The
FREETALK™ Buddy Pack
includes a webcam and headphones and has been designed
for people who want to communicate with friends and
relatives via Skype.
The webcam is simple to use - all I had to do was plug
in the USB connector into my computer and the set-up was
fully automatic.
The headset is also plug and play - it comes with a
microphone and headphone speakers that enable you to
speak to your Skype contacts with total clarity.
The webcam
incorporates a 1.3megapixel camera and you get high
definition images on your screen, so you get a really
good view of the person you're speaking to. If you would like the chance of winning a Buddy
Pack, go to
Our Friends page
and enter the competition .
Need Help With Your
Computer Problems?
Computer users aged 55 plus are suffering in silence
with a burden of unresolved technology issues, according
to a new nationwide survey by Virgin Digital Help.
Despite almost half of over 55’s in the UK owning a PC
(according to research from the Office from National
Statistics) and regularly using their PC to communicate
with friends online and 89% owning a digital camera,
when digital mishaps occur – they remain isolated and
uncertain of where to get help to resolve them.
Those who have retired have time to enjoy looking back
over photos on their computer or booking holidays
online, but when something goes wrong, they often cannot
afford expensive local PC fix-it operators and may be
worried about letting strangers into the home. Virgin
Digital Help offers a cost effective and secure service
– with specially trained, friendly, technical experts
able to offer over-the-phone tech help in plain English.
They can even take control of the computer to fix the
problem remotely, so there is no need to let PC-fix it
men into the home which may cause security worries.
Digital stuff is important – it lets us share memories,
keep in contact with loved ones and find the best deals
online using money saving sites, but when problems occur
only 3% of those of retirement age said they ‘felt
confident’ in using their tech stuff and don’t know who
to turn to for help with problems. Virgin Digital Help
is a friendly, expert and easy service that can help to
find a resolution to all those unsolved technical
problems that many are harbouring and suffering with in
silence.
Virgin Digital Help’s research also found:
75% of over 55’s said they were regulars users of the
internet in everyday life.
50% of over 55’s had suffered problems with slow
internet connection speeds in the last 12 months.
80% of over 55’s have had problem setting up computer
equipment in the last 12 months.
39% of over 55’s currently have unresolved problems with
their internet connection.
39% of over 55’s have spent between £26 - £50 on sorting
out just one tech problem in the last year.
Three quarters of over 55’s say they are the person
responsible for their digital stuff, Tony Belcher from
Leicestershire, is one such person. He used Virgin
Digital Help when he was having problems with his
computer. He found the person on the end of the phone
was able to explain how to fix the problem without using
complicated jargon “I never have to wait and
got an answer almost instantly. The people themselves,
it’s like speaking to an old friend. I'm impressed by
the way they handled the call. I find the website
easy-to-use and really appreciated the remote session.”
When you’re phone won’t call and your photos only print
in pink, Virgin Digital Help are at the end of the
phone, 24/7, to make your digital stuff work and put an
end to frustrating hours sat trying to fix things
without any help or paying too much for a local PC
fix-it man.
The service is available 24/7 so if you have a problem
with your computer late at night or at any time of day,
you can phone the help desk and speak to an adviser and
get help immediately.
Charges for the service
The charge for a one-off call is £15, but if you want a
regular service then you can join up for just £6.99 per
month and enjoy computer advice and help whenever you
need it.
iPad
Bagged For 81pence
As the BidChase.com
Takes
The UK By Storm
An exclusive Apple iPad 16GB was bought for a
spectacularly small 81 pence through BidChase.com
– an exciting new internet based auction site taking the
UK by storm where highly desirable products can be bough
for pennies.
Just launched, BidChase.com is part of a thriving new
breed of websites that are already a huge hit in the US.
Based on the ‘penny auction model’, items such as the
Apple iPhone 16GB (sold at £7.67, RRP
£529.99) Apple iPod Shuffle (sold at £2.39,
RRP £60), Sony PlayStation 3 120GB (sold at
£3.23, RRP £299.99) and
Apple iPod Touch 32GB
(sold at £14.69, RRP £269.99) have been be
snapped up for a fraction of their retail price on the
site.
People bidding for an item pay a small fee (75p) to
place each bid. Each bid adds just a penny onto the
total price of the item and extends the end time of the
auction by 10-15 seconds. Just like a traditional
auction, whoever has the highest bid when the clock
stops, wins!
