Enabling Two-Factor Authentication on Outlook.com
I’ve been a Gmail user for a long time, and for a variety of reasons I’ve been meaning to move away. When Outlook.com was introduced I not only switched my Hotmail address to it, I also created another e-mail address to use. Outlook.com has lots of benefits like scheduled cleanup, social integration, inbox Sweep, and coming features like Skype integration. There was one thing missing that I was waiting for, and that was two-factor authentication. Security is obviously very important, and I was happy Microsoft added it so soon after launch. If you’re not familiar with two-factor authentication, it’s basically adding another layer of security on your account which requires two pieces of information to access your account. While I have been talking about Outlook.com specifically, this cover your entire Microsoft account.
Once you enable two-factor on your account, along with entering your password you will also need a code which you can obtain from a text message, Authenticator app, e-mailed, etc. I recommend using the Authenticator mobile app as it’s quick and easy to get your security codes.
Read MorePhotoshop Goes Cloud-Only-Good Idea?
We knew it was only a matter of time before Adobe made the switch to cloud-only software, but I was quite surprised that they did it so soon. The Creative Cloud was introduced about a year ago I believe, and yesterday at Adobe MAX, they announced new versions of their Creative Suite line is no more, and replaced by Creative Cloud. They will still support Creative Suite 6 with fixes and limited updates, but no new features or anything like that. If you want the latest and greatest, the cloud is where it is.
Read: Letter from Creative Cloud team
What Adobe showed off is quite impressive. You will be able to sync your settings across devices, get new features and updates continuously, get access to additional tools, and much more. There’s no doubt Adobe offers great tools for designers and artists, but the real issue here is the big change to pricing and purchasing.
Here’s the basics:
- Photoshop CC (or any single app) alone will cost $20 per month.
- Full subscription to the entire suite will cost $50 per month.
- Discounts are available for students/teachers, previous customers, etc.
- You pay each month, or can pre-purchase memberships from Amazon.
That’s it. You will no longer be able to purchase a boxed copy or download version as you maybe have done before and are used to. I’ve been using Adobe products for many years now, although my main app Lightroom will continue with traditional licensing – at least for now. I understand the benefits of having a subscription they are trying to push. Getting updates without “upgrading”, but not having access to the applications if I can’t pay one month is really a big problem. Not everyone wants or needs to upgrade to the newest version, and going full cloud only gives you the choice of subscribing, or finding an alternative. I have enough monthly bills as it is, I don’t want another just for software. I’d rather buy it and be done with it. Give me reasonable pricing and upgrade paths, and that will be more enticing to upgrade more than anything else.
Adobe has gone cloud-only, Microsoft Office is headed that way, and who knows who else will be next. Now I need a monthly budget for software that I use and need? Yeah, that’s not really appealing to myself and I think many other consumers would agree.
So tell me, what do you think about this move by Adobe?
Read MoreSomething I wrote: Running Modern Windows 8 Apps On the Desktop
I have another article up on WinCustomize showing how you can run Modern (Metro) Windows 8 apps on your desktop.
Read more… Run Modern (Metro) apps in a window on your desktop
Looking for Some Useful Windows 8 Apps?
Windows 8 has a ton of useful and productive apps that I enjoy using on Windows 8 and my Surface RT. I put together a quick list of 3 apps for Windows 8 that I use often and think they would be just as useful to other users.
These apps also work great with ModernMix, which allows you to run the modern (Metro) apps in a desktop window.
Read the article at WinCustomize - 3 Favorite Windows 8 Modern Apps
Something I Wrote: 3 Tools to Enhance Windows 8
I posted an article over on WinCustomize.com about the 3 best tools to enhance your Windows 8 experience. Whether you need to replace the missing Windows 8 start menu, run Metro apps in a desktop window, or change the background in the start screen, I got you covered with these apps.
Read the article:
http://www.wincustomize.com/article/441984/
Read MoreChanged Up My Windows Phone Start Screen
One of the best features about Windows Phone 8 is the start screen. Live Tiles alone make the start screen more functional than anything you will find in iOS. I can look at my screen and instantly see all types of info, whether it’s the current weather, upcoming calendar events, etc. I like to change up the tiles on my phone every once and a while based on the usage.
Currently I have my family group at the top which keeps all my family contacts all together. I can see the latest updates such as Twitter and Facebook updates from my family, which is very useful to those who have kids. Messaging and e-mail are also at the top as they are frequently used. Weather Live Tile and Xbox Music are below that.
I have been very happy with Windows Phone, and definitely recommend it. This is from a Lumia 920.
Surface Type Cover Makes the Difference
I received my Surface RT as a Christmas gift, and although I still need to write about my experience with it, I can say it’s a great device and I enjoy using it. Mine came with the Touch Cover which I have been using, but today I went out and finally purchased the Type Cover, and what a difference this makes. The Touch Cover isn’t bad, it’s just fine if you don’t do much typing or just use it for short updates like Twitter or Facebook posts. I like to do much more than that, and I have been using my Surface more and more for writing blog posts and articles. The Touch cover just didn’t work for mefor fast and accurate typing.
At $129 I was a bit hesitant and held off for a while. I still think it’s a bit steep for a keyboard, but with some help from some Best Buy Reward certificates I was able to get it down to a more attractive price. After using it for just a few hours, I am happy I invested in it. It’s a bit thicker than the Touch Cover, but really doesn’t add much bulk when closed and the build quality seems high. The keys are solid and smooth, and I’m able to type just as fast on this as my desktop keyboard.
If you do lots of typing on your Surface, than the Type Cover is what I recommend. People who do light typing will most likely be fine with the Touch Cover, but if you’re not sure then visit a Microsoft retailer and try them out for yourself.
