Newsletter 2015.01

 
 

Welcome to the METHOD IT Newsletter for January 2015

Big Microsoft Month

Microsoft held a special event on January 21 to give us a glimpse of what’s coming in Windows 10 later this year, announcing free OS upgrades along with demonstrations of Surface Hub, an 84-inch touchscreen whiteboard that will change the way we do meetings, and HoloLens, an augmented reality headset straight out of a Sci-Fi movie.

Get up to speed on free Windows 10 and its new features, Surface Hub, HoloLens, Office 2016 and more in our roundup of videos and reviews.

METHOD IT Now Surface Reseller

We are pleased to announce we’ve become a reseller of Microsoft Surface hardware. After testing the Surface Pro 3 out at work we were incredibly impressed – so much so we’ve made the switch from separate tablets and laptops ourselves.

These recently released video case studies show more real-life examples of how switching to Surface Pro 3 can transform small business computing.

Contact us now for quotes and demonstrations.

Tips & Tricks

Master MS Office Shortcuts

15 function-key strokes that will have you zipping around Microsoft Office.
Read more »

Avoiding Security Breaches

With high profile corporate hacks making headlines, it’s wise to adopt an ‘assume breach’ mindset and ask these five questions in your organization.
Read more »

Small Business SEO in 2015

Tips for improving small business website visibility in Search Engines with a focus on current trends.
Read more »

Windows 7 Mainstream Support Ends

Windows 7 exited mainstream support on January 13, 2015. Getting behind the fearmongering, what does this really mean?
Read more »

News from the Web

CES 2015 Highlights

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a major annual technology-related trade show held in Las Vegas that offers a preview of upcoming trends and new gear.
Get a roundup of the best on show this year including things for the Internet of Things, advances in virtual reality, a new model for TV distribution, drones, 3D printers, wearables, self-driving cars, and signs of a PC market revitalized by a new breed of laptops.

Dumb Password Users Get Smarter

The results for 2014 are in – ‘123456’ and ‘password’ held on to the number one and two slots in the top 25 most leaked passwords for yet another year. Things are improving though, the number of people using such obvious passwords is on a steady decline.

Facebook at Work Launched

Stepping into YammerJive, and Chatter territory, Facebook recently launched the beta of Facebook at Work, a closed version of the social network free of ads and data tracking, designed for use within a single company.

iPhone Tops Half of Japanese Mobile Market

Following the release of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple seized a record share of the mobile phone market in Japan and South Korea. By November 2014, 51% of smartphones in Japan and 33% in South Korea were Apple devices.

Line Launches Taxi App in Japan

Taking on Uber on the home turf, massively popular Japanese chat app Line has just launched a taxi booking service for Tokyo in conjunction with Nihon Kotsu. Line Taxi is available with no extra install from inside the Line messaging app.

Selfies One-upped by Dronies

Zano is a new crowdfunded project for a drone connected to your smartphone. The ‘nano drone’ fits in the palm of your hand and can hover up to 30 meters away, letting you take snaps of yourself from the sky.