BidChase.com’s extensive Online Store also allows users
to simply buy from a vast range of desirable products
including TVs and videos, sports equipment and even life
experiences – again all less than the RRP and supplied
directly to the user by Argos. A new way to bargain shop
and save money - everyone’s a winner!
Getting The Most From
Your Mobile Phone
Using your camera phone
Taking a picture with your camera phone is
usually a relatively straightforward process.
With better phones, switching to camera mode is
as simple as sliding open the lens cover or
pressing a dedicated camera button.In other
cases, you may need to browse your phone’s main
menu to locate the camera function. This is
slower and can mean you miss your shot.
Camera mode buttons
Once in camera mode, you should find that
certain buttons on your phone assume
photographic functions. Left and right menu
buttons, for example, may now control zoom
in/out. This is different for every phone, so
refer to your manual for details.
In camera mode, your phone’s menu buttons should
provide access to the camera’s settings and
functions. Cycle through your settings until you
see the flash symbol (a lightning flash with a
down-pointing arrow). Make sure it’s set to On
or Automatic if you’re shooting indoors. Bear in
mind that not all camera phones come with a
flash.
Saving a photo
Depending on your handset, photos that you take
with your phone may be saved automatically or
you may need to select the Save option from your
camera menu. Memory cards allow you to increase
your phones memory.Your phone comes with a
limited amount of internal memory for storing
photos, but this will fill up quickly, so it’s
best to save your snaps to a memory card if
possible. Most mobile phones have a slot for a
memory card, though the precise type of card
will vary from model to model.
Phones
& Computer
Tips
Video - How To Take Good
Pictures of
Children
To watch the video, click on the Arrow
Your Computer
Questions
Answered
Readers Questions
Q1: Is sleeping or shutting
down?
I have a Packard Bell Media
Centre PC which came with a
wired mouse and keyboard. I have
connected a wireless mouse and
keyboard instead, so I can work
in bed. But there is a problem –
when I turn off the PC, it turns
on again if I move the mouse
back onto the desk and,
sometimes, even when the mouse
is already on the desk. What is
going on, and how can I sort it
out?
Fred M, Bedford
Hi Fred,
It sounds like your computer is
going into sleep mode rather
than shutting down completely.
To fix
this you should either shut the
computer down, or prevent the
mouse from being allowed to wake
it up by following
this guide.
Q2: Disappearing toolbar
Vista seems to upload updates
regularly and with each one
there are subtle changes to
Internet Explorer. The latest
and most annoying is the
disappearing header bar at the
top of the screen. Move the
cursor down the page and the bar
disappears – it’s totally
unnecessary. I’ve tried locking
the toolbars but it makes no
difference – how can I stop the
bar from going? The layout of
the bar has also changed and the
menu bar has gone completely.
Turning it on makes no
difference – it’s gone!
Alex P, Oxford
Hi Alex,
Internet Explorer has an
auto-hide mode. You should be
able to disable this by pressing
F11 on your keyboard.
Q3: Reinstalling Windows
I was forced to reinstall
Windows XP from the recovery
disk. I have done this once
before, but this time the
computer went back to ‘year
zero’. How do I get all the
Service Packs back on the
computer? And how do I reduce
the font size because everything
is massive? All the programs are
still on the C:drive – is it OK
to just reactivate them from
there or should I reinstall
them?
Millie K, London
Hi Millie,
Each time Microsoft release a
service pack, they include all
previous updates, so to get back
to where you were you'll just
need to install Windows XP
Service pack 3.
Go to
Windows Update and this should
be installed automatically.
Your
screen size problem is probably
because your computer does not
have a driver for your graphics
card. Again, going to Windows
Update should fix this (check
the Optional updates area).
It's best
to re-install your programs
rather than use the old files,
as this can sometimes cause
unexpected problems.
Q4: Home Hub not connecting
I have just got a BT Home Hub
which has installed without any
issues and appears to be working
fine, except that it doesn’t
connect to the Internet. The PC
connects to the router , but the
router will not accept my user
name and password, saying that
they are incorrect.
John E, Portsmouth
Hi John,
The BT Home hub is locked so
it'll only work on a BT
Broadband Line. Are you a BT
customer?
If you
are, you should contact BT
Broadband and make sure you're
using the correct details. If
you're not a BT customer you'll
need to get a different router.
Q5: What’s using up the space?
I have a Sony Vaio laptop with a
100GB hard disk and 512 MB RAM
running Windows XP. The problem
is that the C:drive [30GB] is
showing full with less than
500MB left. I have defragmented
it and also carried out a
clean-up. I have only found
2.5GB in the photos folder and
9.5GB in the music folder, so
where is the rest? There are no
big programs installed. The
D:drive is practically empty –
is there any way of making it
one drive? So what’s filling up
the memory and is there any way
of making the C: and D: drives
into one large drive?
