We were delighted to be featured on the great Freaky Frugalite blog this week, with a post about our service. Take a look below. 

Tech Support for the Tech Support, or, give the geek a break

I had to reformat *another* one of our computers this week. The Windows Updates ALONE took THREE days, a staggering wait, I think. I am the chief tech support person in the house, and now that everyone has his or her own computers, troubleshooting all the electronic gadgets sometimes feel like a full-time job. I just don’t have that kind of time anymore, maintaining the family’s digital lifestyle! I’m starting to think about out-sourcing some of the stuff. I’ve already subscribed to an automated backup service, which lifts a big weight off my shoulders. When my computer got a virus and my blogs were later hacked (twice!), it was a ton of work rebuilding everything.

Not everyone knows how to manage all the in’s and out’s of PCs and other devices. And not everyone has the time anymore to fix it all and still have a life! So if you are one of those folks, here’s a little tip: Get tech support help! Ever hear of Virgin Digital Help? The company is very impressive. They handle everything, and I mean everything – Laptops, routers, smartphones, hardware and software problems. They remove viruses, fix slow computers, set up email, set up Internet games, home networking, fix Windows errors, everything. What you do when you have a problem is give them a call and describe your problem.

Virgin Digital Help will diagnose it, suggest a solution, and fix it remotely. No hauling your stuff to the shop. No mailing your computer to the warehouse.

Prices are outstanding. The “pay per fix” cost starts at $30. I think that’s an exceptional bargain. When your computer has a virus, this is a STEAL, believe me. I would have gladly paid them to remove my computer virus had I known about Virgin Digital Help then. I lost several work days, fixing my computer. $30 is nothing.

Or, if you think you need a partner on standby for help, Virgin Digital Help has support plans at $15 a month. That’s less than a New York pizza. And it’s better than harassing the geek in the home with all the computer problems. ;)

So next time you have a tech need, check them out. I am definitely bookmarking the site!

The sun has got his hat on! In this weather, you want to get out of the house, hit the beach, relax in the park, dance the night away at festivals and generally shake off all of the remaining winter blues. Getting out into the sun presents a few extra challenges with your tech. The beach, for example,  is full of hazards for your camera, tablet or MP3 player. Sea, sand and sun may be great for you, but they aren’t necessarily the best for your treasured gadgets. 

Below, we’ve listed a few of our favourite pieces of summer tech to make your time in the sun even better. Enjoy!

Waterproof camera 

When you’re by the beach, in the park or by the pool, you want your camera at the ready so you can look back on winter and remember just how fun summer is. However, where there’s water, there’s danger for your gadgets. 

The Olympus TG-310 removes this danger. Waterproof to a depth of 3m,  able to take a drop of 1.5m and made to withstand temperatures as low as -10c, the TG-310 is your perfect poolside companion. 

Available for around £100, it has 14 megapixels, a 3.6x optical zoom and all sorts of effects to play with. A great buy for summer. 

The X-Mini II Portable Speaker

While the portable speaker market is a crowded one, we’re constantly amazed by the X-Mini II. In terms of price it can’t really be touched. £13-£20 will buy you a speaker that charges by USB, lasts for hours, has surprisingly good bass and is great for playing music in the park. 

Where the X-Mini II gets even better is its ability to daisychain. Buy two or more of the speakers and you can hook them up, effectively doubling the volume without compromising on sound quality. 

Yes, there are better quality speakers out there – though the build of the X-Mini II is very solid – however for this money you’d be mad to miss it. 

Kindle 3

The Kindle is perhaps an obvious choice here, but it’s not just one of our favourite pieces of summer kit, it’s one of our favourites year-round. The £89 version will give you a 6” screen, let you store around 1,400 books at any one time and a full battery charge will last up to a month. 

The fact that you don’t need to cram your suitcase with books for the beach means the Kindle is ideal for taking on holiday, and the crystal clear E Ink display is impervious to glare from the sun, meaning you can read your Kindle in all conditions. 

Solio Universal solar charger

If you’re out in the great outdoors for a whole day, you’re unlikely to see any power outlets. This means your phone, MP3 player or camera batteries are more than likely to die on you, leaving you without music, photos or – more seriously – any means to call anyone in an emergency. 

In steps the Solio Universal solar charger. Its award winning design makes it light enough to carry around with you anywhere, it’s durable, weather resistant and an hour of sunshine will give you an hour’s worth of playback or ten minutes of talk time. You’ll never need to worry about your battery letting you down again. 

