Hull Digital Live 09 Conference

Recently I glimpsed the future, the digital future that is, and I only had to go as far as the KC Stadium. It was a first for this area, the first conference dedicated to the world of technology and how we interact with it; or put simply ‘life in the digital space'. Entitled Hull Digital Live (www.hdlive09.co.uk) it was a coming together of all things digital – the Internet, communication, social networking, advertising & marketing, and how it affects all of us.

The keynote speech was from the BBC's own technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones. Joining the Beeb back in the 1980’s just as Richard Baker was reading his last news bulletin and hi-tech was a typewriter; he is a man who has indeed seen the rise of technology. His theme was Broadband; where the UK ranks in the world standings (about half way), right down to how our own local provider Karoo compares. 'Does anybody know where HU16 is?' he asked, as he pointed to a speed of 7Mbps on his big screen presentation.
Looking even further afield, Rory C-J had just undertaken a tour of East Africa for a BBC programme looking at how those emerging nations are coping, and how they see Broadband as a priority, and are piping it in from a new cable running beneath the Indian Ocean from the Gulf. In some countries this is complimented by the 'one laptop per child' initiative that I have mentioned before in this column. See: http://laptop.org/en/

Such is the momentum behind the digital future that even these nations are racing to put in broadband over their more basic fundamental needs. Everyone is worried about being left behind in the relentless march into the future. Our own Government has published its own version, in the form of the Digital Britain Report. Many say this does not go far enough in its outlook, but it is pointing inevitably towards the Internet becoming a utility the same as water, gas and electricity.

My opinion is 'The Technology Train is leaving and everyone is scrambling to get on board, a platform ticket just won't cut it!'
More to follow..............

BBC Radio Humberside Wed 8th July 09

On the Lara Show, BBC Radio Humberside, today 08 July 09 we discussed:

Windows 7 will now be launched on October 22nd this year, replacing the less than popular Vista operating system. Some computer manufacturers will be offering a free upgrade when customers purchase a computer with Vista installed. Also From 15 July-14 Aug there will be a special pre-release offer price of only £49.99 …..

Windows 7 will not come with Internet Explorer pre-installed owing to EU anti-competition laws! This will be the first time the browser has not been bundled with Windows for many years.

Alternative web browsers are available- have you tried Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, or Opera or Safari? They are free to dowmload and use

News we didn't have time to discuss:

Digital Britain Review – the Government’s strategy to make sure everyone has access to a fast broadband service by 2012. Contentious plans to levy a £6 p.a. charge on all telephone lines to help fund the changes.
LG announcing that the “world’s first touchscreen watch phone” is set to launch across the UK, to be released in August. LG’s watch phone is, by necessity, a compact device, featuring a Bluetooth headset, in-built speaker and a full touch-screen interface.
Major mobile phone manufacturers have agreed on a single type of charge connector. This shld mean that by next year we should only need one type of charger for any phone.

Windows 7 Beta version - it's here!

It's arrived...the 7th version of Microsoft's dominant Windows operating system. Although only a beta, or test version, news of its release was made by CEO Bulmer to an excited audience at CES in Las Vegas last week.It was available for limited download from last Friday Jan 9th. The huge rush to try it out has taken Microsoft by surprise,many people were unable to get anywhere near it over the weekend. Perhaps that says something about the less than popular Windows Vista, now in its second year.
Windows 7 as it is currently known, is scheduled to launch around the end of this year or beginning of 2010. First impressions are very good. Having installed it as a dual-boot (with XP),trouble free on a PC and Laptop,it loaded all device drivers successfully on both. It managed to install a shared printer over the wireless network no problem; something that can be a real pain with Vista. GoToMyPC works with the new ie8, but there seem to be some issues with Outlook Web Access, mainly trying to compose a new message.
Win7 looks very much like Vista, but feels very smooth, with none of the 'memory hogging' antics of Vista. There are some stunning desktop backgrounds and the presence of the transparent 'aero desktop' makes for a swish operation.Minimizing a window onto the bottom taskbar shows as a reasonable size icon, and moving your cursor over it reveals a pleasing thumbnail image, reminding you of what you were doing.
Internet Explorer has been upgraded to version 8 and has some additional add-ons.
Owing to the simultaneous launch of the new Windows Live, advantages are there for those with an MSN account (known as a Passport of Live ID) as web pages integrate nicely with mail, photo upload pages, and even Facebook should you so desire.
Well better get back to it, and will report back later!

