PayPal Here could be a game changing for banks and credit card companies in Australia

I just read on the internet PayPal Here has been released by PayPal in Australia today. I’ve submitted a request for details from PayPal and look forward to their response.

PayPal Here is a device which is triangular shaped and plugs into the sound socket on an iPhone. It enables businesses to use PayPal services to process credit card transactions. For a business like mine where I provide computer support, that will provide a much needed additional payment method which is convenient and easy to use.

I’ve previously produced a document for clients with the issues of using PayPal, but for smaller and start-up businesses, PayPal is a low cost and easy to use service to handle PayPal and credit cards as payment options. I currently use PayPal on my site and it has generally worked very well, but there are some catches which I explain in the document.

On the Online Connections site I have a page where people can make a payment (www.OnlineConnections.com.au) which works well. Hundreds of people have made purchases using PayPal as the payment method for online purchases from my sites. I also provide a link for those interested in PayPal for Business on the main page of JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au). (NOTE: The PayPal link is a referral link so potentially a payment is received if this link is used.)

For me the new option of PayPal Here offers an exciting point-of-sale option which is very much needed.

The reason it is a game changer, is PayPal is relatively low cost and when I signed up, had no upfront set-up costs.

When I approached one bank for merchant services (the ability to accept credit cards) they wanted 7% of every purchase, around $40 a month for equipment/service costs and if I recall correctly, a couple of hundred dollars set-up fees. Even worse though, their terms and conditions prohibited me from using another service (which I wanted for overseas current transactions and they couldn’t provide) and should there be an issue, I’d have to commit to paying for legal costs, which to me meant an open chequebook for them to retain any legal services at my cost and to me that was a risk I wasn’t prepared take. PayPal does come with its own associated risks, so you need to make sure you make an informed decision.

I look forward to PayPal Here being made available in Australia and the opportunity to try out the service.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Onsite services to Doncaster/Templestowe/Eltham and the surrounding area.
Support available independent of location if onsite support not required.  

Panic Pizza Menu Doncaster East

I mentioned a while ago that Panic Pizza at the The Pines Shopping Centre in Doncaster East should have their menu available online. I personally like to ring up first and then pick up the pizza which saves some time. Having the menu available online means it is easy to see all their range and not just order the same pizza every time.

You can find the Panic Pizza Menu at www.justlocal.com.au/clients/panic-pizza-doncaster-east/. I’ve also added Panic Pizza to the 3106 and 3109 JustLocal pages.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Middle Camberwell Fish and Chips menu - Example of single page web site for a small business

Do you need a single page site up on the internet for your business to let your customers and potential customers know about your products, services and contact details?

 

I regularly order fish and chips from Middle Camberwell Fish and Chips when I visit family in Camberwell. The problem is I don’t really know what they have on their menu so generally just stick with the basics, even though they have quite a bit to offer. I asked Jenny the owner, for permission to put her menu on JustLocal so I could more easily check their menu next time, make it available to other family members and that also means it is available to her customers. I also felt it would be a good example for other small business owners to see what they could easily do to help promote their businesses.  You can find the Middle Camberwell Fish and Chips menu at www.justlocal.com.au/clients/middle-camberwell-fish-and-chips/.

The work involved in putting your business information onto the internet for others to find isn’t that large, if you approach it in the right way. If you’d like a relatively low cost presence to get your business started on the internet, give me a call on 0415 910 703 or send me an email at sales@onlineconnections.com.au.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

 

Middle Camberwell Fish and Chips menu.

The Middle Camberwell Fish and Chips menu can now be found on the JustLocal site.

Please enjoy.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au

Apple iOS 5.1 update Australian release date

Tim Cook recently announced the iOS 5.1 update was available immediately.

I use an older 3GS iPhone and none of the new features made me feel there was an urgent need to update. To my surprise the update had started without my knowledge.

