Tech Tip

Tech Tip – Record Your Screen (Easily)

Posted on by Andy Miller

Although the built-in Windows 10 feature ‘Game Bar’ was designed for ‘screenshotting’ games, it can actually be used by anybody as a fast and easy way to take and use a screenshot.

For example:

– Press Windows Key + G to open the Windows 10 game bar.

– Click on the ‘Take Screenshot’ option, top left ( The screenshot will be saved to C:\Users\Admin\Videos\Captures  )

– Or, Press Windows Key + G again and click on ‘View Captures’.  From here you can choose to open the file location of your screenshot (and see it saved in the folder), delete it, share it to Twitter, copy it, and even create a ‘meme’.

Tech Tip – Save a Web Page as a PDF

Posted on by Andy Miller

Sometimes, when researching online, it’s helpful to be able to collect information in a form that can easily be printed out, so here’s how to save a web page as a PDF from three popular browsers:

Google Chrome:

– Top right (three-dot icon), choose ‘Print’ (or use Ctrl + P)
– In ‘Destination’ choose ‘Change’
– In ‘Select a Destination’, under the heading ‘Print Destinations’ choose ‘Save as PDF’
– Work through the preview options and select ‘Save’

Microsoft Edge

– Choose ‘Print’ (top right of the browser) or Ctrl + P
– Under the ‘Printer’ drop-down menu select the ‘Microsoft Print to PDF’ option
– Go through the other options (margins and scale) and select ‘Print’

Firefox

– Use the Windows 10 Microsoft Print to PDF function
– Press Ctrl + P to display the print menu
– Select ‘Microsoft Print to PDF from the printer options, and click on ‘OK’
– Select name and save location and click on ‘Save’

Safari

– Under ‘File’ choose ‘Print’ (or Command + P)
– Select ‘PDF’ from the left-hand corner of the window
– For a basic save, select ‘Save as PDF’.

Tech Tip – Snip & Sketch

Posted on by Andy Miller

If you need to be able to quickly grab areas of your screen, annotate them and share them, Windows 10 has an easy to use Snip & Sketch app.

To use Snip & Sketch:

– Hold down the Windows key + Shift + S to bring up a snipping toolbar.

– Snip the required area of your screen which will then be automatically loaded to your clipboard.

– You will then receive an invitation (bottom right of the screen) to mark up and share the image you’ve clipped. Click on the words ‘Select here’.

– This will load the Snip & Sketch app.

– Annotate your image with the pen symbols and click on the save or share icons (top right).

Tech Tip – Any.do

Posted on by Andy Miller

Any.do is an award-winning to-do list, calendar, planner and reminders app that can help you to increase your productivity and stay on top of things.

The app allows you to add tasks and manage shared projects, and to create a prioritised to-do list that you can actually stick to.

The app also gives you classic, location-based, recurring, missed call, and follow-up meeting reminders, while providing a calendar that can be turned into a powerful productivity tool.  You can also use hands-free to add tasks and voice commands to manage your to-do lists.

The Any.do app is available on the Google Play Store and on Apple’s App Store.

Tech Tip – Twobird

Posted on by Andy Miller

New email client app ‘Twobird’ allows you to put all your emails in one place and create notes and reminders on the fly (and attaches the notes on emails).

Twobird has been billed as “a new kind of email app” that offers email at the speed of live chat.  It includes all your everyday tools – writes emails, creates notes, set reminders and assign to-dos — all in your inbox. If, for example, if you’ve scheduled an appointment it will alert you at just the right time.

Features include:

– Remind: allowing you to schedule an email or note to appear in your inbox later.

– Low Priority: so you can set aside automated messages so you don’t get distracted.

– Pinned and Recent: this lets you keep important notes and conversations easily accessible.

– Tidy Up: archives any inactive conversations so your inbox stays fresh.

Twobird is available in the Google Play store.

Tech Tip – How To Sign a PDF Without Printing It

Posted on by Andy Miller

If you need to sign PDFs and return them (e.g. as part of your sales or buying processes) there is a way to do it without having to go to the time and trouble of printing out the PDFs, signing them, scanning them, and then emailing the scans back.

To sign the PDF’s electronically using Adobe:

– Open Adobe Reader.

– Open the PDF file you want to sign.

– Select ‘Fill & Sign’ and use the tools to create your signature – ‘Add Text’, ‘Add Checkmark’, ‘Place Initials’, and ‘Place Signature’. Other tools there include ‘Send or Collect Signatures’ and ‘Work with Certificates’.

– Select ‘Place Signature’ and use the pop-up window to select how e.g. Select ‘Type my signature’.

– Type your signature.

– Under the Review Your Signature, choose a signature style.

– Click Accept.

This signature can now be placed anywhere you want on a PDF.

Tech Tip – WiFiAnalyzer

Posted on by Andy Miller

If you’d like to optimise your Wi-Fi signal by being able to quickly analyse Wi-Fi networks directly from your Android device, measure signal strength and identify crowded channels, Wi-Fi Analyzer may be the app for you.

This open-source, free app, which has no-adverts and claims not to collect any personal information, uses as few permissions as possible to perform the analysis and does not require access to the Internet.

WiFiAnalyzer is available from the Google Play store.

Tech Tip – Office Lens

Posted on by Andy Miller

If you would like a handy way to make copies of work documents for future reference, the Office Lens app lets you turn your smartphone into a whiteboard and document scanner.

The Office Lens app means that you never need to lose a receipt or important document or lose any of the ideas sketched onto a whiteboard at meetings or courses.  Snap a picture of your chosen document with the app and Office Lens allows you to save the output as images, PDFs or Word documents, and save to OneNote, OneDrive, or to your local device.

Office Lens is available from the Google Play store.

Tech Tip – Split

Posted on by Andy Miller

If you’d like to be even more productive and be able to multi-task while using your iPhone or iPad, the ‘Split’ web browser app allows you to run two browser tabs side by side.

The app works in portrait and landscape views, and for each website that’s split in the browser you have a back button, you can bookmark a page, and you can open one of the websites into full-screen mode and simply tap to go back to the split-screen.

The Split app is free from Apple’s App Store, and similar split browser apps are also available for Android.

Tech Tip – Gallery Go

Posted on by Andy Miller

If you’ve been looking for a good gallery app for Android, Google has created an offline and compact, lite version of Google Photos that is uncluttered and easy to use.

The Gallery Go app works offline, so it doesn’t sync to a Google account (like Google Photos), but it only has two tabs at the bottom for pictures and folders, useful search tabs at the top, and very a user-friendly layout.

Gallery Go enables easy copying and moving photos between folders, you can create new folders, and it supports SD card.  The app also has automatic organisation so that each night, Gallery Go will automatically organise your photos to group by: People, Selfies, Nature, Animals, Documents, Videos and Movies.

Gallery Go is available from the Google Play Store.