What does the Fox say?

[knight1fox3]

Ive got 1 of the computers working, but its been a nightmare trying to get it right.  I didn't realize until just now, but under account settings it says "Microsoft exchange".  I don't even know how I got it to work, but it is.  I cant even change any settings for it now.

Most email clients are now migrating to exchange based systems (vs. the older POP/IMAP type).  With exchange clients, all information is stored in the cloud.  Even the respective settings (i.e. port, server info, etc.).  So as long as one has the exchange account info, user name & password, the server is smart enough to auto-configure.  The caveat is that this all must first be configured on the web-based email client before configuring in Outlook.  Furthermore, I found that the MS user account loaded on the respective user machine MUST MATCH the corresponding exchange credentials.  Learned this the hard way after setting up the new email system at LadyFox's engineering firm.

 

[Supe]

Fox - I've got a Galaxy S6 on AT&T corporate plan right now, but the phone is mine (G920A).  New company is moving us over to locked up iPhone 6's (no camera functionality, etc.), probably on Verizon.  I will probably look to pick up a Straight Talk plan to migrate the Samsung over to.  Is this possible with that model?  I would think I could just buy an AT&T based sim card from Straight Talk, but I'm not sure.  

 

[kevo_55]

You should be able to.

I use a $30/month t-mobile prepaid plan. (100 mins but unlimited data.) My new phone used a different size sim card. I simply went to one of their stores and asked for the sim to be switched.

Well, as long as the S6 is unlocked.

 

[Supe]

The S6 isn't unlocked, came straight from AT&T prepopulated with their crap.  That's why I'm wondering about Straight Talk in particular, since it's an AT&T service?  I have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time getting an unlock code from AT&T.  Their business people send me back to their normal service reps and vice versa...

 

[mudpuppy]

The FCC requires carries to unlock phones that are eligible.  As long as you outright own the phone, they'd better provide you with an unlock code for free.  If not threaten to file an FCC complaint.  See:  https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-unlocking-faqs

Straight talk sells the S6, so you should be able to get a SIM card for it from them.  Straight Talk has GSM (AT&T) and CDMA (Verizon) phones, so make sure you get the right SIM.

 

[csb]

On a separate note, I'm really liking my new GS6 Edge.

My GS5 is crap since the OS upgraded. How do I make it not crap? 

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

Supe, you should be able to unlock the phone online.  I had an iPhone that I used on AT&T that I needed to unlock to give it to a cousin.  I simply followed the online instructions and was able to unlock the phone on my own.  

Take a look at this link:

https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1008728?source=redirect

 

[knight1fox3]

My GS5 is crap since the OS upgraded. How do I make it not crap? 

Umm...you'll have to provide a bit more detail as I'm not sure what is all covered under "crap".

My initial guess is that you have a good amount of "bloatware" that needs to be disabled.  The newest OS version is fantastic and should be great on the GS5 as it is on the GS6.

The FCC requires carries to unlock phones that are eligible.  As long as you outright own the phone, they'd better provide you with an unlock code for free.  If not threaten to file an FCC complaint.  See:  https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-unlocking-faqs

Straight talk sells the S6, so you should be able to get a SIM card for it from them.  Straight Talk has GSM (AT&T) and CDMA (Verizon) phones, so make sure you get the right SIM.

This.

Supe, you should be able to unlock the phone online.  I had an iPhone that I used on AT&T that I needed to unlock to give it to a cousin.  I simply followed the online instructions and was able to unlock the phone on my own.  

Take a look at this link:

https://www.att.com/esupport/article.html#!/wireless/KM1008728?source=redirect

Aaaaaand this. 

:thumbs:

 

[csb]

Like it reboots itself and locks up quite a bit. It's also laggy. Can I unlock a phone but stay with my current provider? 

 

[knight1fox3]

Like it reboots itself and locks up quite a bit. It's also laggy. Can I unlock a phone but stay with my current provider? 

Yep, then that sounds like too much installed garbage.  If you don't have a terrible amount of personal data stored on it, or you could back up anything you want saved, you could try a factory reset.  Then before installing any of your preferred apps, go in to the application manager and start disabling the things you don't need or use.  And I'm not sure what you mean by the 2nd comment.  Unlocking a phone would only make it available for use on another network.  What I think you are asking about is root access (i.e. admin rights).  Which really shouldn't be necessary in your particular case and also voids any warranty.

