Month: November 2014

Ayan Quershi from Coventry has become the youngest person to pass the Microsoft Certified Professional exam

Whilst Ayans peers were play fighting, he was building an IT network with his IT Consultant father. He was first introduced to PC hardware at the age of three. His father found that whatever he told Ayan, he would remember everything the next day. Ayan’s mastery of the motherboards convinced his father to enter him for the Microsoft Certified Professional exam. The exam, which takes around two to three hours to complete, includes up to 90 multiple choice questions.

Sample questions on the Microsoft website include:

You have a computer that runs Windows 7. You start the computer and receive the following error message:

BOOTMGR is missing

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart

You then start the computer from the Windows 7 installation media. You need to ensure that the computer successfully starts Windows 7. What are two possible ways to achieve this goal?

A. Run Startup Repair

B. Run System Restore

C. Run Bootrec/RebuildBcd

D. Run Bcdedit/createstore

The father said that the hardest challenge was explaining the language of the test to a five year old. But he seemed to pick it up as he has very good memory.

I think we need to recruit Ayan as our newest member of GEEX

Office 365 users will soon be able to access documents through Dropbox and save them directly to a cloud storage device.

The collaboration will mean a seamless approach to opening documents in dropbox with them the option to open it in Office 365. Users will also be able to share new or edited files from Office 365 applications.

Until now, Office 365 documents have automatically saved to OneDrive and could only be accesses and shared through that cloud service.

Access to this service will be available from the next round of Office Apps updates for iOS and Android which will be available in the next coming weeks.

To find out more about Office 365, read our blog here..

Sony Pictures have dropped Aaron Storkin’s Steve Jobs movie after being in the casting process and moving towards full fledged production.

Following the death of Steve Jobs in 2011, Sony brought the rights to produce a film based on a biography of Mr Jobs written by Walter Isaacson.

It is unknown why Sony dropped the film. The movie is now in turnaround which allows another large studio to purchase and take over. It’s rumoured that Universal Studios will be picking up the movie.

Apple published a patent application to build smoke alarms into future Mac and iOS devices.

 As users move towards a smart home through services like Apples Homekit, devices like Macs, iPhones and iPads could intelligently monitor for signs of a fire and trigger various mechanisms accordingly.

This means in the event of a fire the device will send a text or email alerting them of danger, calling 911 or even activating fire suppression equipment.

Apples patent application is based on a light detection system, with in-build light sensors determining if beams of light are illuminating smoke particles, or whether a certain location is smoke-free.

The device will work out where in your home the fire is and then alert other linked devices. So your iPhone could wake you from a message sent by your Mac.

It seems someone in Copertino has an eye for safety as this isn’t the first time Apple have filed for patents dealing with fires. A recent filed patent shows new halogen free, flame-retardant materials for use in future devices.

You can ‘Oooo’ now.

We have blogged a number of times this year about the iPad Pro. Well now it appears that Apple maybe ditching the iPad Mini in favour of the iPad Pro. You may recall that Apple’s iPad Pro is rumoured to have a screen size around 12-13 inches. It is thought that that it will be slightly thicker than the new iPad Air 2 and it may have stereo speakers and an ultra high definition display. It was thought that the Pro was going to appear in late 2014 but Apple delayed this in order to focus on the iPhone 6.

It is thought that with consumers now preferring larger screen sizes, declining iPad sales and increased competition has led to Apple feeling that the iPad mini is coming to the end of its life cycle. When you consider the recent Apple event the iPad Mini 3 really only gave us Touch ID Support it kind of suggests that Apple aren’t really overly focused on the product.

Apple do have a history of not updating products when they have fallen from grace. Just look at the iPod Touch and the 13” MacBook Pro, these haven’t been updated in years and Apple seems to be letting them have a slow death.

So could October 2014 have witnessed the last iPad Mini and will 2015 bring us the iPad Pro? Only time will tell but with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 being well received amongst businesses the Pro could be just the product that Apple needs in the New Year.

Last week Microsoft caught everybody out by releasing its Microsoft Band. In line with the modern trend this is a fitness focused device that you wear like a watch but it can connect to both iOS and OS X and it will even integrate with Apple’s HeathKit.

Retailing at just $199 and providing two days of runtime of a single charge the band will track your heart rate 24 hours a day. A built in GPS feature allows you to track runs which is a great feature for those of us who do not like running with a phone strapped to your arm or bashing around in your pocket. It is also worth noting that the new Apple Watch does not come with GPS.

Users will also be able to follow routines on the band. It will provide complete work outs telling you when you should stop and rest through a buzz on your wrist. In addition to the “Guided Workout” service you will also be able to test the UV Index at your current location. The Band will even tell you how long it will be before your burn. We can only assume that this was designed with California in mind rather than Birmingham! Even still is a cool addition.

You get the usual smartphoneesque array of features including messaging, mail and calls. To customise the Band you will be able to choose between an array of colour styles and wallpapers. Microsoft is also launching a cloud-based health service called Microsoft Health. This will gather data from both the Microsoft Band and other fitness data gathering devices. The service spans the web and multiple mobile platforms like iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

As fans of all things Apple we often find ourselves having conversations with our customers about how amazing the products are. The new 27” iMac with 5K Retina Display has led to many hours of debate.

So it is rare that we have conversations regarding Apple equipment that uses words such as “hate” or “despise.” However, when it comes to Apple keyboards it would appear that people either love the wireless keyboard or hate the fact that it doesn’t have a numeric keypad.

So if you would like the functionality of the wired numeric keyboard but without the wires then NewerTechnology may have just developed the answer. The aptly named Wireless Aluminium Keypad provides the dedicated numeric keypad set in an aluminium housing that sits perfectly with the wireless keyboard.

Battery powered the keypad pairs with your wireless keyboard via Bluetooth and is connected to the keyboard via a white plastic bracket. Reviews have stated that this is a shame as the keypad itself looks and feels that it has been made by Apple but the white plastic connection lets the aesthetic down.

So if you have always wanted an Apple numeric keyboard but with the look of the wireless keyboard there is now a solution for you.

Last month Apple launched the amazing iPad Air 2 with its upgraded A8X processor, Touch ID, slimmer form factor, improved camera, and more it has been well received. However, we have seen an increasing number of businesses start to turn towards Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 Tablet.

Whilst there could be a number of reasons for this, not lease Microsoft’s claims that the Surface Pro 3 replaces a laptop, the keyboard functionality seems to be a real attraction. Logitech do provide a keyboard cover the iPad Air for around £80 but we have been stuck by the ClamCase Pro for the iPad Air 2.

If you want a more laptop type device then the ClamCase provides a really good solution for you. Retailing for $169 it isn’t the cheapest accessory out there but it does give you a decent sized keyboard that comfortably allows the more skilled amongst us to type at 70 words per minute.

As you would expect from a cover it has all the right holes in all the right places. The only exception being the mute/orientation lock switch. Apart from that the look and feel of the product is spot on for an Apple accessory. To insert your iPad into the ClamCase you simply hold the iPad in landscape, slide it in towards the hinge side and then snap it into the case. Once in the case you can use the iPad like a traditional laptop or fold it back on itself to use in tablet format.

As more and more apps are being developed with keyboard support coupled to the popularity of the Office apps, it would seem that there is an increasing demand for products like the ClamCase. So if you have always wanted to use your iPad more, but felt you couldn’t achieve the productivity levels you wanted then check out the ClamCase.