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Many Cable and DSL providers say they are offering high speed Internet access, but in reality speed the upload/download times vary widely at different times of the day and even based on your use. If you are downloading multimedia from Bit Torrent sites, or a big on-line game player, you may be experiencing less than advertised speeds. ISPs are increasingly deploying a variety of middle-boxes (e.g., firewalls, traffic shapers, censors, and redirectors) to monitor and to manipulate the performance of user applications. Most ISPs do not reveal the details of their network deployments to their customers. If you believe you have a right to know, then Take the Glasnost test. The goal of the Glasnost project is to make access networks, such as residential cable, DSL, and cellular broadband networks, more transparent to their customers. As you begin cleaning up your systems and preparing for the new year, this is a great time to determine if you are getting all that you think you are paying for.
Great Quick Vid on the Impact of Social Media.
What is the impact of Social Media? Watch the video.
My friend Mac McClelland, with K2 Enterprises, brought this article in Computerworld to my attention and it may be worth a read. One of the major questions to be answered when going to the Cloud for data storage and on-line application processing is "How secure is my data?" or, asked another way, "What is data liability?" While Google Docs as a great App, as is Microsoft's Office365 and Live.com services - most of these services do not meet the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) requirements. To be honest, these standards have not been updated for Cloud computing, but even when they are, we can expect the requirements to be too stringent for most services to comply with. Remember, not all data is sensitive, and therefore requires higher levels of security or encryption. But, that which is, must be carefully guarded.
From my friend Joel Cash at www.nmgi.com, comes this helpful tip for accessing your Exchange email via your new Kindle Fire. The product is Touchdown, and it only works with one Exchange account. You can also set up a remote DB wipe, so that you can send an email to yourself with "TDKILL:yourcodehere" and initiate a phone wipe. This product is on the Amazon Android App store.
Early buyers and critics are soundly announcing that the new Kindle Fire is a great e-reader device, but is not a full service tablet. The Fire is not the 2011 competitor to the iPad that many thought it would be. The Fire continues to lead in sales against the Nook, but perhaps not a much as many would think.
Microsoft has been pushing Surface technology for a few years and now others are getting into the game. The concept of your desktop may be changing in 2012 as new surface and gesture technology is coming to market as more reasonable prices. Well if you consider $1299 reasonable...
Not to be left behind, Samsung and Nokia are announcing technologies for 2012 that may affect the "flexibility" of handheld smart devices such as PDAs and Tablets. AMOLED, or Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode, technology is poised to be the next very cool thing. If this comes to pass, my next phone may not be an iPhone.
Intel reveals new technology code named Ivy Bridge. In a leaked document Intel revealed its product road map for its next wave of computer chips, code named Ivy Bridge, for PCs and Macs. Ivy Bridge will push the company further into the 22-nanometer range of microprocessors. Ivy Bridge chips use a Tri-Gate technology and they are still based on silicon. At almost the same time that Ivy Bridge was leaked, IBM introduced its long-term plan, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, for moving from traditional silicon and developing on possibly three technologies: carbon nanotubes, Graphene, and “racetrack memory. Nanotubes, based on carbon vs. silicon materials as well as Graphene (similar to the carbon found in the lead of a pencil) have been around for some time and have been in development for nearly a decade. Racetrack memory involves replacing flash memory, used in everything from iPhones to SD cards, with microscopic magnets shifted along tiny wire loops called nanowires. IBM has demonstrated this tech, too, also built with normal product lines. While you may think your computers are fast enough, in a multi-media world where the thirst for more speed and higher quality video, the push is on for even faster response times and greater graphics. After all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 awaits.
Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) is maturing and gaining interest. Now that IT has virtualized the server room at a significant savings, management is beginning to take notice. The Virtual Desktop may be local as a Local Virtual Machine (LVM,) or in the Cloud as a VDI. For larger businesses with full time IT staff, VDI is the way to go. However, picking the right solution is not so straight forward. For example, we expect Microsoft's next Windows Server OS release with Hyper V to be extremely impressive, and I expect Microsoft to soon offer VDI in the Microsoft Cloud with Office365, it could be the perfect combination for subscription based services and a way to look the customer in. On the other hand, it is worth looking at a comparison between Citrix XenDesktop vs VMWare View as a low cost viable solution within your existing infrastructure. Either way, Virtual Desktops offer a much lower cost-of-ownership, rapid disaster recovery, consistent look and feel across physical systems, and a higher degree of security from hacking. All good reasons to get on-board.
