Ian Moulster's blog

Linx 12V – Incredibly low price for a whole lot of 2 in 1

Ian Moulster — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 17:32:33 GMT

I’ve been given a Linx 12V to try out and I agreed to write this short review as a result. This is a personal review rather than anything official from Microsoft, and indeed I have attempted to make sure that I don’t allow my association with Microsoft affect my views. With that done, let’s get started. Linx is a brand created by Exertis, a well-respected UK company with a broad range of IT offerings; the Linx brand of devices is perfectly positioned for consumers who are after a cost effective product. Linx launched the Linx 8 and Linx 10 tablets a couple of years ago and followed up with the impressive Linx 810 and Linx 1010 last year. The brand has become synonymous with budget prices for well-built and well equipped products. The 12V is a foray into 2 in 1s and a very impressive one too. The first thing most people say when seeing the Linx 12V is “wow, that looks just like a Surface Pro”. And you can see why – physically, there seems no doubt that the Linx 12V has been heavily inspired by the Surface Pro 3 and 4. From the keyboard cover, the kickstand, the whole look of the device it has a huge amount in common with the Surface Pro design. However, in some ways that is a distraction. Given the Linx 12V starts at under £300 including the keyboard, it’s in a very different price range to the Surface Pro 4 and therefore comparisons aren’t really useful or fair to the 12V. So let’s put comparisons to the Surface Pro aside and look at this device in its own right. My expectations of sub-£300 devices are fairly low but the Linx 12V is genuinely impressive. Sure, don’t expect a super-powered, super-sleek device rivalling £700+ rivals but if you’re looking for a decent, very usable 2 in 1 at a low price this is definitely worth a look. Spec-wise, it’s very reasonable for this price. The Atom X5 processor is generally considered mid-range and is perfectly adequate for most things people will need to do. 2GB of RAM is decent, and it comes in 32GB and 64GB SSD variants. You can add a further 200GB via the Micro SD card slot (I haven’t tried this as I didn’t have an SD card to try, but that’s according the spec sheet). Front and rear cameras are fine for a 2 in 1, 5MP on the front and 2MB on the back. Personally I never use rear cameras on tablets or 2 in 1s, and 5MP is (for me) perfectly ok for Skype. It has both full-sized and micro USB, plus Micro HDMI 1.4. Linx claims 7 hours from the 10,000 mAh battery but I haven’t really had chance to test that out. In general use it seems to hold charge pretty well. Dimensions-wise, it’s 204mm x 315mm and 11.25mm thick. It weighs 947g which is a little on the heavy side but not excessive. The integrated kick-stand extends to 80 degrees and is reasonably firm although I did on occasion find it sliding open towards the end of its extent. It is a universal hinge though, not fixed positions so you do have some flexibility on how you position it. There is no bundled pen but it does support 3^rd party pens. The screen is clear and bright and is full HD at 1920×1200, again impressive given a number of lower-priced devices often sacrifice screen resolution to keep the price down. The keyboard is nicely done and feels good to type on. I prefer it flat on the desk as it’s a little springy when in the sloped position, but it’s full sized and the keys are decent sized and well-placed. The track pad is a reasonable size if not gigantic. You can of course attach a Bluetooth mouse if you prefer. So what’s my verdict? As you can probably tell I’m impressed with this device. You do need to bear in mind the price of course – don’t expect this to be a low-cost version of a Surface. As I mentioned above it really is a different kind of device but I think it will appeal to plenty of people who need a capable 2 in 1 with a good-sized and very readable screen and plenty of versatility.

Sharing your Xbox Music playlists with friends...or anyone else

Ian Moulster — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 03:13:28 GMT

If you have created a great playlist on Xbox Music and want to share it with someone else you can do so...with the great news that they can stream the tracks for free in their browser (ad supported). They don't even have to have the Xbox Music app.

To do this, create your playlist as normal then visit http://music.xbox.com. Sign in at the top right and you should see your playlist listed under the playlist section on the left. Select your playlist then choose the "share" icon at the top (circled in red on this image):

You can then share to Twitter, Facebook or Email. People who you share it to just use the link which will open the Xbox Music site and it will start playing the playlist.

Pretty simple stuff. For example, here's my "UK Chart selection" from June 2014 for your enjoyment :-)

Of course if someone sends you a link to a playlist and you have a Microsoft account, you'll be able to save the playlist and sync it across your devices. Just sign in at the top right once you have followed the link.

Note: The Xbox Music website requires Flash, and runs on Windows or Mac. You won't be able to access it on your phone.

Got any good playlists you want to share?

List of tips across Microsoft technologies

Ian Moulster — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 08:32:00 GMT

Recently I started posting a daily tip on twitter (see http://www.twitter.com/ianxx) covering a range of Microsoft technologies, although mainly consumer focused. I will be back-posting them on here so that it’s easy to see them all in one place, although this page will lag the twitter account. Typically I’ll update this post on a Friday afternoon with the week’s twitter posts. So follow the twitter account if you want to stay right up to date.

As I’m not restricted to 140 characters in this blog post I will explain a little more about each tip.