Our friends over at Virgin shared this great Forbes infographic recently, and we thought we’d pass it on to you. It’s an illustration of a few of the great things Richard Branson’s been up to over the years, and a glimpse at what life would have been like without him.

In addition, Richard recently took part in Ask Richard, an opportunity for anyone to ask him pretty much anything theyliked. Topics covered everything from business to Richard’s favourite meal, and were asked across Twitter, Google+ and on a Google Hangout.

You can view the questions, answers and video from Ask Richard here.

How much important information do you have on your computer? How many photos of the kids, holiday videos, songs you recorded with that band you were in (you’re never going to play those to anyone, we know, but stick with us) and countless hours of work you’ve saved to your home PC? We’d wager the answer to at least some of these is ‘a lot’, and these are things you should really be looking after and safeguarding from technical disasters.

Backing up your files and storing them off your computer is a smart move. If your files are all stored locally and your hard drive corrupts, or is destroyed in an accident or runs into any other kind of trouble, you risk losing your files. Storing them elsewhere means that even if the worst happens, all your work, music and treasured memories are safe. 

Here’s our favourite ways of backing up files. 

External hard drives

An external hard drive is exactly what it sounds like – the same as the hard drive inside your computer, just outside it instead. They come in a range of storage sizes – though realistically you should never need more than 1tb – and a range of prices. Shop around, find the best price, read some reviews. You’re not just buying a piece of kit, you’re buying a safe place to keep your memories. 

Once you have your hard drive, operating it is fairly straightforward. Plug it into your computer’s USB port and wait for a window to appear. In this window, you can drag all of the files you want to keep safe onto your hard drive. Set up folders on the drive to make sure it’s all organized and easy to navigate next time you need to.  Your files will still be available on your computer, but copies of them will be kept safe in duplicate. 

Once you’ve copied everything across, safely remove your drive and store it somewhere safe. You have now safely stored your important files. 

The Cloud

Don’t want to spend your cash on an external hard drive? Worried that, if you bought one, you may lose it? Well there is another option; cloud storage. 

Cloud storage essentially means you’re storing your files on completely secure servers on the internet. You select the file you want to save, transfer it to your online storage service and hey presto, your files are safe in duplicate. 

The as yet undisputed king of cloud storage is Dropbox, who offer a range of storage plans to suit any pocket (including some storage for free), however there are other options (Amazon Cloud, AVG LiveKive, Google Drive) that work just as well. 

If you have concerns about storing your files online, you really don’t need to worry. These services are designed for purpose, and security is paramount. You really can trust them with your important or treasured files. 

Backing up your files, be it online or on a physical drive, is great for piece of mind, and doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Be safe, back up!

How much important information do you have on your computer? How many photos of the kids, holiday videos, songs you recorded with that band you were in (you’re never going to play those to anyone, we know, but stick with us) and countless hours of work you’ve saved to your home PC? We’d wager the answer to at least some of these is ‘a lot’, and these are things you should really be looking after and safeguarding from technical disasters.

Backing up your files and storing them off your computer is a smart move. If your files are all stored locally and your hard drive corrupts, or is destroyed in an accident or runs into any other kind of trouble, you risk losing your files. Storing them elsewhere means that even if the worst happens, all your work, music and treasured memories are safe. 

Here’s two of our favourite ways of backing up files. 

External hard drives

An external hard drive is exactly what it sounds like – the same as the hard drive inside your computer, just outside it instead. They come in a range of storage sizes – though realistically you should never need more than 1tb – and a range of prices. Shop around, find the best price, read some reviews. You’re not just buying a piece of kit, you’re buying a safe place to keep your memories. 

Once you have your hard drive, operating it is fairly straightforward. Plug it into your computer’s USB port and wait for a window to appear. In this window, you can drag all of the files you want to keep safe onto your hard drive. Set up folders on the drive to make sure it’s all organized and easy to navigate next time you need to.  Your files will still be available on your computer, but copies of them will be kept safe in duplicate. 

Once you’ve copied everything across, safely remove your drive and store it somewhere safe. You have now safely stored your important files. 

The Cloud

Don’t want to spend your cash on an external hard drive? Worried that, if you bought one, you may lose it? Well there is another option; cloud storage. 

Cloud storage essentially means you’re storing your files on completely secure servers on the internet. You select the file you want to save, transfer it to your online storage service and hey presto, your files are safe in duplicate. 

