Good IT Blog

Google Operating System

2008-09-14T01:22:00.001Z

What does one look for in an operating system? Well, in my case I would like one that loads fast, has some cool application pre-installed and costs nothing. Dream on!

I think not. Google is coming close to fulfilling my wish. The new browser 'CHROME' has been designed to work each web site or web application as a new process. This means that if a web page crashes it will not crash the browser but only the tab the web page was open on.

The idea is simple and has huge implications for the PC/Laptop users. As more and more applications are going on-line a browser like chrome can make all the difference for mobile workers.

If we look deeper into Google's treasures we know they already have a very successful e-mail application which also incorporates Google Talk an IM application. Then there is a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications available on-line all packaged under Google Apps. With Google Gears installed the same is available offline.

The other graduates of the Google labs like Google Reader, Notebook, Desktop can all be incorporated into a neat little package.

The only thing missing with Google is a piece of software that can join all these web centric services and be installed as a single entity called an operating system.

Knowing how Google operates I won't be surprised if they are already working on modifying an open source version of Linux to incorporate the above and hopefully many more of their great products into a Google Operating System.

I am looking forward to the day I can install a small and quick OS from Google on my EEE PC which will allow me to access all my web applications without having to bother about software versions, viruses, updates etc. :-)

Check out the Google Chrome comic that explains it all.

Google Calendar Sync with MS Outlook

2008-07-01T15:50:00.001Z

Finally a Calendar Sync product from Google. We have tried out a number of products both free and paid but were never really satisfied with the results. Google Calendar Sync is a small download which will help you synchronise your Google Calendar with your MS Outlook Calendar and vice-versa.

The installation and set-up is simple. Just enter your gmail account details or your Google Apps. account details and you can keep your calendar information up to date.

Learn more about Google Calendar Sync and also download from here

Xobni

2008-07-01T15:20:00.001Z

Xobni Insight is an add-on for Microsoft Outlook that offers effortless email management and provides instant access to the most important information in your email. After a quick install, you'll see the new Xobni toolbar appear in Outlook. giving you email search, automatic phone number discovery, threaded conversations, and more. Watch the Xobni demo video for more details or click on the banner below to visit the site and sign up for an account.

Vista Revisited

2008-02-10T03:20:00.000Z

We first experimented with Vista Business upgrade edition when it was released in 2007 and were not impressed at all. The new OS refused to recognise the DVD/CD-RW, the video and the WiFi card on our machine. Manufacturers of the same did not have compatible drivers as yet. We were forced to reformat the system and install Windows XP back on the machine.

One year on we got our hands on a full version of Vista Business and decided to try it again. This time we experimented with it on a tablet PC (HP tc4400). The tablet PC came installed with XP table pc version and since we were not too keen to loose this we replaced the hard drive, went to HP's web site and downloaded the latest drivers for Vista and installed the Vista Business edition on a brand new hard drive.

Installation took about a hour. What impressed us was that Vista was connecting to the Internet to look for drivers and downloading them for installation. Once this was done we installed the drivers that we had downloaded from HP's web site.

Vista looked very good on this system. It recognised that the system was a tablet PC and installed software to allow input using the pen. The battery life also is better on Vista. We were able to get an extra hour out of it.

The standby and hibernation features also work flawlessly on the tablet pc unlike XP where we always had trouble with these features. Using standby/hibernation we are able to start the pc up in under half a minute which is great when you are moving from one meeting to another.

When we connected the PC to an overhead projector while the pc was on it recognised this and displayed the output without asking which was great as with XP we had to either connect it while it was off or we needed to restart the PC after connecting.

The last thing we tried was sending a fax and this too went without a hitch. The only issue was that we could not head a dial tone so were not sure what was happening but the fax software updated the status once it was done.

Vista is a much better OS than XP and if you are buying a new PC get it with Vista.

Go mobile with Skype, MSN Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, SIP, Twitter, AIM and Yahoo

2008-02-09T01:43:00.000Z

A brilliant application for your mobile phone called Fring. I have been looking for an application that would allow me to use Skype and a SIP account on my mobile without having to load too many applications.

Fring is one such application that installs on your mobile and give you access to not only Skype and SIP but also to a hot of other messenger services. Not only can you chat with your contacts but an also talk to your Skype contacts. Sign up for a free SIP account with Draytel or Sipgate and start making SIP or VOIP calls from your mobile using Fringe.