Tip	More info
Want to stream from Xbox Music for free but don’t have a #Windows8 or 8.1 device? Visit music.xbox.com from any Windows or Mac browser #iantips	Requires Flash, also needs to be a Windows or Mac machine. Link is http://music.xbox.com
In an important meeting and want to turn off notifications for a while in #Windows8.1? Choose Settings charm, then notifications #iantips	You can choose to hide for 1 hour, 3 hours or 8 hours. Mind you an 8 hour meeting sounds like some kind of hell :-) Maybe you just want to keep your head down for a day to clear a backlog
Want to see an email full screen, or compose full screen in #Windows8.1 mail app? Show app bar then select “Open Window” #iantips	Show the app bar by right-clicking or swiping down from the top edge of the screen with touch. Once you select “Open Window” it will open two copies of the mail app side by side. Your email will be on the right hand side, just drag the slider to the left to see it full screen
Want to copy / rename / delete / move files on your hard drive using touch in #Windows8.1? Open SkyDrive app and select “This PC” #iantips	Of course you can also manipulate SkyDrive files via the same app. This is useful because it means you have just one app with a consistent approach to manipulating files whether they are on your local hard drive or in the cloud on SkyDrive
Reviewing smartsearch results on #Windows8.1 and want to modify the search text? Hit the “Result For…” strip at the top left #iantips	Bing SmartSearch results were introduced with Windows 8.1 and provide a great way to pull together search results from a number of places in one go: Local hard drive, apps, web, plus it recognises famous people, places, etc. When you perform a SmartSearch and decide that you want to edit the text you're searching for to refine the search. The easiest way to do this, as explained in the tweeted tip, is to hit the strip at the top left and you'll be landed back into the search charm with the original text ready for editing
Look up a contact quickly by typing their name at Start Screen and hitting return to show them in smartsearch #Windows8.1 #iantips	As per this tip SmartSearch also recognises when someone is in your contact list and presents it in a rich, easy-to-read fashion.
Right-click on desktop taskbar, select toolbars then desktop to get a shortcut to desktop files, shortcuts & folders #Windows8.1 #iantips	Doing this gives you a quick and easy way to access your desktop without minimising the program you're using
Want to see your favourite sports team results on a live tile? Open Sports app in #Windows8.1, search your team, then pin it #iantips	The free Sports app that comes pre-installed with Windows 8.1 is really powerful and provides some great information across a wide range of sports. Pinning it to your Start Screen is a great way to have at-a-glance access to news and sports results for your favourite team. Of course if you're interested in more than one sport (or more than one team) you can pin multiple times
To enter a number quickly using touch on #Windows8.1 flick up on relevant key on top row of onscreen keyboard #iantips	The on-screen keyboard has been improved with Windows 8.1 and this ability to just "flick" up with your finger on the top row to enter numbers quickly is really useful. You can also press and hold to get other characters without having to change keyboard modes
In desktop Internet Explorer, press & hold the back button to choose from a list of previous pages you have visited in the session #iantips	Obviously you can move back a page at a time by pressing the back button in IE11, but if you press and hold you can select which page you want to move back to from a drop-down list
In File Explorer on the desktop, right click (or long press) on any folder then choose “pin to start” to pin to start screen #Windows8.1 #iantips	For folders that you access frequently it can be useful to have a shortcut right on your Start Screen. This tip tells you how to do it
Increase text & email message font size on #WindowsPhone8 via settings, ease of access #iantips	See a previous post for details of how to do this
To completely shut down a Modern app in #Windows8.1 drag from top of the screen and hold at the bottom until the tile flips over #iantips	When you drag from the top of the screen to close an app, Windows doesn't completely shut it down. Instead, it is in a "hibernated" mode that will make it quicker to restart. If you're having trouble with an app and want to completely restart it, drag down and hold as per this tip
Want to add live tile and notification support to your website when it is used on #Windows8.1? Visit www.buildmypinnedsite.com #iantips	As per this previous blog post, pinned websites can now have live tiles and generate notifications just like normal apps. If you own a website it's pretty easy to add this functionality and of course it is likely to make your site much more appealing, and more frequently used, by Windows 8.1 users. The buildmypinnedsite.com website is a great resource for finding out how
Press CTRL+N when using the immersive version of #IE11 in order to open a second window alongside the first #iantips	Depending on your screen type you are able to open up to 4 applications side by side. This of course doesn't only apply to Internet Explorer, you can run any applications side by side. However it's often particularly useful when browsing the web to be able to view more than one site at the same time
On the #Surface2 touch cover, drag across the keyboard with 2 fingers to move the cursor quickly through text #iantips	As you may know, the latest version of the Surface touch cover increased the number of sensors from 80 up to an amazing 1092. This not only means that the keyboard is much more accurate than the first version in terms of typing recognition, but also means that it supports the dragging gesture described here. BTW, hold down shift when dragging to select text, and CTRL when dragging to move a word at a time.
Want to install one of your #Windows8 apps while using someone else’s account or device? Open Store, Settings, Your Account, Change User #iantips	I wrote a post on this some months ago, see this link for more detail. Note that you can install an app onto an amazing 81 devices!
Don’t want to miss email from someone important? Pin them in the #Windows8.1 mail app, see http://bit.ly/185Vd1q #iantips	This is a feature of the new updated Mail app that comes with Windows 8.1.
To share a screenshot from anywhere in #Windows8.1, open share charm then hit the dropdown right at the top #iantips	There are other ways of taking screenshots, some of them hardware-specific, however this method is consistent across devices. It also makes it easy to share the screen shot quickly
Use 2-step authentication for outlook.com and other services to make things MUCH trickier for hackers http://bit.ly/1d9KycC #iantips	More and more services are implementing this approach to ensure that your account can't be used even if someone gets hold of your username and password. It's a great idea and worth setting up
For some great examples of what #IE11 on #Windows8.1 is capable of, visit http://ietestdrive.com #iantips	IE11 is the only browser built from the ground up to support touch. This site gives some good examples of what it can achieve
Struggling to find your ideal #Windows8.1 PC, laptop or tablet? Visit http://bit.ly/19023tC for ideas #iantips	Useful site that guides you through some of the best Windows 8.1 devices available. It's kept up to date as new kit is released
Keyboard/mouse Start Screen tips: Press End to move to right, Home to move left, pgup/dn to move page at a time #iantips	I have found this to be the fastest way to move around the Start Screen on Windows 8.1
Photo editing web-app that is a nice keyboard-based alternative to Store apps for your #Surface2 http://bit.ly/IUnySY #iantips	Because the Surface 2 (and Nokia 2520) support Flash there are plenty of useful flash-based sites that can be used. The site mentioned is one of them, I'll post some others in later tips