Good Comparisons:
http://ahsantasneem.blogspot.com/2011/11/xendesktop-55-vs-vmware-view-50.html
http://www.vladan.fr/new-video-from-vmware-showing-view-5-vs-xen-desktop-5-5/
http://ahsantasneem.blogspot.com/2011/11/vdi-comparison-vmware-microsoft-citrix.html
Who says that Accountants
are too serious?
When I Grow Up, I Want to be a
Tax Accountant! Thanks
Jeff Jones for this very fun
YouTube link; and they say
accountants do not have a sense
of humor. (Yes,
they
do say that.)
The week of 11/14/2011 will be very exciting as Amazon and Barnes and Nobles square off for a battle befitting that of the Immortals movie, also released this week. There will be a lot of play-by-play, I am sure, but a nice summary is available here for you to review. The Fire was released a day early and the Nook 2 is also expected to be out in a few days.
First glance. The Kindle Fire has only been in my hands for 12 hours or so now, but I have been busy analyzing it and comparing its features to a full grown Tablet (iPad 2.) Conclusion. It is something else. While Fire is driven by the Android OS, not all OS apps will run on it. The Amazon App store has apps for the Fire, but selections are a bit thin at the moment. Fire is obviously an entertainment device at the moment. If you want to read, play games, watch a movie and check your mail - it works great and is much easier to hold and carry, at its 7" form factor, than heavier 10" tablets such as the iPad. However, I am still pleased with the unit. At $199 Amazon, just barely, breaks the psychological $200 barrier and the low end Kindle e-Reader breaks the $100 barrier with the passively ad based $79 Kindle Reader. All-in-all I am not displeased with the Fire and will continue to review and evaluate where it fits as a business tool, if it does. In the meantime, Apple can breath a sigh of relief, the iPad is still king and unchallenged for the office.
Note my comments above are directed at the new 7" tablets from Amazon and B&N - I am not overlooking the new HP Slate 2 running Windows 7 and will be looking at that for the office closely as well, but still do not consider it to be a serious contender until Windows 8 for SoC/ARM is release the middle of next year. I still plan to look closely at the 7" Samsung Galaxy IIs Pro due out this month running Android, but really want to see Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android on a Samsung Galaxy before I make recommendations in that corner of the world.
What happens when you take away careful linkage and redundancy checks, obscure formal row column data structures, and generally disregard data access security? Well for the past few years it has been the emerging NoSQL approach to database design. This was great for non-sensitive and large block data, but was not ready for Wall Street financial needs. But this may be changing with the latest release of NoSQL from Oracle. Those that are working with large data sets, data mining or data warehousing, should absolutely take a look at and develop an understanding of NoSQL.
Apple has hidden a field test app in iOS, which will allow you to quickly check the quality of your cellular signal by simply dialing a special code on your iPhone. The code to dial is *3001#12345#* followed by pressing Call on your iPhone, which will launch the field test app. The signal bars on your iPhone will be replaced by a number. The higher the negative number, the worse your signal is. For example, -100 is worse than -86. If you tap on the displayed number, the display toggles between the number and the normal signal bars. There is a lot more to the Field Test, but proceed at your own risk. The real benefit here is the signal quality check. Click here for more detail...
For some the idea of creating business app that run on smart phones and tablets seems out of reach. After all, you need a trained programmer to make that happen, and lots of money too. Not necessarily, a number of websites are offering tools for making an app, without knowing how to code.
Amped Wireless provides a number of devices to assist businesses in extending the range of wireless accessible devices.
