SCAM: Beware of bogus telephone calls
We've had a few customers contact us to check out whether the purpose of a telephone call they've received from an outfit called supportonclick.com was legitimate. The caller informs the victim that their computer is infected and that it will become damaged beyond repair unless they purchase 'security software' from them. They may know your name, telephone number and address and might pretend to know information about your system, such as the fact that your PC is running Windows XP and is over a year old (they're playing the odds). They may pretend to be calling from Microsoft or other legitimate company, and the sales pitch can be aggressive and persistent. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD DETAILS. Hang up. Don't engage in conversation, just hang up.
Thanks to Roger from Claygate for providing information on this tip.
AVG is Still FREE!
 Have you seen the warning screen on the right? "Support for AVG 7.5 is about to be withdrawn. Download AVG 8.5" You might think that you're required to pay for an upgrade (that's kind of what they want you to think too), but you don't. You can just download and install the new free version, AVG Antivirus Free 8.5. You don't need to uninstall your current AVG program, it will take care of that during the new installation.
Here's the link to the free new version: http://free.avg.com (keep following the path to the FREE version).
Say No To 0870
If you have an 'inclusive landline calls' telephone package, it is doubtful that it will include 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 phone numbers in the 'free minutes'. Likewise many mobile phone providers exclude 0800 and 0808 from the 'included free minutes'. So here's the answer. Go to www.saynoto0870.com and click on 'Search to find an alternative number'. You type in the name of the company you wish to call and it will give you their geographical phone number (those beginning with 01, 02 or 03). The service is free, and has one other great (unintended) purpose...
Have you ever searched high and low on a website for a company’s telephone number? Sometimes they hide it really well (usually when you’re ringing up to complain about something). Well, just look the company up on www.saynoto0870.com! Sometimes it even shows direct dial numbers so you can bypass switchboards and speak directly to the department you want to. Very nice indeed.
Thanks to Andrew from Wimbledon for this tip.
Picasa for Mac
Picasa is a photo album/editing program from Google, and it's marvellous. It's quick, it's easy, and it's free. Until recently it was only available for Windows, but now it's also available for Apple Macs. Unless you're already using iPhoto on your Mac, I'd give it a try. You can download it from http://picasa.google.com/mac/
Google Notifier
If you have a Gmail account (Google email account), you might find this quite useful. The Gmail Notifier is a little program (also by Google) which runs in the background on your PC/Mac. When you receive a new email to your Gmail account it displays a little message on your screen to notify you, just like Microsoft Outlook. When you click on the message, it takes you straight to your Gmail account.
Gmail Notifier for Windows is available here: http://toolbar.google.com/gmail-helper/notifier_windows.html
Gmail Notifier for Mac is available here: http://toolbar.google.com/gmail-helper/notifier_mac.html
Refurbished Macs
Want a Mac but don't like the price? Well, take a look at Apple's stock of refurbished Macs and iPods:
http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft's next operating system to succeed Windows Vista is on it's way: Windows 7. It is expected to be released towards the end of this year, but whether that will happen in reality is anyone's guess given Microsoft's past. I'm really hopeful that Windows 7 is a success after the problems that Vista has encountered, but the usual warnings apply: don't upgrade as soon as it's released! Allow the software to mature a little, so that bug fixes and driver updates have time to propagate. Windows 7 is intended to be an incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Vista is already compatible, but the proof will be in the pudding.
To see what's new in Windows 7, and to learn a little more about it see here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/
Internet Explorer 8
Microsoft's new web browser is now available. It is certainly faster than the previous versions of Internet Explorer, but if you're already a fan of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, I can't see it tempting you away.
To download IE8 or to take the tour click here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer/default.aspx
 Google Street View
Google have launched an addition to their Google Maps service, called Google Street View. It shows 360° views of all public roads in 25 cities in the UK, including the London area (which includes most of Elmbridge). You can type in a postcode or road name and it will take you straight there, where you can pan up and down and zoom in and out. This is what makes it so useful, but is also the reason that some people are up in arms about the privacy concerns. It makes it quite easy to 'nose around' outside someone's house checking out where windows and doors are, so one could potentially scope the place out. If you tried this in reality you might find a police car behind you asking what your business is, or a neighbourhood watch member taking down your number-plate, but using Google Street View keeps your identity anonymous. In some instances, especially where the streets are narrow and houses are close to the road edge you can actually see into a house's front room.
Google says it is meeting local privacy laws. They have used face-recognition technology to blur out faces and number-plates. If you're not happy having your house shown, or if you find an image with your face showing then you can request for it to be removed. To do this go to the image in question in Street View, then click on “Report a problem” at the bottom of the screen.
Perhaps you might want to look up your house (and perhaps you might want to lock up your house!). |
