Revenue & Customs hope the introduction of RTI will make it easier for firms to deduct the correct tax every payday and eliminate the need to do the dreaded year end returns. They also claim this will help companies to avoid late payments and penalties. Businesses will have to use the software to send the HMRC immediate details electronically as they run the payroll.

However, research shows that many small firms are still unaware of the coming changes and a recent study by the Accounting Software giant Sage revealed that 64% of businesses were not prepared. This worrying statistic has brought Sage and other payroll specialists to urge firms to act now and make sure all employee data is correct.

If you have any concerns about these changes or are worried that you’re not prepared, please pick up the phone and give our Payroll Bureau a call. 

Inside is the Micron Technologies C400 solid-state drive. The Micron SSD post speeds of 400 megabytes per second when reading data and just under 200mb in writes. Compare that to the 4^th Gen iPad, which is typically in the 20-30mb/s range, which I’m sure you’ll agree, in comparison is horribly slow.

Other benchmarks have been testing just how fast the Pro is compared with other high-end tablets and smart-phones. Their results were astonishing showing that the Surface Pro manages to deliver almost 5x the performance of the iPad 4.

Internally the Surface Pro is clearly not an Ultrabook and the fact the Pro has trouble squeezing out 4 hours of battery life compared to the 10+ hours delivered by the iPad shows it’s not all good news for Microsoft. The blistering speed is the reason for this drop in battery life, and anyone who knows anything about technology will know that you have to compensate somewhere, but this is not great for a product being marketed as a mobile device.

The future of Surface will undoubtedly offer better battery life as Intel moves to its more power-efficient Haswell generation of processors in the summer but for now Microsoft owns the rights to brag about developing the “fastest tablet on the market”.

By Claire Gard

The nice guys at Google come up with tips to help gain more customers over the festive period, they do this every year, so we at Itexpress decided to come up with a few for you to consider.

Are you distracting your customers with out of date information?

Always make sure your home page meets your customers’ expectations. If you’re filling it with ads make sure those products are in stock and if they’re not then remove the ad. There’s nothing worse to a customer who has seen an advert, gets their card ready to pay only to find it’s out of stock. Customers find this misleading and will go elsewhere, even if you can still offer them another product they wanted you have already put them off by advertising something you can’t deliver.

A search bar is priceless!

Your potential customers know exactly what they want. The reason their shopping online is because they want to avoid all that trawling through shelves trying to find that perfect gift. Adding a search bar gives customers the opportunity to find that product immediately.

Time saving with a sidebar!

Adding a sidebar with related products can be a god send. Imagine, you buy an iPad, then you have to search for a case and screen protectors. You can add all this to your related items sidebar and the customer can easily browse through everything they need.

Customer service still applies!

Just because your sale is not face to face doesn’t mean you can scrimp on the customer service. At Christmas everyone has questions regarding delivery times, prices, stock, you name it customers will want to know it. Offer somewhere on your site where their questions can be answered. Good customer service will always have people coming back and referring your site to their friends. Good customer service = more sales, more sales = happy you!

Don’t blame the post office!!

We cannot stress this enough. Always tell your customers when to expect their delivery and when the final cut off is for Christmas delivery.  Also giving the option of delivering to an alternative address is a good idea. People are working longer hours and with Christmas being such an expensive time we simply can’t afford to take time off work to wait in for deliveries. If you allow deliveries to alternative addresses you gain the upper hand on many companies that rule this out.

A website is for life… not just for Christmas!

These tools can be used all year round. If you’re willing to put the work into your site you will see more interest and more sales. Your website is a crucial tool in the development of your business and without it you are simply living in the dark ages. If you don’t update it and offer something that other sites don’t then you may as well not have it at all. All year round you should look after your site, feed it with new information and products, keep your visitors interested and happy and prove that your hard work is not in vain. If you look after your website your website will look after you.

It’s not hard to follow these few simple rules, you can do them yourself very easily and it can result in selling more this Christmas and making people happy. By giving customers the experience they expect it will have them coming back for more.

If you would like information on SEO, website development or if you simply want to ask our opinion on how to make your site work better for you then call us today and our friendly team will be more than happy to help.

By Claire Gard

The price is a massive $400 more than the existing Surface tablet, which sold out in the first few weeks of its release earlier this year. However the difference in price reflects in the performance of the Pro Edition.

Surface with Windows Pro features an Intel Chip which allows it to run the full version of the Windows 8 operating system. Its faster processor also enables you to run software such as Photoshop, which is a massive bonus for people taking full advantage of the built in 1080p HD camera.

Both versions of the Surface can be operated as a 10.6inch touchscreen tablet or used alongside the detachable keyboard to mimic the functionality of a notebook computer. The Windows RT version of Surface is powered by an ARM-based chip from Nvidia offers a longer battery life but can only run a limited about of third party software that you can download from Microsoft’s app store.

