Found another site that allows you to check your mail from anywhere. This site is also free except that you have to sign up for an account (unlike mail2web.com). This one also works well.
Access it at www.netmymail.com
I end up using these mail sites from time to time as they allow me to have a quick look at my own email server when I am not at my own computer.Â
S
If you do any travelling to the US and have used your Canadian cell phone while down there, I am sure you were a little shocked when you got back and used saw your next bill! Roaming in the US with a Canadian Cell phone is expensive! Here are some examples.
Rogers 1.70 per minute for Outgoing calls to Canada and the US, 1.20 per minute for incoming calls, local calls .95 Minute
Telus Mobility .95 per minute local, add .50 per minute for Long Distance
Bell Mobility .99 per minute Local, add .75 per minute for LD.
You can get packages monthly that have US calling included but they are also expensive, For example Rogers’ Digital One Rate for frequesnt US travellers is 85.00 per month for 300 minutes and it goes up to 330.00 per month for more time (remember this is your Canadian rate too). This works out to .28 per minute regardless of where you call from.
In our fairly large family (My parents, 3 sisters and their families) someone is going to the US quite often, about once every 2 months. There is a solution that we found that has worked quite well for us in the past couple of years!
In November 2004, my parents, my family and my sisters family got a steal on some airfares so we all went to Orlando to visit Disney World. One of the first things that we did when we were down there was purchase 4 Tracfones (a US pay as you go service) for 39.99 each. We then added airtime (30.00 for 120 minutes) and away we went. We were able to use the phones to talk to each other and make plans when we did individual things. January 2005 came around but this time the whole family went to Maui for a couple of weeks. Again we continued to add airtime to the phones but at least we were able to talk with them and saved ourselves loads of money on Cell phone bills.
Over the years when someone has gone to the states we take a couple of phones to call home and each other as well as make local calls and to receive calls form home. It has saved us considerable money.
We have run into a few glitches. Once all 4 phones had expired and we had to get new SIM cards for all. Luckily we have some relatives in the US so I had the cards shipped there first and then sent up to me. One of the phones also was shut off for too many international calls (back to Canada) and was flaggted as a security issue. This was solved by yet another SIM card replacement and then using a 10.00 AT&T calling card. Call the AT&T number first then make the long distance call. Tracfone has also solved this problem by offering their own free International Long Distance Number now.
Last May we added 400 minutes to each phone (as well as 1 year of activation) for 129.00 per phone. As well any artime now added get’s automatically doubled (120 minute card becomes 240 minutes). And yes the phones get used.
If Sysguy clients are planning on travelling to the US and would like to use our phones we are glad to make them available. The only cost would be to replace any time used with additional airtime cards (available almost anywhere in the US).
There are several Pay as You go services in the US and if you do travel there a fair bit I would highly recommend that you look into purchasing a couple of your own phones.
S
For almost two years Windows Defender (formerly Microsoft Anti Spyware and Giant Antispyware) was available as beta software. This past week the software has gone gold and has been released to the public. If you have no other Antispyware software do yourself a favour and get this. It works half decently and is free! This will also be included in the upcoming version of Windows Vista.
You can download it here http://www.microsoft.com/defender
You also have to run through Windows Genuine Validation processes in order to download.
Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7.0. While I have not seen it in Automatic Updates yet, it can be downloaded from Microsoft’s web site. It is not showing up in Microsoft Update yet.
As stated earlier we are advising clients not to install IE 7 until they have tested it with applications and sites that they use on a regular basis. THis is especially true for any one using an older version of Quickbooks software as there is some compatibility issues with previous versions.
S
The next update to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (version 7) is going to be released in the next couple of weeks. The update will be a critical update to your system and will download automatically. Before installing though you will have to accept the EULA (End User Licsense Agreement).
While we have been using one the IE7 release candidates on our laptop for the last little while with no real problems, we would like to take this opportunity to advise Sysguy Small Business Server Clients to hold off for a while before intalling, especially if you use web based applications. Our suggestion is install the software on one machine and test all web based applications that you use. It will take a little while before all web site owners update their sites to accomodate some of the changes with IE7 (online banking etc).
IE7 does have some very desirable features. It now includes a phishing filter that will detect if the site you re visiting is legitimate, an RSS feed reader so you that you can view blogs like this one without having to visit the page everytime as well as finally adding tabbed browsing, where you can open different web sites up on tabs instead of in individual browser windows and flip back and forth easily with one click.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or difficulties with or in regards to IE7. The latest release candidate is available for download at Microsoft’s site http://www.microsoft.com/ie
Stephen
My better half and myself recently went on a Western Caribbean cruise. We departed Galveston, Texas on the 24th of September 2006 and visited Key West, Florida, Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. we were on board Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas.
Photos are posted here
Just ran an update on my favorite add on tool bar and found that it fixes the problem with Stumbleupon toolbar and the IE7 RC1. No more errors when shutting down browsers and tabs.
