Tablets are all the rage right now. You are starting to see businesses of all sizes integrate them into the office and end up not really looking back. Because of the growing demand, many manufacturers are releasing tablets. Microsoft, known largely as a software company, has recently released one of the most powerful tablets to date. Based on the technical specs, will it be enough for businesses though?

Here's a brief overview of the main technical specifications of the Windows Surface Pro that small to medium business owners most often ask about.

Physical size The physical size of the Pro is 10.81 x 6.81 inches. By comparison, the iPad is 9.50 x 7.31 inches. The thickness of the machine is just .53 inches, and it weighs 2 lbs. On size alone, this makes the Pro a highly portable device, though it is a bit too big to comfortably hold in one hand.

Processor, memory and battery The Pro has a third generation Intel i5 processor with 4GB of RAM which is more than enough to run nearly every program currently available for Windows. This means that you should be able to access and run all of your work based programs. The battery life on the other hand is around 4 to 5 hours, which falls fall short of other tablets, and even some laptops.

Storage space The Pro comes with two different storage options: 64GB and 128GB. On paper, this sounds like a solid amount of storage space. These numbers don't take into account the size of the OS however - which will take up 41GB. With the OS installed the 64GB version will have 23GB of free storage, while the 128GB version will have 83GB free.

While this is a bit of a let-down, the Pro does have a USB port which means you can attach an external hard-drive for extra space. Beyond that, there is also a MicroSD port which will allow you to extend storage space even further.

Display One of the main reasons users pick tablets is because of the display. The Pro doesn't disappoint, offering a 10.6-Inch HD display with 1920 x 1080 pixels. This means the display is a widescreen, and will likely be better sitting on a desk. From reviews that we've seen, the display quality rivals that of the iPads.

This high resolution also means that all of your windows programs will be sharp, and you will be able to view them just fine.

Software The Pro runs a full version of Windows 8, which means that any software that desktops and laptops can run, it can also run. This is the main feature that sets the Pro apart from other tablets. You don't have to buy mobile versions of your favorite software, just install it on the machine and away you go.

Cost The cost of the Pro starts at USD$899, this is for the 64GB model, without the Touch Pad cover. For businesses to get the most out of this tablet, you'll need to spring for the cover which costs another USD$119, putting the price up to USD$1,018.

This seemingly high price will have many small business owners cringing. The thing is, the Surface Pro is more of a laptop with a touch screen than it is a tablet. Looking at it another way: It's the most powerful tablet on the market, and gives many laptops and desktops a run for their money.

Should you run buy one? To be honest: If you're looking for an ultraportable device to replace an existing one and that can run all of your business software, then yes, you should consider the Surface Pro. But, if you're looking for a tablet to accompany an already inplace system, then it's better to look at something a bit cheaper.

If you are interested in learning more about the Surface Pro, please let us know, we'd be happy to sit down with you.

When it comes to computers, many users are constantly installing programs they need and deleting others they don't use. From time-to-time, users run out of hard drive space and go on a bit of a deleting binge to free up space. What can sometimes happen though is that you go too deep into the OS file system and end up getting rid of something important, like the recycle bin, for example. If you use a Windows machine and this happens, there's no need for panic and you can follow some simple steps to bring it back.

Here's how you can restore your recycle bin if it goes MIA.

Windows 8, 7 and Vista

1. Right-click on any blank space on your desktop.
2. Select Personalize.
3. Choose Change Desktop Icons from the left side of the window. It's usually located just under Tasks.
4. Click the box next to Recycle Bin.
5. Click Apply.

The window that opens up also displays common desktop icons, and clicking the box beside these will put an icon on your desktop. You can also change an icon by selecting it from the box and clicking Change Icon. Pressing Restore Default will return the icons to their default picture.

Windows XP For Windows XP users, the manual process is a lot more intensive. To make it easier, Microsoft developed a Fixit tool, that when clicked on will restore the recycle bin. You can find the tool here. All you have to do is click the button with the mechanic holding a wrench, saying Fix It. An app will download and run, and you should soon see your recycle bin reappear.

