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Tips and tricks to prolong laptop battery life

A laptop would just be a cold piece of aluminum with a flat battery if you don’t have a power socket at hand. It's hard to get any work done when you're peppered with pop-ups and warning messages when the battery power gets low. So here are some tips you can use to prolong the life of your precious laptop battery.

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01 Dec, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Hardware category
Tips and tricks to prolong laptop battery life

A laptop would just be a cold piece of aluminum with a flat battery if you don’t have a power socket at hand. It's hard to get any work done when you're peppered with pop-ups and warning messages when the battery power gets low. So here are some tips you can use to prolong the life of your precious laptop battery.

Some truths about your laptop battery

Batteries in many devices nowadays are lithium-based -- either lithium-ion or lithium-polymer -- so users must take note of the following guidelines for their proper maintenance:

  • They can’t be overcharged, even though you leave your battery plugged in for a long period of time. When the battery hits 100%, it’ll stop charging.
  • Leaving your battery completely drained will damage it.
  • Batteries have limited lifespans. So no matter what you do, yours will age from the very first time you charge it. This is because as time passes, the ions will no longer be able to flow efficiently from the anode to the cathode, thereby reducing its capacity.

What else can degrade your battery

Besides its being naturally prone to deterioration, your battery can degrade due to higher-than-normal voltages, which happens when you keep your battery fully charged at all times. Even though a modern laptop battery cannot be overcharged, doing so will add a stress factor that’ll harm your battery.

Both extremely high temperatures (above 70°F) and low temperatures (between 32-41°F) can also reduce battery capacity and damage its components. The same goes for storing a battery for long periods of time, which can lead to the state of extreme discharge. Another factor is physical damage. Remember that batteries are made up of sensitive materials, and physical collision can damage them.

How to prolong your battery life

Now that you know some facts about your laptop battery, it's time to learn how to delay its demise:

  • Never leave your battery completely drained.
  • Don’t expose your battery to extremely high or low temperatures.
  • If possible, charge your battery at a lower voltage.
  • If you need to use your laptop for a long period of time while plugged into a power source, it’s better to remove the battery. This is because a plugged-in laptop generates more heat which will damage your battery.
  • When you need to store your battery for a few weeks, you should recharge your battery to 40% and remove it from your laptop for storage.

These are just a few tips on extending the life of your hardware. There are many more ways you can maximize your hardware efficiency and extend its longevity. Call our experts today to find out more!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Make work easy with Microsoft’s new apps

Connections, Listings, and Invoicing are the most recent additions to Microsoft’s software lineup and they’re finally out of the beta testing phase. These apps come with every Office 365 Business Premium subscription and are perfect for companies with fewer than 300 employees.

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30 Nov, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office 365 category
Make work easy with Microsoft’s new apps

Connections, Listings, and Invoicing are the most recent additions to Microsoft’s software lineup and they’re finally out of the beta testing phase. These apps come with every Office 365 Business Premium subscription and are perfect for companies with fewer than 300 employees. Installing and using them is a breeze, see for yourself.

Microsoft Invoicing

Word and Excel have hundreds of templates for generating company invoices, but this new app does much more than just create documents. Invoicing allows you to store the names, descriptions, and prices of your products and services in a connected database. You can also store your tax information, company logo, and a click-to-pay PayPal badge, which means half of the necessary information is automatically filled out the moment you click Create.

In addition to clean and professional looking documents, Invoicing also makes it easy to organize, store, and search past invoices thanks to a built-in QuickBooks integration. Last but not least, all of this is easily accessible from Microsoft’s mobile app.

Microsoft Listings

With its centralized dashboard, Listings allows you to manage and update company details displayed by Google, Facebook, Bing, and Yelp. It also helps you monitor your company’s online reputation by tracking page-views, company reviews, and Likes.

Microsoft Connections

Connections is the perfect app for small business email marketing. Similar to the Invoicing platform, Connections stores your company information and uses it to create personalized email marketing campaigns with the click of a button.

For example, templates for newsletters, referrals, and promotions include customizable discounts and offers that trigger pre-written follow-up campaigns. Connections tracks and analyzes the performance of all your email-based campaigns to make refining and improving your content a breeze, whether it’s from your desktop or the mobile app.

How to enable Invoicing, Listings, and Connections

As long as you have an Office 365 Business Premium subscription, accessing these apps requires only a global admin login. From the Admin Center, click the Settings tab on the left-hand side of the screen, followed by Services & add-ins and then Business apps. In this menu, you can grant specific users permission to use Microsoft’s newest programs.