To quickly open the system settings to see your amount of RAM, operating system, processor, etc press WindowsKey + Pause #iantips	Not much else required to add to this one. It's a useful way to find out the specs of your machine if you need them eg 64 bit or 32 bit processor? How much RAM? Which version of Windows? etc
Search for “Workplace join” on your #Surface2 to allow you to access your company’s internal web sites http://bit.ly/1hZh9W7 #iantips	The link gives you all the info, I'll just add that this is a really useful facility. Has some backend requirements but worth giving a try, if it's supported at your company it's amazingly useful
Don’t miss the Nook app in the UK #Windows8.1 store. Not only a great reading experience but you get 5 free books and 5 free magazines too #iantips	I really like the reading experience in the Nook app. It also has this great feature whereby if you're reading a magazine you can switch to a different reading view that just extracts the text of the article, making it really easy to read without having to zoom in. Particularly relevant for smaller screen devices. NB 5 free books & Magazines offer valid to 31 Dec 2013 only
Let your #XboxOne control your TV & audio receiver. Go to settings/TV & OneGuide/Devices, then enter TV & audio receiver make/model #iantips	If you get this set up you'll find that if you use the "Xbox on" command to switch on your Xbox One, it will automatically turn on the TV and sound system too. And of course, when you say "Xbox turn off" it turns off the Xbox One, the TV and the sound system. You can also use the "Xbox volume up" or "Xbox volume down" commands etc. BTW it works by sending out Infrared signals ie the same way that your remote control works. Xbox One has an IR transmitter so once it has the make & model of your kit it can control it in the same way as your remote control does
Play games like Asphalt 8 & Riptide GP2 on your TV, using Xbox 360 controller, via USB port and HDMI video out on #Surface2 #iantips	This is one of the things that really separates tablets like the Surface 2 from other tablets out there. Sure, other tablets have Asphalt 8 and Riptide GP2. But you're generally stuck playing them using your tablet's screen and using either tilt or on-screen controls. By hooking your Surface 2 up to your TV, and plugging an Xbox 360 controller into the Surface 2's USB port, you can play on the big screen and control it like it should be controlled - with a gamepad. It is so much more immersive and a great experience. Highly recommended!
Don’t want your Twitter & Facebook contacts appearing in the People app? Change via settings/options within People app #Windows8.1 #iantips	If you have a lot of Facebook friends, and/or a follow a lot of people on Twitter, you might not want them appearing as contacts in your people app. If so it's pretty easy to switch this option off as per the tip
Activate reading view for websites in the #IE11 immersive browser by tapping the “open book” icon to the right of the address bar #iantips	The symbol looks like this: It appears to the extreme right of the URL box. It will only appear for pages that contain significant text
In #Word2013, use Alt+Shift then up/down arrows to move items up or down a bullet list or table row without copy & pasting #Office2013 #iantips	Actually this has been in Word for a long time but it's a useful shortcut to know. Mary Branscombe pointed out to me that Shift-F3 to change case is another good one...and it is
To quickly find a newly-installed #Windows8.1 app, swipe up to all-apps view and sort by date installed #iantips	When you install an app from the Store in Windows 8.1 it appears on the all-apps view that you can see by swiping up from the Start Screen. Change the sort order to see the most-recently installed apps first
To create a free online survey visit skydrive.com, then choose “create” dropdown, then “Excel survey” #iantips	The survey answers are stored in an Excel spreadsheet on the web.
Gets apps for #Office2013 via http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/ #iantips	In case you weren't aware, you can get apps that run on the Office platform. These can add real value to your favourite office programs so they're worth checking out
Take a look at our “best of 2013” apps for #WindowsPhone8 http://bit.ly/KmrtJ6 #iantips	This is a collection of Windows Phone apps put together by the UK phone team.
Stop getting notifications at night by defining “Quiet Times” via settings/change PC settings/Search&Apps/Notifications #Windows8.1 #iantips	I tend to have my Dell Venue 8 Pro right next to the bed because I tend to read via the Kindle app before going to sleep. This option ensures that I don't get woken up by some random friend commenting on one of my facebook posts in the middle of the night...
Are you a student in the UK? Don’t miss the great offers in the Student area of the Microsoft online store http://bit.ly/197SRVY #iantips	Definitely worth checking out if you're a student, there are some great deals on both hardware and software
Set your #Windows8.1 lock screen to be the Bing picture of the day via this app http://bit.ly/1dYPMoA #iantips	There are a number of apps that do this, or indeed that set your lock screen to other things that you might find interesting. Search the Store for "lock screen" to find more
For a list of #Windows8.1 keyboard shortcuts visit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/keyboard-shortcuts #iantips	If you're using a keyboard and mouse these are definitely worth consulting. There are some really useful ones. I use these the most: Windows+D to get to the desktop and Windows+L to lock the PC
Get clear visual feedback of touch when projecting. Go to settings/change PC settings/Ease of Access/Other Options #Windows8.1 #iantips	If you plug your touch PC/laptop/tablet into an external projector or TV, turning on this option means that people will be able to see where you're touching the screen. Useful for presentations
Save music, pics and vids to a removable drive by default in #Windows8.1. Settings charm/PC Settings/PC&Devices/Devices #iantips	Windows usually saves music, pictures and videos to the local hard drive (usually drive C). Use this option to default to an external hard drive or SD card instead
Looking for support for Microsoft products and services? Try http://support.microsoft.com/?ln=en-gb #iantips	Useful place to start if you're looking for help. It covers a wide range of products and you may find that your question has already been answered
Tracking a particular topic in the news? Search for the topic in the #Windows8.1 Bing news app, then pin to Start #iantips	Pinning a bing news search is a great way to keep on top of a subject that you're interested in
Choose whether to include contacts from social networks in People app on #Windows8.1. Open app, swipe charms, then settings, options #iantips	Sharp-eyed readers will note that I have previously posted the same tip. It's so good I posted it twice ;-)
Get 3 apps snapped on #Surface2: Settings/Change PC settings/PC&Devices/Display, then change “More options” dropdown to “smaller” #iantips	Out of the box your Surface 2 will support two Start Screen apps running side by side in snap view. As you may know Windows 8.1 will actually support up to 4 apps in snap view depending on the screen size and resolution. If you are happy to have somewhat smaller text on your screen use this tip to get 3 apps in snap view on a Surface 2
From desktop #IE11 you can open the same page in the Start Screen version by pressing ALT then File then “Open in Immersive browser” #iantips	The Start Screen version of IE11 (called the "Immersive Browser") has been built from the ground up to support touch, along with great keyboard / mouse support. Sometimes if you're viewing a page on the desktop it can be useful to open it in the Immersive Browser. Use this tip to do just that
Not getting any sound from your #Windows8.1 machine? Try running the troubleshooter http://bit.ly/IMIY4q #iantips	This is just one of the many troubleshooters built into Windows 8.1. It will often fix the problem, however if it can't then it may give you useful pointers as to what the issue is
