Category Archives: PHx
Local Broadband Survey – The Golden Valley / Hay-on-wye
As we travel around the local area, we are always hearing about the speed issues of local broadband. We think the local situation regarding broadband is pretty dismal.
We are looking at ways we can supply faster broadband to those who are currently on a very low speed, and for those who currently have to suffer with dial up, then we are looking to provide a significant speed increase.
We are trying to get an overall picture of Broadband in the Golden Valley and surrounding areas so that we can plan a strategy for improving the Broadband availability.
Pleas fill out the form below so that we can gauge the speed levels around the area and see how big (or small) the problem is.
If you know of someone who can’t access broadband please fill in their details in the form on their behalf.
Your data will be used for the purpose of this survey only. Once the survey is concluded the results will be posted on this blog and emailed to you.
Alistair Phillips
BSc Forensic Computing
PHx-Web
www.phx-web.co.uk
alistair@phx-web.co.uk
Wi-Fi Direct
The Wi-Fi Alliance, made up of companies like Intel, Microsoft and Apple, have announced that they will soon finish work on the new Wi-Fi Direct standard. Using this new technology Wi-Fi devices will be able to connect directly to each other (without a hotspot, router or Wi-Fi access point).
Much like bluetooth allows you to connect two mobile phones together or mobile phone and hands free kit, Wi-Fi direct will allow the same principles for laptops and computers.
In many ways this new Wi-Fi technology is similar to Bluetooth but with the range and speed of Wi-Fi. Like Bluetooth, devices will be able to discover one another and advertise available services. But unlike Bluetooth, devices can connect from across a home or office and conduct bandwidth-hungry tasks with ease. If the Wi-Fi guys get the power consumption right on this new technology then it could be the death knell for Bluetooth.
The Wi-Fi Alliance plans begin certifying devices for the Wi-Fi Direct in 2010.
Summertime – Protection for your laptop
Your perfect vacation could be ruined in an instant by cyber-criminals looking to rob you of your personal information. Imagine stepping off the plane, ready to start your vacation, only to realize that between “here” and “there” your bank account has been wiped out and your credit card information stolen.
So here are five easy tips to ensure your vacation doesn’t end in disaster.
1. Pay attention to your surroundings – Remember, if you can read his magazine, the guy sitting next to you on the plane can also read your laptop screen! Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean you’re not still in public
2. Beware of “Evil Twins” – Some Wi-Fi networks can appear to be legitimate, but are NOT. Criminals can create “dummy” networks or Web sites that contain the name of the airline, hotel or airport, but actually will direct your information to their own computer. If you always use the access keys provided by the airline, hotel, or airport, you’ll be protected
3. Always assume your Wi-Fi connections are being eavesdropped on – Never enter sensitive data (bank account information, social security numbers, etc.) when browsing the Web via a Wi-Fi network
4. Set any Bluetooth devices to “hidden”, not “discoverable” – If you do not use the Bluetooth function, turn it off altogether
5. Keep your security software current and active – Remember, mobile PCs are vulnerable to the same viruses, Trojans, and worms as your home computer so make sure your security software protects you on wireless networks, like Norton Internet Security does.
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Windows 7 – Microsoft’s next Operating System
Oh dear here we go again …..
Lets start with Pricing:
Windows 7 Home Premium $199.99
Windows 7 Professional $299.99
Windows 7 Ultimate $319.99
Windows 7 Home Premium £121.86
Windows 7 Professional £182.79
Windows 7 Ultimate £194.97
Microsoft has announced via the Windows 7 Team Blog that Windows 7 will be released on October 22nd. This is a lot quicker than some people expected as Microsoft had previously announced that Windows 7 would be released in 2010
How big will you PC need to be to run Windows 7? That isn’t 100% clear yet. The minimum specification for the Windows 7 Beta is listed below. But Microsoft is keen for Windows 7 to run on the new breed of small laptops which are commonly known as netbooks. At the moment netbooks either run Linux or XP as Windows Vista is too bloated.
A 1-GHz, 32-bit, or 64-bit processor
1GB or more system memory
16GB or more available disk space
Support for DX9 graphics with 128MB or more memory (in order to enable Aero theme)
DVD-R/W Drive
Thanks to the EU and there crusade against Microsoft users in Europe will not be able to buy an upgrade disk. Users will have to install a full version, which means removing all personal files to backup (which you should do already) and have to reinstall all programs and such like.
That’s not the best news once you have done all that you will find that you have no Internet Explorer….. Microsoft have decided not to include it in the Europe editions to comply with the anti competition rules of the EU. So how are you going to get a browser? Simple right? Just download one…. On Wait you cant download one because you have no internet browser!! Well that’s good for IT Support companies like mine 
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News Roundup – iphone 3.0 /3gs
Iphone 3.0
Recently Apple released the Iphone 3.0 firmware, with some important and useful upgrades. If like me you live somewhere that 02 doesn’t regard as important enough to cover with signal you will want to use your iphone on a different network.
Enhancements Include:
- Copy and Paste – About time ….. why it wasn’t in the first build I don’t know
- Landscape Keyboard
- MMS – Again about time
- Improved Calendar
- Internet Tethering – Which AT&T wont support
- Sync Notes – and once more About time !
