Windows 8/8.1 is frustrating enough without the problems its default mail client brings to users. If you’ve made the switch to the new version of Windows, you have probably linked it to your Microsoft email account. We’ve shown you how to change your log-in routine from password to pin (here’s the link to that post) . That makes things easier but you’re still faced with using the ‘Mail’ app and that’s the problem. It doesn’t work. Here’s why:
1. The Windows Mail GUI is not user-friendly. Windows arbitrarily sorts your email into folders, taking regular emails from retailers from your inbox and shoving them into a Newsletters folder. The odd thing about this strategy is that some newsletters make it into the Inbox while others don’t. What’s the rationale for that? What obscure algorithm is Microsoft using?
2. Bulk blocking of spam emails does not work. Users are forced to perform individual blocking of spam. The old version of Outlook’s web interface allowed for multiple selection and blocking of spam. In some cases, the blocking does not work at all, even when only one piece of spam is selected.
3. It’s as if the interface was designed for mobile devices instead of desktops and computers. While mobile computing is extremely popular now, many of us still use large screen devices to check our mail. We don’t need large typefaces and split screens. As a matter of fact, having a screen split three ways actually takes up more room than the old web interface that Outlook uses. Here’s what we mean:
If this was designed for tablets, it consumes more screen room than before.
4. The email accounts don’t sync when they are opened on one computer then again on a Windows 8 computer. Emails that have been deleted from the web interface still show up in the Windows 8 app. It’s as if the single account is seen as two separate accounts, depending on which computer/device it is opened with.
These are just a few of the faults that we’ve found with Microsoft’s Windows 8 Outlook App. Trust us, it’s not worth using. You’re far better to sign into Outlook using your browser, we recommend Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, and do all of your email tasks using the simple and very efficient interface used there. Ignore the Windows 8 app completely. If email is important to you, take our advice or switch to Gmail.
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Here’s a fairly short video about changing your name and assorted details on your Facebook account. It’s not that hard but it involves going to two different places. Changing your name is under the General tab on settings while your other personal details, gender etc., are in the ‘update information’ area. It’s easier for us to do a video when we’re bouncing around like this so we did! Hope you like it.
Meeting people on social media is always a problem. Facefeed solves that problem in a fun and very addictive way. Imagine yourself walking down the street, people watching. As you pass someone, what do you do? You probably look at their face, right? Maybe indirectly, maybe with a glance but we’re quite sure you look at faces. Now, imagine that the street you are on has only women or only men on it. As you walk, you say hi to some, ignore others, smile or keep walking. That’s pretty much what you get with Facefeed.
Facefeed is a free app. Download it from the Apple App store. Unfortunately there is no Android version at this point and we don’t see one on the horizon. From what we’ve seen, it’s almost worth buying an Apple device just for this app. Yes, it’s that much fun. We use our iPod Touch and it works just fine. Obviously it would be better and more entertaining on something that could use a data feed but, hey, an iPod will do the job when you have a WiFi signal.
Here’s how Facefeed operates:
1. First, get your face on. Take a photo that will be you for now. You can change the photo any time you want but you have to start with a pic, preferably of your face. Sure, you can cheat by hiding but what’s the point? No one will say hi unless you post a face pic.
2. Make up a name or use your own. There is no email sign-in process. There’s just you and people on ‘the street’.
3. Choose the faces you want to see. Could be men, could be women, could be both.
4. Start walking. Scroll up to see the next person on the street. If you see someone who looks interesting, say hi. This is where the fun comes in. When you say hi, you have to send a photo along with your greeting. Hold up a cup of coffee or say cheers with a martini, it doesn’t matter. If you look decent, fun or whatever the other person is looking for, they just might say hi back to you. At some point after a few hellos, they or you can decide to make friends. At that point you can trade email addresses or just keep things simple on Facefeed.
Here are some screenshots from Facefeed:
If you see a face you like, say hi and smile, just like it says here.
If you’re lucky, someone might just say hi to you.
If enough people say hi to you, your popularity rises.
We are number 5,684. Still a long way to go!
Download Facefeed and have some fun. Take it easy and walk slowly. One of the things you will find out immediately is ‘you can’t go back’. Once you scroll up to see the next face on your screen, the face you just passed is lost forever. When we say walk slowly we mean take your time as you’re checking out the faces. Flip too fast and you just might miss your next best friend.
