ITConnect ADD SOME STYLE TO YOUR VIDEOS. BlackBerry BBM: Use audio instead of typing For those who prefer to speak rather than type.

Transcription

1 ITConnect Technology made practical for home SEPTEMBER 06 BlackBerry BBM: Use audio instead of typing For those who prefer to speak rather than type. Recording a message or story on your computer And editing it! Choosing a new computer Learn the few but important points to look for in a new computer ADD SOME STYLE TO YOUR VIDEOS Convert your digital camera or smartphone videos into a professional looking video with almost no effort at all!

2 0 Recording a message or story on your computer Most would be familiar with recording voice or other sounds using a tape recorder or a pocket Dictaphone, but unless you need something that can fit in your pocket, your computer can also record sound with the added advantage of being able to edit the recording as well. Once you have recorded your voice, it can be sent to anyone by making it very useful for things such as recording a story for your children or grandchildren, or sending a short audio message to someone, for their birthday maybe, or just to dictate a message for someone else to type out. Other than the laptop and software, you will need some sort of microphone. The cheapest option and quite likely one you already have is a headset with a built in mouth piece. Unless you are planning on producing high quality audio, any headset of this type will be good enough, otherwise high quality microphones are also readily available. Once you have a headset, make sure it is plugged into your computer. Go to html and click the Download Now button and wait for the download to complete. Once it has completed, double click the file you downloaded to start the installation. Next, open Wavepad by pressing the Windows button and typing Wavepad then clicking the Wavepad icon in the search results. To create a new recording, click the New icon near the top left-hand corner. This will open a blank canvas ready for you to start recording your message. To start recording your message, click the red circle in the bottom left hand corner, wait a few seconds and then start talking and you should see visual representation of your voice on the screen. Because you will be able to edit this recording once it is finished, if you make a mistake while recording your message, pause for a few seconds and then repeat the sentence again from the beginning. If you do need to pause the recording for a break, click the pause button, which are two upright bars, or click the square button to stop the recorder. CONT D ON NEXT PAGE...

3 0 5 6 Once complete, press the green play button to play your recording back to you. If you need to delete part of the recording, identify the start and end of the section that needs deleting and click the starting point on the main screen. Drag your mouse to the right, holding the mouse button down until the end of the section, then click the Delete button. Once the recording has been edited, press the Save button and make sure the File Type dropdown list is preferably set to MP, otherwise WAV. Save the file just as you would any other file and then as long as it s not too heavy, you can send it to anyone by , or use a service like Hightail if the file is too heavy to (see September 0). Add some style to your videos With the release of digital cameras and video cameras built into mobile phones, nearly anyone can now shoot a video. Of course you could share them just as they are with friends and family, or you could edit them to cut out parts or add some formatting or text. The main thing we looked for in a video editor was ease of use, and although we were not able to find a free option, Filmora is very affordable and worth the investment considering just how easy it is to use. Filmora has two modes an automatic mode which does most of the work for you without many options for personalizing your video, or a manual mode that requires more work, but gives you a full set of elements and effects you can add to your video. Although Filmora is not free, you can download a free trial to test drive it first. Go to and click the Free download button on the home page. Once the install file has finished downloading, go to your Downloads folder and double click the file to install the program. Once the program is installed, it will open ready to start your first video. Usually Filmora can be opened by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard and typing Filmora. To create a video using the Easy Mode, select the size ratio of your video, which can either be : for an almost square video, or 6:9 for a rectangular video. Click the Easy Mode button and then click the Import button. CONT D ON NEXT PAGE...

4 0 From the Import window, open the folder that contains the videos you want to edit and select them, clicking the Open button to import them into Filmora. One of the features of this program is being able to merge several videos into a new single video, which means you can import multiple videos at this stage. Once they are imported, click the Next button. Now you will need to choose a theme for your video. There are several themes available and some may need to download before you can use them. Click on them and the download progress will display within the icon for that theme. Once selected, click the Next button, and select some background music for your video and click the Next button again. 5 6 Filmora will create your video with the settings you selected, and once it has completed, you can enter an opening and closing title for your video. You can now also see what the video will look like by clicking the play icon (a triangle on its side) below the video preview pane. If you want to remove the audio from your video, remove the tick from Keep original sound. To save your video, click the Next button and choose the format. We recommend using the MP format option. Enter a name for your video, and then click the folder icon on the Save to field to select a folder to save your video in. If you are using the free trial version of Filmora, the exported video will contain a large watermark. 7 8 If after testing the software you want to purchase it, we recommend waiting a day or two since Filmora will sometimes display a pop up with a special offer giving you a 50% discount, otherwise you can purchase the software on the website. After you have paid, you will be given a Registration code, copy this code and then open Filmora. Click the shopping trolley icon on the top right hand corner of Filmora and click the Register button. Enter the address you used to register on the Filmora website and paste the registration code into the correct fields, then click the Register button. From this point you will be able to save videos without the Filmora watermark.