The Indian government has released Aakash, dubbed “the world’s cheapest” tablet. Aakash costs $35 with government subsidies for students or $60 in stores. The government is giving away 100,000 for free during its launch period. The first 500 tablets released received a mixed response, as some complained that they are slow. The government hopes the device will bridge the gap between the rich and poor. “The rich have access to the digital world, the poor and ordinary have been excluded. Aakash will end that digital divide,” says Kapil Sibal, the communications and education minister. If you’re wondering what a tablet that costs as much as a pair of sneakers can possibly do, here’s a bit more about its specs: Aakash runs Android 2.2 Froyo, has a 7-inch touchscreen, weighs 350 grams, and has 32 GB of internal memory, 256 MB of RAM and two USB ports. The 2100mAh battery should last for two to three hours. Although it comes pre-loaded with some apps, it does not access the Android Marketplace. It has been tested in 118 degree Fahrenheit conditions to replicate northern India’s summer. Datawind, a small British company, developed the tablet with the Indian Institute of Technology. The tablet is being produced in India and should be available in stores next month. The government plans to start selling them at the subsidized price to students next year.
We should be close to similarly priced tablets in 2012 and 2013. With the Kindle Reader entering the market at $79, it will only be a short time before these devices reach the populace and reduce, somewhat, the distance beetween the Digital Divide.
Perhaps not your next keyboard, but the idea is finding a lot of ground and we may soon see the end of mechanical keyboards. Three years ago I demonstrated a new keyboard design where the keyboard was actually an LED touch screen, similar to a touch display panel. this predated the iPad so a touch screen keyboard seemed pretty radical at the time, not to mention unaffordable at $2000 for a keyboard! A new design, the Keyboard "ABC" concept created by designer Iaroslav Neliubov, features a touch screen surface that can be configured to any language with customized keys. It has a built-in CD/DVD drive, SD memory card reader and USB port to make storing files easier. The keyboard has built in sound dynamics and may be programmed for either right or left handers (at last!) Since this is a concept design only, don't expect to see it under the Christmas Tree. However, I have heard rumors about a possible future Mac Air where the keyboard area is actually a touch screen keyboard, so I know manufacturers are at least thinking about the possibilities.
I see many uses for this technology such as custom keyboards by application. Imagine loading your favorite accounting or tax application and the keyboard automatically reconfigures with single key functionality to speed up your processes (Game apps would be cool too, but this is a serous business blog, so I will not go there.) Extended use of Corning Gorilla glass, the screen glass for the iPad and many tablets, means that touch screen keyboards would be much more durable than tradition mechanical keyboards - especially laptop keyboards. The downside, if you have ever typed on a touch keyboard, like the iPad, you know that it does take some getting used to. But, after a while, it does seem natural. I look forward to a new keyboard future, so Lenovo, HP and Apple, get with it, lets see your next Ultrathin Laptop with a Touch Keyboard display and Microsoft and Apple - how about some support in the OS. After all, you are already integrating your iOS and Windows Phone technology into Mac OS and Windows 8, so might as well as clean up the keyboard and bring that functionality it over too.
I am just saying. I have had a number of questions about Adobe Reader for iOS, and I told my audience repeatedly that as long as Steve Jobs was alive, it would not happen. Well Adobe has announced that it is porting Adobe Reader software to Apple mobile device with the release of Adobe Reader for iOS. check it out from your Apple app store. Oh my, could Flash for iOS be next? I'm just saying...
Yesterday, we had a typical Football Sunday afternoon at my house, but only better. We had an iFest! That's where everyone brought their Apple toys and compared the features of Apple's new iOS 5 update, and those of us that purchased the iPhone 4S compared features and setup. Several of my clan had purchased the 4S upgrade and got caught in the AT&T/Apple server overload problems, but for the most part it all worked out. I, not being one to pre-order as a rule, was lucky to walk into my local AT&T store at noon and picked up my 32GB white 4S, I upgraded from my wifes 3GS, and she took my iPhone 4 (since it was only six months old, upgrading it was not an option.) It took several hours to wipe and setup our account information, voicemail, and load programs. Like many folks, my wife and I share a purchase account with Apple, so we can share some apps and reading materials. When I first set up our iCloud on two iPads, two iPhones, a Mac Air, two Windows desktops, and two Windows laptops, I immediately noticed problems with all the syncing from a single iCloud account. Things like my messages and email going to my wife's iPhone. Guys, some things should not be shared! Will, thanks to a great article by Lex Friedman at Macworld.com, I found out that we do not have to setup iCloud to the same account that we use to purchase from Apple. We can each have a unique iCloud account, and share the purchase account. Living with one foot in the Windows world and one foot in the Apple world can create technical problems, but nothing that is not worth the effort to fix or find work around for.