Setting up these apps is fairly easy. However, it’s even easier to have your Office 365 account managed by us. We could have remotely installed Invoicing, Listings, and Connections for you almost a month ago, and with our information security expertise and unlimited IT support requests, there’s no limit to the value we can add to your Office 365 subscription. Give us a call to get started!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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What’s new with the Chrome Cleanup tool?

Even if you’re sure that the websites you visit are safe, harmful software can still slip through, especially when you download and install free programs and applications. As the world’s most popular browser, Chrome is especially prone to infection.

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29 Nov, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Security category
What’s new with the Chrome Cleanup tool?

Even if you’re sure that the websites you visit are safe, harmful software can still slip through, especially when you download and install free programs and applications. As the world’s most popular browser, Chrome is especially prone to infection. Fortunately, Google has improved Chrome’s Cleanup tool for Windows by integrating the following security features.

Detect hijacked settings

Many users prefer to enhance their browsing experience by installing extensions or plug-ins, some of which could be malicious. When these extensions are installed, they could inject harmful ads into web pages or allow access to third-party servers without the user’s consent.

Google’s new hijacked settings detection function prevents this from happening. Once it detects an attempt by a third party to change your browser’s settings, it will automatically revert to Chrome's default settings. And in case you suspect any unauthorized change in your browser, you can manually reset settings in Chrome.

Simplify cleanup

You probably don’t remember downloading many of the files in your Downloads folder, but these are actually software and other attachments that were bundled with the software that you do use.

Chrome Cleanup’s newly simplified feature makes it easier for you to determine harmful files, easing the pain of sorting through and deleting tons of downloaded files. Whenever it detects a malicious software, users will get a pop-up message that offers them an easy way to remove the potential threat, get more details about it, or disregard it in case of false detection.

Maximize removal of nonessential software

Aside from the simplified interface, Google also made some much-needed improvements in Chrome Cleanup’s performance, so it’s now capable of eliminating more junkware.

Tricking users into installing a program without their consent is one of the many characteristics of unwanted software that Google lists under its Unwanted Software Policy. To help fight against this and other browser security risks, the company has partnered with an IT security team to strengthen Chrome’s ability to detect and remove unwelcome add-ons.

It’s important to note that these upgrades don’t affect Chrome’s performance and speed because they work in the background. In addition, these changes are now available in Windows devices but will soon roll out to other platforms. In the meantime, if you want to find out more about browser and application security, contact our security specialists today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Connecting accessories to Android devices

Ever thought about connecting a mouse or a keyboard to your Android tablet or smartphone? Many Android devices will actually allow you to do just that! Here’s what you need to know to let the fun begin.

USB keyboards, mice, and gamepads

Android phones and tablets don’t come with standard, full-size USB ports so you can’t plug a USB accessory directly into it.

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28 Nov, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Uncategorized category
Connecting accessories to Android devices

Ever thought about connecting a mouse or a keyboard to your Android tablet or smartphone? Many Android devices will actually allow you to do just that! Here’s what you need to know to let the fun begin.

USB keyboards, mice, and gamepads

Android phones and tablets don’t come with standard, full-size USB ports so you can’t plug a USB accessory directly into it. To connect, you’ll need a USB on-the-go (OTG) cable, which is simply a micro-USB adapter that can be purchased from any computer store for a couple dollars.

From there, your accessories should work without any further configuration. In fact, USB OTG even allows you to use other USB devices with your Android, like a flash drive.

Keep in mind that not every Android device has the port that’s required to support USB OTG. Such is the case with a Nexus 4 smartphone. Make sure to Google your device’s specs before purchasing a USB OTG cable.

Bluetooth keyboards, mice, and gamepads

While USB OTG works well, wires do add clutter to what is supposed to be a portable device. This is where Bluetooth technology comes in. Most Android devices will allow you to connect wireless mice, keyboards, and gamepads directly by pairing them with your Android Bluetooth settings.

Using each accessory

All your accessories should work in a plug-and-play manner, and here’s what you can expect from each of them.

  • Keyboard: Once connected, you should be able to use it to type on your Android tablet just like the onscreen keyboard. Many of the keyboard shortcuts work like they do on computers, too. These include Alt+Tab for switching between apps, and Ctrl+X, C, or V for Cut, Copy, and Paste.
  • Mouse: Connecting a mouse will allow you to navigate and click on things you’d normally tap on your Android device with a mouse cursor. You can still use the touchscreen while the mouse is connected.
  • Gamepad: While gamepads can be used to navigate through your Android’s home-screen interface and launch applications, they’re better used with games that support controllers like Sonic and many others.

You’ll be surprised at the number of things you can do to get the most out of your Android device. If you have any questions about Android or are looking to integrate it into your business, give us a call and we’ll be happy to advise.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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