Computer Support Blog

There are very few boardrooms in the tech sector that can boast about gender diversity.  One of the notable exceptions to the disappointing trend that has women kept from managing or directing many of the top companies in the world is Google.  Google has three women who serve on its ten-person Board of Directors and with 30% female direction, Google represents one of the most gender-integrated Boards in the tech sector!  Ann Mather was one of the earliest members of the Google Board of Directors and far more than a diversity hire, Mather represents one of the most active presences in the business world today! Read more »

Despite its many successes in the software field, it is virtually impossible to deny that in many ways, Microsoft has been chasing Apple for years.  While Microsoft was still utilizing keyboard-based DOS, Apple had a mouse-based interface that captivated its users and made life easier for them.  That Microsoft Windows largely made PC’s more like Macintosh computers is a pretty old argument.  But as more and more details are leaked from Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8, it is hard not to see the parallels between the new operating system from Microsoft and Apple’s iOS. Read more »

Even though Facebook continues to grow and dominate the social network market, the Internet giant has had a pretty rough first half of the year.  The Facebook stock offering was fumbled and the value of the company remains below where it was when the IPO occurred.  Even before Facebook went public, one of the nagging concerns to both the corporate executives and potential investors was how Facebook was monetizing on mobile platforms.  No company, Facebook included, has yet produced a reliable, consistent, and strong revenue stream from advertisements launched on smartphones and tablet computers.  However, Facebook may be prepared to change that, which is making Facebook users wary. Read more »

There is no doubt about it; alternative energy is a hot industry right now.  Between the environmental, economic, and national security arguments, dependence upon fossil fuels is hardly a viable long-term strategy for any nation on Earth.  So, innovative companies have been formed to develop the energy sources that might replace oil.  One company, Solazyme, has found real success in manufacturing fuel oil from plant sugars.  As you may imagine, such a development has the potential for explosive growth and Solazyme has been experiencing incredible growth as a result of their new process.  That growth is exactly why the company needs Jane Marvin. Read more »

For the Holiday Season, 2011, one of the hottest gifts on the market was the Amazon Kindle Fire.  Amazon released the right product, at the right time, to compete against Apple’s iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nook line.  Moving out of the pure e-reader market, Amazon moved closer to a full tablet computer with the Kindle Fire e-reader.  Their gambit (and marketing) paid off: the Amazon Kindle was one of the most-bought, most-desired electronic devices of the fourth Quarter, 2011. Read more »

The telecommunications industry, like most of the tech sector, continues to change much more rapidly than most people within the industry expected ten or twenty years ago.  As a result, many of the cutting-edge companies within the telecommunications industry utilize a wide array of computer-based products and services, like voice recognition software and Cloud-based storage.  Those are some of the many tools utilized by the voice message and Short Message Service, ShoutPoint.  To continue to keep the company growing, ShoutPoint needed an expert sales manager and that is why they hired Rob Guastucci! Read more »

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, may have been a visionary, but he also was a product of his time.  Jobs was, in many ways, the right person, at the right place, at the right time; he captured the attention (and investing dollars) of the Baby Boomers.  Without their capital and belief in Steve Jobs and his vision, Apple Computers would not have endured its financial ups and downs.  It is telling, then, that the current leadership of Apple Computers waited until after Jobs was dead and the company was firmly ensconced as the most profitable company in the world before it quietly withdrew its products from EPEAT. Read more »

Not everyone has the funds or interest in an Apple iPod.  In fact, there is a decent population – especially of active, athletic, individuals – who wants to be able to listen to music, but does not want to run around with hardware that costs hundreds of dollars.  For sure, Apple has attempted to win over that demographic with their iPod Shuffle.  But for those who might not want the hassle of making an iTunes account or being sucked into the Apple culture, there is the MPaxx 940 MP3 player. Read more »

Companies in the tech sector most frequently rise using a single service or main product line.  With success comes emulation – or imitation – and many times, the pioneers in a field find themselves surpassed by new companies that offer a newer or better version of what the pioneering company originally innovated.  Companies that want to remain viable in the tech sector have to adapt and usually diversify in order to grow and survive.  Yahoo! has been having a rough couple of years in the shadow of Google’s ascendency.  But Mickie Rosen is working hard to turn Yahoo’s fortunes around. Read more »

Since the founding of the United States, one of the fundamental freedoms of the nation has been Freedom of the Press.  Made possible by Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press was intended to keep the citizenry educated and informed, the theory being that such measures could prevent tyranny.  It is a great theory.  However, over the years, political machinations (yellow journalism), business interests (media consolidation) and sloth have weakened the Fourth Estate of the United States.  The final blow to Freedom of the Press may well come from the tech sector as the tech sector is currently eroding some of the last definitive standards of the mainstream press. Read more »