One question I am getting from friends and family is "Does Siri work as advertised, and is it worth upgrading?" Yes, that is two questions. The first answer is that Siri works as advertised most of the time, and I will enjoy demonstrating it in seminars this fall and using on the road to find the closes Micky D and Pizza Hut. For those that have not heard me speak, I have an unforgivable southern draw, that is almost a different language. Those of you from Georgia, Alabama, and Texas will understand - to you I sound normal. However, even with the southern accent, Siri worked fine out of the box for and quickly answered my questions. Battery life seems a little better than earlier versions, but with Apple, all devices come with an initial deep capacity charge, and it takes a few power cycles to find out what is normal battery life expentancy. The new camera features using the volume up button to take pictures quickly, and the ability to take rapid fire pictures, is a nice add, as is the enhanced resolution camera. Overall, the camera looks the same on the outside, but is highly improved on the inside. However, it may not be enough to justify a $200 to $400 fee to upgrade, and a two year extension on your contract. For iPhone 3 users, take the plunge; for i4 users, take a long hard look at your bank account and then go ahead! After all, you just have to do it, right?
If you regularly drop you phone, throw your phone at others, or work in a highly abusive environment, perhaps it is worth investing in life proofing your iPhone. Check out www.lifeproof.com and watch the Life Proof demo. My wife and several other family members have been using this amazing case, thanks to recommendations from my son-in-law, and it really does help protect the phone while keeping the footprint thin and the phone light.
ShareFile has been acquired by Citrix Systems. Citrix is a very well known company that makes many products you may already use, including GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, XenDesktop, and XenApp. I rarely post this kind of information here in my Blog, but I have been a big proponent of ShareFile since their beginning six years a go and like the fine job they do. The ShareFile Portal for file sharing and collaboration set the professional bar for what was expected from the competition and I wish them the very best.
QuickBooks 2012 Document Management Going Local
Intuit has announced that it is once again changing the game plan for Document Management and linking transactions between QuickBooks and a document image, this time it may be for the better for those users who have been asking for local document storage. Read Charlie Russell's article at The Sleeter Goup.
While it seems that Microsoft is abandoning those of us in the business world, Microsoft claims Windows 8 will have the best of both business and personal computing worlds. Experience has told me that you can't serve two masters. So while Windows 8 has been designed with two graphic front-ends, a somewhat familiar Windows Desktop and the flashy mobile tile based Metro, while Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Windows 8 would support both ARM and Intel processors and portrayed Windows 8 PCs and tablets as equal citizens, Microsoft come out and admitted that Windows 8 on ARM-based systems will not run Windows 7-and-earlier applications. Thus, only Metro-based apps are truly cross-device in Windows 8. So if you thought it was a pain migrating between Windows XP and Vista/7, expect a new world as developers struggle to create applications that are ARM and traditional chip compatible.
The truth is that it is too different worlds. The mobile tablet and Smartphone computing platforms have to be more power conscious and work with fewer resources such as memory and storage space. Communication with attached devices is almost non-existent. Keep in mind that neither Android or iOS platforms support a true file system yet, whereas PC based apps are all about reading and writing data records and storing and retrieving files.
While I like playing Angry Birds as much as the next guy - it does not pay the bills. For that I need an accounting system and business apps to run my business. Windows 8 may shape up to be something else altogether. If you are ready to move to Windows 7, I would say go ahead. It may be a few years before the business world is ready for lucky number 8.
IT will hate Windows 8!
If you are an IT professional, it would be worthwhile for you to download the Microsoft Developers Preview version, as both the learning and testing curve will be much longer than the move to Vista/Windows 7. Read more...