While you may feel a little silly, deleting the tool that allows you to delete, mistakes are often easily made. What you need to know is how to fix them. If you would like to learn more Windows tips, please contact us.

Modern operating systems are so feature packed that it can be a bit of a chore to sniff them all out. While many features are there to improve the user experience, many people don't utilize them at all. Some of the more underutilized features revolves around keyboard shortcuts. Sure, we use the more common ones, but did you know that Windows 8 has some really useful shortcuts beyond these?

Below are six of the more common Windows 8 specific keyboard shortcuts. Note: WIN is the Windows key (key with the windows logo).

1. WIN: Pressing the windows key once will switch from the desktop to the last opened application. If you are looking at an application e.g., Office, and press the WIN key, you'll be taken to the desktop.
2. WIN + C: Will bring up the Charms bar.
3. WIN + I: Will bring up the Settings Charm. This will work from the desktop in some applications. In other applications this keystroke may not work, or may open something else.
4. WIN + F: Pressing these keys will open the file search window. From there you can enter the name of the file/folder you are looking for. Note, this will only work from the desktop, and not in applications.
5. WIN + E: Open your computer's main drive. This is commonly called My Computer but may be different depending on what your computer's drive has been labeled.
6. WIN + Print Screen: Pressing these keys simultaneously will take and save a screenshot. You will notice the screen dims for a second, this is to confirm the picture has been taken and saved as an image file. By default the screenshot will be placed into the Pictures folder of the Library.

These are just six of the many keyboard shortcuts in Windows 8 that make the OS easier to use. If you would like to learn more about Windows 8 and how it can fit into your company give us a shout, we can help.

Customization and differentiation is popular these days. You can go onto sites like Vans and customize a pair of shoes that meet your style and taste, or look at the hundreds of millions of different iPhone cases available online. When it comes to computers and operating systems, there's slightly less choice in terms of customization - for most it's Windows or OS X. While every copy of Windows 8 sold starts out the same, there are a huge amount of customization options to help make Windows 8 your own.

Ok, so you've bought and installed Windows 8, booted it up for the first time and it just doesn't reflect who you are. No worries, you can change that. Below are five ways you can customize Windows 8.

Customize lock screen Going with a more mobile theme, Windows 8 brings the ability to customize your lock screen, much like you can do with your smartphone. If you want to change the background image:

1. Select the Settings charm from the main Windows 8 screen. You can also hit Windows key + i and select PC Settings.
2. Click on Personalize to show the Personalize options on the right.
3. Select Lock Screen.
4. Select the picture you would like, or click Browse and navigate to the folder with the image you would like to use.

From this screen, you can also set which apps will show notifications on the lock screen. Pressing the + below Lock screen apps will allow you to set which apps display info. You can also set an app to show more detailed information by pressing on the relevant option below the Lock screen apps section.

Change tile size and uninstall or unpin programs Did you know you can change the size of the tiles on the new start screen? To change the size of a tile, simply right click on it and the tile options will be shown. If the app is small, you can select Larger to make it so and vice versa.

When you right-click you will also notice other options. Unpin means the tile won't be shown on the start screen, but it won't be uninstalled. If you want to get rid of the program, you can do so by selecting Uninstall when you right-click. You can also turn off Live updates if that's your thing, or if you have a slower Internet connection.

Rearrange tiles If you want to move a tile, but not uninstall, unpin or change its status, hover your mouse over the tile, hold down the left mouse button and drag the tile to where you would like it to be. If you have lots of tiles, you press Ctrl + mouse wheel to shrink or enlarge the start screen.

Desktop background If you're a fan of the older Windows 7 layout, and would like to customize your background, you can do so by:

1. Clicking on the Desktop tile on the new layout, it's located on the bottom left of the screen. This will change to the more familiar Windows 7 layout.
2. Right-clicking anywhere there is empty space on the desktop.
3. Selecting Personalize.
4. Clicking on Desktop Background and selecting the image you would like to use. If you want to pick your own image, you can click Browse and navigate to the folder the image is in.

Pin to taskbar In desktop mode, the taskbar (located along the bottom of the screen) is where all open programs are shown. If you use a program a lot, you can pin it to the taskbar by opening the program, right-clicking on the icon on the taskbar and selecting Pin this program to the taskbar.