Although the Pro version is more expensive it is faster and avoids any of these restrictions. However, it is heavier because it features a higher capacity battery to run a more power-hungry processor.

Microsoft have developed two models for you to choose from. A 64GB version for $899 and a 128GB version for $999, neither price include a detachable keyboard which will add at least another $99.

While many industry watchers have high hopes for the Surface Pro, one actually commenting that it would be far more attractive to the market that the RT version. Others suggested that buyers sit back and wait for new devices to be released, which may be more compelling and cheaper.

By Claire Gard

Many “techies” suggest this is mainly down to the multitude of changes and dynamic new approach to altering how we all use our PC’s and mobile devices.

Not since Windows XP have Microsoft produced such a massive overhaul to their operating system, and over time has been criticized for being creatures of habit. That title can now be squashed, Enter Windows 8!!

The release of Windows 8 has already helped the computing giant smash Apples record of 3 million downloads in 4 days, of its OSX Lion operating system, and it looks set to become one of the most popular operating systems of its kind, with millions of Smartphone handsets and Tablets due to be released running Windows 8, popularity for this software is only going to grow.

So, have you upgraded to Windows 8 yet?? If you have why not let us know how you like it.

By Claire Gard

They have worked tirelessly to complete their 5 main objectives for this piece of software, seemingly putting sync-ability and sharing top of the list for those who need it on the move. The whole point of a mobile phone is that it’s mobile after all, and this is another bit of software gadgetry that will mean you can work from literally anywhere.

Where sharing and syncing are concerned there have been some really intuitive changes. Microsoft have redesigned The Office Hub, your “go-to” place for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Finding and accessing your documents on SkyDrive, Office 360 and Sharepoint is easier and more streamlined.

If you one of many who currently use Office 360 your documents will now travel with you, Even if you have them on different devices. No matter which device you used last to view or edit your files it will show up in your recently used documents on your Windows Phone 8. Any email attachments you’ve opened in Outlook Mobile will show automatically in the Office hub and you will be able to share these with others.  Office hub also takes advantage of the new “Tap + Send” feature in Windows Phone 8 to let you share your documents by tapping your phone to another NFC-capable device.

Office content viewing is now a more delightful experience, with the view adjusted for the unique attributes of Windows Phone 8. Editing in Word, Excel and PowerPoint have been made even easier by introducing a number of noticeable improvements.

PowerPoint works seamlessly and the added portrait mode with speaker notes and slide thumbnails make navigating between slides a lot easier.

The new full-screen reading mode in Word is an amazing improvement. Your controls automatically move out of the way to put your content at centre stage.

Excel also has some vast improvements. Workbooks open at the last saved sheet and zoom level, navigating through a large excel worksheet is now faster and more fluid. New touch-friendly handles make range selection and resizing a breeze.

Microsoft has converted its OneNote Mobile to a separate app that’s always ready to capture your notes as soon as you need it. Simply tapping the OneNote tile and you can take quick text, photo and voice notes. It also offers you the option to access your notes from other devices. With many new features to the OneNote app such as speech notes and allowing you to make spontaneous notes even if you phone is locked, makes this a really noteworthy app.

Windows Phone 8 continues to offer the best Office communications experience on any mobile device. The integration of your Outlook emails, calendars and tasks are simpler than ever. Many communication apps available like Skype and Yammer mean you can communicate with all of your networks as and when you need them. Windows Phone 8 is now available 50 languages, supports complex script and UI mirroring. With the new Office update and the amazing new features added to this device you can take your work with you everywhere.

By Claire Gard

Maintaining your WordPress website sounds like a daunting project, but the truth is, as soon as your designer has the general design and layout worked out and implemented for you, updating and maintaining your site isn’t as mind-boggling as you expected. In fact, once you understand the layout of your WordPress Dashboard (I’ll explain that) you’ll wonder what you were so worried about.

So, let me take you through a simple guide that will save you money and keep you in full control of your website and its content.  We’ll start with basics for now though.

Firstly…. Dashboard???

Dashboard Screenshot

On your WordPress Dashboard you will see the tools and applications that allow you to control the content of your website. A selection of menus down the left hand side holds everything you need to write, edit and publish articles, create pages and maintain categories and upload images and videos. Simply hovering your mouse curser over the menus will produce sub menus and shortcuts.

To edit, respond or delete your recent comments you can do it from here.

From your Dashboard you will also notice some real time information. Recent comments visitors to your website have made on your articles. From here you can edit, respond or delete unwanted comments, again by simply hovering your curser over the comment. There are a number of other things here, such and news articles and a blog direct from WordPress and also a general review of content and discussions currently accessible on your site. All of this you will become accustomed to as you become more confident updating your WordPress website.

