Sunday, 20 of May of 2012

Meet Dave


Here to Help

Charities and non-profit organisations are continuously doing good for others, researching into cures for certain diseases and illnesses or providing support for those who need it.  So it’s understandable that your IT systems are the least of your worries, this is where we jump in. We’re here to help you!

OneStop have been supporting charities and non-profit organisations for 9 years. We will continue to support you and your IT systems, making sure all donations are made safely and securely whilst they are sent to the correct places.

Although it may be low on your list of priorities, it is high on ours to provide you with the best quality service, maintaining a cost effective and reliable network for your charity/organisation to run on.

We promise to provide you with a support package which is tailored to the needs or your charity/organisation. To find out more information on what we can do to help you, give us a call on 08000 80 30 30.


Office 15 Preview

It appears Microsoft will be releasing a beta of Office 15 in January 2012.

In line with the rest of Microsoft’s plans a touch interface is going to be at the heart of this revision. As a Windows Phone 7 fan and user I have to say this is no bad thing, with the Metro style interface of WP7 using the phone becomes a joy. I’ve written many an email using the phone interface and have had no issues with it. Microsoft have been playing catchup with Apple and, to some degree, Android when it comes to a touch interface but now have nailed it, the only gap I can see is in the hardware. While Windows 8 is heavily geared towards a touch interface it doesn’t appear to have any specific hardware to back it up. While this hasn’t been too much of an issue with the phone, Microsoft had very strict guidelines on what was allowed on a WP7 device, the absolute seamless-ness of the iPad cannot be ignored. The old adage “people who are serious about software design their own hardware” springs to mind.

Touch interface aside, the actual functionality of Office will have to be assessed when its released. Off the top of my head I can’t think of too many features that I’d want to see that aren’t already in Outlook etc but I’m sure there will be some new toys to play with. Incidentally I wonder if public folders will be included, and if they are, if they will be easy to find!

So is Office an application that lends itself to a touch interface? Web browsing and media do, infact they are somewhat enhanced by the feeling of pressing what you want. But for the hardcore typists out there, I can’t see them converting to tapping a screen all day, writing anything longer than the odd email can be uncomfortable on a tablet, the lack of tactile feedback makes for a peculiar experience. This interface could be useful for those who are on the move, looking at the way WP7 integrates all of your networks and presents you with all the information about people/conversations from multiple sources would be a blessing if carried over to Office, a way to keep you connected with everything/everyone on an easy to use interface.

Let us know your thoughts on www.facebook.com/onestopsupport, are you a fan of touch or do you prefer a good old fashioned keyboard?!


War of the Tablets

Will there ever be a better tablet that the iPad? Samsung’s was close but were sued as they were too similar to the famous iPad and HP’s TouchPad was a complete flop. HP decided to axe their tablet within a few months after it was released, hardly a best seller!

HP – a well-known and reliable technology company, providing us all with both hardware and software. So when they decided to buy Palm in 2010, they were sure that everyone would own one of their handsets/tablets. CEO of the company, Leo Apotheker was convinced that webOS would be on all HP PC’s by 2012. It’s not quite 2012 yet, but it’s obvious that his prediction was wrong. Looking at UK figures, their TouchPad sold a mere 100 units in comparison to the iPad and iPad 2 which sold out within their release week! Not quite the results they were expecting.

The question remains, where have HP gone from there? After losing billions, they decided to slash the price of the TouchPad, which of course increased sales but not enough to make a profit from the tablet. The poor sales made it easier for HP to decide what to do. The tablet was axed and the future of webOS will be decided upon in December by newly appointed CEO Meg Whitman.

As for actually using webOS, its design is simple and it’s easy to use, aesthetically it’s all hunky dory but when it comes to using it for a while, it is a little slow (a good few seconds) to open an app or file, not something you really want when there are better tablets/handsets for the same-ish price which have a better performance. This is probably something Ms Whitman should consider when reviewing the fate of webOS.

Despite HP’s poor decision to invest in webOS, the company must be doing something right as they are turning over a profit of around $10 billion!! Will Whitman’s decisions be those which produce the next best tablet? We’ll have to see in the coming months!


How to solve an overcrowded Inbox

Working on any service desk you get the odd call now and again that just makes you smile. A curious call came in today and after some investigation the source of the issue was something that we couldn’t help grinning at. Rather than a long winded explanation, we’ll let a picture tell the story.

This might be a policy many of you want to take up!


iPhone This Message Has Not Been Downloaded From The Server SOLVED!