5 05 Setting up new on BlackBerry In the April 05 issue we showed you how to create a new address using Googles Gmail service, and we also showed you how to set up your new address in Outlook, and in this tip we show you how to set up an address on your BlackBerry phone. Before your BlackBerry can send or receive s, you need to ensure the phone is connected to WiFi or that your phone contract includes a service for s. If you already have s or BBM set up and working on your BlackBerry then you most likely already have this service enabled. For newer phones with touch screens swipe down from the top of your BlackBerry screen and select Settings. For older models, such as the Bold, the Settings icon is usually on the home screen with the rest of your icons. Once you are at the settings menu, select the Accounts, or Accounts option. If you already have accounts set up on your computer, you should now see a list of them. To add a new address, locate the Add Account icon, or open the option menus and select it from there. You will now be asked to select what type of account you want to add. Select the option. Now you will need to follow the instructions on the screen and enter the information required by the phone. You will need to know your address and the password you used when setting the address up. If you are using a Gmail address this is all the information you should need the phone can set up all the other settings automatically. With the newer phones, you may be asked to log into Gmail to complete the set up. If this is the first account you have added to your phone, you may be asked to set up a BlackBerry ID account. If you don t have one, select the option to create a new account and follow the instructions, otherwise log in with your BlackBerry ID and password.

6 06 BlackBerry BBM: Use audio instead of typing If you are using the BBM messaging service on your BlackBerry you may be wondering if there is an easier way to send messages to others than having to use the small keyboard to type the message out, and there is. BlackBerry BBM allows you to record a short audio message and send it to the person you are communicating with via BBM. The person will receive the audio file and be able to listen to it when convenient and even save it to listen to again later, which can be very helpful if you are giving them instructions, for example. First you need to have BBM open on the person you want to send the voice message to. Next select the paperclip icon, with is the icon for attachments and select the microphone icon, which in BlackBerry 0 appears as one of the smaller icons on the top row of options. This will display a red record button. Once you are ready to start recording, hold the phone close to your mouth and press and hold the red icon while you dictate your message. If you make a mistake or want to start again, you can simply slide you finger or thumb sideways off the screen to cancel the recording. To finish recording, simply take you finger off the red icon and the message will automatically be sent to the person you selected in BBM and it will be displayed in your BBM chat history as an audio icon, together with any other messages you may have sent this person. To listen to your recording, simply double tap the file. You can send multiple voice messages and the person you are communicating with can reply with their own audio messages. One advantage of using this feature is you can send someone a spoken message anywhere in the world without actually making a phone call, which can be very expensive for overseas contacts.

7 07 Outlook: Delay the delivery of an In the world of instant messaging, s do give opportunities to send something on the spur of the moment which we could live to regret. Thankfully Outlook does allow us to delay sending an by a few minutes, which is useful in several ways. Even if you feel like you would never send something you regret, we do sometimes make mistakes such as forgetting to attach a file or addressing the to the wrong person or in some cases you may want the to be sent first thing the next morning, rather than right away. Outlook lets us delay all s automatically or manually to specific s. An that has a deferred delivery date will stay in the Outbox until it s time for it to be sent. To manually delay delivery of a specific , before you click the send button, make sure the is popped out in full screen if you are using Outlook 0 or newer, and go to the Options tab. Click the Delay Delivery and set the date and time you want to to be sent in the Do not deliver before box, then click the send button. If you want to delay all your outgoing s by 5 minutes to give yourself time to stop the from actually sending, you can set up a Rule. In Outlook, click the Rules dropdown list on the home page and select Manage Rules & Alerts. Click the New Rule button and select the Apply Rule on messages I send option. Click Next. On the screen that is titled Which conditions do you want to check, leave all unticked and click the Next button. A warning may appear at this point, click Yes then tick the option that says Defer delivery by a number of minutes. In the Step window, click on the phrase a number of this will show in blue. Enter the number of minutes you want to delay your s (5 minutes is ideal) and then click OK and then the Next button again. You will now see the Exceptions window click the Next button. The last window asks you to enter a name for the rule enter something like Message Delay Rule and then click the Finish button to complete this setup.