Ways to open Control Panel from desktop: RightClick on Start; Or press Windows+I; Or click Start & type “Control Panel” #Windows8.1 #iantips	It's really easy to open the Control Panel in Windows 8.1. This tip gives you 3 ways
Create an Xbox Music playlist from a website. Visit a site that lists artists & tracks, then choose Share, Music #ie11 #Windows8.1 #iantips	This is an amazing feature of the Start Screen version of IE11 in Windows 8.1. It is able to scan a web page looking for artist and track names and compile a playlist in the Xbox Music app. And of course you can stream them in full for free on Windows 8.1
Running out of space on your #Surface2? Search Store for “disk space” for apps that show where the space is being used #iantips	While the amazing 207GB of SkyDrive space you get on your Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 will make it less likely that you'll need local drive space, if you do find yourself running out there are some useful utilities in the Store that will help you find out what is taking up the space. Often you'll find something you didn't know was there and can free up disc space easily
To re-pin your ‘me’ tile on #wp8, open people hub, tap on your picture, then press the pin icon #iantips	The "Me" tile on Windows Phone 8 is a really useful way of keeping up to date with what's happening in your world, as well as doing quick check-ins to Facebook. If you accidently delete it, this tip shows you how to re-pin it
If webpage needs you to hover a mouse over an option to see it, press and hold using touch to get same effect #IE11 #Windows8.1 #iantips	Browsing the web with touch on IE11 on Windows 8.1 is really effective. You may find some websites, which assume you're using keyboard and mouse, only display some content if you "hover" the mouse over part of the page. Of course if you're using touch you can't "hover" the mouse however IE11 is smart enough to overcome this. Just press and hold on the item and you'll get the same effect
Toggle start screen in #Office2013 via File/Options/General/Start-up options/”Show the Start screen when this application starts” #iantips	When Office 2013 programs like Word, Powerpoint and Excel start up they show a Start screen with a list of recent files and available templates. If you don't want to see this, and want to go straight to the "new document" page, use this tip to toggle the option off (or back on again if you need it)
Use the free Bing Health & Fitness app on #Windows8.1 to track calorie intake and exercise activity. Plus connect with HealthVault #iantips	This is a great app that is also available on the Windows Phone. You can choose to store your information in the Microsoft Health Vault for anywhere access
To hide the ribbon bar in #Office2013, press CTRL+F1 #iantips	This is the quickest way I know to hide the ribbon bar if you're using keyboard and mouse
Right-click on an Office file on www.skydrive.com and select “Version History” to access previous versions #SkyDrive #OneDrive #iantips	SkyDrive (now OneDrive) automatically keeps track of old versions of your Office files eg Word, Excel, Powerpoint so that you can either revert to them or download older copies for reference
In #Outlook2013 right-click on Search Folders to create custom search that auto-files email according to criteria you specify #iantips	Useful way of automatically filing away emails by using a wide range of criteria
In #Office2013 press Alt to get letters appearing on ribbon menu entries, then press the relevant key(s) to activate them #iantips	Doing this can sometimes be quicker than using a mouse to select the entries
Need some sample text in your #Word or #PowerPoint document? Enter =rand(x) where x is the number of paragraphs needed #Office2013 #iantips	Nice way of filling your document with text so you can check the layout etc. You can also use =lorem(x) where x is the number of paras to fill it with the standard Latin "placeholder" text if you don't want people to infer meaning from the words. This works in Outlook too if you fancy sending meaningless emails to people ;-)
In #Powerpoint2013, select two or more shapes then go to Format tab and choose “Merge Shapes” to combine them into a new shape #iantips	There are lots of options for how to combine the shapes which allows you to create some clever effects. For example you can use one shape to "cut away" from another shape to create custom shapes
Got an #XboxOne? For a full list of voice commands see http://bit.ly/1iW3g7O #iantips	All hail Kinect.
Download quickstart guides to #Office2013 programs for tips, shortcuts and other useful info http://bit.ly/NBFBQj #iantips	These are really useful for new users, but actually are worth reviewing even if you're an old hand - there are often tips and extras that you might not know about
Show information about LinkedIn contacts in #Outlook2013. Go to File, Info, Account Settings, Social Network Accounts to configure #iantips	By connecting up LinkedIn (you can also connect other social networks like Facebook) you will be able to see information about people from their LinkedIn profiles when you exchange emails. Useful background sometimes, especially for people outside the company
To move between word suggestions when using the touch keyboard, swipe left or right on the spacebar #Windows8.1 #iantips	You can also just tap on the word you want, but sometimes this "swipe" gesture is useful
To manually open the touch keyboard, swipe settings, tap the keyboard icon, then “Touch keyboard & handwriting panel” #Windows8.1 #iantips	Generally speaking the touch keyboard will appear when you expect it to eg if you tap into a field and don't have a physical keyboard attached. However if you do need to open it manually, this tip tells you how
Control your #Windows8.1 device using built-in speech recognition. Search for “Speech Recognition” and follow the prompts to set up #iantips	Speech recognition has been built into Windows since the 90s and it remains of powerful and useful built-in facility in Windows 8.1. Open apps, move around and dictate text just by using speech
Change action when you plug in memory cards, USB sticks, phones via Settings/Change PC Settings/PC & Devices/Autoplay #Windows8.1 #iantips	If you want to do something specific when you plug in a memory card or removable drive use this tip to select from a range of options
Touch keyboard appearing when you don’t expect it to? Try the troubleshooter http://bit.ly/LZiJIF #Windows8.1 #iantips	If you're having trouble with the touch keyboard, try this troubleshooter
Keep your kids safe on your #Windows8.1 device with Family Safety and kid’s accounts http://bit.ly/1g3EMaI #iantips	Windows 8.1 has some really powerful features built-in that will help keep children safe, including limiting websites and apps that can be used, limited the amount of time, and times of day/week, each child can use the device, to keeping track of what they have searched for on the web and more
Add a link to “skype://YOUR_SKYPE_ID” to your email signature to allow people to call you by clicking on the link #iantips	Useful if you want to be easily contactable - for example, if you have a job in sales.
Show permanent address bar and tab list in immersive #IE11 via options then “Always show address bar and tabs” #Windows8.1 #iantips	By default the immersive IE11 browser (the one on the Start Screen) doesn't show tabs unless you right-click or drag from the top/bottom of the screen. Use this tip if you want to see tabs all of the time
Organise #wp8 start screen into folders (requires #nokia #lumia phone & latest update) via this free app http://bit.ly/1aW6AL0 #iantips	This is a really useful app if you own a Nokia Lumia phone. It allows you to create folders on the Start Screen then put apps within them - so for example you might have a "games" folder with a selection of your games apps, or a "news" folder with news apps, RSS readers, etc
