free version doesn’t support the software’s best feature, its optical character recognition (OCR). For this feature, you need to pay either $4.99 a month or $19.99 for the year. If you sign up through the website, a free month of premium subscription is available.
Intsig CamScanner
This mobile scanning application has a unique feature that sets it apart from other apps under $5. The Instig CamScanner will separate the document acquisition process (take a picture of the image and turn it into text) from the document management process. If speed is important to you, this app is very fast at taking the image and converting it for you. Intsig CamScanner’s optical character recognition (OCR) is not as accurate as some of the other apps. If accuracy is crucial for you, Instig CamScanner might not be the right scan app for you to download.
TurboScan
TurboScan, a $4.99 app for Android and iOS, is an unpretentious app that precisely saves documents and images for you to edit elsewhere. It is not the fastest, nor does it have a processing niche like the other featured mobile scanning apps. What it does have is consistency in both its accuracy and quality at an affordable price.
Wrap Up
Technology is moving forward at a lightning fast pace. Be sure to check often for the latest and greatest scanning apps and you might be surprised at what some tech guru has come up with.
by Felicien | Aug 2, 2018 | Education
There’s no shortage of useful features on your iPhone, but just because there are so many doesn’t mean you’re utilizing your smartphone to its fullest. The iPhones and iPads of yore were good for little more than making calls, taking photos, and browsing the internet. However, today’s iOS capabilities have improved over time. With each new iPhone model comes a range of cool new features to play with. Since last year, these new features include the ability to record your screen, leaving many iPhone users to wonder how they ever did without.
Tell A Story with Smartphone Video
The Screen Record feature is improving the iPhone experience for users everywhere, especially in a world where a video is the weapon of choice for storytelling. There are a number of reasons why you may want to capture what’s going on with your screen. These reasons range from social and fun to professional.
Many people are visual learners, and explaining step-by-step instructions to someone is much more difficult than just showing them. From sharing footage of your own gameplay, to walking a friend through the steps of how to use certain features on their own phone, the ability to easily capture and share video on your screen is one you don’t want to skip out on, especially if you’re hoping to squeeze every ounce of use out of your iPhone.
Screen Recording, in a nutshell, allows you to capture what’s happening on your screen at any given time. The best part? You don’t even need a third-party app to make it happen. While, technically, the ability to record what’s on your screen has long been available to iPhone users, to do so was no easy feat.
Before the screen record feature made its way into iPhones, users were forced to go through the motions of opening up QuickTime Player and performing several steps to get the goods. Quick and efficient the process was not. Now the screen recording feature is built right into your iOS, allowing you to record your screen or capture individual screenshots with just a few taps.
How To Access Your Phone’s Screen Recording Feature
Your recent model iPhone’s screen recording feature is relatively simple to operate, but there are a few things you may need to do in order to activate it. Devices like the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and, X should already contain the screen recording feature in your control center, but if not, you can easily make it so. To quickly access the tool on one of the aforementioned devices, swipe up from your phone’s home screen and press the bottom-left button.
If your screen recording tool isn’t already in your Control Center, then before you can begin screen recording, you’ll need to fix that in your settings. Go to your iPhone’s Control Center settings and turn on “Access Within Apps.” Go to Customize Controls, and in the More Controls section, add Screen Recording to your Control Center by tapping the green button. This will ensure the feature is ready to go to your Control Center for easy access.
Once your screen shows what you want to start recording, bring up the Control Center using 3D Touch and hit the Screen Recording icon. With this, you’ll be able to manage your audio with the Microphone icon. Once you’re ready to start recording, tap the Start Recording option, which will prompt a countdown. You’re now set to record, and even narrate if you wish, which comes in particularly handy for guides and tutorials. While you’re recording, you’ll see a blue bar at the top.
If you’re ready to stop recording, tap the red icon on your upper-left corner. Once you’re ready to view your screen recording, simply go to the correct folder, locate the file, and hit Play. It’s really that easy.
Editing Your New Video
Recording and sharing your video is simple enough, but you may need to make a few edits, depending on what your video will be used for. After you’re done recording, you’ll be able to do cool things like edit and make annotations when you download a free app, like Record It.
