Archive for the ‘News’ Category

For the fourth consecutive year, J.D. Power and Associates has ranked Apple highest in customer satisfaction among smartphone manufacturers.

Apple scored 800 out of a possible 1,000 points, according to the J.D. Power study that asked over 6,800 smartphone owners to rank their experiences between January and June 2010. The study, released today, showed that Apple scored particularly well in ease of operation, operating system, features, and physical design.

Motorola, at 791 points, and HTC, at 781 points, grabbed the second and third spots, respectively.

The factors key to overall satisfaction among smartphone users were, in order of importance: ease of operation (26 percent); operating system (24 percent); physical design (23 percent); features (19 percent); and battery function (8 percent).

With the popularity of the App Store, it should come as no surprise that mobile apps are becoming more important to smartphone users. More than two-thirds of users download games and 54 percent report downloading travel software like maps and weather applications. The study also showed that 41 percent of smartphone owners download utility applications and 36 percent download business-specific apps.

If you would like more information on how an Apple iPhone can enhance your business productivity please contact one of our advisors on 0845 180 0000.

Microsoft has announced that Office for Mac 2011 will launch on October 26th. The Office for Mac team are highlighting speed improvements, dynamic reordering of layers in documents and presentations, and full screen view improvements.

Microsoft have also posted this video discussing the new Office for Mac 2011 features.

Another week passes and I thought I would share some kind words a client recently sent us expressing how Barton Technology helps their business…

Oona Collins of Potential Plus wrote:

“Thank you for all the good work you do for Potential Plus – much appreciated and were recommending you the other day.”

Potential Plus website can be viewed here.

All of our client testimonials can be viewed on our website at www.barttech.co.uk/testimonials

We get testimonials regularly so watch this space for more to follow…

Today Microsoft released 9 new security updates.

• 7 updates for Microsoft Windows
• 1 update for Microsoft Office
• 1 update for Microsoft Internet Information Services

You can download the updates via Windows Update or click here to visit the bulletin page.

The team are proud to announce that we have recently received a new testimonial from one of our longstanding clients.

Peter Flammiger of Peter Flammiger Search & Selection kindly wrote:

“I have utilised Barton Technology’s Services for over eight years and rate them extremely highly. Always patient, pleasant and helpful, these people are service personified and I would recommend them to anyone who wants cost effective computer support and total peace of mind.”

Peter Flammiger Search & Selection’s website can be viewed here.

All of our client testimonials can be viewed on our website at www.barttech.co.uk/testimonials

Apple has announced that in less than 48 hours since its launch on Wednesday, more than one million users have joined Ping, its new social network for music. Ping lets users follow their favorite artists and friends to discover what music they’re talking about, listening to, and downloading. “One-third of the people who have downloaded iTunes 10 have joined Ping,“ said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “As many more people download iTunes 10 in the coming weeks, we expect the Ping community to continue growing.“

source: pcpro.co.uk

Microsoft has finished code work on Windows Phone 7, and is ready to send the mobile operating system off to handset manufacturers.

The OS still needs to be integrated onto devices, but the expected arrival of handsets in October looks likely.

Terry Myerson, corporate vice president of Windows Phone engineering, promised the mobile OS was the "most thoroughly tested mobile platform Microsoft has ever released".

"We had nearly ten thousand devices running automated tests daily, over a half million hours of active self-hosting use, over three and a half million hours of stress test passes, and eight and a half million hours of fully automated test passes," said Myerson on the Windows blog.

Exclusive video

Video guide to Windows Phone 7

"We’ve had thousands of independent software vendors and early adopters testing our software and giving us great feedback," he added.

Microsoft has certainly had lots of time to perfect Windows Phone 7. It released Windows Mobile 6 in 2007, following it up with the stopgap version 6.5 last year, letting rivals Google and Apple leapfrog Microsoft in the mobile space.

Recent stats from Neilsen Online showed Windows Mobile phones held 11% of the US market, compared to 27% for Android and 23% for Apple.