Seems that Exchange 2010 SP1 knocked our iPhones out of sync with our Exchange server. iPhones could no longer view full emails, headers were downloaded but when opening the message the error: This Message Has Not Been Downloaded From The Server on the iPhone was received. After much research and lots of people having similar issues we found help from user TimMapes on the ExchangeTechnet Forums. After trying many scripts and other fixes it appears all that’s needed is to reset the default Accepted Domain in Exchange! We simply set a second domain as the default then set our original 1stopsupport.com domain back as the default. Low and behold opening an email on the iPhone now worked 1st time!

Such an easy fix but not something you’d naturally try as the correct domain was already set as default! Hope this helps if others are experiencing the same issue!


IT Support – Holiday Cover

Need a holiday? Yes please…

 You’re self-employed IT Support, your business is just peaking and your life is currently your business, ever thought of taking a break? Most probably, but you’re too worried about your customers computer system crashing, causing all havoc to let loose while you’re away. A break where you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself turns into complete hell as all you end up doing is stressing about what is going on at home.

Sound familiar? If so, here at OneStop, we’d like to provide you with the opportunity to stop stressing about what could go wrong while you’re away but instead start looking forward to your flight out of the country, whether it be a romantic break in Bruges or an adventurers dream across the amazon rainforest.

How is this possible? Well we can’t make all your dreams come true but we can set your mind at ease when it comes to all your customers computing needs. For a set price we will look after your customers systems making sure everything is running smoothly and if something does go wrong we will be there to fix it for them.

Sound good? We like to think so, after all who doesn’t like a holiday!

Give us a call on 08000 80 30 30 then go take that well needed break!

 


IT Meltdowns – Who Ya Gonna Call?

When I stumbled across OneStop I was pleasantly surprised to find the answers (written in simple English, not techy jargon) to my puzzle. After reading through the website it soon became clear who would need this kind of support; schools, charities and corporate businesses. I guess it makes sense, you can’t run a business without your IT system being spot on. I’m only in retail but when our computers are down, it is absolute chaos! So when all systems are down, who ya gonna call? Ok, maybe not the Ghostbusters but maybe OneStop.

As for schools, both primary and secondary have IT lessons these days, it’s become something that we’re all expected to do and know. I remember the massive 8 bit computers we used in primary school (and that was modern at the time), there was a game where we had to put together a person and they would look completely square. I’m sure if I went back now there would be flashy computer rooms with top notch learning games. Whether it’s learning how to read via a programme or learning how to use PowerPoint or Excel, if there’s no IT support, kids will not be learning anything new on their computers.

What I like about this website compared to its’ competitors is that they are straight to the point with prices. They state them quite clearly and describe what is inclusive within that price, there is no faffing around with having to call them asking for quotes etc.

As I finish browsing the website, my dishevelled jigsaw seems to be coming together and my ignorance on the topic is soon disappearing. IT support is there 24/7 for businesses and schools when their systems halt to a close, it’s a bit like the A-team for computers, maybe Mr T will be fixing your next PC meltdown!

Great feedback from another satisfied customer!

www.1stopsupport.com

08000 80 30 30

 

 

 

 


Meet Mark


AOC – Unveils Portable USB Monitor

AOC Unveils Latest Must-Have Laptop Accessory 

AOC the leaders in the market for monitor display technology have recently unveiled their latest gadget.

                                      

AOC is the world’s largest manufacturer of LCD/LED monitors and HDTVs. With more than 60 years of design and manufacturing experience, AOC has earned a reputation for selling user-friendly, technologically advanced monitors, TVs and multi-functional displays. A lightweight and portable USB monitor aimed at Laptop Users. The latest gadget comes in a 16inch model with a built in USB port which receives both the power and the signal via a single USB cable.

AOC’s Marketing manager Robert Velez said “The USB Monitor showcases AOC’s dedication to expanding its display offerings and using the latest technologies to come out with innovative and user friendly products.”This user friendly product will hit the market in the next month and looks like it will be a hit with users. The ability to have multi-screens at such a cheap price and with a high resolution LED screen could appeal to many consumers.

Here at One Stop Support we feel it will be a great addition to the field engineers toolbox. Here are some of the specs that have been released by AOC:

• Panel Type: LED
• Widescreen 16:09
• Screen Size: 15.6″w
• Viewable Image Size: 395 mm
• Brightness (typical): 250cd
• Contrast ratio (typical): 50,000,000:1
• Response Time: 5ms
• Max. Resolution: 1366×768 @60Hz
• Input Signal: 1 USB
• HDCP Compatible: No
• Special Features: USB Powered