Solid-state drive (SSD) storage technology continues to evolve in today's market, but some of the best technical tips for applying the technology in your data storage environment remain the same. When looking at SSD options, users should always determine what applications can benefit from SSD, ensure that applications can handle faster solid-state drives, determine how much power their data center is consuming and experiment with SSD technology in the lab. Read our tip on SSD storage technology to learn about these best practices, and listen to the accompanying editor's podcast to gain additional information on solid-state drive storage. Read the full article. What are the 10 things IT professionals should know about managing SSD technology?
So in the column of "What the heck?" Apple failed to excite as they failed to have a new iPhone 5 and only announced a slightly improved iPhone 4S with new insides. And truthfully, Apple's failure to event comment on a forthcoming iPhone 5 left not only investors (stock prices dropped 5 minutes after the press conference ended) but the public may not take to kindly to the "lack" of news as well. However, take heart, I bet the Microsoft folks are dancing in the Redmond streets as the lack of a radically new and improved iPhone may give users time to seriously take a look at the new Windows Phone 7 Mango release (see below for more.)
I am very excited that I have ordered a new Kindle Fire. A fun story as well. Today is September 28, 2011. I traveled today and was flying most of it. When I left Minneapolis/St. Paul this morning at 10:30a, Amazon was preparing its press briefing and the new Kindles went on sale following that. So, I was unable to order one until I landed in Atlanta. The plane touched down at 1:53p, and I had placed my order by 1:56p - I had not even read the press releases or Blogs. I just have faith in the company, it will do a great job.
There has been much discussion that the new Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet is the iPad killer. I would disagree, using both, I think that each is in their own niche and does what they do very well. I love my Kindle 3, and people ask me why have a Kindle if I have an iPad? When at home, I prefer to use my Kindle to read over the iPad, which is heavier and often a poor experience when reading outside in bright light. I keep getting pulled back to some of the old Star Trek shows of 20 years ago, the birthplace of the pad idea, and I see different pads for different purposes. Sometimes a person would have multiple pads on their desk and be referencing information on them while entering data at a terminal. That vision really is pretty close to where we are. In the office, and when I am presenting for K2 Enterprises, I often have my iPad near by to reference and look something up as my preferred way of working.
I am also excited about the Amazon Cloud innovation and the new Silk "experimental" browser built into several of the new units. The concept is not unlike Microsoft's vision for Windows 8 and Office 365, as their Cloud initiative continues to evolve. I will keep you posted on the Fire as soon as it arrives, perhaps you will have some Fire in Christmas. Great stocking stuffer!!
Windows 8 Developer Preview
Thanks to my good friend David Johnston, www.nmgi.com, I have spent the past several days playing (I mean working) with Microsoft's Developers Preview of Windows 8. You can download the Windows Developer Preview from here. This "to be released in 2012" version of the Windows OS has two separate interfaces, Metro and Desktop. The desktop is the old-fashion Windows desktop you are used to. But, Metro is the sleek front-end used by Windows Phone 7 and is designed for mobile phone and tablet use. The more I used Metro, the more I like it. I can see a future where if I stayed with Windows, I would move to the Windows Phone 7 and tablet as well, so the interfaces were the same across all hardware. No need to jump quickly however, Apple is said to be moving in the same direction and integrating it's iOS phone and iPad interface into its Mac OS, so the experience on an Apple laptop or desktop will be similar to its mobile devices. No doubt that Microsoft will do the same. I will be carrying an HP touch laptop with me this fall to demonstrate at K2 Enterprises, www.k2e.com, conferences, and continue to work with it. There are some good Q&A at Windows 8 News and Tips that you might want to review if you are testing Windows 8 as well.
Predictions? First, touch is back, and the experience of using a touch screen (i.e. on a laptop) is far superior to a mouse. Using Metro only stresses the evolution of Tapable vs. Clickable. Finger gestures on the screen or touchpad are far easier and more dynamic than using a mouse. Perhaps, healthier too, considering the pain (physically) of using a mouse over an extend period of time. I predict that Windows 8 will be a big hit and make Microsoft a real player again. I also predict that with the new updated OS coming out in less than a year, businesses will try and wait, hold on to XP, and upgrade next year. For some that will be a stretch holding to failing hardware, or upgrading to new software releases that may not work well on XP. I have no problem with businesses going to Windows 7 now to replace those aging failing systems, particularly desktop workstations that are primarily data entry and processing. Buy at the high-end, buy quality and the system should support Windows 8 with no problem, and some users may even prefer Metro mode over Desktop even when using a mouse to navigate, I do.