Initially, your video will show any and all actions you take once you hit record, such as starting and stopping the recording. To edit these out, simply click the top right button to edit your video, then trim out the extras by dragging the handles at the bottom of your screen and creating new start and end points for your video. Click done, and that’s all there is to it.
Wrap Up
It’s no surprise that your iPhone and iPad are full of potential. The Screen Record option is just one of the many tools at your disposal. Learning to use its wide range of features will help you get the most bang for your buck, and simplify your life just the way Apple intended.
by Felicien | Aug 1, 2018 | Education
Communicate More Effectively With These New LinkedIn Messaging Features
While Facebook and Instagram are the social networks of choice for the modern day mobile user, apps like LinkedIn haven’t lost their luster. The professional network is still the master of its class, and a growing number of users are turning to the app to keep up-to-date with their network more than ever before.
LinkedIn Moves To A More Competitive Platform
Whether as a simple courtesy to its users, or an attempt to become more appealing to those who’ve made a habit of bringing their professional life to social apps, LinkedIn has implemented some significant changes to their platform, all aimed at making the user experience more worthwhile.
The company announced the changes in a recent blog post, making the case for why the professional network isn’t one to be ignored if instant communication is a big part of your business. From finding jobs to networking and communicating with teammates, LinkedIn boasts loads of potential, especially with these new features.
Compose Longer Messages
The ability to communicate freely and privately through social apps has become a necessity for many of today’s mobile users. Sometimes, you’ve got a lot to say, and scrolling back and forth as you’re typing to make sure you got it all out can be tedious. With this, LinkedIn has created an easier way to compose longer messages, implementing a larger message box for ease-of-use. There will be no more fishing for your cursor. Now, you’ll be able to fit everything you need to say, just as you need to say it, by stretching the message box to reveal more space.
Share Attachments On The Go
In today’s business landscape, work doesn’t stop once you leave the office. This is the reality for workers across all industries today. Between mobile workers and those who travel often for business, smartphones bear their fair share of the workload, and social networks would do well to keep this in mind when rolling out new features for users.
To make the process of working remotely more convenient, LinkedIn now allows users to share attachments on the go. According to the company, the ability to share attachments was among the most frequently requested messaging features by LinkedIn users. To do it, just tap the attachment icon and choose from the approved file types, which include PDF, XLS, DOC, and PPT. This one change alone is sure to bring big potential for the app and users everywhere.
Express Yourself With Emojis
Conveying emotions through words isn’t always easy to achieve. Rather than spend the rest of your workdays dissecting messages and searching for undertones, you can now incorporate emojis into your messages. Use the emoji picker on your desktop to add emojis to your text. Just search by category, and let the emojis do all the talking.
Start And Manage Group Messages
There are loads of reasons why chatting on LinkedIn makes sense. You may be discussing work with a teammate, gathering info about an exciting new job opportunity, or collaborating with other professionals within your industry. Whatever the reason, instant communication is vital for many people, and the company has addressed this with the ability to start group messages.
It’s now simpler for you to start conversations with people within your network. To do this, just tap the “+” button, which will prompt the suggestions of users to communicate within groups. These can include fellow co-workers from a recent or present company, old classmates, or people you’ve recently met. And if you need to remove someone from the chat, never fear. Simply tap the three dots on the top right corner of your group message and tap to remove people as you wish.
Mention Others In Your Messages
The tagging feature on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to stay connected with friends. LinkedIn has incorporated a similar feature, allowing users to mention other users in group messages or in one-on-one conversations to recommend others.
Copy And Paste Images From The Web
It may come as no surprise that many people opt for visuals over traditional text. The popularity of memes is a testament to this. Visuals are a part of everyday communication for countless users, and LinkedIn has recently come up with a game plan for that, too. Users are now able to copy images from the web, and even their phone, right within LinkedIn’s messaging platform. This makes communication easier and more fun than ever – a big plus for users and LinkedIn alike.
Wrap Up
Given LinkedIn’s emphasis on all things business and professional, it makes sense that the company would further strive to make its features reliable for just that. These new features are bound to attract a new wave of young professionals hoping to find new ways to use modern methods of communication to advance their careers and networks.