I sometimes use a 3G wireless hotspot and without realising it, the mobile phone switched to the wireless service which I had on to test Android 4 on a tablet. The 3GS was plugged in and charging. This combination was sufficient for the iOS 5.1 update to silently and without my knowledge to start updating. I only knew the update had started because when I checked to see if iOS 5.1 was available, I was surprised the download was already started but in a paused state.



The caution here is to watch your data plan usage if you're using a 3G wireless hotspot, or make sure you turn off wireless on your Apple device when not using the feature. The same situation could occur if you're using an Android or Apple 4/4S as a hotspot with a Touch or iPad. I had no idea the update would occur without warning. Usually I'll connect to a fixed broadband service for large updates.

The good news is the iOS 5.1 update is available now for Australian users. Connect your device to power and a WiFi connection and the update should start. I'd also suggest using the software update feature to manually check for updates and make sure the update starts. If you have an older version of iOS (before version 5) you'll need to perform the update using iTunes, which I believe is a very big update.

Two features that caught my attention are: the camera is now available from the lock screen, which is convenient, and apps that can be downloaded without a WIFi connection has increased from 20MB to 50MB, so watch that data usage.

Happy iOS 5.1'ing.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer.
No problem too small.

Apple iPad 3 Australian release date

The Apple iPad 3 has now been announced in the States. The new features are:

Higher resolution display

A5X chip with quad-core graphics

5 megapixel camera
1080p HD video
4G
Personal Hotspot for 5 other devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB.

The operating system has been updated to iOS 5.1 and includes some new features.

 

The iPad 2 will be reduced in price.

The Apple iPad 3 will be available in Australia on Friday the 16^th of March, which is the same time as the United States.

 

This information is provided for those interested in the Apple iPad 3. This isn’t meant to be a recommendation. You should review the iPad 3 against your requirements as you would any computing device. I assist clients with their Apple devices including services such as connecting their Apple devices to their home or business networks, setting up email, and general support.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for assistance with your computers.
Servicing Templestowe/Doncaster/Eltham and the surrounding suburbs.

Android 4 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) now available for Acer A200 tablet in Australia

Tonight the Android 4 update became available for Australian owners of the Acer A200 tablet. I'll continue to test the new version tomorrow, but so far the new version is working much better for me than Android 3.2.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

iPad or Android tablet as mobile computer replacement for netbook, notebook or laptop

I have to say I was keen to try a tablet computer as a replacement for my ageing netbook. The netbook has been (and still is) a great machine. I’ve been able to run all my Windows based applications and the built-in Ethernet adaptor and wireless meant that when travelling, I could connect to both wired and wireless access at hotels. Tablets only have wireless access which rules out a lot of hotels. The attraction of the tablet is the long battery life and the slimmer form factor.

So I purchased an Apple iPad 2.

As I was working with others I noticed I was using the iPad 2 to demonstrate what a site/blog would look like on the internet, but the real work had to be done on the netbook. After a couple of weeks I felt it was absolutely crazy to be carrying both devices around. I also found many sites just didn’t work with the iPad (even those that didn’t use Flash). A major limitation for me was Apple crippled the browser so you can’t upload files using the browser, a feature I use regularly. To Apple’s credit they took the device back with a full refund.

More recently I purchased an Android based tablet (Acer A200) running Honeycomb 3.2. A number of the online sites I use are Google sites so I felt surely Google’s own sites would work better than with the iPad. How wrong I was. Google’s own sites are sluggish at best and often simply don’t work. The built-in email application is very basic and even lacks basic spellchecking. I’m hoping Android 4 will make the tablet useful, or otherwise it will have been a waste of money. When I check the reviews for Android based tablets I often see high scores. To me that simply doesn’t make sense. I’ve found the Android tablet to be flakey and the functionality far from what I expected. The Acer hardware feels well made and doesn’t feel like it is the problem. The problem is the operating system, or more specifically for me, the browser.

If you’re considering a tablet as a replacement computer make sure you try out the tablets first. Don’t just try them out in the store and hope for the best, try them with the applications/sites that you run. Putting in the passwords to use an online site isn’t something you or I would feel comfortable with in a store, so you need to find a way to get a device and try it in a real world situation.

