IT Support Liverpool | IT Answers Blog

The end of cheap viewing for “frugal” people?

28/07/2010 – 12:39 pm

Remember the song ‘the best things in life are free’? Well, they were lying.

Up until now, viewers have been able to watch TV online for free but as of next year this could all change.

The current TV license is £145, but by watching ‘catch up tv’ online people are avoiding this fee and the government are now worried that they will eventually stop watching live tv all together and stick to online viewing.

The BBC iPlayer is one of the most popular online players and the BBC’s technology chief said that he feels people are getting a ‘free ride’ by watching all of their programmes for no cost online. A survey conducted has shown that around 40% of students now use the online player as their main source of viewing.

So, what are they proposing?

There are numerous ideas being thrown about inlcuding PC licensing fee, iPlayer fee or an extra ‘online viewing’ cost on your TV license. We are of course just playing a guessing game at the moment as nothing will be discussed until next year.

However, one thing seems certain. Viewers may not be able to get away without paying to watch their favourite programmes for much longer.

By Cheryl Hilton

Fact Friday – The year of the 3D Television

23/07/2010 – 11:51 am

2010 marks the start of the ’3D era’, which means that many of us are throwing away our recently purchased shiny new TVs and replacing them with a costly 3D TV (and a pair of silly glasses).

But what’s really involved?

3DTV is the latest technology since HDTV was introduced and there any now currently 39 channels currently broadcasting in HD in the UK.

As we know, 3D movies have proved to be extremely popular since they were introduced to the big screen and critics now believe they will be just as popular in our homes.

Sony are the first to bring out this new technology and their price for 40″ screen will be around £1,700 (and you thought it was going to be expensive!). As we know, there will be lesser names who join in the market and will more than likely charge a lower price.

So…what are the facts?

An estimated 2.2 million 3DTVs will be sold in 2010.

By 2013 more than 25 percent of all televisions sold will be 3DTVs.

Most audio companies will introduce 3D compatible surround sound receivers.

3D glasses will only work with the same model TV (e.g. Sony).

Most TV’s will ship with one set of glasses included.

Sony’s cheapest 3D glass are £99.

Blu-Ray players and DVD’s are now available.

Sky will officially launch their ‘Sky 3D’ channel on 1st October. It will show a mixture of sports and movies.

By Cheryl Hilton

Are you UporNot? Companies losing revenue due to ‘avoidable’ website downtime

13/07/2010 – 4:25 pm

Hot topic of the week here at our digital marketing and PR division QuadroNation has to be website downtime.

Every day, thousands (or even millions) of companies around the globe are losing essential revenue because their website is suffering from outage.

And the worse part about this? They don’t even know that its happening.
Just in this week alone, online giants Amazon and Twitter, and also pop star extraordinaire Lady Gaga have all had technical problems with their sites, meaning a loss of up to three hours. The same happens to companies everywhere from SMEs starting out to firms that have been established for years and boast more than 20 different offices.

In an article published by CNN, the founder of WordPress Matt Mullenweg informed companies that nearly every site around the globe may be affected by ‘black swan’ events every now and then.  He told the global news provider that ‘in these moments of crisis, the key is how the service and the people behind it respond.’

I totally agree with Mr Mullenweg, however, I think that businesses can stop their websites from experiencing downtime fairly easily and without spending a fortune. In fact, after several customer requests and in a bid to prove my theory correct, we have decided to launch our own website monitoring service called UporNot that alerts clients of when their site is not working as it should.

For as little as £7, a company could literally save thousands… or even millions. Downtime affects so many services and I suspect it will increasingly continue to affect advertising revenues too. Most worrying of all, outage can have a detrimental impact on your brand as if a customer tries to visit your site and it is not working, why will they ever want to visit it again?

It’s time for businesses to become more aware of the problem or they risk losing more than just a few minutes of their website…

www.upornot.com

By Cheryl Hilton

Are you a Mac or a PC?

24/06/2010 – 4:58 pm

As someone who has used PC for years I decided to buy an iMac a year ago to see what all the fuss was about.

‘Problem-free, faster’ and ‘they just work’ were some of the comments from people who had converted, so I was looking forward to getting my hands on one as soon as I could.