Another prediction. I am holding out on the impact of Windows 8 on the desktop computer. Using the Windows 8 Desktop interface feels very much like Windows 7 and you will not really feel a great difference, but the more I use Metro, the more I like it, and find myself staying in Metro mode and getting used to over a few days. Having tested touch screen monitors on desktops previously with Windows 7, however, I am still leery that business professionals will widely adapt to touch displays on desktops systems. It may become a mute point, as more business professionals prefer their data to go, and are using laptops for heavy data entry and work, and pads for mobile apps.
Now let's see how it goes, keep coming back and I will have more posted on Windows 8 as it evolves. If you are testing Windows 8 with your business accounting, or tax and audit applications, let me know how it is going. Share the pain or the joy with those who are holding back.
Microsoft is a winner with Mango.
Microsoft has released Mango the code name for its latest update to Windows Phone 7, at first glance, it looks very good. Yes, I am an iPhone user, yes I plan to purchase an iPhone 5. But, I can also tell you that given the improvements Microsoft is making, and the innovations I expect from Windows 8, I may very well move to a Windows based Phone late next year, depending on how it all evolves. There is a lot of competition, but having a complete solution that is fully integrated and lives in the Cloud, has many advantages. Keep watching.
While Apple has led the way with Innovations, Microsoft will deliver it to masses. I love my Mac Air, but my applications are all Windows based, with at least three Air versions of Windows systems coming soon, the new Windows 8 and now Mango. It could be a perfect storm (in a good way) for Microsoft.
Adobe Reader and Acrobat Version 8 End of Support.
As a reminder to the previous blog post: Adobe
Reader and Acrobat Version 8 End of Support, Adobe
provides five years of product support from the general
availability date of Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat (Windows
and Macintosh – Note: Adobe only supports the most recent
major version of Adobe Reader for Linux Version 9.x). In
line with that policy, support for Adobe Reader 8.x and
Adobe Acrobat 8.x will end on November 3, 2011.
The iPad Decision - from the Journal of Accountancy.
Excellent article with a quote from my good friend Randy Johnston. As we begin taking our tablets into work, what will we do with them. What do tablets do best, what are they not so good for?
Facebook is making a lot of changes,
and you may not consider them all for the better. If you like your privacy, use your Facebook for business and family, or like to post everything you do! Perhaps there are 10 things to know about the new Facebook.
Facebook can help small business increase sales.
Facebook will begin rolling out new programs this week for small businesses to give them more exposure and help increase sales. While most of think about Facebook as Wall postings, it is much, much more. Targeting your audience with paid advertising can increase sales and those much sought after profits.
Developers Prepare for Windows 8 - It's Only a Year Away
Software developers from around the world have convened at a conference, called Build, in Anaheim, Calif., where Microsoft will unveil details about Windows 8, the next version of its cash-cow PC operating system. Windows 8 is on course to replace Windows 7 roughly a year from now.
Beware Metadata.
Metadata is the hidden information that lies inside many of your files, and most of you may not even be aware of it. Law enforcement and the courts are well aware of metadata, and it is commonly sought after and used in the prosecution of criminal cases or as evidence in civil cases. A man who claimed to have attached a bomb collar to an Australian high school student may have thought it would be cool to leave a high tech ransom note on a USB stick tied around her neck. Like so many of you, he did not realize he also left his name there as well! An analysis of the USB drive turned up files the criminal thought he had deleted, including a version of the ransom note written in Microsoft Word containing metadata about the document's author "Paul P." Metadata can be found inside of PDF and Microsoft Offices documents as well as many other file types. Be aware of the data crumbs you leave behind, even if you are not a mad criminal, such metadata could prove to be embarrassing as well as expensive.
When is backup a bad thing?
