Microsoft Surface

As we are entering what is referred to as the “Post PC Era”, more and more consumers and business workers have been mobilizing their lives through the use of laptops, smart phones, and tablets. Thanks to modern networking technology, we are no longer tied down to specific geographic locations in order to access resources such as the internet or our work. We can be connected wherever we go.

This new widespread connectivity has led to the popularity of tablets. It is no secret that the iPad has dominated this particular market in the recent years. While there have been other good products out there, the iPad has set the standard.

Microsoft has realized the importance of a mobile and easy to carry computer for today’s user. They have seen the success of the iPad, and they have decided to build their very own. This new tablet is called Microsoft Surface. The tablet will come in two forms; a basic model running Windows RT for the consumer market and a more advanced model running Windows 8 Pro for business users. The basic model comes equipped with an ARM processor being available with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, while the advanced model will sport an Intel processor and can handle 64GB or 128GB of storage.

The Surface will have some new consumer based features such as forward and rear facing cameras. It will come with a magnetic cover that when removed will be used as a pressure sensitive keyboard and it will have a built in USB, microSD, as well as Micro HD ports. Using the Windows 8 Operating system, it will have endless uses. Much of the success of this new product, however, will depend on the availability of new applications and its price.

On paper this new addition to the Tablet market looks pretty impressive, but will it become the iPad’s next top competitor? More information on the Surface can be found on Microsoft’s website.

The TechFarmer team is eager to try this tablet out. Check back soon for a detailed review of this new technology.

Four Mile Historic Park Fling

At TechFarmer, computers and technology aren’t our only focus. We take pride in being active members of our community and we love to express interest toward various charities and community projects. History happens to be one of our fortes, so naturally we jumped at the opportunity to support Denver’s Four Mile Historic Park. The park, housing Denver’s oldest standing residential structure dating back to the mid 1800’s, sits one the border of Denver and Glendale.

Four Mile Historic Park will be having their annual “Fling” in an effort to raise funds. The money raised will go toward the preservation of the buildings in the park, education, and the care of the animals that have made the park home.

The Fling will be held on Thursday, September 13^th at 5:30PM. TechFarmer will be present and we will be donating several items to the silent auction. Tickets can be purchased at Four Mile’s website. Come join us for food, fun, and a great way to support Colorado’s beautiful history!

Outlook.com

It appears that at some point Microsoft will be doing away with Hotmail and replacing it with Outlook.com in an attempt to stay competitive with Google’s G-mail. In addition to competition received from G-mail, Microsoft has lost many users due to the emergence of alternative methods of communication such as texting or posting on social media sites.

Microsoft has run Hotmail since 1998 and since its creation, little has been done to change the format of this service.  The designers at Microsoft decided that it was time for a change. Not only will the site look different, it will act different. The service will change from Hotmail.com to Outlook.com and it will be interfaced with the same social media sites that it's competing with.  A large effort to increase security and privacy will go into the development of Outlook.com. One thing that will set them apart from G-mail is their placement of advertisements. As opposed to G-mail, which will look at the content of incoming emails and tailor ads accordingly, Outlook.com claims to never scan the contents of its user’s e-mails.

A nice addition to this new e-mail system is it’s interface with Microsoft’s Skydrive. This is a cloud storage program that enables the user to send out emails with larger files attached. No more blasting out e-mails ten at a time to share the latest vacation pics.

An easy and supposedly seamless transition from Hotmail to Outlook should be achieved if the user opts for the upgrade. There is no date set for this transition to happen but hopefully it will be as smooth as Microsoft claims. the latest word on Outlook.com can be found on Microsofts website.

Password Security

The cloud has revolutionized the way in which we store data, communicate, and perform our work. It has simplified our lives as users by keeping us connected with all of our devices and information anytime, anywhere.  

The downside of this service is the fact that if someone manages to get access to our login information, they instantly have access to our entire digital lives. In some cases this is can be our whole life.

A Senior Writer at Wired Magazine learned this lesson the hard way. Hackers managed to gain access to his Apple account through social engineering. In his written account of what went down, he explains how once they accessed this account, they were able to in turn have access to every other account and device he owned, including his phone, tablet, and PC. This was a wakeup call as to the power of the cloud.

As users, what can we do to prevent this from happening? One of the easiest and most common ways hackers break into accounts is by obtaining or cracking login credentials. These usually consist of a username and password. We can help to prevent this through the use of strong passwords. Passwords containing dictionary words, even if they have numbers attached to them can be easily broken by what is referred to as a brute force attack through the use of software. The best passwords contain seemingly random upper and lower- case letters, numbers, and symbols. A three year old can mash a keyboard and produce an uncrack-able password. The trick is remembering it.

I’m sure everyone has been in an office at some point and seen the token “username and password written on a sticky-note” stuck to a computer monitor. I wouldn’t suggest this as a means of remembering your information.
Catch phrases are a great way of remembering. An example would be MFBSIJB007! “My favorite British spy is James Bond 007!” There are also great free programs out there like KeePass, which will encrypt and store your login information; they can even create passwords for you.

Creating and remembering a strong password can be one of the most powerful and simple ways of securing your online world.

MyGilbert App

This is a pretty humorous example of what can be achieved, or encouraged through the development of certain applications. According to App Advice, the town of Gilbert, Arizona is a pleasant covenant controlled community. It is a clean suburban environment with demographics pointing toward an above average household income for its residents. From an outside perspective it seems like a quiet, laid back and very clean community. The residents and town officials take pride in maintaining this image. Gilberts Municipality helps out by enforcing any code violations that could reduce the appearance or quality of living in their town.

The Town of Gilbert takes this responsibility seriously. They have recently turned to their citizens for help in the ongoing crackdown on code violations. They have developed a free application available to residents of Gilbert that enables them to report code violations with the click of a button. This app essentially allows residents to anonymously tattle on their neighbors. Once the app is running, there is a drop down list of violations to choose from, such as “Weeds,” “Swimming Pool-Green,”  “Building W/O a Permit,” or everyone’s favorite, “Barking Dog.” Once the specific violation is found, there is the option to take up to four pictures of the violation as well as the option to record audio. Next, the citizen enters the perpetrators address, and the report is ready to be sent up the chain.

As fun as this seems, it gives a new definition to Nasty Neighbors.  Check out more interesting apps in this months newsletter coming out on the 15th, at TechFarmer.com.