 

[Ble_PE]

@knight1fox3, didn't you say that you have (or had) a Pebble smartwatch? What are your thoughts on the new Pebble Time? I've been thinking of getting a smartwatch since my regular watch crapped out on me recently, but I'm not really wanting to spend a ton of money on one.

 

[knight1fox3]

Yes, I have the older Pebble Steel version but still really like it as it does the very basic activities I like (plus a few other added bonuses).

For Xmas this year I got LadyFox the new and improved Pebble Time and she really likes it.  It doubles as a step-counter, can monitor sleep patterns, just to name a few of the new features.  And you can usually find some type of "1st time buyer" discount right on the pebble website.  Before I bought the Pebble Time, I was perusing their website and then left to do other things.  Later on I had a spam email saying something like, "Still interested?  How about 15% off?"  Or something to that effect.

 

[Ble_PE]

Thanks, I just pulled the trigger on the Time from Newegg. They were having a sale and it ended up costing me $120. I'm looking forward to getting it and putting it to use!

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

What online backup would you recommend?  I need to back up my computer as well as an external hard drive.

My buddy recommended Carbonite but he wasn't sure if it allowed external HD backups.

 

[knight1fox3]

Carbonite is decent and I've read some good reviews but have not tried them myself.  From my PC magazine, CrashPlan and Backblaze tend to get the nod for being best of the best.  You can read about a comparison of the two here:  http://www.maximumpc.com/crashplan-vs-backblaze/

And here is a review of a few others:  http://www.maximumpc.com/the-back-up-plan-we-examine-5-cloud-based-services

I'd advise to avoid any of the free or "almost free" variety.  You really get what you pay for in this instance.  My BIL uses Backblaze for his photography and in-house consulting engineering business.  I recall that he had a drive failure at one point and Backblaze sent him an external USB drive with all his backed up data within a day or so.

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

Based on my own research I was leaning toward Backblaze.  Looks like that's the winner.  Thanks Fox.

 

[knight1fox3]

How would today's teens react to Windows 95?


[SIZE= 16px]Dear CNET members,[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 16px]Before I get started on this week's topic, just a quick announcement. I know most of you are on the go and busy for most of your day, and sometimes catching up on important tech news is a challenge. If this sounds like you, I have some great news. CNET just released a new app called [/SIZE]Tech Today for iOS that delivers the 10 biggest stories of the day from CNET. I've been using it myself for a few days now and I'm impressed with the simplicity of the app, as it gives me just the right amount of tech news during my commute to work. So if you don't have much time, but still want a simple way to catch up on important tech stories daily, this is the app for you. Please give it a try and download it here. And if you have any feedback on it, you can either submit it through the app, or you can email it directly to me ([email protected]) and I'll make sure your feedback gets to the proper people on our team. Your feedback is appreciated. Enjoy! Now on to this week's topic of Windows 95.

[SIZE= 16px]It's hard to believe that Windows 95 is 20+ years old. The days of hearing the melody of the modem connecting to the Internet, AOL, floppy disks, and when 4MB (not GB) of RAM cost a pretty penny. For some of you Windows 95 brings nostalgia, yet others of you probably never experienced Windows 95 (maybe you haven't even heard of it!) For me, jumping from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 was revolutionary and I was super-excited as the user interface changed dramatically. But there've been a lot more dramatic changes since then. So what would it be like trying Windows 95 for the first time today? Well, this article by CNET contributor Bonnie Burton titled,"'It's prehistoric!' Today's teens react to Windows 95" introduces a fun video of a handful of teens experiencing the Windows 95 system. It's quite funny, though I also feel like it is a bit staged, but you be the judge. And when you're ready, tell us what you think of it all. I'd especially like to hear from the teens in our audience. Have you heard of Windows 95? And would your reaction be like the ones in the video?[/SIZE]

 

[matt267 PE]

^that video pissed me off.

 

[MA_PE]

^that video pissed me off.

x2.  further demonstrates the sense of entitlement and lack of respect for elders that is rampant with teenagers these days. Real techies would be in awe of how the precurses of todays electronics and computers operated.  

 

[knight1fox3]

^ exactly!  Win95 was leaps and bounds ahead of DOS and Win3.1.  A lot of research & development went into making that OS what it was.