TIP: If you want to add a friend, you can only do it when you’re sending a greeting back to them. Receive the message, press the reply icon and look for the star up on the top right of your screen. Choose ‘add friend’ and then send the message. If someone adds you as a friend, you can only accept them when you are replying. Again, look for the star icon up on the top right. If you have a problem, ask us. We’ll sort it out for you.
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Part one of this two-part series is here: Get Netflix on HDTV – Part 1 Once you’ve got all the bits and pieces, here’s how to get everything working as a unit.
1. Most devices connect to your router then to the Internet automatically. Find the settings menu on your HDTV or smart device then look for the word ‘Network’. If you are using a wired connection, Ethernet to be exact, every device will be able to connect automatically. We have yet to see anything that won’t connect on its own. Your router is already set to allow new connections, don’t worry about that.
2. If you’re using a WiFi connection (wireless), you will have to identify the network and enter the key. The key is what protects your WiFi network from intruders, sometimes called neighbors, who might want to steal your signal and use your Internet connection for themselves. Some devices have a remote which you can use as a keypad while others have you use the up/down/left/right keys to ‘type’ in the letters and numbers. If your device uses Bluetooth, we’d advise you to get a basic keyboard for this. Still other devices link up with your mobile device, Samsung for instance, which makes entering data much easier.
3. If you have connected an Ethernet cable directly to your HDTV, you’re all set. If you have a separate device, you must connect that device to the HDTV via a single HDMI cable. These usually come with the TV or with the device but sometimes you have to buy one separately. They go for less than ten dollars around Toronto so don’t go forking out fifty bucks for one. No matter what Monster Cable tells you, their equipment is no better than anyone else’s.
4. Your HDTV might have different HDMI inputs. Some of ours have four separate ones so grab your owner’s manual and figure out how to choose which input is which and how to switch from one to another. One the TV in our ‘man cave’, we have a BluRay DVD player, our PS3 and our Xbox-360 all connected through separate HDMI inputs. No need to unplug one then plug in another, we just switch between them with our remote. This is what your HDTV might look like from the back:
This set has three HDMI inputs.
5. If you’re worried about the mess from all of the cables, head to your local big box hardware store and look for cable ‘hiders’. These are usually flat, two-piece plastic strips that stick to your wall with two sided tape or screws. The base goes on the wall then the cables are arranged on it and the top section snaps on, effectively hiding everything behind it. The surface can be painted the same color as the wall. Here’s an example for you:
Neat and tidy, isn’t it?
6. Once you can connect to the Internet, you often have to update the software on your device(s) to bring them up to the current version. This might take some time but it’s normal. On other devices, the PS3 for instance, you will have to sign in to the Playstation store and download the ‘app’ that will run Netflix. It’s all free, don’t worry. Your owner’s manual will explain it all.
7. Finally, remember that Netflix account that you signed up for on your computer? Go back to it, sign in and see what you have to do to register your device. Everything that you use to stream Netflix, except a computer, will require registration. Bring up the Netflix menu on your HDTV or smart device then write down the code, go back to your computer and enter it. Here’s what you’ll see on your screen:
Get the code from your device then enter it on your computer.
That’s about it really. You may run into some little problems here and there but you’ve got ample resources to help you. Your owner’s manual is great for troubleshooting. The manufacturer’s of your device probably had a PDF manual that you can download plus Netflix has excellent support pages. If your device can stream Netflix, they have information on it, that’s for sure. Finally, ask us! Ask us in a comment or on our Facebook page if you have a problem. Here is the link:Computers Made Simple on Facebook. Thanks for reading!
We love Netflix! Cheap, efficient with something for everyone.
Netflix works well on your computer or mobile device but it really shines when you can watch it on a large screen HDTV. Here’s what you need to do exactly that:
1. A fast Internet connection. Minimum speed for HD viewing seems to be 4-5 Mbps. It’s possible to stream Netflix with slightly slower speeds but we guess there would be lots of buffering while you watch.