Newsflash - patch for ie7 to be released today

Following on from the security special on Internet Explorer 7 on yesterday. Today Microsoft are to release a patch to fix the problems mentioned. It should be available on the Windows Update website later today: Weds 17 Dec. Remember other browsers are available, see previous post for details.

Internet Explorer 7 security special - Peter Levy Show 16 Dec 08

I was asked do a 'security special' on Tues 16 Dec, on the subject of a new flaw found in Internet Explorer 7 - the browser that most people use to get online. A security flaw had been reported that could compromise a computer if one of around 10,000 infected websites is visited. The flaw was apparently exploited by websites in China but like these things normally do, it could spread globally. Microsoft have been working urgently to fix this flaw. Users are recommended to use an alternative browser such as Firefox, or Opera or Safari, or the new one from Google called Chrome. These are all available to download for free and do not require any other set up after normal installation.Download from: www.mozilla.org, www.opera.com, www.apple.com/safari or www.google.com/chrome

Radio Humberside Lara Show 05 Nov 08

Keyboard Shortcuts: Today we talked about useful keyboard shortcuts. Why not make use of that mysterious 'Windows' key, that sits next to the Ctrl key on your keyboard. Press it once to bring up the Start Menu, but it can also perform some useful functions when combined with other letter keys. For instance, hold down the Windows key and press E to open My Computer, or press F to open Find. Another rarely used key called 'Alt' can be combined with the Tab key to toggle between applications that you have open on your screen. If you use Windows Vista you can go one better and hold the Windows key and press Tab to have the applications rotate in the middle of the screen in 'picture form'.

TO DOWNLOAD OUR HANDY SHORTCUT CARD, CLICK HERE!
For anyone that doesn't want to download, just send an sae to our address shown on the first page of our site.

Today with Lara we also talked about mobile broadband, the catchphrase being 'dongles' which is basically the little piece of equipment that plugs into your computer and gets you online using mobile networks. You can sign up for mobile broadband with any of the major networks. Call into one their stores or go online for details. Prices start from around £10 per month.Importantly check coverage in the area you want to use it, and the return policy if you find it not satisfactory.

Internet Security Breakfast Special

Humberside police have reported how local businesses are being targeted by criminals and fraudsters, Andy Comfort's breakfast show on BBC Radio Humberside invited Richard Mills in to talk on the security aspects of this...

Anyone using a computer on the Internet. particularly for business, should do a 1-2-3 security check
Updates / antivirus / firewall

Make sure you are getting the latest security updates for your software, mainly Windows and Internet Explorer, or other browsers such as Firefox and Opera.

Ensure your anti virus (and anti spyware) programs are up to date and working. It is no good having one that came with the computer 3 years ago, if you haven't paid a subscription to update it.

Firewall - make sure you have on - either Windows own one, which should be switched on by default (check in Control Panel), or get proprietary one from another supplier

If your computer is not secure, it is like leaving the front door open to anyone that wants to come in and help themselves.

Do an audit of your equipment, particulalry if you are running a business, you shouldn't be using a 7 year old computer, or one you acquired from someone else, or even the home PC that the whole family uses to downloads all sorts.

Wireless networks: if you have one make sure it is secured (encrypted) there are plenty that aren't! Look in the wireless connection utility (in Windows) and see what the name of your network is (don't use your own name) and whether it says 'Secured'. If not, get it secured asap, or someone else could be using it, or even getting into your PC!