Social Media: Avoiding scams and hoaxes

We've all seen the posts on our favourite social networks - endorsed by friends and relations that tell us about a new startling discovery/scary news item/unbelievable photo/medical marvel...

Such things used to be (and to some extent still are) the domain of chain emails, foolishly forwarded and rather irritating at best.

But these days we are getting these posts shoved in our face by those people around us who 'like' or comment on such things.

So what are these things, what is wrong with them, and how can we spot/avoid them?

Here goes...

Windows 8 - What software to install

So this is a bit of a look at the Windows software that I use on my computers.
Truth be told I tend to use Linux most of the time, and while some software is available cross-platform there are plenty of Windows alternatives for the software that isn't.

This is all compatible with Windows 8, however should also work on Windows 7, Vista and XP, so if you are still using those don't feel left out!!

Fixing Windows 8

So you have a new laptop or PC? How nice 

With Windows 8 you say? Oh...

Microsoft's new Operating System is certainly raising a few eyebrows - and not without reason (check out my review [coming soon] for a proper overview of the controversial issues).
Windows 8 is a conflicted and confused OS, which has a great many changes since Windows 7 - many of which directly impact on usability, making it confusing and frustrating for many people, whether they were previously experienced with Windows or not.

Put simply Windows 8 is half a touch-screen OS and half Windows 7, which makes using it properly on a non-touchscreen device tricky. However there are a few simple tweaks that can be made, and applications that can be installed that will fix this for you. They are all free and easy to do, and shouldn't take more than about 15 minutes. What you'll be left with is effectively Windows 7 - but with better security and more timely updates. So, all in all, a major improvement over stock Win8.

Review of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

This is my review of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Your mileage or experiences may vary as I can only base this on how this update has affected my Galaxy Nexus after the OTA update (on a phone that was having a few issues, so was probably due a factory reset anyway).

Minor update?

This update came a little out of nowhere. The software came out to coincide with the release of the new Nexus devices - the 'direction of the OS' hardware, produced with Google's direct guidance by the OEMs. Each new Nexus device has coincided with the release of a new version of Android, those releases being named after sweets and puddings (gingerbread, honeycomb, ice cream sandwich...) most of these have been "dot upgrades" in that the version numbers have increased by a whole number, or a decimal and had a new tasty name.

Photosphere - a review

View it properly on Google Plus

On Tuesday this week I was rather pleased to observe the notification on my Galaxy Nexus that Android 4.2 (still called Jelly Bean) was ready to install.

I plan to post a more full review of that in the coming week or so, but for now I wanted to give a short review of one of the much talked about gimmicky features... Photosphere

Online security: Using a subscription VPN

As I described in the Open Wifi post, the dangers of free Wifi are well worth considering before you connect to the internet in a coffee shop.

One very effective solution is to connect through a secure tunnel to a VPN server, which can either be set up at home on your computer, or be a paid-for service from one of the many companies online.

In this part of the VPN thread I will describe how to choose a suitable service, and then how to set it up for use on your laptop or smartphone device.

Free Wifi is scary!

The internet is such a part of our lives these days that it almost seems like a right not a privilege. 

Because of that we might be forgiven to consider it separate from our normal realisation that nothing is really FREE, that there is a price there, however hidden.

And with 'FREE WIFI' that price is your security.