Content… Articles, News, Blog!

An information rich website improves your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) ranking and attracts more visitors. So routinely adding articles or updating a blog is a must. By simply taking an hour a week to update your website can increase traffic and ultimately land you with more leads and more sales. The fact that it is so easy to add content to your site means you have no excuses not to do it. In fact, on my website I can use my iPhone and iPad to add content and update my site, meaning I can even do it on the go. So, No excuses…

Got news? Share it!

I will now take you through adding a simple post to your website. Refer to the screen shots to give you a visual and remember, relax, it doesn’t have to be daunting.

On the left hand side menu the first tab you come to will be “Posts”. You can either click on the tab to open the page and release the drop down menu you or hover your curser over it to show the shortcut menu. For now though let’s click on the tab.

Clicking on the post tab will reveal a drop down menu underneath.

You will now see in front of you the area where all your future posts will be stored. Whether you have published them to your website or simply saved a draft to be finished a later date, every post you ever write will be in here. From here you can add, edit, update, publish, unpublish and delete any post. But first you need to know how to create one.

Clicking on “Add New” will provide you with a text box to write your post in.

Under the tab labelled “Post” you will see a drop down menu. Click on the “Add New” tab. The page should now read “Add New Post” under which should be a text box allowing you to write the title of your article. Under this box will be another text box, a larger box… write your article in here. Spelling mistakes will be marked up just like in Microsoft Word. You can type your entire article in here or copy and paste text documents just as you would in Word. And, just like in Word, you can alter the position of your text, go bold or underline, have italics or change the colour of your text. Add bullet points and links to other websites. You do this just as you would in Word. Highlight your text and chose from the options above the text box. Luckily the creators of WordPress designed this to be pretty much he same as Microsoft Word, so your already half way to understanding the layout… thank you WordPress.

The text box will spell check automatically for you, just right click on the wrongly spelled word for corrections.

Using the options above the text box you can re-align your text, use the bold, italic and underline facilities. Add bullet points and change the colour of your text.

Already you are almost finished. Do you want to add a picture to your post? Yes I hear you say… ok, here goes. Firstly, place the cursor where you would like your picture to be in your post. Usually before the very first letter in your post if you want it at the of the page. Just above your text box you will see an option to Upload/Insert with a picture of a camera and music note next to it. Click on this… two options here and whichever your chose is entirely up to you, personally, the easiest way is to drag and drop the picture you want to use directly from your pictures folder on your computer right into the upload box.

To browse for images saved in specific files on your computer click on “Select Files”.

You can also simply drag and drop images from your Pictures folder on your computer.

It is as simple as that. You will now see below the upload box that your picture has been uploaded to WordPress, now you just have to save it into your post. Firstly, alter the title if you want to or add a caption or description to your picture. Aligning your picture comes next, by choosing from the options “None” “Left” “Center” “Right”. By default it should choose “Right” alignment, and if this is where you would like your picture then move straight on the Size. Again, by default WordPress will chose the “Medium” size option but you can alter this by simply clicking on “Thumbnail” “Large” or “Full Size”.

From here you can adjust the position of your image and choose the size you would like it to appear on your post.

 The layout and size options are entirely up to you giving you full control of everything you do. Once you have done this simply click on the “Insert into Post” tab and, as if by magic…. Your picture is inserted.

By now you are probably thinking “that was easier than I thought”, see I told you. We’re not finished yet though. To the right of your post you will see a list of options under a menu titled “Publish”. Here you can control everything from the status of your post to the visibility of who can see your post. For now however we are just going to publish your Article. Click on the Blue “Publish” button.

There you go! You’re all done. As a quick check to make sure everything looks ok you can preview your post by clicking on the “Preview” tab in your publish menu. It will open another tab on your browser to which you simply close when you’re finished checking. Go back to your post if you need to amend anything and to save any amendments you need to update your post. Once published the “Publish” button will be replaced with an “Update” button. Click this every time you change your post and it will save everything you’ve done and upload the changes to your website, and if you don’t see the changes on your website automatically, refresh your browser page and check again.

As far as the basics of writing and uploading a Post is concerned that it all. But don’t hesitate to ring us if you get stuck on anything.

Next week’s Beginner’s Guide will feature adding Categories and showing how to organise your posts and uploading your images directly into your media centre.

By Claire Gard

Editing your pre-designed Pages

So you have a website and you have a number of pages that were pre-designed and text written to populate your site for you. But now things within the business have changed and some of the information on your pages aren’t applicable anymore. What do you do? Do you ring your designer? Email your new text over and wait for a simple copy and paste job….. No, don’t be daft. When it’s easy enough and quick enough to do it yourself why approach someone else to do it for you. And once you have the hang of doing simple jobs like this you can edit and update information in your own time and not have to wait around for others to “fit your job in”.