When you leave it laying around for years. Data stored on backup media falls under your record retention policy, and should be destroyed at the end of its Life Cycle. Failure to do so could cost you, as such data can be subpoenaed in court under the Federal Guidelines for Civil Procedures. What's Included? Tape backup, floppy disks, old flash and removable drives are just a few of the types data storage media that can come back to haunt you.
Best Practices for Solid State Drive Technology
SSD - or Solid State Drive Technology is becoming much cheaper and we will see wider availability over the coming months. Apple's Mac Air may be the first to have shipped SSD technology, but we will see other manufacturers jumping on as the speed of these drives is ever more appreciated. After all, who does want to boot-up in 11 seconds, for come our to sleep mode in 2 seconds? Read more on the best practices for implementing SSD in your work-place.
Restore Previous Version - Windows Least Known Data Protection
Recently deleted a file and wish you could get it back? Not in the Recycle Bin! Perhaps one of Windows least known functions in Vista and Windows 7 can help you out. Read this article by Fred Langa to learn the secrets of Restore Previous Version.
Amazon's Color Tablet due in the fall
Everyone knows that the Apple iPad is the undisputed kind of the tablet market. I see no doubt about it. There are several contenders, but most seem to be in the class of also ran's as the BlackBerry Playbook and HP's Tablet shows. But, the new kid on the block in the consumer world could just be the Kindle Tablet due out this fall. Modeled after the Barnes and Noble Nook, the Kindle Tablet is expected to offer color, touch and web browsing and shopping and much more. The Amazon Tablet is expected to be Android based, but instead of trying to compete with Apple, Amazon seems to be carving out its own niche for those consumers it fits best. Amazon has access to as much content as Apple, as much money as Apple, and is a market savvy as apple, so the competition should be interesting. I like the smaller footprint of the Kindle for reading and while I have an iPad, I find there are times I enjoyed my Kindle more. Unfortunately my grandson absconded with my Kindle and I miss it, so I will be buying a Kindle Tablet for Christmas and let you know what I think.
We are
Numeric Pad for Mac Users
For Accountants who are Mac users and who love the Magic Track Pad, but would like a Numeric Pad for all that number crunching they do, my friend Ian Taylor at NMGI pointed me to mobee, The Magic NumPad. It may be a little limited in application, but a great find for others.
We are not short on Apple rumors.
As the time for release of the next iPhone generation, dubbed the iPhone 5, nears we have seen a rash of rumors and hyperbole emerge. One rumor that now has been confirmed is that Sprint will begin carrying the iPhone 5 and 4 in October. This also seems to lend itself to the rumored delay from the anticipated September delay. Perhaps Apple wants to make sure it has enough inventory in stock to meet the demand. Hope so, I know I am upgrading. In the rumor corner still is the news that Apple will release the 3GS, or a version of it, as a free iPhone, free meaning that cell phone providers will give the phone away free with a two-year commitment.
There were strong rumors that there would be another iPad released round the same time as the iPhone 5 - or perhaps before Christmas, called the iPad Professional - iPad 3 by most people. The "iPad 3," at least for now, seems to have been delayed until mid-2012, and should come with a new A6 quad-code processor, improved battery life and significantly increased power. Seems like the humble iPad wants to be a PC? Either way, sign me up.
I am still waiting the a slightly smaller iPad footprint. More along the lines of the Kindle, Nook, or Samsung Galaxy tablet. This form factor seems to be more portable and mobile in general and has a number of applications. Just have to convince Steve Jobs that there is room for a smaller iPad.
As noted above the iPhone 5 is expected to have a larger screen, while keeping its current size, by implementing an edge to edge display. It should be faster and have an even higher resolution camera as well. There are rumors that battery life may be longer, but we will have to wait and see for that. iPhone 5 will coincide with a much broader release of Apple's iCloud and iTunes integration so you can keep all your stuff in the cloud and not have to sync to a PC again.
Enter the Cyber-dragon
An excellent read on cyber terrorism and cyber-warfare appeared in the September issue of Vanity Fair, a lengthy article, well researched, and worth the read. In case you did not believe it was for real!