Myerson said Microsoft was "just getting started," claiming Windows Phone 7 "sets us up for success over the long term in the mobile space… we’re really just getting started".

Read more: Microsoft finishes work on Windows Phone 7 | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/360775/microsoft-finishes-work-on-windows-phone-7#ixzz0yMa8ndBe

IT security and data protection firm Sophos is calling upon users of the new Ping musical social network, created by Apple and built into the new version of iTunes, to be on their guard against scammers and spammers who have deluged the system with fraudulent messages.

Ping, which was only launched last week, is a cross-between Facebook and Twitter, giving over 160 million iTunes users the ability to build networks of friends and musicians, and read comments by other fans.

However, Sophos researchers have found that Ping is being over-run by scams and spam messages, some of which try and direct users into believing they will receive a free iPhone if they complete online surveys.

“We’re used to survey scams like this being spread far and wide via sites like Facebook, but clearly the lack of filtering on Ping is making it a brand new playground for the bad guys to operate in,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. “It’s ironic that the most common scams on Ping right now revolve around Apple’s own iPhone. It’s safe to assume that Ping does incorporate some rudimentary filtering to prevent offensive messages from being posted, so hopefully Apple’s security team can extend this to also block scam messages and malicious links. In the meantime, though, Ping users should be wary of believing what they read on the new service.”

Sophos published research earlier this year demonstrating that there had been a 70% increase in the number of users reporting spam and malware being spread via social networks, a trend which continues to grow.

“As more companies jump on the social networking bandwagon they must think carefully about what they are going to do to make their communities a safe place for users to hang out,” continued Cluley. “If they’re complacent about these sorts of security risks then users may end up voting with their feet, and find a safer place to spend their online time.”

source: pcpro.co.uk

Toshiba has issued a recall for T130 Satellite laptops after some melted, burning two people.

A flaw with the power adaptor is causing overheating across three lines – the Satellite T135, Satellite T135D or Satellite ProT130.

"The defective harness may, in some circumstances, overheat to the point of melting the computer’s base at the location where the AC adaptor plugs into the unit," Toshiba said.

The heat has lead to 129 complaints and reports of two minor burns and property damage, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Worldwide, 41,000 laptops are affected, but Toshiba wouldn’t say how many were sold in the UK.

The action is being referred to as a recall by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Canada, and Toshiba in North America.

A spokesperson for the company in the UK said customers simply need to install a BIOS update to check for the flaw. "Should the BIOS determine that a harness failure is occurring, external power will immediately be disabled eliminating the possibility of the overheating," Toshiba said. "You will then need to contact the Toshiba call center to set up a warranty repair."

Toshiba said anyone noticing an overheating laptop should unplug it, save any work while battery power remains, and take it in for repair.

Microsoft has revived its Windows 7 Family Pack discount, just days after confirming it was over.

The package offered three upgrade licenses of Windows 7 Home Premium for £150, a decent discount off the £99 full price for each license.

However, some looking to upgrade haven’t been able to find the deal lately, including one PC Pro reader who wrote in saying the cost to move his family’s PCs to Windows 7 was simply too high without the discount.

When asked last week why the Family Pack was no more, Microsoft told PC Pro that the discount was always intended to be for a limited time.

“When launched in the UK, the Windows 7 Family Pack was only available while supplies lasted,” explained Leila Martine, director for Windows Consumer Microsoft in the UK. “We’ll continue to explore ways of bringing value to our customers through compelling offers.”

Microsoft seems to have changed its mind, announcing in a blog post that the Family Pack is back. Sales will start in the US on 3 October, followed by the UK and other markets on 22 October – which Microsoft points out is the first birthday of its operating system.

Anyone looking to take advantage of the discount should mark that date in their calendars, as Microsoft said the Family Pack is again only here "while supplies last."

Read more: Microsoft brings back Windows 7 Family Pack | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/360766/microsoft-brings-back-windows-7-family-pack#ixzz0yMLKRP2D

source: pcpro.co.uk