While reading the Beginners Guide you should always refer to the screenshots for a visual and remember that if you get stuck we are only on the other end of the phone.

Right, let’s get you started.

Dashboard Screenshot

You’re logged into WordPress and the first screen you should see is your Dashboard (Image above). On your left hand side menu you will see a tab that reads “Pages”, click on this tab and it will take you to the place where all your pages are stored.

Select Pages from the Left hand menu.

From this place you can edit, update, add pages and delete pages on your website. For now though we are going to edit a page. Chose the page you wish to edit by clicking on it. It will take you through to text boxes with all the paragraphs and pictures from your page. Simply edit the text by using it as you would in Microsoft Word or typing an email, if it’s a small amount you can just delete and type in what you want or if it’s a large amount highlight the area you want to edit, delete, and copy and paste your new text from a saved word document. You can also control the font, alignment, add bullet points and use the bold, italic and underlining tools from the toolbar options situated just about the text box. Use these just as you would if you was using Microsoft Word.

Highlight your text accordingly to bulk delete or simply write new text where you want it in your page.

Remember, every change you make you must update. To do this you will see a blue button to the right of your text box that is labelled “Update” click this. You can keep checking the progress of your amendments by clicking the “Preview Changes” button, which will open a new tab on your browser and allow you to view the actual page as it appears on your website. To come off this, simply close the tab and continue to edit if you need to.

Wrong Pictures? What wrong Pictures?

You have edited your text and everything is correct as you want it to be and you see a picture of a product you don’t sell anymore. You can’t leave it on, that wouldn’t be right, you don’t want to remove the picture because it makes your page look visually interesting, you could always change it. It’s not hard to do and allows you to have complete control of what people see on your website. Click on the picture you want to delete, two small boxes will appear at the top left corner of the picture, if you hover you mouse over them one will read “Edit Image” and the other which is a red circle with a line through it will read “Delete Image”, Click “Delete Image” and it will disappear.

Clicking on the picture will bring up two boxes in the top left hand corner of the image. These boxes allow you to edit your image or delete it from your page completely.

This is the image upload box. You can either browse files on your computer to find the image you want or drag it from your pictures folder directly into the upload box.

Once you have decided on the picture you want to replace it with select the button above your text box that says “Upload/Insert”, a new box will open that will allow you to browse for the picture you want by clicking on “Select Files” or simply drag your chosen picture from your Pictures folder on your computer and drop it straight into your upload box.

Drag from your pictures folder on your computer into the upload box on WordPress.

You will now see that your picture has been uploaded onto WordPress. From here you can adjust the alignment or the size of your new image by choosing the appropriate options and once you’ve done this you can “Insert into Post”.

Highlight left, right, center or none to tell WordPress where you want your picture. Choose from Thumbnail, medium, Large or full size to resize your picture accordingly.

You can use this same method to add new picture to your pages, just make sure you place your curser on the location you’d like your picture to be and select “Upload/Insert”. It couldn’t be simpler. And don’t forget, Update update update. For any of your changes to take effect you have to update.

You have now edited your WordPress Page. Well done you.

By Claire Gard

The workshop starts at 5.30pm and topics to be discussed by Andy and his team are the changes to the HMRC Payroll Communications and a full rundown of the new Real Time Information (RTI) System. He will also be going through a demonstration of the new Microsoft Operating System, Windows 8, and bringing you up to speed with the latest Google SEO moves and giving you plenty of pointers on how to increase your Google ranking.

For a limited time places are free, you must book before 15^th October to reserve your free seat. If you book after this date prices are £10pp.

The workshop starts at 5.30pm and will finish around 7.30pm and tea, coffee and cake will be served.

If you would like to come along then don’t hesitate to contact Andy or Claire at Itexpress on 01405 765782 to book your seat.

This is in a sharp contrast with Samsung, who have forecast record profits for the same period, mainly thanks to the strong sales of its Galaxy smartphones.

At this moment it time it look unlikely that HTC will catch up to its rivals in the near future. If it is to catch up it is in much need of a hit model in 2013, otherwise margins will continue on this downslide.

Although the firm was among the early pioneers of Andriod-based smartphones and enjoyed a considerable share in key markets, it has been hurt by the success of Samsung’s Galaxy range as well as Apple’s iPhone. The two rivals have consistently launched new models, with Samsung unveiling the Galaxy S3 and Apple its iPhone5 earlier this year and this has only extended their lead over HTC.

But in an attempt to regain it marketshare, HTC have also launched new models, including two Windows 8 phones. Although critics say they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the  firm’s fortunes.

Time will only tell for HTC. With new phones such as the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Sony Xperia S hitting the consumer market and offering an abundance of gadgetry and technology, HTC have a lot of ground to make up.