In #Windows8.1 mail app choose to only show notifications from favourites, or turn them off/on, via Settings / Accounts #iantips	You can use this option to get a "toast" notification whenever you receive an email, or just when you receive an email from someone on your favourites list, or turn toast notifications for mail off completely
Learn how to make best use of the #Windows8.1 Camera App http://bit.ly/1eS6lan #iantips	The camera app in Windows 8.1 is pretty cool, such as creating panoramas, using photo loop, using a timer, automatically saving photos and videos online, and more
Look up flights by typing “flight status” and flight number into Start Screen then hit return eg “flight status BA38” #Windows8.1 #iantips	This is a nice way to get an update on the status of a flight quickly and easily
In my view, “Here Maps” is the best mapping app in the #Windows8.1 store. Well worth a try http://bit.ly/1fGSApB #iantips	Nokia's Here Maps app on Windows 8.1 is really powerful. It has features like downloading maps for offline use, getting walking, driving and public transport directions, syncs with the equivalent app on your Windows Phone, supporting tilting to see cities and building in 3D, and more.
To open a website simply type the URL at the Start Screen and press return, rather than launching the browser first #Windows8.1 #iantips	This is a really quick way to launch a website right from the Start Screen
To “snap” an app, start dragging from top of screen then move left or right to dock #Windows8.1 #iantips	There are other ways to do this, such as pressing Windows+Left or Windows+Right, or swiping out/in from the left to get a thumbnail view and dragging a thumbnail onto the screen
On #WP8, quickly change between “ring” and “ring & vibrate” by touching volume rocker and pressing the icon in top right of screen #iantips	Fairly self-explanatory. With Windows Phone 8.1 you get more options eg different volume settings with Ringer/Notifications and Media/Apps
Change how long notifications are shown for via Settings charm, Change PC Settings, Ease of Access, Other Options #Windows8.1 #iantips	This is useful if you find that notifications hang around too long, or maybe disappear too quickly for you to get a chance to read them
On #WP8, hide/show Facebook, Twitter & other contacts via People Hub, Settings, then "Filter my contact list" #iantips	If you have a large number of Facebook friends or follow a lot of people on Twitter it may be useful to turn these off so that your contact list doesn't become too busy
Change where #Outlook2013 searches by default - eg current folder, all mailboxes, etc - via File, Options, Search #iantips	I use this to ensure that Outlook searches everything every time, rather than (say) just my inbox
Quickly create a bullet list in #OneNote2013 by entering * followed by space #iantips	This is a nice quick way of kicking off a bullet list in OneNote
Choose to minimize power usage for #OneNote2013 via File/Options/Advanced/”Battery Options” section #iantips	OneNote works hard in the background, indexing and synchronising. However if you're running low on power, or just want to extend your battery life, you can reduce the frequency of these tasks to save power
With the Nokia Camera app: slide camera icon to left to adjust all settings at once, and again to reset them to default values #WP8 #iantips	Useful if you have adjusted all of the settings and want to get back to default settings quickly
When on the Start Screen press CTRL+TAB to access the “all apps” view #Windows8.1 #iantips	In Windows 8.1 any app you install goes into the "All apps" view. You can then choose whether or not to pin it to the Start Screen. If you're using a keyboard you can get there really quickly with this tip
Recover your Microsoft Account password via this link http://bit.ly/1pyoaM7 #iantips	Forgotten your password? Recover it via the link mentioned. Enough said.
Choose to only show your caller ID to people on your contacts list: Settings, Applications, Phone #WP8 #iantips	If you are wary about letting people get your mobile phone number when you call them, this useful option only shows it to people on your contact list
Create your own Office Ribbon tabs and groups, or change existing ones: File / Options / Customize Ribbon #Office2013 #iantips	I created a Ribbon entry for some of the common functions I use via this tip
Toggle whether #Windows8.1 asks for your password whenever you buy an app: Open Store, charms, settings, Your Account #iantips	This can be a useful brake on your impulse buys. And of course prevents other people from buying things if they get hold of your machine. If you are sharing your machine with other people (eg in your household) you can also set up separate accounts for everyone which means that they won't have access to your account
The “Project Sienna” app allows you to create #Windows8.1 apps easily using a friendly graphical interface http://bit.ly/1hgNZek #iantips	While this is aimed at businesses creating "line of business" applications, it can be useful for creating your own apps for your personal use
Look up the weather quickly: Type “Weather“ and the place name at Start Screen then hit return eg “weather London” #Windows8.1 #iantips	Really quick way of getting the weather forecast. Of course, if you have the weather app pinned you can also see it at a glance from the Live Tile
To launch modern apps from the desktop right-click on desktop, then New/Shortcut, enter “Explorer Shell:AppsFolder” #iantips #Windows8.1	Useful way of being able to launch Modern apps from the desktop as an alternative to using the Start Screen
Taskbar not appearing in Modern apps? Windows+D, right click on taskbar, properties, check “Show Windows Store Apps” #Windows8.1 #iantips	The Windows 8.1 Update added the useful feature of having the desktop taskbar available anywhere - even if you're using a Modern App - just by moving your mouse cursor to the bottom of the screen. If it doesn't appear check the setting mentioned here
#Nokia phone not responding or restarting? Try the recovery tool for UK: http://bit.ly/UKRecover, or US: http://bit.ly/USRecover #iantips	To be honest I have never had to use this...but if you do, it's worth being aware of
To change choice of boot to desktop or Start Screen, right-click taskbar, then Properties/Navigation and toggle “When I sign in...” #iantips	The Windows 8.1 Update boots either to the desktop or the Start Screen depending on your device (generally tablets will boot to Start Screen, PCs and laptops to desktop). If you want to change this, you can
Right-click on an open area of your Start Screen to show option to rename groups #Windows8.1Update #iantips	Nice quick way of naming groups of tiles on your Start Screen if you're using keyboard and mouse
Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC to launch the task manager #iantips #Windows8.1	Quick way to get the task manager to appear if you're using keyboard/mouse. Works even if you're on the Start Screen or in a Modern app, you don't have to be on the desktop to do this
To get touch-navigation buttons on right-hand side in #Outlook2013, switch on “touch mode” right-most icon at top of page in title bar #iantips	Outlook 2013 includes a really useful feature for touch-screen users. It puts commonly-used commands such as delete, flag, reply, etc in touch-friend icons on the right-hand-side of emails in the reading pane. You can then use your right thumb to quickly act on emails. If you're not seeing these and you have a touch screen device, use this tip to get them.
Toggle ability to swipe down to activate the camera when device is locked: Settings/PC & devices/Lock screen/Camera #Windows8.1 #iantips	This is a useful feature that allows you to invoke the camera - for stills or video - when the device is still locked. Why? So that if something interesting is happening that you want to take a picture or video of you don't have to waste time unlocking first. However if you would prefer this not to happen you can switch the option off
See what’s hogging your disc space: Settings / Change PC Settings / PC & Devices / Disk Space #Windows8.1 #iantips	Introduced in Windows 8.1 Update this is a useful way to see where your disc space is going and act accordingly