8 08 Special Paste options in Word If you are creating a document in Word and wish to copy sections of text from another document or maybe a website, when you paste it into Word, the format of that text you copied is usually pasted with it, meaning it may not look the same as the rest of your text. There may be times you want the formatting to be pasted as well, but if you only want to paste the words into your document without the formatting, Word does make it very easy to do. The first step is to copy the information you want to paste into your document. If you want to paste the text as plain unformatted text, go to the Home tab in Word and click on the little arrow below the Paste icon. This will open up a menu with options. Select the Keep Text Only option the icon for this is a clipboard with an A. If you have been using styles as explained in our November 0 issue then Word does give you the option to paste your text using the formatting you are using in the document you are pasting it into, rather than keeping the format of the copied text. Go to the Paste dropdown list and this time select Merge formatting. If you are copying and pasting information from Excel, by default a table will be created in Word, mimicking the cells in Excel, which is most likely the result you are looking for, however, there is also an option to link the pasted data so when values you copied from Excel update, they are also updated in your Word document. If you are not sure what result each option on the Paste Special menu will look like, you can hover over each option without clicking it and Word will display a preview on your document of what the result will be. Remember you can always use the Undo function if needed and try pasting it again.

9 09 Choosing a new computer There are so many different models and brands of laptops available these days that when it comes time to purchase a new one it can be quite a challenge, so here are some pointers to help you make the right decision. We would suggest that once you have found a model that suits your needs that you use Google and search for Reviews followed by the model of the computer to find and read reviews from current users, but do keep in mind that reviews aren t always reliable even negative reviews could be motivated by something else or because the user brought a laptop that wasn t aligned to their needs. The Size: The bigger the size of the laptop, the less portable it becomes but it will also be easier to use because it comes with a larger screen and a slightly larger keyboard. Use the screen size as a reference: anything over 7 inches would be considered a large laptop. Between and 6 inches would be a regular size, and below inches screen size would be a very small laptop. The Speed: The processor or CPU is the brains of the computer and a slow processor will affect how quickly your computer responds to things you do with your computer. As a reference, check the Processor speed, which is measured in GHz. For a home user who doesn t want to get overly frustrated, we would recommend a speed of GHz minimum. Other features: Ensure the hard drive (HDD) is at least 500GB, or if the computers drive is measured in TB, TB is equivalent to 000GB. Check for other features you may want such as a CD drive (to read and play CD s) or a numerical keypad which is great if you do accounting work and need to do a lot of numerical data entry. Finally, the feel: Even if you are purchasing a computer online, you could still visit a local computer shop and ask to see the particular model you are interested in and actually handle the computer yourself. Does the keyboard feel comfortable to use? Does the computer feel well built and sturdy? If the lid has a latch, can you easily unlatch and open it?

10 0 Selling your computer safely The main risk associated with selling your computer, trading it in or even giving it away, is any personal information that may still be on the computer that the new owner may be able to recover and use for their own benefit. We are going to discuss two levels of precaution in this article the first level would be if you are handing your computer onto someone else you know and trust, or sending in your computer to a reputable company as a trade-in, and the second level, a more drastic level would be if you are selling your computer online to a stranger. The very first step is to make sure you have copied any files you want to keep from your computer they will not be recoverable once you have completed this process. I make this differentiation because if you are selling your computer to a stranger, the only way to ensure your computer has been completely cleared of any personal information that can t be recovered even after it s been deleted, is to take your computer to a computer shop and ask them to remove the hard drive, install a new hard drive (they cost around / USD0.00), and reinstall Windows, ready for the new user. You can then safely destroy your old hard drive or keep it for using again if needed. Make sure you tell the computer technician you are selling the laptop and he should install Windows from a CD, not using a copy from your computer. Now for the other option you are selling or giving your computer to someone you know isn t actively seeking to uncover your personal information. Refer to our June 05 article on how to set up a new user account on your computer. Do that now and then log out your own account and log into the new account. Using the instructions in the June 05 article, go to the user account settings and select the Manage another account or in Windows 0, the Family & other people option. Here you can select your original account and any other user accounts on the machine and then click the Delete or Remove option. You will be warned that deleting an account also delete the files and data, which is what you want to do. Once you have deleted the user accounts, refer to our article on CCleaner in the February 05 issue and install CCleaner if you haven t got it installed already. Open CCleaner and go to the Tools menu. Select the Drive Wiper tool and set it to wipe Free space only with Complex Overwrite (7 passes) security option. Next tick the check boxes next to all the drives listed (except any pen drives you may have plugged in) and click the Wipe button. This process is lengthy so leave the computer to finish the task and once it is finished, you can rest assured there is a very small chance of any documents ever being recovered from your computer, in fact if any personal documents are found on your computer, they will most likely be files that were saved directly on your C drive or in a shared folder, so make sure you check those locations before running CCleaner and manually delete any personal files found there.