Do you have Windows 7 computers, or a computer running Server 2008 or 2008 R2 that will lose support in January 2020? Begin your upgrades now and maximize your 2019 Section 179 Depreciation Deduction!
Do you have Windows 7 computers, or a computer running Server 2008 or 2008 R2 that will lose support in January 2020? Begin your upgrades now and maximize your 2019 Section 179 Depreciation Deduction!
Topics: windows 7, windows support, Windows Server 2008
As the January 14, 2020 end of life date nears for Windows 7 and Server 2008/2008 R2, there are many things to consider before you start upgrading to Windows 10. Cost is a major factor, which is why it’s important to assess your network and plan your upgrade now instead of waiting until the end of the year. Assessing now allows you to spread out those expenses over several months. Here's what to consider when assessing the cost of upgrade:
Topics: Windows 10, windows 7, windows support, Windows Server 2008
Windows 7, Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will reach end of support on January 14, 2020. However, you should not wait until the last minute to upgrade your device to Windows 10. You’re not saving time, money, or headaches by waiting. Instead, you’re missing out on the great features and increased security that Windows 10 has to offer. It’s also worth noting that the Windows 10 OS has been around since 2015 – it is tried and true, and ready for you!
Topics: Windows 10, windows 7, windows support
Every Microsoft product has a lifecycle. XP expired in April of 2014, Vista expired in April of 2017, and soon Windows 7 will be coming to an end.
Topics: Windows 10, windows 7, windows support
Think about all of the valuable possessions inside your home. Jewelry, big-screen televisions, maybe some high-priced artwork, just to name a few things.
With treasured items like these, it's no wonder thieves are always trying to break in and rip us off. They don't even always wait for you to be out of town on vacation. Sometimes they have the nerve to sneak inside while we're asleep at night.
Keeping an eye on your home is one of the most important things you can do as a home owner. One major part of home protection is ensuring that you have an appropriate surveillance system in place.
With the relative ease of finding information about anyone via the internet, search engines and social media, sleuthing around is now par for the course. But it goes deeper than that. Every institution that you plan on dealing with wants to glean your history, whether you want it or not.
Applying for a job? Planning on renting an apartment? Trying to get insurance? It's more than likely that the companies, institutions and even individuals you've come in contact with will all run a background check on you.
Simply put, information and privacy go both ways and it's all in the name of security -- you want to know more about them, and vice-versa, they want to know more about you. And mind you, these reports are comprehensive and they may include your income level, loans, debts, criminal records and other sensitive data.
This is why it's important that you run a background check on yourself and see what data these institutions, prospective employers and various companies can request about you.
It's recommended that you occasionally check your records and always make sure they're accurate and complete. Why? Well, these background checks can drastically affect various aspects of your life.
Amazon’s Echo Dot is quickly becoming a household staple, and for good reason. It’s the personal assistant, smart home accessory and voice-activated speaker that’s tough to pass up.
If you’ve recently purchased one of these nifty gadgets, or have had one but haven’t maxed out it’s full potential, you may be wondering how to make the most of your purchase.
Bonus: Amazon's Alexa can now remind you to turn off the lights and feed the dog. Is this a great breakthrough or just plain creepy? In this episode of Consumer Tech Update, Kim looks at a new feature of the Amazon Alexa that can learn your behavior and then predict what you're going to do next.
The artificial intelligence function built into the device, Alexa, does so much more than play songs from your phone’s playlist. The Echo Dot can make life simpler. All it takes is a few quick words and viola! Before you know it, you’ve re-ordered you shampoo on Amazon and put together a shopping list for tomorrow’s grocery store trip.
So, you’ve made the leap. You’re the proud owner of an Echo Dot. Now that you’re ready to get all you can of your device, there’s a few things you should know.
When you want to ask your Echo Dot to do something, the default setting requires you to call it "Alexa." Just say it’s name and it will wake up and start listening to your request.
But what if there’s already a human or pet named Alexa living in the household? Fortunately, there are a few other options. In the settings on the Alexa app, you can change the device’s "wake word" from Alexa to "Amazon," "Echo" or "Computer."
You may have heard that the Echo Dot can tell kids bedtime stories. With a simple request, Alexa will tell a short, five minute story to help your little ones drift off to sleep.
What you may not know is that the story can be personalized to include their name. Just include it in your request by saying something like "Alexa, tell a bedtime story to Jacob." Alexa will then incorporate the name "Jacob" into whatever story she tells.
For those living in a home where more than one family member has an Amazon account, creating separate profiles for your Echo Dot can allow everyone to enjoy the device with their own preferences. It’s easy to set up in the Alexa app under Alexa Account > Alexa Household Profile.