Live tiles for pinned websites in Windows 8.1

Ian Moulster — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 06:01:01 GMT

Among the many benefits Windows 8.1 brings, one of the features that I haven’t seen mentioned much is the ability for websites to have live tiles, continuing to blur the lines between local apps and web apps. In fact, pinned tiles can now also send notifications just like local apps.

As an example take a look at the great Atari Arcade website that allows you to play classic Atari games in your browser without plugins – it all runs in HTML 5.

If you fire up Atari Arcade then choose to pin the website, you get a choice of tile sizes:

You can move between them by clicking or tapping on the arrow signs.

If you choose the wide or large tile sizes, you’ll see that the pinned tile flips to show information about the games:

Pretty cool. If you’re a developer and want to know how to make this available for your website visit the excellent http://www.buildmypinnedsite.com/ to see how to do it. The good news is that it’s really simple to implement.

Technorati Tags: Windows 8.1,Internet Explorer 11

The SkyDrive app in Windows 8.1: Two apps in one

Ian Moulster — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 04:53:19 GMT

Most of the blog entries I write are based on a number of people seeming not to know something that I find useful. And this one is no exception.

Windows 8.1 brings a whole host of new features but also brings a number of great updates to some of the core apps that come preinstalled. One of those is the SkyDrive app and it’s worth taking a look at it as it has changed quite a bit from the one that was preinstalled in Windows 8 (Note: all of these comments also refer to Windows RT and Windows 8.1 RT).

The first thing to point out is that the SkyDrive app now includes a touch-friendly version of File Explorer. Yes, you can now use one the core apps on the Windows 8 Start screen to view and manipulate files and folders on your local machine. For me, this alone makes the SkyDrive app significantly more useful than it used to be.

If you have Windows 8.1 installed, fire up the SkyDrive app and choose “This PC” from the drop-down to use it.

You can create and edit folders, and manipulate files eg copy/cut/rename/delete. You can also change the file association (via the “Open With” option) so that Windows loads a different app or program by default when you open a specific file type, for example you might want to open the desktop photo viewer when opening photographs. Select files and folders with the little “pull down” gesture or right click with your mouse.

