mobile
Getting Started With Android: The Wide World Of Apps
Previously:
Getting Started With Android: Office 365 Mail
Getting Started With Android: Reading & Listening
There are 1.3 million Android apps. I’m working on it but I haven’t tried all of them yet, and anyway, each of you will have favorites and essentials and frivolous time-wasters that suit you. I’ll describe a few of the apps that are on my phone, just in case it helps you find something new and useful. […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer Safety 2015
These are the rules for being safe using a Windows computer in 2015.
We are required to be paranoid and vigilant. We run our businesses and manage our personal lives online, and the bad guys are endlessly inventive in their effort to find ways through our defenses.
The consequences are greater if you make a mistake. […] continued
Read moreGetting Started With Android: Office 365 Mail
For the last few weeks, I’ve been using Android for the first time on my new OnePlus One phone, after two years with a Windows phone. Many of you have far more experience than I do with customizing Android and choosing apps, but I’m going to share some of what I’ve been looking at in the first few weeks anyway, in case it gives you any ideas. […] continued
Read moreHERE And There In The World Of Mobile Maps
There were two interesting announcements today about the free Nokia HERE mapping and navigation smartphone app. With some background, you’ll understand why the announcement of improvements in the Windows Phone apps is less important than the general availability of HERE Maps for Android (and iOS around the corner).
First, some history. […] continued
Read moreIs Microsoft Abandoning Windows Phone?
Windows Phone is barely a blip in the market compared to the overwhelming market share for Android and the overwhelming mindshare of Apple iPhones. The Windows Phone operating system is unique and lovable; the live tiles on the home screen are more attractive and more useful than the wall of icons on iPhones and Android phones. […] continued
Read moreOffice 365 Tip: How To Set Up And Wipe Mobile Devices
One of the advantages of using Office 365 to host company email is its broad support for mobile devices. Office 365 mail can be set up across more platforms than almost any other mail service – iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, and Windows devices have built-in support for Exchange mail, and Microsoft also supports POP/SMTP and IMAP for devices that don’t talk to Exchange. […] continued
Read moreIt’s Not The Device, It’s The (Expanding) Ecosystem
When you go into a Verizon or AT&T store, you aren’t buying a smartphone. You’re buying an entry ticket into a beautiful garden, an ecosystem full of wondrous delights. Apple and Google are working nonstop to make their gardens into bigger and better places, with the hope that you will stay with them as you buy more devices. […] continued
Read moreComcast Turning Homes Into Public WiFi Hotspots
Comcast customers can already connect to free WiFi on their laptops and phones in hundreds of thousands of locations across the country. Now Comcast is expanding its free WiFi network by turning home routers into public hotspots.
It’s a rare case of a large company doing something good for its customers that it’s not required to do – no immediately obvious evil motive, nothing that justifies cynicism. […] continued
Read moreSpotify Is The Best Way To Listen To Music
Technology is causing another shift in the way we listen to music. There’s no right or wrong answer but Spotify has some advantages over many of the other choices.
BackgroundA quick recap of how we’ve listened to music over the years.
• Baby boomers started with vinyl LPs. Cassettes were the mobile alternative in the 70s. […] continued
Read moreThe Tablet Takeover
The world is changing. Here’s an anecdote to help you understand just how fast it’s happening.
My wife was at a conference last week attended by a hundred medical and legal professionals. Each person had a device for viewing the speaker slides and taking notes.
Three of them, including my wife, had laptop computers. […] continued
Read moreOur Changing Tech World
Think you’re keeping up with the tech industry? Here are two recent reports that took me by surprise.
Android is crushing everything in its path. In the first quarter of 2013, Android smartphones had a 75% market share. Apple’s iOS came in at a distant second place, with 17% market share. […] continued
Read moreUnderstanding Skydrive, Part 2: The Basics
Previously:
The Difference Between A Microsoft Account And An Office 365 Account
Understanding Skydrive, Part 1: Skydrive vs. Skydrive Pro
Skydrive lets you store files online and access them from anywhere, including PCs, Macs, and mobile devices. There are some good reasons to begin using it as the primary location for saving all of your files and pictures. […] continued
Read moreGoogle Now: Android’s Ambitious App Pulls You Into The Google Ecosystem
If you have a new Android phone running the latest version of Android (“Jelly Bean,” Android versions 4.1 or 4.2), you can turn on Google Now, one of the most interesting and forward-looking smartphone apps available on any platform.
I don’t have a Jelly Bean phone, so I’m relying on news reports, blogs, and comments by knowledgeable tech journalists. […] continued
Read moreVerizon Brings 4G LTE Coverage To Santa Rosa
An email arrived tonight from Verizon announcing that 4G LTE service has officially arrived in Santa Rosa and nearby areas in Sonoma County. Verizon actually turned on LTE up here about a month ago; I noticed the LTE indicator lighting up on my Verizon devices and loyal correspondents left comments about it on my earlier article about 4G. […] continued
Read moreWindows 8: The View From 36,000 Feet
Windows 8 is a term that will be used to refer to several different things. It is the next operating system for Windows computers, but you’ll also see the name used loosely to describe a tablet operating system, a phone operating system, the environment for apps that run on those different platforms, and the design aesthetic that Microsoft is using for the operating systems, for apps, and for its online services. […] continued
Read more