Let there be hope...
Life has changed there is no doubt and we wanted to reach out to see how you are doing.
As we go through this interesting time, we are trying to look at this as an opportunity to focus on our family and on friends like you. Let us use this extra time to catch up and talk more. Let us cook food that is not fast, but interesting and satisfying. Let us learn to enjoy a time to try new things. Let us find ways to enjoy time at home!
Computer Security
If my client base is any experience, anyone can be a victim of a Ransomware, Malware or Virus attack.
What can you do about it?
I conduct audits of your entire computer infrastructure and apply best practice solutions to plug the security holes on your computers, Smartphones and networks.
Now offering consultations to give you the best protection possible:
404.229.0839
carlthorne@hthcatlanta.com
Home » Archives for February 2016
12:57 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
Some 87 million people need to renew their passports this year, so the whole process could take way longer.
Think you don’t need to apply for a new passport until your
existing one is six months from expiring? Think again. The State
Department has just advised travelers whose passports expire any time in
2016 or 2017 to get a jump on the process, as there’s soon to be a backlog in renewal requests.
The uptick in requests comes as a consequence to two things: the REAL ID act, which requires travelers from 25 U.S. states and territories
to use a passport for domestic flights, and the enormous number of
citizens who signed up for a passport in 2006 or 2007, when...
10:45 AM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
When
it launched the iPhone in 2007, Apple essentially created the
touchscreen keyboard as we all now know it. But until 2014, Apple’s own
built-in keyboard was the only game in town for iPhone. Then, with iOS
8, the company enabled third-party developers to create alternative
keyboards (which, it must be admitted, had by then been available on the
Android operating system for years).
Since
then, all kinds of alternative iOS keyboards have appeared in the App
Store. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites, which each do something
useful that the iOS default can’t.
One
word of caution before you download any of them: Most of the
third-party keyboards we’ve tested require you...
10:37 AM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
If you use Windows 10, or the older Windows 8.1, you're familiar with
the Windows lock screen. This is the screen where you log in to your
account, either during startup or after locking your computer. Aside
from the log-in area, the lock screen's main features is the
eye-catching background image that changes regularly.
However, it
looks like in Windows 10, Microsoft might be starting to use the lock
screen image for advertising. A number of people are reporting seeing a
lock screen image of a newly released game called "Rise of the Tomb
Raider" with a link to buy it in the Windows Store. If lock screen
advertising doesn't sound like something you want,...
10:34 AM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
You've probably heard the alarming statistic that more than 12
million Americans have their identity stolen every year. In 2015,
according to Javelin Strategy & Research, it was actually 13.1
million with $15 billion stolen. The average victim lost $1,100.
Still,
it's surprisingly easy to hear those big numbers and think that it will
happen to someone else and not to you. Even if you worry about it
momentarily, with everything else going on your busy life you probably
put it off for later. Before you feel too confident, however, take this
quick quiz.
Answer
these questions honestly. Let’s see how much you really know about what
criminals are targeting. Just answer...
12:24 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
You use Google for everything. If you're at work, home, or school,
the first thing you do when you're looking for information is probably a
Google search.
There's a good reason for that. You just type in a word or expression, or just ask Google's virtual assistant Google Now,
and in seconds you've got your answer. You can do easy searches, such
as finding someone's biography, or complicated searches that'll give you
results from university papers and journals.
But, you use Google for a lot more than searches. You use Google Maps
to get driving directions and Google Street View to experience a city
as if you're there. You use Google to read books, listen to music,...
12:01 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
T-Mobile customers might have the best customer care in the industry, but it’s Verizon
that provides the most consistent network. In the latest report from
RootMetrics, Verizon took home its fifth consecutive title for overall
network performance among the top four wireless carriers in the U.S.,
ranking first in five of the six categories.
READ MORE: Apple’s biggest product disasters of all time
The
independent test from RootMetrics took place across all 50 states,
examining reliability, speed, call, text, network and overall
performance. Verizon was unchallenged in five categories and tied for
first place in text performance.
Of
the 300...
11:59 AM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
If you find yourself constantly running up against your monthly
data cap, you can get an extra 2GB per month for free for the rest of
your life thanks to a new offer from Verizon.
All you have to do is upgrade or activate a new phone with device
payment on XL or larger Verizon Plans, and you’ll get an extra 24GB of
data every year to use for as long as you’re a Verizon subscriber.
MUST SEE: This video may make you think twice about upgrading to iOS 10
Now, this also means you’ll have to pay for one of Verizon’s pricier
data plans — its XL plan gives you 12GB of data for $80 per month and
its XXL plan gives you 18GB of data for $100 per month. So the only...