To update on your Stumbleupon toolbar and click on menu, select about Stumbleupon, toolbar version. It will take you to the page to download the update.
Stephen
For Sysguy clients that have MIcrosoft Open License and Software Assurance on their Windows Xp systems. There is a version of Windows Vista that will be available exclusively for them.
This version contains all the features of Windows Vista Business in addition to BitLocker Hard Drive encryption, application compatibilty and multiple language support. This version is not available for retail purchase and will only be made available to clients with current Software Assurance on their XP Pro systems.
To find out more about this new version you can go to this blog
http://blogs.msdn.com/mssmallbiz/archive/2006/09/11/749695.aspx
To see the features of Windows Vista visit Microsoft here
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/features/default.mspx
To view the editions of Windows Vista visit this site
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/editions/default.mspx
Or contact Sysguy Consulting to learn about how you can get your machines enrolled in Software Assurance. If you have purchased a PC or Laptop since October of 2005 with Windows XP Pro you can be eligible to add SA to these machines!
Stephen
You may have seen in the various ads for computers now a days, that a lot of laptops and desktops are advertised as being installed with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. I get a few questions from clients on what Media Center Edition is.
Windows SP Media Center Edition 2005 is a version of Windows XP that Microsoft released in October 2004. Media Center was available previously, but only form Tier 1 system builders (HP, Dell, Compaq). In Oct 2004 the new version was released and it was made available via the standard OEM channels (yes you can get it with new hardware from most software vendors). We built our first MCE test PC within a few days of the release.
So what is Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE)? It is an operating system built on Windows XP Professional , with some features disabled, that is designed to be an all in one entertainment center for your home. Depending on how the system is built it can, record and playback TV shows, be connected to a wide screen or standard tv, playback photos as slide shows, listen to radio, surf the web or watch DVDs and Videos! MCE is the base operating system on the Intel VIIV software platform. The Media Center application looks great on a PC and on a TV and can be operated using a MCE remote control unit.
I built my Media Center PC when the disk showed up in my October 2004 Microsoft Action Pack update. I had a brand new motherboard and processor from Intel (3 GHZ 775 processor and an Intel Micro ATX motherboard) so I used these for the PC. I added some memory (1 GB), a Hard Drive (200 GB SATA), a video card (Powercolor ATI X300 PCI-E with TV Out), and a Microsoft Approved TV Tuner (Avermedia 1500 MCE). I also picked up an OEM MS remote control set.
Putting the PC together and installing the software was the same as building any other PC. There is one extra CD to run (you get prompted) for it. A word of note if you plan on building your own, save the hassle and used MCE approved hardware only.
Once the PC is built I decided that I was going to hook it up to the gaming TV, a 32″ JVC that was moved when we got our Sony Wide Screen HD, to our living room and had the spare Shaw Digital box (DCT) and the three video game systems that we own. I hooked it up to the S-Video connector from the Video card out to the S-video in on the TV, hooked up a crt for set up to the dual display and started up the PC. I configured the video card to display to the TV and went through the MCE application set up. In a nutshell you set up the screen and the speakers you have, run through a set up of your video input source, set up the channel guide based on your source, test the IR blaster, arrange for storage and space and then away you go. The OEM MS remote comes with 2 IP Blaster cables that attach to the devices remoter IR ports and change channels just like the remote control.
I rebooted the PC and went tried to watch a TV program… Error No video, hmmm what did I do wrong? Restart, run set up again, still no video from the TV. Check the net.. Found out that I needed a DVD codec! The Cyberlink player software version that I had installed was not an MCE supported one. I purchased Nvidia’s decoder from their web site, installed the software, re ran the MCE setup, perfect I could watch live TV! I ran through the whole thing and was able to view a slide show of the sample pictures that came with the OS. Next it was testing the FM tuner built into the Capture board.. Yup it worked. Play a CD and a DVD yes!I checked out the TV guide and the recording function next. The guide is powered by Zap2it.com and I find is more accurate than Shaw’s own guide on their DCT boxes. To record a tv program I highlighted a program in the guide, pressed the red record button on the remote and that was it. It recorded the program successfully.
Over the last two years this machine has become the workouse PC in our home… It is on 7/24/365, and has gotten a few upgrades over the year…
I am anxiously awaiting the UPS driver to show up today with a new product I am testing. Belkin has just released a new product in their Flip KVM product line. For those who don’t know a KVM is a keyboard, Video and Mouse switch, which allows you to share one keyboard, one Monitor and one Mouse between several systems.
From what I can see the unit comes with the KVM, The cables and there is optional software you can download from Belkin’s website. The receiver sits on your desktop and controls which screen you are controlling with a push of a button. You need a USB keyboard and Mouse combo, a VGA connector (NO DVI) and audio can be switched optionally. The software allows you to flip back and forth from your keyboard.
The unit will retail for about 89.99. I plan on using it with my Monitor (or my secondary monitor) and my laptop.
When it arrives later today I will have a look and hopefully will get to test it. Keep an eye here for more information on this product!
Stephen