Anne P, Luton
Hi Anne,
I find
WinDirStat extremely useful
in situations like this. It'll
scan your hard drive(s) and show
you were the large files are and
what's taking up the space.
It is
possible to combine your drives,
but you'd need to re-partition
your drive to do so - you can do
this with programs such as
Partition Magic. It's a safe
program to use but you should
proceed with caution as if
anything goes wrong you'll lose
your data.
Q6: iPhone Wi-Fi lockout
I recently bought a 32GB iPhone
3GS. When I go to the App Store
or do other things on my iPhone,
it finds my network and asks for
my password. But the trouble is
that I don’t know my password
because I have never needed it
since I’ve had my router. The
password must be the default one
as I haven’t changed it as far
as I can remember. The router is
a Belkin N1 Vision. Mike A, Carlisle
Hi Mike,
According to the
user manual, the Belkin N1
Vision does not ship with a
default password so this will
have been chosen by yourself or
whoever installed the router
originally.
You
should be able to find the
current password by checking the
router settings. Go to
http://192.168.2.1in your web
browser to do this.
Q7: Hotmail spam
Somebody has hit me with a virus
that sends spam about pharmacy
goodsto everyone in my address
book. Rather than eliminate the
virus, I want to drop my Hotmail
account in favour of a Gmail
account. How do I cancel the
Hotmail account?
Jill S, Leeds Hi Jill,
The
following guide should help you
cancel your hotmail account.
Q8: Wrong photo program
When I select a picture in my
Pictures folder, it opens in
Vista’s Window Photo Gallery and
not in the program I am working
in. This only started recently –
why is this happening and what
can I do to resolve the problem?
Jim L, Hemel Hempstead
Hi Jim,
To fix
this, right click on one of your
pictures, choose 'Open With' and
select the program you'd like to
open the file with. To make
this a permanent change, tick
the box that says "Always use
the selected program to open
this type of file"
Your questions have been
answered by the technical
support team at Plusnet.
And if you have a question then
send it to me by email at
murray60@live.co.uk
iriver WiFi Story - The Ideal
Travelling Companion
iriver announces elegant,
wireless-enabled ebook reader
with direct access to WHSmith
eBookShop.This
fabulous device puts an entire
library at your fingerprints
through an elegant, slimline
body that rivals even the
shortest novella in portability.
Perfect for voracious readers
with an appetite for literature
wherever they are!
Whether you’re relaxing on a
well-deserved holiday, taking a
long-haul flight or just riding
the bus to work on your daily
commute, the iriver WiFi story
provides the perfect portal to
another world of literature.
As its name suggests, the device
offers WiFi wireless
connectivity, ensuring that
you’ll never be left hanging
without the next part of a
trilogy and can be delving into
the first chapter of a
blockbuster novel mere minutes
after it hits shelves. eBooks
can be downloaded on the move
via a direct, embedded link to
the WHSmith eBookShop.
And thanks to the latest e-ink
screen technology, the reading
experience is very similar to
printed ink on paper, meaning no
squinting in bright sunlight or
straining your eyes staring at a
laptop-style screen while
reading. An entire novel can be
read in one sitting.
Users aren’t limited to reading
pages of words, either - for
comic book and graphic novel
fans, the device can quickly
render all common image and
comic book types. And
the iriver WiFi Story has to
display PDF and Microsoft Word,
Excel and Powerpoint formats.
A Photo Speaks A
Thousand Words!
SimplaPhone is the first touch screen home
telephone that allows you to dial by photo and
see a photo of the incoming caller.
SimplaPhone is a unique home telephone that has
been developed to help maintain a person’s
independence and security.
The functions are simple and the use of
technology makes it accessible to everyone. It’s
easy and convenient - it’s the Simpla way to
keep in touch!
Avoid
Nuisance calls and Answer with Confidence!
Are you tired of answering unwanted calls? Or
have you ever wished to know who is calling you
before you pick up the phone? We understand how
important it is to have peace of mind when
answering the phone and SimplaPhone can offer
you just that.
This SimplaPhone displays the incoming callers photo instantly when
the phone rings, giving you the security of
knowing who is calling before answering.
No
need to remember telephone numbers!