Using multiple profiles allows for shared content and collaboration on to-do lists, calendars and shopping lists. If you want Alexa to change preferences when you are talking to it versus, say, your teenage child with wildly different taste in music, you can set up voice profiles, allowing Alexa to recognize your voice when you make a request.
As smart home products become more mainstream, it’s easier than ever to turn your home into a smart home using your Echo Dot. When you purchase compatible smart home devices, you can use Alexa to turn on and off lights or electronic devices.
Some new smart home appliances allow you to do even more like preheat your oven, check if your laundry is done drying, or ask your refrigerator what to make for dinner.
If you’re lucky enough to own more than one Amazon Echo device, you can turn your home into a full-blown communication hub.
Make a call from one device to the other or send messages to your family member in the other room. You can even ask Alexa to "Make an announcement" and it will share the message across all connected devices. When it’s time for dinner, you can let the entire family know without leaving the kitchen or yelling up the staircase.
The Echo Dot has revolutionized the way we operate in our homes. The device provides entertainment, utility and hands free operation of a growing number of appliances and other devices. No matter how you use your Amazon Echo Dot, there’s sure to be a feature that makes your life easier.
Open sesame! It sure would be nice if you could just shout a simple passphrase at your phone and unlock all its secrets. It might not be quite that simple, but we’ve got some cool iPhone features to show you that you may not know about.
There’s a lot going on in Apple’s mobile operating system, and it’s hard to know about every little trick. Sometimes they’re not obvious. Sometimes they’re overlooked.
Check out these seven cool hidden features that will make your iPhone experience even better. They’re all present in iOS 12, but you may also find them in earlier operating systems. It’s a good idea to update to the latest version of iOS 12 if your phone is compatible. A lot of these features also work for iPads, so feel free to experiment with your tablet as well!
You’re in Safari and you’re way, way down a web page, but now you want to get back to the top. You don’t have to wear your fingertip out scrolling back up. Just double-tap in the bar at the top of the page, without double tapping the URL.
This tip works for other apps as well; just try a single or double tap at the top to get back to where you started. You may have to play around a little bit to find the sweet spot.
There’s a secret touchpad hiding out in your keyboard. Depending on your phone or tablet, there are a couple of ways to access it. On many newer iPhones, you just need to press down on any key and you will see the keyboard become blank. Now, you can move your finger around and the cursor will move with you.
On some iPhones and iPads, you will need to hold down on the space bar to access this mode. It’s a great way to move around in a document, or just simply place your cursor somewhere specific in an email, text or note.
Do you write a lot on your iPhone or iPad? You’ll never be at a loss for the right word again when you enable Apple’s thesaurus option.
Open Settings, tap on General and then Dictionary. Tap on British English Oxford Thesaurus of English. To try this out, head into Notes and type the word “cat.” Double-tap on the word and choose Look Up. Now you will see a list of synonyms along with the usual dictionary definitions.
You don’t have to start over if you accidentally tap in the wrong number in Apple’s iPhone Calculator app. Just swipe left on the Calculator display to delete the last digit. And don’t forget that you can access more advanced mathematical functions just by turning your phone to landscape orientation.
Sorry, iPad users, you’re out of luck. Apple doesn’t include the Calculator app with its tablet, so you might want to download one from the App Store
Your Control Center probably looks pretty standard with basic controls for Wi-Fi, Airplane mode and other features at your fingertips. But you can get even more out of it by customizing what’s included.
Head into Settings, tap on Control Center and then Customize Controls. Here, you can remove options or add more, like Screen Recording or Voice Memos. This puts you in control of your Control Center.
This little trick works for some game apps: You can block the game from serving up ads from the web by putting your iPhone into Airplane mode. Keep in mind that if you like a game and want to support the developer, then look for a paid upgrade option that removes ads. If you’re trying out a game or find the ads are too intrusive, then give this Airplane mode trick a shot.
You can go all Beach Boys on your iPhone and create some good vibrations that you customize yourself. Head into Settings and tap on Sounds. Tap on Vibration and then Create New Vibration. On this screen, tap to create your new pattern and then hit Stop. You can play it back to see if it’s what you want. Save it and name it to use it as a new vibration option for your iPhone.
Have fun trying out these hidden iOS features. The touchpad will feel like a game-changer, but even the little tricks will make your time on your iPhone easier and more convenient for you.
"7 Shortcuts And Secret Features In Your Iphone." The Kim Komando Show. N. p., 2019. Web. 27 Feb. 2019.
