Absolute PC - Newsletter Issue 14 Page 2

Text Box: your own apps, files, or locations to the Start menu. You only get a fixed set of 10 apps that can be pinned to the bottom-left side of the menu, along with File Explorer and Settings, which can be removed. If you’re coming from Windows 8/8.1 and using a mouse, the field of tiles should feel quite similar to the Metro Start screen, with the new ability to run the tiled apps in resizable windows on the desktop. Methods for grouping and manipulating the tiles are different in Windows 10, but cover much the same ground as those in Windows 8. In Windows 10, tiles are grouped rigidly in three- or four-wide groups. You can change the number of groups that are visible by widening or narrowing the Start menu. That’s considerably more restrictive than Windows 8/8.1. If you’re coming from Windows 8.1 with a mostly tablet mindset, the new Tablet mode in Windows 10 has much of the ease-of-use benefits of touch Windows 8.1, such as spread-out tiles and the Start options hidden under a hamburger icon, with a few minor annoyances. Features The Start menu is back—and it’s more personal, more organized, and more fun than before. Select the Start button on the taskbar. You'll find your most used apps on the left, the All apps list, and shortcuts to other locations on your PC, like File Explorer and Settings. The Store is a one-stop shop for music, videos, games, and apps. Try out an app before you buy it, or pick a free one. Your Windows 10 apps will work on all your Windows 10 devices. No more endless searching. The Photos app collects all your photos and videos in one place. From your phone and your PC and OneDrive. Then, it organizes your memories into albums for you to enjoy and share. Edge Microsoft’s first modern browser and arguably its most advanced Windows Universal app program, looks poised to take on Firefox and Chrome head-to-head. It has a sleek new design, runs fast, and is closing in on its rivals in

—> Continues Windows 10 Review

Text Box: Best Websites 1– Aliexpress (Incredibly cheap prices, deliveries take up to one month) 2– Amazon (Good prices, easy transactions, not all is available in Canada) 3– Ebay (Good prices, mixed variety of new/used products, wide price range) 4– Wal-Mart (Average/Good prices, less selection, very easy pickup/delivery) Security 1. Use Familiar Websites
Start at a trusted site rather than shopping with a search engine. Search results can be rigged to lead you astray, especially when you drift past the first few pages of links. If you know the site, chances are it's less likely to be a rip off. Beware of misspellings or sites using a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example)—those are the oldest tricks in the book. 2. Look for the Lock
Never ever, ever buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn't have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed—at the very least. You'll know if the site has SSL because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS:// (instead of just HTTP://). Never, ever give anyone your credit card over email. Ever. 3. Don't Tell All
No online shopping store needs your social security number or your birthday to do business. However, if crooks get them, combined with your credit card number for purchases, they can do a lot of damage. The more they know, the easier it is to steal your identity. When possible, default to giving up the least amount of information. 4. Check Statements
Don't wait for your bill to come at the end of the month. Go online regularly during the holiday season and look at electronic statements for your credit card, debit card, and checking accounts. If you do see something wrong, pick up the phone to address the matter quickly. 5. Protect Your PC
Swindlers don't just sit around waiting for you to give them data; sometimes they give you a little something extra to help things along. You need to protect against malware with regular updates to your anti-virus program.

-> Continues Online Shopping

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Text Box: HTML5 support. Edge is definitely more secure than Internet Explorer because it doesn’t support any of the backwards tech that Microsoft has been imposing on us for years -- no ActiveX, no Silverlight, no custom navigation bars, no Browser Helper Objects, no VBScript. Internet Explorer 11 will also ship with Windows 10. Edge has a simple switch to turn Adobe Flash Player on and off. It also serves as the Windows default PDF reader, which is a huge improvement. Slightly ahead of RTM, Edge loosened its grip on Bing; you are now free to choose Google as your default search engine. Edge still doesn’t have support for extensions or add-ons, similar to what you find in Google Chrome and Firefox. Microsoft promises that Edge will get extension support, but we have no idea when it will come. Overall and in spite of the added security I have seen several instances where this new browser can’t open popular websites or it might freeze for no apparent reason. Cortana Cortana, your personal assistant, is right on your desktop. Ask her to set up a meeting or send an email to a friend. She can even find your files for you and tell you jokes. Select the search box and type what you want Cortana to do, or just select the microphone to talk with her instead. We’ve seen demos of Cortana sending messages and descriptions of Cortana firing off short emails. I can get it to compose an email, but not send it; your mileage may vary. With the version shipping now, we don’t get much more than a note-taking, reminder-generating app with easy weather reports and a search front end -- you still have to click in Bing to get results. Many logistical hurdles await, including problems with sound pollution in offices, incompatible regional settings, microphone and speakers required etc. but the potential is there to make voice input the equal.

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Five Environmental TIPS

Text Box: 1- Get all your bills via email 2- Use tablets instead of desktops 3- Unplug unused equipment or use smart power-bars 4- Check your PC’s power management settings 5- Recycle your old equipment

Environmental Tips