Newsletter 2012.11

 
 
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Welcome to the METHOD IT Newsletter for November 2012

Go Paperless Plus with iOS & Android

Help improve efficiency, go paperless and engage with clients more effectively by kitting out your sales team with next generation intelligent promotional materials for iOS and Android. Leverage the full power and potential of your mobile devices to enjoy truly innovative experiences with your clients. Contact us for a free consultation on the possibilities for your business.

This month we also recommend investigating Passbook – Apple’s location-sensitive replacement for printed tickets, passes, cards and coupons, just introduced in iOS 6. With very few early adopters in Japan, now is the time to gain maximum exposure and uptake with this exciting new technology. Contact us for a development quote using our simple questionnaire.

Tips & Tricks

Office 365 Web Apps Update

From October 22 – 26 Microsoft rolled out an exciting new upgrade to the cloud-based Office 365. This is a major update for the Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote Web Apps with many new features including touch support for tablets.
Read More >>

Three Important PC Security Updates

Security warnings and fixes for Skype, MS Office and Flash Player were released during October, mainly affecting Windows PCs.
Read More >>

Windows 8 Tips

Free Windows 8 eBook for IT Pros
Tons of useful resources for deploying the new Windows 8 in the enterprise can be found in the latest Microsoft TechNet newsletter, including video introductions to key features and a free PDF eBook – Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals.
Read More >>

Windows 8 – To Upgrade or Not?
If the new Windows 8 looks to be too drastic a leap for your organization, consider upgrading your aging and potentially vulnerable XP machines to Windows 7 instead, which Microsoft has pledged to support until January 2020. See our news links below for more details.

News from the Web

Windows 8 101 in 25 Links

Here it is! Controversial new Start Screen, brightly colored Live Tiles, Charms and all, Windows 8 was released to the world on October 26th. So just how is the OS being received by consumers and IT pros? Enter the METHOD IT roundup of reviews, videos and more to bring you up to speed.

iPad Mini Heads New Apple Line-up

The first of 2012’s big Winter hardware launches came from Apple. On October 23rd the long-anticipated iPad mini was revealed, along with a 13-inch Retina Macbook Pro, ultra-slim new iMacs, a revamped Mac Mini and the iPad 4th generation (appearing just six months after the ‘new’ iPad, leaving many consumers peeved).

Google Devices Now Come in Three Sizes

Next up was Nexus, Google’s own-brand devices installed with an untampered version of Android. On October 29th Google announced the Nexus 4 smartphone, a 32GB upgrade to the Nexus 7 tablet and the new Nexus 10, an iPad contender with the highest screen-resolution of any tablet on the market.

Big Changes at Apple after Map Woes

Following the iOS 6 Apple Maps chaos, CEO Tim Cook published a letter of apology on Apple’s website suggesting alternative services to use until the official app is in better shape. iOS chief VP, OS X pioneer and 15 year Apple veteran Scott Forstall refused to sign the letter and was subsequently dismissed, though it turns out numerous other factors were also an influence. Senior VP of industrial design Jony Ive will now be in charge of Human Interface Design across the board, which most likely means a farewell to faux real-world textures like wood, linen, and leather in future versions of iOS.

Japanese Law Comes Down Hard on Illegal File Downloaders

We’re sure you’re all good boys and girls, but just a friendly reminder that as of October 1st illegally downloading copyrighted material such as music, movies or TV shows in Japan could see you facing up to two years in prison and a two million yen fine.