Flip back to the SkyDrive dropdown to do very similar things with files and folders on your SkyDrive. There are two extra options on the SkyDrive portion of the app though:

1) Make file or folder available offline. If you do this (and you can select multiple files/folders at once if you want to) the file will be copied to your local drive so that you can work on it while you’re offline. Any changes you make while offline will be synced back when you go online again. If you want to free up space on your local drive and revert an offline copy to be available online only you do so via the same option

2) Add items allows you to upload files to your SkyDrive. Note that you can also do this by selecting a file/folder in the “This PC” part of the app by selecting the file and choosing “copy”. Then switch back to SkyDrive, navigate to the folder you want to upload to, and choose “paste”

The revised SkyDrive app is really, really useful and easy to use an the inclusion of a local file “explorer” type feature means that this is no longer just about online files and folders – it has become a general-purpose file and folder manipulation app for both online and offline use.

Protecting yourself with 2-Step Verification

Ian Moulster — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 02:09:30 GMT

Not many people seem to use 2-step verification, probably because it generally requires you to…well…do something. I don’t want to imply everyone is lazy (heaven forbid) but I guess we all have busy lives and frankly something called “2-step verification” sounds like it’s going to be painful. Or maybe a dance.

Actually, it’s really, really useful and worth a small investment in time if you’re at all worried about your online accounts being hacked. Such as email, facebook, twitter, etc.

So what is it then? It’s fairly simple: Let’s say someone manages to get (or guess) your password for your email account. Full of joy, they visit the appropriate website such as www.outlook.com, www.gmail.com, www.yahoo.com or whatever, and type in your email address and password. Now, without 2-step verification they are in. They can see all of your email, send messages, do whatever they want. But if 2-step verification is turned on, something quite clever happens. Your email provider thumbs through the list of browsers you use – such as the one on your PC at home, or your tablet, or your PC at work – and if the browser being used isn’t on the list it requires another password. And this password is either sent to you by text to your mobile phone, or emailed to another account that you have access to such as a work account. Now the would-be hacker is foiled, unless they also have your mobile phone or somehow magically have access to your other email account. Which is unlikely. So the hack fails and we all live happily ever after.

Let’s just recap how this works:

When you turn 2-step verification on, the first time you try to access your account it will send you a text or email your other account as described above. However you only need to do this one per machine or browser you’re using. From then on, it won’t ask you for this second password again because it knows that you’re using an “approved” machine / browser
If someone tries to access your account from another machine or browser, even if they have your username and password, they won’t be able to get in because it will request the secondary password.

Pretty smart. And such a simple way to protect your account.

To make things easier for you I have included some instructions below on how to turn this on for the following services:

Outlook.com (Hotmail)
Gmail
Yahoo Mail
Facebook
Twitter

If you use any of those services I recommend you take these simple steps and sit back in the knowledge that you have just made things significantly more difficult for any would-be hacker. Oh and just for clarity: This works for apps too, such as the Facebook app on your phone. It isn’t just for browsers.

Outlook.com (Hotmail): Visit https://account.live.com/proofs/Manage and follow the link to turn on 2-step verification
Gmail: Start from https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/180744?rd=1
Yahoo mail: Start from https://edit.yahoo.com/commchannel/sec_chal_manage?.scrumb=9R/BCmNx8Vn&.done=&partner=reg&src=&.intl=us&ar=4&.scrumb2=c0tOH2oKb9w
Facebook: Visit https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security then choose “login approvals”
Twitter: Visit https://twitter.com/settings/account then choose “Login verification

Technorati Tags: Outlook.com,Security

Round-up of my favourite Windows 8 apps

Ian Moulster — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 07:31:28 GMT

I haven't done a wrap up of my favourite Windows 8 apps for a while so I thought it worth sharing the list of apps I use the most as a consumer. That is, in a non-work environment. As always this list is personal to my tastes - you may find that it doesn't match the kinds of app that you like.

Now I know there are a lot of games on this list but then I admit I have a child-like mind. I tend to use a lot of these apps while watching TV, or pretending to watching something that I’m not actually that interested in. I use most of these on my Surface RT and they work well on there, but if you're using a different device - or Windows 8 instead of RT - then they should all work for you too.

Of course don’t forget you also have access to Flash-based games which, if you pin them to your Start Screen, launch and work very much like apps. This ability for IE10 (and IE11) in Windows 8 to not only run Flash in the browser but also allow sites to be pinned, and run at full screen, is really useful. For example, I can happily play Candy Crush Saga, Scrabble from Mattel, Angry Birds Friends, and many other Facebook-based games on my Surface RT using this method.

Let me know if I've missed off one of your favourites, bearing in mind the above proviso. All details, including prices, correct at time of publication of this blog entry.

In the interests of full disclosure I should point out that I have listed quite a few Microsoft Studio games and of course I am a Microsoft employee.