The as yet undisputed king of cloud storage is Dropbox, who offer a range of storage plans to suit any pocket (including some storage for free), however there are other options (Amazon Cloud, AVG LiveKive, Google Drive) that work just as well. 

If you have concerns about storing your files online, you really don’t need to worry. These services are designed for purpose, and security is paramount. You really can trust them with your important or treasured files. 

Backing up your files, be it online or on a physical drive, is great for piece of mind, and doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Be safe, back up!

We’ve all been there; your tech is damaged or won’t work, you don’t have any fancy specialist equipment in the house and you don’t know what to do. Well, have no fear. There are a number of things you may have lying around that can help you get your tech back into tip top shape. Here’s a few of our favourite repair methods you may not have thought of. 

Hard drive in the freezer

Has your hard drive given up the ghost? Act quickly and you won’t necessarily lose all of your files. Head to the kitchen and grab a couple of – good quality – sealable sandwich bags. Place the hard drive in a sandwich bag, then in another. You really, really want to prevent any moisture getting into the bags. 

Once the hard drive has been in the freezer for around 12 hours, take it out, put it into your computer and as if by magic it will boot. Take off the files you need quickly as the drive will almost inevitable crash again. Repeat the process as necessary. 

The cold compresses parts of the drive that may have spun out of shape, or begun to rub, hence breathing short lived new life into your damaged drive. This is, however, an emergency 

Waterlogged phone in rice

We’ve discussed this fix before on the blog, however it’s one of our favourites, and something we’ve all had to use at some point in our phone-owning lives. 

If you drop your phone in the bath, the sink or the pool – or if you spill your drink all over it – all is not lost. Firstly, do not under any circumstances attempt to turn the phone on. 

Open the phone up and drain the excess fluid immediately, taking out the battery and SIM card. Run to the kitchen and grab a Tupperware and some rice. Fill the Tupperware with rice, throw the phone in, pushing it well into the rice, and leave overnight. The rice will absorb the liquid left in the phone and – hopefully at least – will restore it to its former glory. 

Vaseline on Screen

Got an unsightly scratch on your phone or MP3 player screen? Annoying, isn’t it? Don’t worry, your favourite lip moisturizer is on hand to help. 

Dip a tissue in a small amount of Vaseline and wipe it on the affected area. Once liberally applied, use a clean tissue to buff the screen, ensuring the Vaseline is all gone and you should notice that the scratch is far less visible than when you started. Ok, it won’t repair the screen, but it makes a difference without costing a fortune. 

Vodka on a DVD or CD

If you’re finding that the movie you’re trying to watch is skipping, or won’t play, it may be that the disc is too dirty for the laser in your DVD or Bluray player to read. 

Instead of using a t-shirt to wipe the grime off, potentially making the situation worse, grab a bottle of vodka. Take a swig (only joking) – take a soft, clean towel and drip half a measure of the vodka onto a small area. Use this vodka soaked towel to clean the disc in small circular motions. The alcohol will remove any grease that has found its way onto your disc, and you’ll be free to watch or listen in peace. 

We were delighted to be featured on Leader Post this week, with our article on protecting yourself from spam on Twitter.  Take a look:

Twitter continues to be a breeding ground for cybercriminals. Just this week a wave of twitter spam emerged which infected 500+ Twitter accounts in just hours, a media release from Virgin Group says. These tweets were designed to look like helpful links to check for viruses and spyware. Instead, victims were forced to install spyware that stole their personal data while hijacking their Twitter accounts to push more spam out to their followers.

Virgin Group’s new Virgin Digital Help service offers the following tips:

You account has been hijacked when:

1. Tweets you didn’t post appear on your profile;

2. There’s a drastic change in your number of followers;

3. You get an email from Twitter notifying you of account changes you didn’t make.

If you encounter any of the above:

1. Change your password;

2. Check the “Applications Tab” under your account settings and revoke any unrecognized third-party apps;

3. Delete any unauthorized tweets and scan your computer with a TRUSTED antivirus vendor (www.avgfree.com is a free option)

To defend against such attacks:

1. Don’t click on links in Tweets and DMs from people you don’t normally interact with;

2. If a link in a Tweet or DM is simply too irresistible (“Is this you in this photo?”), discard it;

3. Make sure your security software is up to date.

Here at VDH we’re available to help you 24/7.  No matter whether you turn your computer in the morning and are faced with the blue screen of death, or if you’re stuck trying to get your smartphone working at 3am, we’re here to help, in a way that suits you.  

