Happy President’s Day!

Taking Notes Electronically

I have taken notes on my computer and smartphones for more than a decade.  I love making little journal type notes, writing lists, and making agendas with note taking software.  I know some of you even keep passwords in Apple’s Notes app on your iPhones (Yikes!).   You don’t have to take all of your notes on paper or think you have to create a Word document and save it in a folder.  Use a note taking app!  Add pictures and attach files. Some examples I am very familiar with —

1.  One Note from Microsoft.  FREE.   iPhone / Android apps, Mac and Windows apps, Via web browser @ Onenote.com

2. Apple’s Notes.  FREE.  iPhone / iPad apps, Mac app, Can use in Windows via web browser @ iCloud.com

3.  Google Keep.  FREE.  iPhone and Android apps, Via the computer at keep.google.com

4. Evernote.  Can use apps for free on 2 devices, Can use for FREE via web browser @ evernote.com, Paid options available for power notetakers

3 Reasons Why I Always Recommend Windows 10 Pro (as Opposed to Windows 10 Home – shipped with most consumer grade PC’s)

– Prompt for Credentials can turned on — This means that your password needs to be typed in whenever new software is installed or major changes are made to the system.  This is very secure (just like on the Mac).  You need the Pro version of Windows for this feature.   The default option is just YES  or NO, not good enough.  The password prompt makes you stop and think.

– Windows Feature Updates (ie. New Versions) can be delayed by up to 365 days.   Don’t be a guinea pig for Microsoft.  I like setting a 120 day delay at a minimum. 

-Bit Locker can be turned on.  Bit Locker is similar to File Vault on the Mac (which is included for Free by the way).  It encrypts your hard drive.  Therefore if a bad guy steals your computer – they can’t easily get at your files. 

* If you get stuck with a computer that has Windows 10 Home, you can still upgrade to Pro. However, it is a $99 charge.  Pro can be activated through the Microsoft Store app.  It’s a quick process and takes less than 20 minutes.  It’s better to order a computer with Windows 10 Pro from the beginning.