For clients I now have an Android 3.2 tablet you can test your real world applications/sites. At the end of the test we can reset the tablet so your important information such as your passwords are wiped.

The irony is all I require is a decent browser on a tablet and I’d be happy. If Apple provided their full Safari browser I would have been happy. If Google provided their Chrome browser I would have been happy. Both companies have chosen to provide a limited experience which to me is a shame.

The lesson here is if you think a tablet device is potentially a more portable replacement for your ageing notebook or netbook, then make sure you test each of the devices in a real world situation.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you require computer assistance and live

In Templestowe or the surrounding suburbs.

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mcupdate.exe can not start. File mcupdate.exe is infected by W32/Blaster.worm. Please activate Internet Security to protect your computer.

A new client from Lower Plenty dropped off their computer on Friday which had a virus. The program, Internet Security, which warned the user,  was the actual virus. As I understand it, Internet Security is a scam designed to infect the computer and then trick the user into purchasing a solution.

If you end up with the program Internet Security on your computer, you have a virus and need to get the virus removed.

I’d suggest that people obtain a fixed price quote for removing a virus. My approach is to first neutralise the virus, install the anti-virus software I have confidence in (many anti-virus products from retailers or which come with the computer I’ve found aren’t as good), perform a quick scan to locate any additional viruses and then perform a full scan which can take a number of hours. In this case the computer was a netbook and a full scan took 4-5 hours. You don’t want to be charged for the total elapsed time, just the time involved in fixing the problem. A full scan can be run whilst other work is done so there isn’t a need for the time to be charged. If you have a business and call someone out to fix the problem, you’ll often be charged the full time as the person needs to be onsite for the full amount of time.  Because I work locally, I’ll often take the computer away for clients so as to minimise the time involved.

Some virus infections are very difficult to remove. I suggest to clients to set a limit to their cost of around an hour and a half. In this case it took less time so the charge was reduced appropriately.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you need assistance with your computer.
Servicing Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East,
Montmorency, Lower Plenty, Eltham, Warrandyte and Bulleen

Eastern Freeway from before Bourke Road outbound traffic at a standstill.

I’ve just been advised the outbound traffic on the Eastern Freeway, a distance before Bourke Road, is at a standstill. The closed outbound lanes is due to a high speed crash on the freeway late this morning.

It is best to avoid the Eastern Freeway at this time. Time reported 3:32pm.

I’ve now added the Live Camera feeds from VicRoads to www.JustLocal.com.au/3105 (Bulleen page) which shows the traffic at Fairfield and Bulleen. You can see the traffic has now banked up to Fairfield and there is no outbound traffic at Bulleen as a result of the closure. Checking the Live Camera feeds before you travel on the Eastern Freeway this afternoon could save you from being caught in the traffic.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

How to create birthday invitations.

I’ve found creating a professional whizz-bang birthday invitation is a fun and easy project. The comments we’ve received back from people amaze me as they’re astonished by the quality that we can easily produce and have no idea how we’ve done it. The software I use is free and the cost per invitation including high quality invitation, label and matching coloured envelope would be under 50 cents, and just 10-15 cents each if you just want to hand out the invitations.

It occurred to me that since I find it fun and interesting to create birthday invitations, others may also be interested in creating stunning birthday invitations as well.

If you’re into creating your own invitations, leave a comment, and if enough people are interested, I’ll produce an e-Book to help others produce their own high quality birthday invitations.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Computer repair Templestowe Lower for just $20

Yes, it may be hard to believe, but I was recently called out by a customer in Templestowe Lower to repair their computer and it only cost them $20. Their screen setting had changed to 4 bit colour. A problem like this often causes people problems because they don’t know what to do. If the problem is quick to fix it shouldn’t cost much to fix it.

You can call someone out and most will charge over a hundred dollars. This same client said they called out one of the well known support groups for a 15 minute support issue and was charged $250. The other option is to take the computer to a repair business and there can be quite a bit of time involved dropping off the computer and then collecting the computer again. Minimum charges often start at $60-$110, but you really don’t know what you may be charged.