If I’m completely honest, the main reason I bought the Mac was purely cosmetic. But let’s face it, that’s why most people buy them too. It took a while getting used to but as a lot of people had said, it seemed a lot ‘easier’ than a PC. I must admit though, I missed Windows.

Unfortunately, after roughly 3 months I turned it on one morning to find a white screen with an Apple logo frozen in the middle. So I took my new Mac (you know, the ‘problem free’ one) back to the shop to find out that it was a hard drive failure & the drive would have to be replaced. Perfect.

A week later I brought my Mac home (again). I missed it! Once you’ve used ‘Spotlight’ & ‘Expose’ it’s hard to live without them. The Mac is starting to become a must for all the designers out there.

After a few more months of use, it seemed to slow down a lot and as I am writing this I was faced with another ‘white screen of death’ last night which, thanks to a few reboots, slaps & harsh words, seems to be working ok again, for now.

But this is not to say I haven’t had my share of problems with PCs. I have. Fortunately, I didn’t put myself through the trauma of Vista as so many other people before me had, so that was one thing in my favour.

Mac within the business environment.

The Mac is purely about design for me and I’m not sure it will ever overtake Microsoft in the business world.

Macs would be wasted in a normal working environment. Imagine trying to explain to one of your staff, whose current job consists of using Microsoft Word, the benefits of ‘Expose’ and ‘Dashboard’.

Although, it seems ideal for designers. Photoshop, Filezilla & Cyberduck seem to be some of the most popular programs for all web designers.

I think it depends on your business & what you need from your system. It’s not a decision that should be rushed because you ‘just want a Mac’, that’s how computers get thrown out of windows!

So the question is…PC or Mac?

For me, PC is still my choice. Yes, the problems I have had with my Mac has made me slightly bitter but I guess it just comes down to the fact that I am just used to how a PC works. That’s not to say I wouldn’t buy another Apple product. I can’t wait to get my hands on the new iPad!

PC or Mac, there are always going to be good & bad points but it’s just about finding what you like using the best and what suits your needs.

By Dave Jackson

Entourage Vs Outlook

04/06/2010 – 12:47 pm

Is Exchange 2007 really a ‘step in the right direction’ for Mac users?

As with most things, Microsoft still has the advantage over Apple in the business market with one of the most sought after software products being Exchange. A lot of people in the business world can’t live without it, so what happens if you decide to leave your PC behind and go in to the world of the Mac?

As with most Microsoft products, it’s not fully developed for the Apple platform but could Exchange 2007 finally have some stability for Mac users?

Well let’s look at the most popular email client for Mac – Entourage.

Entourage is used by a lot of Mac users. It’s the closest thing to Outlook, not quite having all the options, but it works. If you compare the capabilities of Outlook & Entourage, you’re going to find a lot more crosses in the boxes of the latter, but if it sends & receives mail does this matter?

Of course Entourage 2008 is supported by Exchange 2000, 2003 & 2007, so what actually makes Exchange 2007 different? I think the key thing is stability. Apple seem to have worked out a lot of bugs from previous versions of Entourage to ensure business users can easily adapt to the platform. As we all know, Apple want people to move from PCs in their business to Macs, so they have got to make sure there is the stability & support for this setup.

Exchange 2007 seems to do the trick for the Mac users who are wanting a stable Exchange setup without having to be on the PC platform. PC users will always have the better support for such software but Exchange seems to gel a lot nicer with the Entourage 2008 than its predecessors. This recent version also includes email & calendar support which seemed to fall short in previous versions.

BUT…change is ahead!!

Microsoft have recently announced that the next version of Office for Mac will arrive in late 2010…with Outlook REPLACING Entourage. That’s right, after all the work that’s been put in to Entourage, Microsoft are changing the setup! I have to say though, I am glad. I much prefer Outlook over Entourage. It is the original email client & as it’s a Microsoft product it is fully supported. Of course Entourage is a Microsoft product, but the production was overseen by Apple. Outlook is clearly the better option as Mac users already rely on Microsoft products such as Exchange and the Office suite, both of which are commonly used on the Mac. What better way for Mac users to make sure there are no problems than to use a proven product on their platform?

