Faster Calling Fewer Buttons

Many of us call the same numbers over and over again.  We don't want to be bothered having to redial the same ten digit numbers repeatedly.  Vonage offers a range of shortcuts to make this easier.

In an earlier post I explained how you can add users to your phone's LCD screen so that you can call them with a push of a single button.  In a different earlier post I explained how to look up a number quickly on the phone, either from the firm directory or from a list of previous callers.

Today, I'm going to describe yet another shortcut.  We have the ability to set up eight shortcut that can be dialed by pressing a single number.  Essentially, we assign a phone number to the numbers 2-9 on your keypad.  To dial any of those pre-programmed numbers, you simply need to press the button and then hit "dial".

If you have more than eight numbers, there is also an option called "speed dial 100".  This allows you to add up to 100 numbers by dialing # and then a pre-assigned two digit code, then press dial.

Adding users to the LCD screen seems preferable to either of these two options.  Adding to the LCD screen means you can see the user name, meaning you don't have to remember who is assigned to what button.  It is also literally a single button press.  Therefore, the only reason to use these additional shortcuts would be if you have already filled up all the spaces on your screen.

The speed dial 8 can be set up by dialing *74 then the shortcut number, then the number to be called.  For example, if I wanted to assign 215-922-1100 to number 2 on my phone, I would dial, *7422159221100 This can also be set up in the portal.  If you are not comfortable programming it yourself or going into the portal, the help desk will be happy to set up the numbers for you.  Just send us a list via email.  Once set up you simply press the number assigned (e.g. "2") then press "dial" and you are connected.

Speed dial 100 works in a similar way but allows you to store up to 100 numbers using a two digit code (00-99).  You can configure a speed dial 100 number by dialing *75, then the shortcut numbers, then the number to be called.  For example, to set 10 as the shortcut for 215-922-1100, I would dial *75102159221100.  Like speed dial 8, speed dial 100 numbers can also be set up in the portal.

Once configured, simply dial # plus the two digit code, then dial, to call a number.  For me it seems more complicated to memorize 100 different two digit calling codes then to simply look up the number and dial it.  But if you think this may be useful to you, it is an option we can program.

Internet Browsers

This week, Microsoft is ending support for all versions of its Internet Explorer Browser except the most recent version (11).  Until now, Microsoft had been providing security updates and other support for IE 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Last year, I posted an article discussing different Internet browsers generally.  Everyone should have Google Chrome, which updates itself regularly.  Many of you may also choose to use third party browsers such as Mozilla Firefox.  These are good browsers, usually superior to Internet Explorer.  They often will load pages faster than IE.  I recommend using Chrome for all Internet since you already using it for email and other Google Apps.

Why use IE at all?

The main reason we continue to use IE is that Elite Webview is designed to run only on Internet Explorer.  This was not always the case.  When we first purchased Webview, it ran on a variety of browsers.  Several years later, however, Elite became a Microsoft partner and restricted Webview so that it would only run on Internet Explorer.  If not for this limitation, I would have recommending dumping Internet Explorer years ago. As it is, I recommend using Internet Explorer for Webview.  It will work with the rest of the Internet as well, but may be slower than you would like.

Another great annoyance of Webview is that it does not always work with newer version of Internet Explorer.  It was designed to work with IE 6.  There are sometimes problems running later version of IE.  To get around such problems, we typically set up "Compatibility View" on your copy of IE, so that it will behave on that site like the older version of IE.  For many users, we stopped updating Internet Explorer on the computer to prevent future incompatibility issues.

So what does the end of support mean for older version of Internet Explorer?  

If you are using an older version of Internet Explorer to surf the Internet, you are at greater risk of attack.  Most security updates are designed to protect people from infected web sites that attempt to download and install malware on your computer.  If you do not have these protections, your computer can be at greater risk to attack.

How can I protect myself?

If you are on Windows 7 or higher, you can update Internet Explorer to version 11 which remains supported by Microsoft.  Keep in mind that doing so may mean we will need to reset the compatibility view settings in IE so that it continues to work with Webview.

The other option is simply to use your current IE only for Webview and other internal sites.  Since we control internal sites, we can keep them free from malware infections.  It is only when you go to sites outside the firm that you put yourself at risk.  For most internet browsing, I recommend using Google Chrome, which remains up to date and protected.

The Future of Internet Explorer

Microsoft seems to be phasing out IE altogether.  Windows 10 came with a new Microsoft browser called Edge.  However, Edge only works with Windows 10.  Those of us using older versions of Windows will have to wait.  Edge is not terribly useful anyway since, despite being a Microsoft product, is still not supported by Webview.

Because so many enterprises have applications like Webview that continue to require Internet Explorer, Microsoft continues to support IE 11 on Windows 10 as well as older versions of Windows, including 7 and 8 (there is no 9).  Should the firm move to Windows 10, we still have the option to use IE for Webview.

At some point in the next few years, I suspect Microsoft will end support for IE altogether.  Presumably by that time Elite will come up with an alternative browser option for Webview.

Scan Documents With Your Cell Phone

There are times when you are out of the office.  You come across a document and need a copy of it. You can use your smartphone as a document scanner.

There are numerous apps that allow you to capture a document through a phone's camera.  One of the most useful for me is the Google Drive App.  If you don't already have this app, it is a free download from Google's Play Store or Apple's App Store.

Open the Google Drive App on your phone.  Click on the red circle with a plus sign to add a new document.  Select the camera and take a picture of the document.  You have the option to add additional pages or complete the document.  Once complete, the document saves as a PDF file to your Google Drive.

When you get back to the office, simply download the PDF to your computer. You can use PDF Xchange Editor to OCR the document if you need that, or simply use as is.

The scan directly to PDF only seems to work on the Android version of the App.  The iPhone Drive App scans to JPG format.  Still, once the document is saved to your Drive, you can use the Drive's "download as PDF" option to convert it to PDF when you download it to your computer.

This can be a convenient way to snap receipts to be uploaded into Chrome River for reimbursement.  It is also a convenient way to store a paper document that you need for further review later.