In this case the problem was easy to fix and the client was charged only for the time involved. No travel time. No set fee. No call-out fee. If I couldn’t fix the problem there would have been no charge.

I later received the following message via email from the customer.

Dear Kelvin,

Thank you so much for all your help and patience. Our computer is working perfectly again.

Many people struggle with problems I can fix relatively quickly. It often takes longer to try to explain the problem over the telephone than it will take for me to drive to the customer. Because I’m local I can make a time and come over and check the problem very easily.

If you have a computer problem giving you grief and live in Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Eltham, Lower Plenty, or Montmorency, then give me a call on 0415 910 703.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you have a computer/technology issue.

MyAnswers: Should I add Google advertising (Google adsense) to my web site?

The following MyAnswers solution 2202 is now available:

Should I add Google advertising (Google adsense) to my web site to generate income?

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Email message: reason: 552-5.7.0 Our system detected an illegal attachment on your message.

A lot of people use Gmail but don’t realise the limitations of the service.

 

In this case I emailed a client a zipped file which contains an executable program. Google could easily scan attachments to make sure the attachment doesn’t contain a known virus, but they’ve made the decision to simply stop all such emails.

There are a number of solutions to get around this issue to trick Google, but each requires work that isn’t necessary. Because of the time involved I now simply refund the client’s money and they miss out on the solution to their needs and I miss out on the sale. In time because of the work involved prices will most likely be increased to cover the additional workload created by services like Gmail. Unfortunately the extra time and effort caused by Google means it isn’t worth the time for the low value of the sale.

 

If you’re thinking about using Google’s Gmail service get to know its limitations. For business I would not normally recommend Gmail as an email service. Google isn’t the only service to make such decisions on the behalf of their users. I find those services that make too many decisions on behalf of users tend to damage the users experience, often without the users knowledge.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

MyAnswers: New Toshiba L750 the user set up Windows 7/32 bit instead of Windows 7/64 bit.

The following MyAnswers solution 2201 is now available:

Setting up a brand new Toshiba L750 notebook the user set up Windows 7/32 bit instead of Windows 7/64 bit. This the approach to fix the problem and have Windows 7/64bit installed.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Tasty Morsels Cafe and Catering - Doncaster East

Welcome to Tasty Morsels. Tasty Morsels and a cafe and catering business located in Doncaster East. The owners Effie and Marisa, are very pleasant to deal with. Drop in sometime for a coffee, or think about Tasty Morsels for your next event.

You can find Tasty Morsels on the JustLocal Doncaster East 3109 page.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au  

Outlook Express British dictionary (spellchecker)

Whilst I provide the Outlook Express dictionary modification for Australian users of Outlook Express who don’t have spellchecking, or their spellchecker no longer works after installing Office 2007/2010, the file is proving to be popular with people from England.

Whether you’re from England, or Australia (or perhaps another Commonwealth country), and need to add spellchecking to Outlook Express, consider the files I make available. You can find the files at http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/oespellcheck/.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

MyAnswers: Can I use a locked Boost Samsung Mini mobile phone running Android 2.3 with TPG?

The following MyAnswers solution 2200 is now available:

Can I use a locked Boost Samsung Mini mobile phone running Android 2.3 with TPG?

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

MyAnswers: TPG mobile email message 550 5.7.1 ... Relaying denied.

The following MyAnswers solution 2198 is now available:

When I try to send an email using a tethered computer with my TPG mobile service I get the message

550 5.7.1 <email address.>... Relaying denied. IP name possibly forged [49.196.5.88]".

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Computer repair (Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Lower Plenty, Montmorency, Eltham)

If you’re looking for a computer repair person, the JustLocal search engine on the main page restricts search results to be pages from Australia as determined by Google.

The JustLocal search engine available from the main page of JustLocal (www.JustLocal.com.au) is a good tool to use if you prefer to support Australian businesses no matter what you may be looking for.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.JustLocal.com.au