There’s a number of different ways that you can get in contact with us, including through our live chat service, by phone, or if you’ve got a remote code we can access your computer directly, and help you get to the root cause of the problem. 

We’ll do all this with a smile on our faces, because we know that you don’t like it when your tech doesn’t work, and we want to help. 

Our champs will diagnose your problem, offer an easy solution, and then fix your problem remotely - meaning you don’t need to do anything at all. If for some reason our champs can’t fix your problem remotely, we’ll send out one of our friendly local service team to come and fix it at your house instead. If you just need some general advice, feel free to ask our social media team, @virgindigihelp on Twitter or on Facebook. 

Finally, if you’re just looking for some more tips about how to become a tech pro, check out our Tumblr.  Hey, we’re allowed one free plug, right?! 

We cover all of the following: PC and laptop problems, internet and wifi, email problems, printers and cameras, smartphones and tablets and other digital stuff including MP3 players and game consoles.  For full details of tech we cover, click here. If you just want to get help now, ring this number:   1.866.805.2448 (US) / 0800 107 1175  (UK). 

If tablets are not already all the rage, it’s certainly looking like they will be very soon. The iPad is currently on its third iteration, and leads the field admirably, with a razor sharp screen, instinctive functionality and a comprehensive app store, iPad sales outstrip competitors by some distance. 

However all of this comes at a price. The latest iPad ranges from £399 (16GB, wifi only) to £659 (64GB, wifi+4G), which pushes it out of the price range of the tablet curious and into the realm of the tech lover. 

So what alternatives are there? We’ve put together a list of our three favourite tablets that cost less than the iPad but still pack a punch. Let us know if you think we’ve missed any. 

Motorola Xoom 2 (10.1 inch screen, 16GB memory, wifi only, £359)

Running on the Android Honeycomb 3.2 operating system, the Motorola Xoom 2 is a marked improvement on its predecessor. Boasting stylish, tapered edges and a rubberized band around the back to help with grip, the Xoom 2 is a pleasure to use. 

The screen is protected by Gorilla glass, and the design means that the device is splash proof, meaning it can deal with spills and tumbles with ease. Clever little additions (a screen that recognizes the difference between a grip and a touch, meaning you can hold the tablet with your thumb on the screen and it will be ignored, for example) make the Xoom 2 fun to use. The screen is bright and responsive, and the HDMI port means you can play things on your HD TV. 

Let down slightly by the camera, and perhaps too close to iPad pricing to be a serious contender, the Xoom 2 is, nonetheless, a fine tablet.  

Kindle Fire (on sale soon from around £150 for 8GB, wifi only, 7 inch screen)

<Image courtesy of Engadget>

The Kindle Fire is taking America by storm. The reasonably priced 7 inch tablet runs on Android, but not as we know it. Amazon, the makers of the Kindle, have tailored the entire user experience to be geared towards the viewing of books, movies, games and other media – it’s not for work, it’s for fun. 

This is reinforced by the fact that the Fire has no cameras, microphone or geolocation facilities – Amazon say it’s not a device built for communication, it’s built purely for the consumption of media. 

The internal memory is perhaps too low, and Fire users are bound to Amazon for their apps, music and books, however for this price, you really can’t go wrong. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1 inch screen, wifi only, 16GB from around £270)

When the Samsung Galaxy Tab was released, it was roughly price matched with the iPad – and for a good reason, the Galaxy is a fantastic device that runs the iPad close in every department. 

A year or so on, the Galaxy Tab can be picked up from around £270. For that money, you get a lot of tablet. Lighter and thinner than the iPad 2, the Galaxy is a pleasure to use. Well built, great to look at, responsive screen and a browser that supports Flash means the Galaxy is the ideal alternative to the iPad, and the perfect tablet for those who’d prefer not to be tied into the Apple ecosystem. 

Does your tech stress you out? Do you feel like there’s something new released every week, and you’re struggling to keep up? Is your high tech too high maintenance?

(Image: HPower Computing)

We want to hear from you. 

We’ve just launched a survey to find out just how people are coping with their tech. We want to know what stresses you out, what companies could do better, your most common bugbears and everything else you feel like you need to get off your chest. 

Head this way for our survey. It takes less than five minutes to complete, and not only will it help us to improve our service, it’ll also make you feel better. 

Thanks!