There are a million and one ways you can customize Windows 8, many of the options can be found under Settings - PC Settings. If you're looking at all the different options and feel like Dorothy after landing in Oz, it's best to contact us, we can help explain the different options for you.

Whenever a new operating system is released, many users rush out and buy it, eager to take advantage of the changes. Businesses are no different, with some already having upgraded to Windows 8. While Windows 8 definitely brings with it some big changes, it is an investment and one which could turn out to be a costly mistake if your systems can't run it.

Here's three things you should focus on to ensure your system is Windows 8 ready.

Processor The minimum processor speed for Windows 8 is 1GHz. What this means is that almost every system from the past decade should be able to run it. Many modern smartphones actually meet the minimum requirement, so most computers should be able to run it easily as well. Of course, if you have a processor that's around 1 GHz, you will notice that the OS isn't as zippy compared to systems with the latest and greatest, but it should be able to handle everyday tasks.

Memory Windows 8 comes in two versions, 64 and 32 bit. The main difference between these two numbers depends on the RAM a system has. The minimum amount of RAM required to run Windows 8 is 1GB. Most laptops and computers purchased today have 4GB or more, while computers bought four years ago have around 2GB. As a general rule of thumb, systems with 4GB or more of RAM match with the 64 bit version, while systems with less than 4GB of RAM will operate better on the 32 bit version.

If you're looking to upgrade from a previous version of Windows, the current version installed will dictate the version of Windows 8 you can install. If you have a 32 bit version of Windows 7 on your systems, you have to go with the 32 bit version of Windows 8.

The other main form of memory to focus on is hard drive space. Windows 8 requires the same amount of free hard drive space as Windows 7 - 16GB for the 32 bit version and 20GB for the 64 bit. As there is a new interface, there is a high chance that you will need even more space to fit all the downloaded apps and other updates.

As with most computer related components, the more RAM and hard drive space there is, the faster the system and the OS will run. For optimal performance, it's best to install Windows 8 on a new drive.

Monitor If you want to upgrade to Windows 8, you need to ensure that your monitors can support a minimum resolution of 1024 x 768. If you want to run two apps or programs side-by-side on the same screen, your monitors need to be a minimum of 1366 x 768. Most recent flat screen monitors can support this resolution, and HDMI monitors - 1080p or higher - will be fine.

To make things easy, Microsoft has an upgrade tool - Upgrade Assistant - that you can download and run. What it does is test your system to see if it can support Windows 8 and then provides you with a report of devices and programs that do and don’t meet the requirements. If a program needs an update to be compatible, it will also provide you with the links to download these updates. While this is useful, if you work with a managed service provider, or any IT company, it's a good idea to consult with them first to see if they can help with the upgrade, or whether their systems can support it.

To learn more about how you can use Windows 8 in your company, please contact us.

Marketing is an integral element of any business strategy, and social media is largely seen to now be a large part of any company's marketing initiative. If leveraged correctly, various social media platforms could give your company a marketing boost that few other campaign types could. But, did you know that social media could also help other business functions or departments?

Below are four non-marketing oriented uses of social media that businesses could benefit from.

Hiring LinkedIn is a social network dedicated to helping professionals and organizations connect and find jobs and new talent. Most social savvy companies will have a presence on this network and may even hire exclusively from here.

If you are looking for new employees, it wouldn't hurt to have a LinkedIn profile. To find the best talent, you need to forge and maintain connections (usually starting with people you know), and be somewhat active in groups and on message boards.

It's also important to not forget the other major networks when it comes to hiring. Tweeting a job opening on Twitter, or posting ads on Facebook could also help you find your next employee. Facebook can be particularly useful because you can pay to target ads (in this case, job openings) at specific demographics.

Internal communications Communication is an important part of business, and most people choose to communicate using email. You have probably seen emails with jokes, invitations to after work events, lunch orders, etc. sent to the whole company and also received the many replies that go with it. This can get very annoying, and also confusing.