Fringe uses your Internet data plan or Wi-Fi on your mobile. I found the Wi-Fi more effective as the call connection was much better than over the data plan.

This software is available to a whole range of mobile phones and you can do a search to find your model. You can install the software via the website by typing in your mobile number or use the browser on your phone to go to www.fring.com and download the software directly to your mobile. You can get more details about how Fring works on their website.

Google Apps New Features

2007-11-05T00:16:00.000Z

Google apps for your domain has been running successfully for almost a year. We have moved a lot of our clients on to this service especially for their e-mail services. Google apps now also provides IMAP support which is great news for mobile/remote users.

The Google apps Premium edition has a few more features than the standard edition. One huge difference is the space provided on the premium edition which is 25 GB. The other 'system management tools' are not so significant for small businesses but would be useful for companies with many e-mail users on Google apps. See a comparison of the Google apps features between the two versions.

If you move around a lot and need to access your mail on various PC's then Google Apps for your domain is a great choice.

Microsoft Office Live

2007-02-10T19:43:00.000Z

Microsoft is providing a similar service to 'Google apps for you domain'. You get an online presence using your domain with the usual services like e-mail, calendar, contacts and website.

Microsoft goes a step further by providing advanced features with their essential and premium version of Office Live.

View a list of features here Try the free or basic version which also includes a free domain.

Google Apps for Your Domain

2007-02-10T17:35:00.000Z

Google Apps for your domain gives you the Google services (Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Page Creator) under your domain name.

With Google Apps for your domain all the users within your domain can have an e-mail account with 2GB each. You can access your e-mails on the web or via an e-mail client like Outlook.

Google Contacts & Calendar allows you to share contacts and calendars between users making collaborative working easier. Google page creator allows you to create your web site with ease. If you do not have a domain you could register the same via Google.

Its a great service and the best feature is that its free. Read more about Google Apps for your Domain here.

If you have trouble setting up these services send us an e-mail and we will try to help

Microsoft Vista and Office 2007

2007-02-10T14:10:00.000Z

30th January 2007 saw the release of Microsoft's new operating system Vista this is an upgrade to Microsoft XP and also Office 2007 an upgrade to Office 2003. The release was very low key and there are a lot of questions about upgrades which are answered on Microsoft's website.

We have had the opportunity to install and work with both Visa and Office 2007. The layout of both these products is very different from their predecessors and required a little retraining.

Vista - The operating system comes in various flavours Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate. We bought a PC during the holiday season (2006) and it had a sticker saying 'Windows Vista Capable'.

We upgraded to the Vista Business Edition, the installation took about 30 minutes and it moved over all our programs and files over from XP without much trouble. There were some driver compatible issues, Vista downloaded the latest versions from the net. Some of our programs did not work and had to be re-installed like our anti-virus (AVG) software.

In our experience the upgrade versions of Vista are not the best to go for because a system failure will mean you need to first re-install the OS the PC came with install Vista again. In our opinion it is far better to buy a new PC with Vista pre-installed as this would also eliminate any program or driver issues. If you do want to upgrade you existing PC, uninstall all the software and re-install them after upgrading to Vista to avoid compitability issues with these softwares.

Office 2007 - This is a great piece of software and we would definitely suggest anyone to upgrade to this version if they are still running Office 2000 or XP. Office 2003 users might not be able to justify the upgrade.

The traditional menus and toolbars have been replaced by Ribbon. A new layout that gives you access to all the usual command quickly. There are trial versions Office 2007 you can tryout before you decide to buy or upgrade.

Another great piece of CRM software, Business Contact Manager which integrates with Outlook is also included in Office 2007 Professional , Small Business and Ultimate Editions.

New 'Good IT' Website

2006-12-31T01:32:00.000Z

Hi,

Welcome to our blog. We have recently launched our new 'Good IT' website detailing the services we provide.

Also, have a look at our case study section for more information on how we provide quick, reliable and cost-effective IT solutions.

Lastly, we are introducing new Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services and for the rest of January 2007 we have an offer available for our first time customers. Please visit http://www.goodit.co.uk/seo.htm for more details.

Take care for now and I'll write more soon.