You’re better off with IMAP

Software, , , ,

Why IMAP?

POP3 was great when you only checked your email on one computer. It’s easy to set up and you can be up and running within a few minutes.

But in the new age where you have a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, as well as another desktop computer somehwhere else many people want to be able to see what they’ve sent and replied to on all their devices.

That’s where IMAP comes into play.

IMAP synchronises live data with your email server so what you see on any of your devices is what is sitting on your email server.

Which services can you use it with?

All the popular email services let you configure an IMAP email account over POP3 (although you may need to enable this in the settings).

The only service I know of that doesn’t allow this is Outlook.com (which is odd).

To enable IMAP with GMail you can follow the guide: click here

To enable IMAP with Yahoo! you can follow the guide: click here

Running Mavericks with Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac

IT, Software, , , , , , ,

osx_hero_2xI made it my aim this week to set up Mavericks, the new release of OS X, within a Parallels VM.

Firstly, I was trying to get it running without the newly announced client.

I had read the KBs on the Parallels web site which announced that you couldn’t install the new OS from a DMG directly but you had to have a VM with OS X 10.8 to then upgrade before going ahead (you can find that KB here).

Below are the steps I took.

1. Downloaded the NEW Parallels client designed to support Mavericks. This was version

Build 8.0.18494 / (Revision 886912; June 17, 2013).

Download Here.

2. Install OS X Mountain Lion. You can do this quite easily using the Parallels wizard (it uses the installer from the recovery partition). Make sure all updates are installed.

3. Download the Mavericks 10.9 Developer Preview and copy this to the Mountain Lion VM.

4. Very Important -> Move the Mavericks installer app to the ApplicaMavericks in Parallelstions folder on the Mountain Lion VM.

5. Run the Mavericks installer app from Applications in your Mountain Lion VM; run through the installer, selecting Macintosh HD as the disk to install to. It will begin the installation and will restart. This takes some time. It took me about an hour.

6. That should be it, your OS X VM should have now restarted and updated correctly to Mavericks.

Please do leave comments and I will try my best to help where possible.

 

ProTip: Remove malware with ComboFix

Malware, Security, Software, , , ,
ComboFix Icon
ComboFix Icon

ComboFix is a pretty nifty bit of of software provided by the guys over at BleepingComputer (we love the name!).

Described by them as ‘a program that scans your computer for known malware, and when found, attempts to clean these infections automatically. In addition to being able to remove a large amount of the most common and current malware‘.

Note: this is more an informative post than to guide the average user. It makes non-reversible changes to the computer by removing data from the foll0wing locations automatically:

  • Windows Recycle Bin
  • Temporary Internet Files
  • Temp Folder

Anyone in the IT field may like to take a look at the software and include it in their ‘toolkit’.

If you have any queries let me know.

Apple Software – Tiny Grab

IT, Software, , , , , , , ,
Tiny Grab
Tiny Grab

We landed upon this recently whilst looking for a piece of software that would conveniently allow us to take a screenshot and upload it online and enable us to share that link with others – instantly.

Enter Tiny Grab, developed by Company52, which allows you to do all the above seamlessly and effortlessly. What’s even better is the fact it doesn’t cost a penny which is something we really appreciate.

Some of the features include the following:

  • Automatic Image Uploading
  • Quick Image Sharing
  • Custom Server Uploading

Tiny Grab can be downloaded for Mac from http://tinygrab.com/download.php and for iPhone from the App Store

What is Foursquare?

Foursquare, , , , , ,

Foursquare Logo

This is a question we get asked quite a bit, so I thought I’d put it together in a blog post so you can stop asking us – sound good?

So to get to the nitty gritty: What is Foursquare (#4sq)? Taken from the web site, which explains it in the best detail:

Foursquare is a free app that helps you and your friends make the most of where you are. When you’re out and about, use Foursquare to share and save the places you visit. And, when you’re looking for inspiration for what to do next, we’ll give you personalized recommendations and deals based on where you, your friends, and people with your tastes have been.

Whether you’re setting off on a trip around the world, coordinating a night out with friends, or trying to pick out the best dish at your local restaurant, Foursquare is the perfect companion.

The app is free and available for all popular mobile platforms as well as via a mobile site at http://foursquare.com/mobile.

I’m a big advocate of the app – it helps you discover new locations and lets you and your friends find different locations to hang out.

Depending on where you check in, offers may be available to you where you can get money off, or deals on products (food, drink etc). I can spend a lot of time discussing the business marketing aspect but I’ll be here all night, so shall keep that for another time – watch this space!

If you check in at a location often enough you become the ‘Mayor’ and again, depending on the venue, different offers may be available to you!

So, what are you waiting for, get started!