There are two ways to do this, the first is a software patch which updates the Iphones built in software and removes the network lock. Personally I didn’t fancy this method just… personal preferences i guess, However if you have ‘jailbroken’ your phone or need to again because of the 3.0 upgrade follow these useful tips.
The second way is to use a rebel sim…. This device is a very small chip which goes between your sim card and phone. If you get one also get the usb sim card reader. This way every time Apple upgrade the firmware on your iphone, you can also upgrade the firware on the rebel sim to trick your phone to thinking it is on O2.
The Iphone 3Gs is the latest model of Iphone. Please read here regarding Jail breaking news
Apple finally adds Cut and Paste to the Iphone!
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USB Data Recovery
I wanted to tell you about some successful data recovery projects we have undertaken recently, i have a degree in Forensic Computing so i should know what im doing.
USB Memory Stick Recovery
Recently a client came to us asking for help to recover her data from a usb memory stick. The memory stick had become damaged after the socket which usually connects the device to the computer had become detached from the circuit board. The client required some of the coursework off the memory stick within a few days of the damage.
We took apart the memory stick and very carefully soldered (please dont try this at home, a slight slip and all data would be permanently lost) 4 wires from a standard USB cable to the circuit board. All data(600mb) was successfully recovered from the memory stick and delivered back to the customer on a CD..
Apple Mac Data Recovery
A long term customer of ours phoned to say they were having a clean out on the Mac and in the process had transferred data to a new user account. They then deleted the old user account. Within a few days the client discovered they had not copied the data from iphoto and all photos of a project she had taken documenting a year long project were gone!!!
The client uses the mac for a lot of audio recording and thus has large files on the machine, and a few days had past so i didn’t hold out much hope for any sort of recovery.
To cut a long story short using our in house expertise we recovered over 10000 deleted image files from the machine, the most were OS icons etc, but also lying in wait were the deleted project images. Job Done another happy customer and a message from me.
PLEASE BACKUP YOUR DATA ….. Give us a call if you want to know how. Imagine this tomorrow your computer Hard drive fails completely and NOTHING is recoverable. ALL OF YOUR DATA IS LOST …. can your business survive ? have you lost valuable family photos … backup it takes a few minutes a week and saves lots of pain.!
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Techie News Nibbles
Some Techie News Bits
SOFTWARE GIANT MICROSOFT says it is increasing its environmental commitment making sustainability “a core value” for the company
Speaking at a Green Conference, Microsoft’s Jolly Green Vole, Robert Bernard said Windows computers have always been heavy on juice so it is coming up with ways to save leccy.
Microsoft is now promising lower power consumption on Windows 7 and other products.
Bernard said that users should notice their power bills falling over time.
From : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7965513.stm
Windows Touch
The multi-touch controls familiar to Apple iPhone users will be built-in to Microsoft’s Windows 7.
Windows Touch will be a “first class way to interact with your PC alongside mouse and keyboard,” said the firm.
Microsoft believes multi-touch PCs will become popular in retail, public spaces, on laptops and “kitchen PCs”.
Some Windows machines already feature rudimentary touch input and Apple is also reportedly adding touch for displays in its Snow Leopard OS update.
A small number of multi-touch PCs are already on the market, including the HP TouchSmart and the Dell Latitude XT, and Microsoft hopes Windows 7 will create a new ecosystem of devices that take advantage of touch.
The latest generation of Apple’s laptops also feature a glass trackpad that supports multi-touch gestures.
Microsoft has launched a Windows Touch Logo program, which will help consumers understand if a machine has been optimised for the new control system.
Windows Touch will features controls such as tap and double tap, drag, scroll, zoom, flick and rotate.
In a posting on the Windows 7 engineering blog, the team leading Touch developments said: “Quite a few folks have been a little sceptical of touch, often commenting about having fingerprints on their monitor or something along those lines.
New Sites
As well as a technical blog, we are also going to showcase some of our latest work and newest clients:
www.patrickkeenguns.co.uk / www.bramptoncottagebedandbreakfast.co.uk
We have upgraded both of these webpages to enable the owner full access over content so they can update any of the pages and images at any time of day or night without the need to wait for their service provider to make the changes.
We also included some web stat software so that now the client knows how effective their website is …. Do you know how many visitors your website gets per day and how effective your local press is in exposing your website to the public ?
www.rochellesjewellery.com
This site has been transferred to PHx due to our competitive hosting packages and ability to upgrade the website to include the development of an online e-commerce shopping area.
Welcome to PHx-Web
Firstly Welcome.
This blog is somewhat of an experiment, as a growing web development company we are always on the lookout for new ways to promote businesses and help out our customers. This blog will serve to purposes:
1. To inform our readers of new technology and offer unbiased reviews.
2. See how effective blog and social network marketing can be, and whether the revenue streams generated are a worthwhile time investment for companies.
One of our leading projects is the development of a Local Business Community; The Greenlinks and Herefordshire Greenlinks websites have been developed by us using state of the art content management systems. The site includes a business directory where businesses can list and update their entry 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The Greenlinks movement is looking for new ways to promote its self, we are trialing blog marketing to raise the awareness of the website and the work there fantastic people do.
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