Although Microsoft calls it more of a “name change” than anything, you can be assured they will put their mark on it. The Mac version of Outlook will still differ from the PC version (you didn’t really think Microsoft were going to make it that easy did you?!) but the most important features will be available so I don’t think it will be anything to worry about.

On a positive note, Exchange will have a better compatibility with Outlook on the Windows platform. This, for me, is always a must for businesses, as a lot of people are still caught up in the debate over which to use, PC or Mac, so there tends to be a lot of mixing of platforms used.

We will see next year what the outcome of this change is…!

By Andrew Hilton

Blackberry versus iPhone

07/05/2010 – 3:48 pm

Lets begin with the fact that I am all for the iPhone. It is not that I don’t appreciate the Blackberry or believe that it does not give you what you want! But I am going to start by saying the iPhone wins hands down.

The Blackberry

Blackberry configuration can be so varied as it depends on the type of Blackberry service that you have. Telecoms providers are not always clear with the customers and sometimes the package the customers is on is not correct for them. Often for Blackberry-to-be users, there are simply too many different usage options to choose from! Which sounds like it could be beneficial, but it isn’t, it’s is very confusing for newcomers!

It’s simple; what does a business user want? I can answer that question for you:

Email Synchronisation
Calendar synchronisation
Contacts synchronisation
To work consistently

Below are the three ways you can use your email with Blackberry:

BES – Blackberry Enterprise Server, also known as Blackberry Professional software. This software has to be integrated with your Microsoft Exchange System, therefore installation time has to be planned (time consuming). On completion of this, the Blackberry handhelds have to be manually configured (time consuming again). However the final result is that you have your calendar, contacts and email all synchronising simultaneously…… finally! I am sure you have guessed by now that this overwhelms your time both for you and for we technicians. Oh, and I forgot to mention that you have to hope that your Server and BES want to be friends and get long like adults, otherwise we could spend yet more time looking into why they won’t get along!

BIS – Blackberry Internet Service account – You would use this web interface in order to receive your email. Note – you will only receive email, no calendar or contacts! Maybe handy and great for personal use, but in business terms is this something that you would really want?

BDM – Blackberry Desktop Manager – This has caused me many brain haemorrhages! If you use Blackberry Desktop Manager while using BES as well, don’t expect to get away from the dreaded ‘RIM’ errors or wondering why all of a sudden you are not receiving your email. I also mustn’t leave out the BIS setup on this one as this likes to throw a strop every now and then when BDM is installed, it just gets so confused it doesn’t know were to send from… what a corker, hey!

The iPhone

In all its beauty and all its glory, the iPhone stands loud and proud…. So it should!

Do you like simplicity and the fact that you just want something to work?

Well the iPhone can look you in the eye and say it can. I have witnessed it with my own eyes many times. It is not just down to the cosmetic look and feel of this product; that is a bonus and more businesses are starting to realise how great it is. It is also about how easy it is to access your email, calendar and contacts and the fact that it works…. That’s all that matters after all!

Providing you use a Microsoft Exchange Server which the majority of businesses do, you have the ability to synchronise your mailbox in the office with your iPhone with NO additional software installation required on your system!!

Speak to your IT Team to assist you with the set-up or, if you are more keen on gadget DIY, obtain the details you need and you will discover that the set-up is completed in less than 5 minutes! Time is precious remember and do you really want to go through the stress of planning the implementation and server downtime, all for the sake for your calendar and contacts to synch?

I know this is hard to believe, but provided that your details are correct, it’s true… easy, simple and time efficient. The set-up is also quite user friendly and the information that the iPhone asks for makes sense.

Costs

I understand that this is what it boils down to – ‘the costs’.

Okay, we have established time is precious, you rely on time, you also rely on your calendar to know what you are doing that day. You need those contacts and, of course your mail, to synch simultaneously. Here is top and tail of this deal:

Blackberry – You will have to pay:

Licence per user cost
Blackberry bolt-on to enable you to receive your mail, this is a continuous payment.
You may even incur costs for the implementation by your IT or a third party vendor. But you must also consider business time and money being consumed all for the sake of an installation.

iPhone – You would have pay that bit extra on top of your contract for the pure fact you have an iPhone.

