Computer Support Blog

Most computer peripherals have remained largely unchanged over the last ten years.  Ergonomic keyboards, for example, remain the most significant change in keyboards that has even partially stuck with consumers.  The computer mouse, since the optical mouse became the standard for the device, has not made any significant changes that consumers have adopted . . . until now.  With the millionth 3-D mouse shipped from 3Dconnexion, the 3-D mouse appears to be a radical redesign that consumers are actually interested in.  The latest model is the SpaceMouse Pro. Read more »

When your company is a multinational operation with many different divisions, the human resources department faces several challenges not faced by smaller businesses.  In the tech sector, many companies have corporate structures that are specialized to each continent or part of the world.  While having mirrored operations throughout the world may allow the company to specialize to capitalize on the abilities of the facilities in each area, it can create a real human resources nightmare.  To keep a company like that growing, you need a human resources specialist who can hire the executives needed to manage all of the disparate operations of the corporation.  For Imation, that person is Patricia Hamm. Read more »

Everyone wants to live in a safe world.  That is natural and it is a healthy instinct.  However, there is a pretty broad line that separates healthy concern for one’s wellbeing and outright paranoia.  Unfortunately, the latest Securities and Exchange Commission documents and Hay Group analysis indicate that the tech sector may be plagued by paranoia.  Many large Internet and IT companies are spending exorbitant amounts of money on personal security for executives which, arguably, they do not need. Read more »

Anyone who has enjoyed the recent advances in high definition digital video technology knows there are two issues that frequently stymie video enthusiasts: battery life and video memory card storage capacity.  Batteries running out of power are a real downer, but when your power supply is uninterrupted, you may easily make long, memory-intensive videos that quickly fill up your video memory cards.  To avoid that, you need a video memory card that has great capacity and is durable.  Easily meeting those criteria is the 64 GB CombatFlash685 CF memory card. Read more »

In the computer world, there are so many technologies that it is hard to keep up with all of them.  Indeed, you might be surprised to learn that 3Dconnexion recently shipped its one millionth 3-D computer mouse; clearly it is not an obscure product, but somehow it has never drawn mainstream media attention.  Creations like the 3-D computer mouse are the result of tireless research and development by inventors.  In the case of the 3-D computer mouse, the ultimate design was the result of the efforts of Douglas Engelbart. Read more »

There are, essentially, two ways to sell new technologies in a new market.  The first is to create a device that is entirely indispensible.  Creating a product that consumers feel they absolutely need is a great way to sell millions of units of a product.  The other way to sell new technologies in an emerging market is to reduce prices to move inventory.  It is that approach that Research In Motion is taking in India. Read more »

It is easy to suspect that the more popular digital music becomes, the more people will load up their MP3 players and discover that they have created pretty massive collections of music.  As people come to the realization that they have spent a lot of money on digital music, one suspects they will want to continue going through their musical library more and more.  When you do that, you are equally likely to enjoy all that you have accumulated and eliminate mediocre tracks from your collection before refilling your MP3 player.  Given that there are only so many hours in the day to enjoy these massive music libraries, accessories that allow you to play music you know and love where traditionally you have had a radio are becoming more and more popular.  For those who have Apple iPods, the XtremeMac Luna Voyager II Alarm Clock Radio is becoming an increasingly popular device for exactly that reason! Read more »

There are some work environments with which employees truly fall in love.  Those places where you might work where you find a sense of fulfillment and potential for advancement may be the best workplace of your life.  Sometimes, though, they might not be absolutely right for all you need at a certain point in your life.  When that happens, you may well move on.  The best workplaces, however, are the ones that will have you back when your circumstances, or those of the company you love, change once again.  Cadence Design Systems was an environment Susan L. Bostrom loved and one that eagerly took her back in 2011! Read more »

The marketing and statistics company Barclay’s has released its new CIO survey results, which explore how businesses are investing in technology.  Unsurprisingly, one of the emerging technologies that businesses are investing in more and more are tablet computers.  As the dominant manufacturer in the tablet computer market with its iPad, Apple Computers is witnessing a potential windfall from businesses buying iPads.  However, businesses investing heavily in iPads have the potential to be bad news for both Apple and businesses that invest in them.  Some of the looming issues for Apple include: Read more »

Of all the social networks on the Internet, Twitter seems to be the one that is both the most trendy and least useful.  Limited to 140 characters, Twitter is basically an extended message board for your life where you keep anyone who might be interested up to date on where you are, what you are doing and/or what thoughts are going through your mind.  While Twitter might not be a bastion of deep thoughts or profound ideas, Twitter actually embodies perfectly the “social” part of social networking.  More than any other social network, Twitter acts as a barometer of just what is hip, trendy, and popular in the world at any given moment.  Twitter is the snapshot of both popular culture and current events.  But, seeing the big picture Twitter is trying to reveal can be hard.  For that, you need TagWalk. Read more »