8:35 AM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
Fiona MacDonald writes with a quandary relating to getting rid of pictures she doesn’t want:
With photos taken on my iPad or iPhone, unless I delete them from the
device immediately, am I unable to get rid of them on my iMac? Now,
with a less than perfect Wi-Fi signal to my new Apple TV, these same
photos are taking aeons trying to load onto the Apple TV device.
This almost certainly relates to My Photo Stream
(as it’s called in iOS 9 and El Captain), which works with iCloud, but
is distinct and separate from iCloud Photo Library’s syncing. The fact
that two interrelated options exist that seem to provide the same
function has confused more people than just Fiona.
iCloud Photo...
8:31 AM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
Has your Netflix account been hacked? There have been several recent reports about hackers selling Netflix, HBO and Spotify streaming accounts for as little as $0.25 for a lifetime subscription on the Dark Web. Could you be one of the victims? There are a few ways to tell. First, you'll want to check your account using these steps:
Click on your account icon in the top right hand of the screen.
Select "Your Account."
Select
"Viewing Activity." If there are titles showing up that you didn't
watch, that's the first red flag - but everything could appear normal.
Don't stop there.
Select "Recent Account Access." Here, you should see only your...
6:35 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
A polarizing legal debate that's engulfed the nation has almost everyone talking.
Should Apple be forced to help the FBI unlock a phone belonging
to a terrorist? The arguments are simple enough, but the ramifications
and precedent that they set could undermine trust at the foundations of
Silicon Valley, one of the largest industries in the world.
US judge Sheri Pym ruled Tuesday that the
iPhone and iPad maker must provide a tool that would allow federal...
6:20 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
Everyone likes to save money, which is why we give you several money-saving suggestions every week, from booking directly with hotels to ways that you can stop wasting printer ink. Today we're bringing you not one, not two, but five areas to save money.
These
are things you might not even realize you're spending money on, or that
someone convinced you are a good idea when they really aren't. So,
strap in and let's start saving.
1. Rental cable modems
We talk a lot about saving on your cable bill,
because it's one of the bigger ones you probably have. However, even
when you've cut it down as low as you can go, there's a charge in your
bill that you might not have noticed:...
6:14 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
Google Maps is one of the most powerful tools available on your
computer, smartphone or tablet. It can help you get to your destination,
find places to get gas or eat, see remote locations at ground level,
view satellite and terrain features and so much more. If you don't have
Google Maps, you're just missing out.
Even better, the mapping
service gets regular updates with cool new features. The best part is
that it's free for personal AND business use. When you're trying to
bring your business overhead under control, any great free tool is
welcome news. For personal use, well, let's say you don't have to fold a
map anymore.
Google
Maps can probably do much more...
6:06 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
For an aggravating 36 hours, my phone had no service overseas: It showed no trace of T-Mobile’s free but low-speed international roaming. I
tried switching it in and out of Airplane Mode. I fiddled with its
cellular network settings. I wondered if there was something weird about
T-Mobile’s roaming arrangements in Israel. And then I finally solved
the problem by doing what I should have done when I first saw the “no
signal” message on the screen.
I shut down and restarted the phone.
That
worked for the reason it usually does: Even theoretically simple
digital devices have multiple software processes going on behind the
scenes. Each of those processes can suffer...
5:40 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
One of the nice things about Windows is that there are so many
third-party programs available. If you need a word processor, you can
use Microsoft's Word, or the free LibreOffice, AbiWord, or any one of dozens of other options. Don't want to use Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge? Chrome and Firefox are a download away.
Even
better, Windows lets you choose your default programs. That way when
you click a link, or double-click on a document, photo, video file or
music file, it opens in your program of choice. Unfortunately, Windows
10 has decided it doesn't want to play nice with third-party programs
anymore.
The
problem started with the latest round of Windows updates,...
6:49 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
Last fall, Facebook users began receiving an alarming email warning. "For
security reasons, your account will be disabled permanently," said the
email. To confirm your identity, the message—which was signed by the
"Facebook Team"—instructed users to click on a link and log into what
looked like a real Facebook page.
But this email had nothing to do with Facebook. It was a phishing (pronounced “fishing”) scam, a form of identity theft
in which hackers use fraudulent websites and fake emails to attempt to
steal your personal data, especially passwords and credit card
information. Phishing scammers send emails that appear to come from
trustworthy sources such...
1:30 PM
High Tech House Calls, Expert Computer Consulting
If
you’ve got an aging smartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, TV, or other
piece of tech gear, you might be thinking about replacing it sometime
this year. Question is, when this year would be the best time to buy?
The
answer depends primarily on the kind of gadget you’re buying and the
brand(s) you prefer. Here are our best conjectures about when to buy the
hardware and other tech stuff you want this year.
Mobile devices
When
it comes to smartphones and tablets, the best time to get the
latest/greatest and the best time to get a great deal are often one and
the same. That’s because, as vendors release new models, they often keep
the previous generation on the market, but...
