Nokia 620 Australian release date

When Nokia released their Smartphone range in around October 2011 they didn’t start shipping them to Australia until around March 2012 and by June 2012, anyone buying the new Nokia mobiles found they were effectively superseded devices. Microsoft had orphaned the devices as they wouldn’t be able to be upgraded to the Windows 8 Phone operating system. I doubt anyone really wants to know the mobile they bought three months earlier for nearly a thousand dollars was obsolete.

Things appear to have settled down now. Microsoft seem to have their Windows 8 Phone operating system where they want it. Nokia have a number of devices, but what interested me was the budget version of the Nokia 620 I noticed that was launched later in 2012 but not yet mentioned in Australia.

I’m really over spending $600-$800 for a mobile phone which is superseded in six months and if you want to use the latest software and features you need to buy a new handset. With nearly all the smartphones now we simply don’t know when Apple, Google or Microsoft will bring out a new operating system which won’t work on our rather expensive mobile phone. Since there is no certainty the only certainty you have is the choice you make and for me that means spending less to get what I need now.

The Nokia 620 has been announced as part of Stephen Elop’s visit to Australia and will reportedly be available mid-February for $329. The Nokia 620 is now promoted on the Australian Nokia web site as coming soon where you can also read the specifications.

The Nokia 620 is just one of many options for mobile phone buyers.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

 

UPDATE: The Nokia 620 doesn't have the ability to operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot. For my use this rules this device out.

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Julie-Ann Wharley - Share The Weight

When I saw an ad on TV tonight about Julie-Ann Wharley and Share The Weight, something didn't quite feel right.

The project is sponsored by Tony Ferguson and to me sponsorship is when an independent third party sponsors another group or individual.

When I checked the domain the registrant is Tony Ferguson. Checking the internet for Julie-Ann Wharley brings up a Julie-Ann Wharley's LinkedIn profile where that person has been working as an account manager at Tony Ferguson Weight Management for three years.

I thought that was interesting.


Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

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MyAnswers: Aldi Bauhn DVD Maker quick summary

The following MyAnswers solution 2308 is now available:

Aldi Bauhn DVD Maker quick summary. I purchased the Aldi Bauhn DVD maker to convert old mini VCR tapes holding our old family movies to digital format for storing on a hard disk. I share what I found.

Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

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Alert: Your mobile number has won 1,000,000 pounds in the ongoing freelotto bonanza.

I received an SMS letting me know I'd won 1,000,000 pounds in the ongoing freelotto bonanza. The reality is I hadn't won anything and this is nearly certainly a scam. Chances are if you were to reply they'd see you as gullible and a very good candidate to scam.

I later received a call and was asked about the exact same SMS. When I let them know I'd received the same SMS the person immediately knew the SMS was most likely a scam.

Whilst we'd all love to unexpectedly win a large amount of money, the chances are the majority of unexpected emails and SMS messages are a scam and you should immediately delete the emails and SMS messages.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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Office 2013 costs just $9.95USD for some.

Often in IT I see things which give some people a considerable advantage over others. Microsoft appears to have a Home Use program whereby large corporations can supply staff members with a copy of Office for next to nothing, whereas others have to pay hundreds of dollars more. The following article relates to an offer in the States, but I suspect there are similar offers available in Australia.

Over the years as a business I’ve had to pay a considerable amount for my software only to find often I’m competing with others from government or companies who have obtained their software for a fraction of the price. In theory these people can’t use their software for commercial purposes, but the reality is the licence would unlikely ever be enforced. For example I could only guess at how many tertiary education licences are being used to generate income on the side.

For me the disconcerting aspect is the disadvantage some parents face when they send their children to school. The teachers often lease a computer for a very large discount so their families have cheap access to software and computers. Government and corporations’ staff often have access to low cost software. I recall a CSIRO staff member had to pay $42 for their copy of Office compared to the hundreds I had to pay. Those who are self-employed or work for a small business have no such advantage and are faced with paying the full price. There is a definite have and have nots situation with around half of the community faced with very large costs for software ownership, whereas the other half get incredible deals.

For those who are fortunate enough to work for a large company or government body you should check out whether or not there is special pricing on Microsoft software available to you as a staff member. Given that half the people generally have access to special deals, it means the other half will often have to buy the same software so if that is you, shop around and look for the lowest cost deals which suit you. For one company years ago I suggested they purchase copies of Microsoft Word for all users, but only the other applications for those who really used them. This saved the company tens of thousands of dollars. Over time then as new computers were purchased they were able to purchase the cheaper OEM version of Office with new computers. Other businesses use open source software and buy only the commercial software they ‘must’ have. Microsoft and other commercial vendors often provide good free software and also don’t forget there are free web based applications often good for light use.

Do keep in mind you can waste a lot of time sometimes saving a little amount of money. In one case I used OpenOffice.org and it corrupted my Microsoft Access data so any saving was greatly outweighed by the cost of recovering the lost data. On quite a few occasions Firefox has caused links in emails to fail resulting in costly support bills for clients which doesn’t make sense, since all the browsers are free so selecting open source software over a commercial software where there was no business reason simply didn’t make sense.  Determine your needs and then determine the software which can meet your needs, but also factor into account long term use and potential risks.
 
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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Alert: Melbourne Mom woman making Earns $6,795/Month Part-Time. (Work-at-Home-Digital)

I received an email today from a person I hadn’t contacted for quite some time. The email had no subject, a link to a site and her full name was the only content.

I decided to check out what my friend had sent me, but I was suspicious. The link took me to an article on what looked like the CNBC news site. The article was titled “Melbourne Mom woman making Earns $6,795/Month Part-Time”. (Please note that I didn’t use my regular computer. I used another device which I felt was unlikely to get infected should the site be a malware trap waiting for me to access the site.)

Further investigation showed the site was a fake site designed to look like the CNBC new site.

The concern for me is for my friend. Her name is very unusual and for me to receive an email from her, could indicate that one of her email accounts has been hacked and that a scammer has access to her contact list. The last time I saw my friend use this email address was over five years ago. The email address is a yahoo.com.au email address.

This type of attack is very concerning. The attack is very targeted aimed directly at a person’s contact list. We tend to trust communications from our friends, but this is an example of why even emails from friends and family should be treated with suspicion.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 7 release date.

Another hint that Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 is getting closer is the release of the Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 10.

The Toolkit to Disable Automatic Delivery of Internet Explorer 10 is used to stop the automatic updating of Internet Explorer by Windows Update. This is important in large organisations where they don't want to risk breaking web applications by installing a more recent browser.

Looking back, Internet Explorer 9 was released on the 14th of March 2011. The blocker toolkit was released on the 10th of February 2011which is roughly a month before.

This may mean that we might expect Internet Explorer 10 sometime in March, but I still hold out hope for an earlier release.

I'm looking forward to the release of Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 7 as it means more people will be able to take advantage of the preferred Australian English spelling I provide, if as expected spellchecking is built in.

I already supply the preferred Australian English spelling to users of IE10 under Windows 8 via the site www.australain-dictionary.com.au.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

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