App Name	Price	Description
Taptiles	Free	Sort of a simplified 3D Mahjong, very nice looking and fun and addictive to play.
Microsoft Mahjong	Free	Speaking of Mahjong, here's a really nice implementation from Microsoft Studios
Judge Dredd vs Zombies	Free	Essential zombie bashing mayhem. Great fun
iStunt 2	£1.79	Huge fun, especially if you're using a tablet that you can tilt
Microsoft Solitaire	Free	Slick Solitaire game with plenty of modes and options
Crash Course Go!	99p	Traverse an obstacle course in as short a time as possible. Good fun with a few "this is driving me crazy!" moments
Bejeweled Live	£3.49	Nice, slick implementation of Bejeweled
Fairway Solitaire	Free	Popular solitaire game modelled on…golf? Sounds like an odd combination but it works really well
Monsters Love Candy	Free	Pattern-matcher with a difference, beautifully presented and addictive
Zulu Star	Free	Very playable bubble-shooter that is addictive with nice graphics
Hydro Thunder Hurricane	£6.99	Slick port of the Xbox 360 game with great 3D graphics. Use in tilt mode or plug in an Xbox 360 controller for added control
Reckless Racing Ultimate	£3.49	Manic top-down racer. Definitely easier if you plug in an Xbox 360 controller but fun however you prefer to play it
Riptide GP	£1.39	Another great 3D water-based racer
Monster Island	£1.79	There are tons of levels in this physics-based puzzler. Great graphics and a simple concept make it huge fun to play
Rayman Jungle Run	£2.19	It's Rayman, do I need I say more? Well maybe I do so here goes: Addictive gameplay + great graphics = lots of fun
TimeOut London	Free	Ok I don't only play games, honest. The TimeOut London app is beautifully made and really useful. Assuming you live in or near London of course
PhotoFunia	Free	Amazing range of clever effects allow you not only to make your photos look great, but place people into posters and a whole lot of other scenes
Discourse	£2.19	My favourite newsreader on Windows 8. Syncs your news sources and layout in SkyDrive so it works exactly the same across all of your Windows 8 devices. Makes news reading simple and rewarding, with an excellent range of options
LCARS Interface	£2.19	If you're a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and subsequent series) then you'll be familiar with the Library Computer Access/Retrieval System interface. Turn your Windows 8 device into an LCARS computer and pretend you're Data. Or Geordi. Or Picard. Or Troy if you prefer. Great fun for nerdy Trekkies like me
Live Tile Clock Free	Free	Create a live tile on your Start screen that shows the time. Lots of designs to choose from, or get the paid-for version for more options
Password Locker	£1.39	There are plenty of Windows 8 apps that allow you to store your passwords. I use this one and find it does the job for me. Your passwords sync across your Windows 8 devices so you can get to them from whichever device you use
The Economist	Free app, but subscription to The Economist required	I like the way this app presents the content in an easy-to-read format without you having to pinch/zoom. And it makes each magazine available for offline reading too
Radyo	Free (pro version available)	There is no shortage of internet radio apps about but I really like Radyo's interface and its ability to pin my favourite stations to my Start screen
National Rail Enquiries	Free	This is a great implementation of the National Rail timetable with a slick interface, ability to pin your favourite stations to your Start Screen, and excellent Live Tile support so you can see at a glance when your next train is (or whether it's running late).

Windows 8: Fixing problem where Internet Explorer always opens on desktop, not in Modern UI

Ian Moulster — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 07:38:00 GMT

This is a problem I have seen a couple of times. It works like this: When you’re on your Windows 8 Start Screen and click or tap the Internet Explorer tile or a shortcut to a website, the desktop version of Internet Explorer launches rather than the Modern UI version.

This is simple to fix:

First, open Internet Explorer on the desktop, then select the settings cog from the top right

Then select “Internet options”:

Move to the "Programs" tab, then make sure that “Let Internet Explorer decide” is selected from the dropdown box in the “Opening Internet Explorer” section, and that the “Open Internet Explorer tiles on the desktop” checkbox is unchecked.

Press Ok. That’s it, from now on when you tap or click and Internet Explorer tile on the Start Screen it will launch the Modern UI version of Internet Explorer

3 Windows 8.1 tips

Ian Moulster — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 08:48:05 GMT

There are already plenty of tips about Windows 8.1 on the web, just do a quick search to see what I mean. Here are 3 that I particularly like and I’m always showing people.

Tip 1: Find an app on your Start Screen

Don’t you just hate it when you know the app you want to launch is on your Start screen but for some reason you just can’t see it? I don’t know if this is just me, or perhaps because I have so many apps on my Start screen, but it happens a lot. Well Windows 8.1 can help you to find it. Sure you could just type the app name and search will find it and that’s all fine and dandy, but you still don’t know where it actually is on your Start screen. Which would be useful so that next time you can find the tile and launch it.

The way you do it is as follows:

Swipe up (or drag up with your mouse) on the Start screen to show the All Apps view
Type the app name into the search box
When the app appears, press and hold (or right click with mouse) and you’ll see a number of options at the bottom of the screen including “Find in Start”
Press or click this and you’ll be taken to the appropriate place in your Start screen with the app tile highlighted with a white border

Tip 2: Show more tiles

This is one of those features that often seems to get confused with another feature. In fact, two other features. Let me explain: As you may know, Windows 8.1 introduced some new tile sizes including a really tiny size that’s useful if you need to pack lots of apps onto your Start screen. It also has an option in Setting Charm / More PC Settings / PC & Devices / Display for showing apps in a medium or large size. Which can be useful if you’re running a very high res screen.

But actually this tip doesn’t relate to either of those features, it’s something else. To try it out, do the following:

Make sure you’re on the Start screen then swipe the charms and choose “Settings”
You should see an option for “Tiles” just under “Personalize”. It doesn’t always appear as it isn’t appropriate for some physical screen sizes vs resolutions so if you’re not seeing it don’t shoot me

Assuming you do see it, select it and you’ll see an option for “Show more tiles”. Turn this on and you’ll see that your Start screen assumes a “zoomed out” view that allows you to see more tiles, and more rows of tiles, on the screen at once. I use this view all the time

Tip 3: Quiet Hours

Are you in the habit of taking your tablet or laptop to bed with you? I might be weird (well, that’s perhaps a certainty) but my Surface RT always sits on the bedside table all night. And I don’t want it burbling away with notifications in the wee hours.

Easily solved: Swipe the settings charm, then Change PC Settings, then Search & Apps, then Notifications, and you’ll get an option to define hours to stop notifications. And if you like, stop incoming calls too. Handy.

There are of course tons more features and cool tips about Windows 8.1. If I find or see any others that I particularly like I’ll post them.

Beautiful Cornwall with the Nokia Lumia 920’s Camera

Ian Moulster — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:22:03 GMT

On a recent short holiday to Cornwall I used my Nokia Lumia 920 as my only camera. Two things impressed me about this:

Cornwall is really beautiful
The Nokia Lumia 920 has an amazing camera :-)

Here’s a selection. What do you reckon?