2. Either a ‘smart’ HDTV or a device that will make your TV smarter. Smart, in this case, refers to the ability to use Internet apps, one of which is Netflix. Some HDTVs are already smart in that they can connect directly to the Internet, either through an Ethernet cable or through WiFi. There are many smart devices that you can use including any modern game console, a host of Blu-Ray DVD players, gadgets such as Google Chromecast and stand-alone boxes such as Apple TV. All of these devices connect to the Internet then stream content through an HDMI cable to your HDTV.
3. A Netflix account. This is obvious, isn’t it? Netflix offers a free trial month but you still have to have an account. Sign up online, enter your credit card information and start watching. Why do you have to sign up with a credit card? Simply to make the transition from your free trial month to your monthly subscription as smooth as possible. You won’t have any problem cancelling your subscription before your trial is over so don’t worry about this part of it.
4. Before you sign up for Netflix, try watching some videos on Youtube. Once you can do that, then it’s obvious that all of your connections are working. Some Youtube videos are in HD, most aren’t. Both Netflix and Youtube, among others, will adjust their streaming to match your connection speed. What does that mean? Basically that the image you see on your HDTV will vary in quality depending on the speed of your Internet. We just switched from DSL to cable and the difference is obvious. We thought the image looked great with DSL but there is no comparison to how it looks with cable Internet. Our cable is nine times faster than our old DSL, by the way.
Devices: In step number two we mentioned that you need a smart HDTV or some type of smart device. Here’s an example of a smart device at a very reasonable price:
On sale for under $50.00, this Toshiba Blu-Ray player is all you need to stream Netflix.
The price of these devices is low. We picked up a Samsung Blu-Ray player for $35.00 from Walmart a couple of years ago. It works perfectly for Netflix, Youtube as well as the various premium sports networks that we subscribe to. We recently bought an Apple TV unit which allows us to stream downloaded movies from any computer that runs iTunes. The interface on Apple TV is superior to the one on the Samsung but that’s neither here nor there. All you have to care about is the image on your HDTV screen and both will output the same quality picture through the HDMI cable. (HDMI streams both picture and sound so there is no need of any other messy cables in your living or family room.)
Here are the specs you should look for in a smart device:
The numbers won’t mean much to you but read the Overview. Make sure you see Netflix and/or Youtube.
Wired or WiFi?
We don’t want this to get too technical but we should address the wired or WiFi question before you get too far into this. Some TVs and some devices have WiFi capability. WiFi is wireless, of course, and the streaming signals go through the air from your router to the TV/device. That signal is often trying to travel through walls, floors, ceilings, glass, etc. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it works with less efficiency, you get the idea.
In order for you to use a WiFi TV or device, it must be ‘802.11n’ capable. This is often shortened simply to ‘N’. There are three WiFi protocols that are in popular use these days. Old units run B or G while new, fast devices run N. You want N. Both your router and your streaming device must be N capable. There are workarounds to this but they only make things more complicated. Virtually every streaming device that you buy now uses N but, and this is a big but, your router may not be able to stream out N signals.
In our opinion, a wired connection is almost always best if it can be arranged. If not, an N protocol streaming setup will work just about as well. If running an Ethernet cable from your router to your HDTV or smart device is impossible, you have to use WiFi, obviously.
TIP: If you are using a game console for streaming, please note that the Sony PS3 is not N capable while the X-Box 360 is. The Wii is not even HD so ignore that one completely. Furthermore, Netflix is free on the PS3 but not on the X-box. Sony does not require a premium membership to use Netflix while Microsoft does. We suggest looking at the PS3 or the new PS4 if you’re looking for a single device that does everything. They will play Blu-Ray DVDs, stream Netflix and Youtube as well as providing you and your family with a seemingly endless array of video game fun. More people buy PS3s to watch Netflix than any other device.
That’s it for now. We’ve given you the basics in this post. Now it’s up to you to set yourself up with the right equipment for the job. With Netflix and the other streaming apps out there, you are in control, not your cable or satellite company. Instead of offering you hundreds of channels full of ads, Netflix and the others simply provide hundreds of choices of movies, ad-free TV shows, videos and sports from all over the world.
Stay tuned for part 2, coming up next. Ask us in a comment or on our Facebook page if you have a problem. Here is the link:Computers Made Simple on Facebook. Thanks for reading!
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a little bit of hi-tech, a little bit of common sense and a lot of fun