You can’t remember telephone number of person
you want to call? No problem, just simply touch
the photo of person on the screen and
SimplaPhone will do the dialling for you. There
will be no mis-dialing either, simply touch the
photo on the screen and SimplaPhone will dial
for you.
Take photo with built-in camera
and Enjoy!
Take photos of friends and family with the
built-in camera and store up to 150 photo
contacts in the photo directory.
How to use the SimplaPhone
Touch the photo of the person you would like to
speak on the touch screen and the SimplaPhone
does the dialing for you. Take a picture of
family and friends using the handsets built in
camera, replace it in the base unit and it
uploads instantly – stores up to150 contacts.
The photo of the caller shows on the main screen
and the handset so you recognize who is calling
straight away.
Benefits of the SimplaPhone
Easy to use 7” touch screen – dial and answer
simply by touching the screen.
Browse photos instead of numbers - no
misdialling and no need to remember numbers.
Caller ID with a photo so you can see who is
calling.
Store up to 150 contacts into the phones
directory.
Take photos using the handsets built in camera.
Download photos from your computer using the USB
memory stick provided.
Hands free operation on the base unit and the
handset.
Have conversations around your home and garden
on the cordless handset with a 200 metre range
from the base unit.
Integrated answer phone displays a photo with
the stored message.
Tell us how many PHOTO contacts can SimplaPhone
store?
a)
10 b)
100
c) 150
d) 200
To Enter the Competition
Tell us how many PHOTO contacts can the SimplaPhone
store. Then send in your answer, together
with your full name, postal address and to the
email address below:
info@simplaphone.com
Terms and Conditions
1.
Please let us know if you do not wish to receive
any further correspondence from SimplaPhone.
2.
The competition is open to our readers from the
UK only.
3.
We do not accept automated entries.
How To Set Up
A Webcam
We show you how to set up and use a webcam. You
can then chat with friends and family around the
world, face-to-face.
Use your webcam to make free video calls
To talk face-to-face with distant friends via
your PC, webcam, and the right software.
There's a wide choice of free video chat
software available, including Skype and AOL
Instant Messenger software.
If you know your friends and family who use
video chat already, check which software they
use because to join in, you need to use the same
software as them.
All instant messaging programs allow you to
exchange text, sound and video messages with
other users – there’s no real benefit to using
one over another. You can even install a number
of different programs to ensure you can chat
with all your friends.
We'll show you how to use Windows Live Messenger
because it’s most widely used.
Set up your webcam
First run the set-up CD included with the
webcam. This will install the drivers that the
webcam needs to work with your computer.
Connect the webcam
When prompted, plug the webcam into your USB
port. Windows XP should recognise it and the
Logitech software will set up the webcam's
built-in microphone and the camera.
Set up Live Messenger
Download the Windows
Live Messenger program. Click 'Get
it free' and follow the steps. Click 'Run' to
start Windows Live Installer. It will take a few
minutes.
Once it's installed, a Windows Live Messenger
window (shown) will pop up on your desktop. This
is the window you'll see each time you log in.
Set up an account
Next you need to set up your Windows Live
account. In the Windows Live Messenger window,
click 'Sign up for a Windows Live ID'.
This will open a web page.
Choose your username and password. You may find
you have to try more than one username if
someone else has already taken your first
choice.
When you're done, enter your username and
password into the Windows Messenger window to
log in.
Configure Messenger
If you don't want Windows Live Messenger to run
every time you start Windows, go to the Windows
Live Messenger menu bar and click the icon
(circled).
In the drop-down menu, select Tools > Options.
In the drop-down box, select 'General',
and untick ‘Automatically run Windows Live
Messenger when I log on to Windows’. If you
don't want a news pop up window each time you
use Messenger, untick ‘Show Windows Live
Today after I sign in to Messenger’.
Set up your webcam with Messenger
Now make sure the sound output (PC speakers or
headphones), sound input (microphone in the
webcam) and the video input (the webcam) are
communicating properly.
Click the same icon that is shown in step 5.
Choose Tools > Audio and video setup. Follow the
instructions and, when prompted, choose the
entries that correspond to your webcam.
You'll be prompted to speak to make sure the
microphone is picking up your voice. In the next
step you'll see the image that your webcam is
seeing. This should be you!
Adjust the position of the webcam until you're
centred.
Find your friends
To find someone else using the same program,
click the icon in the Messenger menu bar.
Enter their instant messaging address > Add
contact. A request will be sent to them. When
they accept, they'll appear in your list. If
they're online at the time, it may take only
seconds.
September
2010 
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