Psst! What's Your Password? I Won't Tell
I recently did a seminar on Security for Accountants. It was a pretty fun session, as I like scaring the you-know-what out of people. But we talked a lot about what a password should look like and how easy it is to crack, or highjack someone's e-mail. Reminded me of an old article from 2007 on the review of some 40,000 passwords that had been high jacked from MySpace. Partly because a client sent me a file with a password of "password1" and was proud of themselves for protecting the PDF. Until, they called me three days later and ask why I had not called them for the password? No problem I said, I guessed it in three tries. Would have been on the second attempt, if I had gone with my instincts. Protect yourself, have a strong Internal Control policy on Passwords for your company and enforce it. I have a Sample Password Policy to use as a guideline posted here at my website. Remember, do not share passwords, be consistent and document passwords you assign to clients, customers or others, and never include the password in an e-mail with the protected attachment.
A quick tip I follow. Since I may be liable to remember passwords to documents I provide to clients far into the future, I specifically put unprotected documents inside an Adobe Acrobat Portfolio and password encrypt the portfolio file. Then my client is instructed to open and remove the contents as soon as delivered and that they are responsible for protecting the documents where and how they choose. As the consultant, my responsibility has to stop at the point the secure portfolio file is opened. This requires the recipient to take responsibility, and mitigates my possible risk to remember, while providing strong security up to the point of delivery. I usually send documents via a Portal, but I do all encryption myself. No, I do not trust Cloud providers to do my job. Remember you can delegate the responsibility, but not the authority. That is on your shoulders.
Black Hat Reports that Hacking is Becoming More Sophisticated.
It was confirmed that hacking group, Shady Rat, has infiltrated at least 72 companies and governments over the past five years, including some 49 victim organizations in the U.S. The shortest time the hackers remained inside a company's network was less than a month; the longest, 28 months. Black Hat attendees and speakers agreed that generally hacking is becoming much more focused and sophisticated and is no longer the lone rebel, or geek looking for attention. This is big business with business plans and objectives, and it is countries looking to spy on, or disrupt another country. The battle ground may have moved but the objectives are the same.
Safe Mode Fixer Fixes Malware Disable
Many types of Windows malware disable booting into safe mode to prevent easy recovery. You can always get around this by reinstalling or restoring your operating system, but that may not be necessary thanks to the free program Safe Mode Fixer. The tool is an executable file that requires no installation. Upon running the executable file and clicking on the Fix button, repairs are applied to your system followed by an immediate reboot.
Metamorphic Malware More Dangerous than Polymorphic Malware!
Metamorphic malware is malicious software that is capable of changing its code and signature patterns with each iteration. Metamorphic malware takes virus mutation to the next level. It uses the polymorphic malware’s mutation engine to change both the virus decryption routine and the encrypted virus body. In case you had not guessed it, this is the latest and greatest virus threat, and the subject of some discussion at Black Hat this year. Read the rest of the story for a better understanding and I suggest sending to your IT person as an action item.
Be more productive by managing email more effectively
As I am preparing to present several all day seminar on organizing your life via Outlook for K2 Enterprises, it really forced me to think about how much time I spend with email, and I consider myself a pretty well organized person. So when a recent clip on www.emailcharter.org came across my desk I had to check it out. The 10 Rules to Reverse the Email Spiral are right on, and plenty of other food for thought and good practice recommendations can be found at this site as well. So take a few minutes, check it out, and maybe create an email charter for your office and get everyone to sign it. Who knows, you may get a large chunk of your life back!
No Place For Lion In the Server Room
Most IT professionals would consider Mac OS Lion Server release to be a step backward in server evolution, and for good reason. While Apple has provided several Server extensions and administration tools for Lion Server, Apple basically is out of the Server business. Too much competition and too many other very good choices, such as Windows Server or Linux options, so over a year ago Apple had pretty much exited this portion of the market and it should not be a surprise to anyone. However, they have continued to support existing customers for the past couple of years. Now, if you are running Apple Mac Servers in your business the time to make another choice is drawing near quickly.
Adobe Acquires Digital Signature Company
Adobe has announced that it has acquired EchoSign,
a company that makes on-screen signing of electronic
documents like PDFs easier.