Cost to install: none
Licence Cost: None
Bolt On Cost: none
Install Time: 5 -10 mins (if that).

The extra cost for the phone does not compare to the costs involved for the Blackberry and the time and effort that it takes just to make sure that you get what is right for you and the business.

I am not anti-blackberry but I can honestly say hand on heart that clients I have dealt with have never looked back once they experienced the iPhone!

If you are interested in the iPhone or even the Blackberry, then please contact the IT Answers office on 0871 200 2446 and along with our partners 02 we can help you get setup with your mobile connectivity solution.

By Cheryl Lee

iPad

15/04/2010 – 4:21 pm

So iPad then hey….yeah….iPod, iPhone now iPad (they all begin with P? what was wrong with my suggestion of iSlap or iMugging?)…..won’t be long, the rate these guys are going, before it will be iEverything!…but what’s it really like?….and do we need this?

I haven’t got hold of one of these yet but on first glance they look really cool……I mean after all, this is Apple we are talking about so what do we expect? But essentially, to me, this device looks in style and function just like a large iPhone and nothing more. In fact, purchasers of the basic iPad will actually be getting less for their money than a standard original iPhone, as the cheaper models of iPad do not even come with 3G technology and even those that do will need a contract with a mobile provider. You can get the standard model but for a bit more money, you can get a Wi-Fi model or a Wi-Fi+ 3G.

I think everyone who may be thinking of getting one of these should first ask themselves…..”Am I really going to use this any more than my iPhone?”……and …”Am I really going to get this huge thing out on the bus and start watching a movie?”……yes, that’s correct peeps…..you may as well have a big sign on your head saying “Take my iPad…yes, this one, I clearly don’t value my own life so here have my new £400 executive toy!” I feel that a good hard look at human nature is required by all of us here before a purchase is made. Can we not, as a species, WAIT until we arrive at a destination that has graced us with the use of its television set or computer? Whilst mobile computing is clearly on the up, with more and more businesses moving over to Cloud computing (more on this soon) I think it may take a while before the general population will tolerate a prat nonchalantly typing away on a new Star Trek key pad and boasting about how much clearer the images are for him than anyone else. No-one likes a show off!

Now before this goes on and sounds like another Dave Jackson rant(!) let me add another dimension to this which is the fact that I, myself, love my gadgets. I bought an iPhone as soon as they came out, as this was the peak of mobile devices and for me, to this day, still is. I get the impression that the iPad will, and probably should, be used more as a mobile device once you arrive at your destination and not whilst making the journey. This demographic should be firmly in the hands of the “hand held” (the clue is in the words) and not a “Two Hand Held” device. This allows for discretion whilst out and about.

I think the iPad has many practical operations for which most people can find a use. Imagine being able to go through the family photo album, show family and friends, without the need to turn on your PC. Surfing the internet to look something up is literally a touch of a few buttons away, again without the need to wait. For these and its other useful functions, I can’t see anything wrong with the iPad but I do think the market will be a bit more selective about the idea of the space between a phone and a laptop for the general population, to take up this device with any haste.

The iPad supports most graphics formats as well as Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint. With impressive TV and video format support you can’t argue that this little baby is a hot gadget. So for all you gadget heads out there with more money than you know what to do with…go get one!! As for me……I’m off out to get the next two weeks’ shopping in!

By Dave Jackson

IT Answers launch web design division after achieving 60% Growth in the last 12 months

22/03/2010 – 5:32 pm

Leading IT Support and Development Consultancy IT Answers has launched a new web design division after reporting results showing 60% growth in the past 12 months to February 2010.

The Liverpool city centre based business formed by managing director Judith O’Brien, will now market their new service, QuadroNation, globally after landing an impressive roster of new clients in the North West including Pure Lakes, Innov8 Safety Solutions and Door One.

Mrs O’Brien said: “Since IT Answers was formed in 2004, we have continued to see annual growth of between 35-48% year, whilst in the past 12 months the figure has been closer to 60%.

“This has provided the impetus to us taking the decision to expand the business and to also launch QuadroNation.