Why not utilize social media for non-essential (aka. not related to work) communication. Set up a Facebook group where your employees can share content, invitations to lunch or after work gatherings, interesting stories, etc. That way you can limit email to more important, business-related aspects.

Using social media for internal communication is also beneficial for companies with younger workers. Most already see Facebook, Twitter, etc. as their main form of communication, some even feel more comfortable communicating over this medium as opposed to speaking out in meetings. Having a group portal or Facebook page could give less-empowered employees a way to voice their ideas, and maybe even improve on them with feedback from others.

Learning A common complaint of many business owners is that they have a tough time staying on top of ever-changing trends and what currently interests their customers. Using social media to connect with your customers can be a great way to learn not only hot trends but also about new ideas.

Customer service When it comes to social media, users will often complain publicly on their wall or through their tweets. This is bad for you, as the reach of this complaint can go a long way and make you look bad. Some companies have decided to confront this head on by having specific customer service accounts. If a customer complains, has an issue, or even compliments you, be active and respond using that account.

If done properly, over time, you will see more and more people reaching out to your customer service account through social media. This also gives you another way to please clients or turn around negative customer experiences.

Social media and the various platforms are not only great for marketing, but can be incredibly useful for other business functions. Do you have any other ways you use social media? Let us know. Or, if you would like to learn more about how it can help your company, then contact us today.

Change, good or bad, happens. In the world of technology, change happens on an almost daily basis. It seems that 2012 will be a year of great change for Microsoft as it sees the launch of its new operating system, Windows 8. Windows 8 is shaping up to bring about some sweeping changes, most of all to the interface, which may take time for employees to get used to.

Here’s an overview of Metro and what changes the new interface - the visual representation of the computer that allows you to interact with it - will bring. Please note that these changes reflect the release preview of Windows 8. These features will be in the retail version along with more features that have not yet been announced.

A tablet first interface When you first log in to Windows 8 you’ll notice that literally everything has changed, and yet it will seem instantly familiar to smartphone users. Gone are the old icons and folders, replaced by rectangular boxes, or tiles, which are similar to the icons on smartphones. In fact, these tiles are actually apps. If you have Microsoft Office installed, you will see a tile on the main screen with the Office logo. Click on it, and the “app” will start. These tiles are live, which means they will show new information i.e., the number of new emails will be shown in the email tile.

The biggest thing to note about Metro is that it was designed to be used on tablets, touch screens and PCs, thus making the overall interface touch friendly. If you’re not using a tablet or touch screen, you’ll be navigating the old fashioned way, by using a mouse or trackpad.

Navigation From the main screen of Metro, you’ll notice two things are missing. The first is the integral Start button, that you’d normally use to find and launch your programs, will be gone. In truth, it’s still there, just hidden. To access it you move your mouse to the bottom-left corner of your screen and it should pop up.

The second major thing missing is the traditional desktop every Windows OS user has gotten used to. Again, this isn’t actually gone, it's actually been turned into an app tile and will be found on the main Metro screen. Clicking on the tile will open a more traditional desktop that we’re used to.

Taking a page from Apple’s OS, moving your mouse to the corner of the screens represent a action. For example, moving to the top-left corner of the screen brings up a list of recently used apps that you can click on to open. The right corners of your screen allow you to launch features like Settings, Search and Devices - Microsoft now calls these “Charms.”

Will Windows 8 fit in with my business? While there are many other changes and new features that will be introduced when Windows 8 launches later this year, small businesses that do adopt Windows 8 will have a few hurdles to overcome. The biggest is the new OS is a large departure from other versions of Windows, and many employees don’t have the time to learn how to use a new OS, while also doing their work. This means that small business owners should work with their IT department, or provider, to provide training for their employees on how to use the new OS.

The second biggest hurdle is software compatibility. The current software you’re using may not work on Windows 8 when it’s first launched. While the vast majority of new versions of popular software is already compatible, older versions and less popular software aren’t compatible at this time.

If you’re thinking of migrating over to Windows 8 when it’s released but are unsure if the software you use will be compatible, you can visit Microsoft’s Windows 8 compatibility page. If you have any more questions regarding training for Windows 8, or implementing Windows 8 in your business, please contact us.