July 2015 Tech Tips – F.Lux Your Eyes!

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Here’s your quick Tech Tip for the month of July to help you be more productive. As always, reach out anytime! We are here to help.

We’ve all been exposed to the powerful glare of a smartphone when opening a late night text message, or when shutting off an early morning alarm clock. What most don’t know is that, similar to the screen on your smartphone, the screen on your PC is designed to appear as bright as the sun to the human eye. Unfortunately for us, our eyes are not equipped to focus on objects this bright for extended periods of time – resulting in optical discomfort, and even long-term issues for those who frequently use a computer. Is there anything that can be done?

Introducing F.Lux! An easy-to-download program that allows your computer to adapt to a natural level of brightness based on the current time of day. For example, when the sun sets, F.Lux will automatically adjust your screen brightness to a level that is similar to that of your indoor lighting. For more information and downloading instructions, visit the F.Lux website!

F.Lux is a free program, easy to install, and is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and iPhone/iPad operating systems. It gets the IT Direct stamp of approval – so if the features sound beneficial to you, don’t be afraid to give it a try!

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

 

April 2015 Tech Tips – Microsoft OneNote 101

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Here’s your quick Tech Tip for the month of April to help you be more productive. As always, reach out anytime! We are here to help.

Microsoft OneNote; the hidden gem of Microsoft Office. Despite being frequently overshadowed by Word and Excel, OneNote offers an impressive set of features that are all its own – making it far more than a “doodle pad”. If you constantly find yourself in the midst of a frantic pen search, or lost under an endless amount of lists, it may be a good idea to jump on the OneNote bandwagon. Microsoft has taken the simple concept of a note-taking program, and turned it into a highly functional information management program. Unlock its potential with some of the features we’ve highlighted below:

OCR Tool: OneNote comes with a built-in OCR (optical character recognition) tool that recognizes your handwriting, and converts it to text.

Embedding & Multimedia: OneNote allows you to insert or record multimedia into your current file – video recordings, audio recordings, math equations, even scan in any handwritten notes.

Tagging: OneNote allows you to tag your notes so that they are quickly accessible when you need them, and easily
searchable if you cannot locate them.

Templates: Although they are hidden, OneNote provides tons of preset templates for your file, similar to those found in MS Word.

MS Office Integration: OneNote easily integrates with all other Microsoft Office programs, meaning simple document importation, exportation, and editing in all programs from Excel to Outlook.

Automatic Save Feature: OneNote will automatically save your current file, no “Save As” is required unless a specific name is desired.

Sharing & Synchronizing: OneNote operates with cloud-based storage, which allows you to sync and access your files from smartphones, Microsoft Surfaces, and iPads.

For more information, check out our RELAX OneNote Webinar here! OneNote is a must-have organizational tool, and caters to school, work, and personal needs. It’s a free program, and has the ability to make life so much easier – so don’t miss out!

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

March 2015 Tech Tips – Adobe, Acrobat, & PDF

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Here’s your quick Tech Tip for the month of March to help you be more productive. As always, reach out anytime! We are here to help.

Adobe, Acrobat, & PDF; can you distinguish the difference? Anyone who owns a computer, owns Adobe software. Anyone who has downloaded an e-bill, has viewed a PDF. All of these terms coincide with each other, but knowing the actual difference can come in handy and save you worlds of time in the future.

Adobe: Adobe is the company name, and is the creator of Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, and PDF formatting.

Adobe Reader: Adobe software that is complimentary with almost every new computer and is free to download, which is used to view, print, or sort through PDF files.

Adobe Acrobat: Adobe software that possesses all of the features of Adobe Reader, but can also be used to create, edit, convert, encrypt, digitally sign, export, and publish PDF files.

PDF: A type of document/format created by Adobe, which stands for Portable Document Format. PDF formatting captures information from the current program, saves and publishes it into a PDF file, and provides a clean, finalized way for recipients to digitally view files as they were intended to be.

Before you waste any precious work time fiddling with PDF’s, wondering why there is no option to rotate the pages or draw in your own notes, be aware of what needs to be done and which Adobe program will allow you to do so.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

Have you heard about the Microsoft Surface?

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No doubt you’ve heard about the iPad, but have you heard about the Microsoft Surface?

We are big fans of the device here at IT Direct! We wanted to share with you a great info-graphic that shares some of the features and advantages of the Surface – reach out to us if you have any questions!

More details can be found here.