“As well as focusing on extending our products and services, we are also recruiting more staff and positioning ourselves as a digital marketing solution provider as well as a developer of websites.”

IT Answers currently employs 12 full time staff with additional support from a global resourcing partner and specialist contractors.

Mrs O’Brien, who has more than 22 years experience in IT, added: “Our expansion means we will be able to offer more services to a far more diverse, global target market.

“We have strategised our growth path alongside the industry’s accelerating development. This means our clients are able to utilise the benefits of IT Answers having the most comprehensive and innovative IT and web solutions on the market.”

view the article here:

Liverpool Vision
Liverpool’s in Business
Merseyside Acme

http://www.quadronation.com

By Andrew Hilton

1st Liverpool Duck Race / Last Liver Building Abseil

15/03/2010 – 4:18 pm

Event Date: 10th July 2010
Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Venue: ABSEIL / DUCK RACE Liverpool Liver Buildings Liverpool, L3 1HT
Sponsor Telephone: Contact Appeals on 0151 343 0883

Ticket: £15 for Abseil (plus minimum sponsorship required).
Ticket Price: £15.00

Claire House are very pleased to announce they are currently working with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to put on the last EVER abseil down the Liver Buildings on the 10^th July 2010 and the FIRST ever Liverpool Duck RacePlaces are expected to go like hotcakes (or at least that’s what we are hoping!!) so its best to book your place early.

This abseil comes with a slight twist – So we have included a step by step guide below. Please don’t hesitate to contact Helen on 0151 236 2933 (Liverpool Office)or via email on helenc@claire-house.org.uk if you have any queries.

1) Register your interest on 0151 343 0883.

2) You will receive your starter pack which will include all the information you will need to know about the day, preferences for your time allocation and your registration form.

3) Once we have received your registration form and your £15 deposit we will send out your 2^nd and final pack. This pack will include your time of abseil and your tickets to sell in place of asking for sponsorship.

This is the tricky bit so here goes…..Each ticket represents a numbered rubber duck (the number of the ticket will correspond to the number of your adopted duck). These ducks will get entered into the FIRST ever Liverpool Duck Race at 12 noon on the 10^th July 2010 down at the Pier Head in Liverpool (i.e behind the Liver Building in the Liverpool/Leeds Canal). We are expecting up to 40,000 ducks to be released and there will be dozens of prizes to be won, including a £3000 cash prize for the winning duck and a £500 for a bonus duck.

4) We are asking you to sell 125 tickets at £2. Sponsors can adopt more than 1 duck. This will give Claire House £250 per abseiller.

5) Once you have sold your tickets please send the money into Claire House referencing Liver Building ABSEIL or bring the money along with you on the day of the Abseil. Please note the deadline for handing in the money raised is the 10^th July 2010.

6) We look forward to seeing you on what promises to be a fun filled day for all.

By Judith O'Brien

Microblogging Masterclass In 60 Really Useful Minutes

02/03/2010 – 3:55 pm

Judith O’Brien, MD of IT Answers present a masterclass in online communication and marketing through microblogging.

Since Twitter launched back in March 2006, IT gurus from around the globe have continued to describe it as ‘the world’s most powerful marketing tool’, ‘revolutionary’ and even, ‘the future of the world wide web’.

Judith sees Twitter as something used extensively by people on a personal level and something that is not of direct benefit to businesses.

IT support company IT Answers have started introducing their clients to a range of specific business-led microblogging and collaboration services as – wait for it – an alternative to Twitter.

Most of these collaboration services are free for anyone to use, with charges only being applied for extensions on specific facilities. Unlike Twitter, micro-blogging sites such as Yammer and Presently purposely set out to focus on businesses, and only individuals with the same email domain can join a given network.

Other services like DimDim, Evernote and drop.io better suit some organisations’ needs for collaboration as they offer additional features such as online meeting facilities and information synchronisation across various devices including iPhones.

The power of these collaboration services is that you can be anywhere in the world and still be able to work effectively and productively.

Start: Friday 5 Mar 2010
Time: 09:00 – 10:00

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Number One Old Hall Street
Liverpool
Merseyside

By Judith O'Brien

IT Answers