Computer Support Blog

Unless a member also happens to be a mobile software developer, most bands and musical artists on the independent scene don’t have the resources to make a dedicated mobile app for their music.  The money a band would need to spend in order to hire an app development service is just too much to justify when there are touring and studio costs.  However, the Internet music scene is very important in a band’s early stages since they are trying to get their name out as much as possible.  Cool person in technology Adam Perry wants to solve this catch-22 with his startup BandApp.  BandApp provides bands with an easy way to create a functioning mobile app from their template.  Bands can put photos, music, tour dates, and their biography on the app.  Artists who use the app can even link directly to their music on SoundCloud or iTunes.  Perry wants to give newer artists a way to promote themselves on the mobile web conveniently and easily with this new venture.  Any band that runs into technical difficulty while building their app on Perry’s platform should contact computer support for help. Read more »

There are many corporatized reading experiences available on mobile devices.  Amazon’s Kindle platform, Barnes and Noble’s Nook platform, and even Apple’s iBooks all offer eBook solutions that connect the shopping and reading experiences for users.  However, none of these platforms has successfully combined the mobile reading experience with the advantages of social networking.  Cool person in technology Henrik Berggren has set out to create such a platform with his company Readmill.  Readmill produces an app that works as both a mobile eBook reader for either iPhones or Android devices and lets book readers interact and discuss what they read in the manner of a social network.  Berggren lets readers review and comment on books they read on his app.  Readmill users can then share those reviews publicly with the rest of the Readmill community.  Users can also comment on others’ reviews to promote discussion around specific books.  This social aspect sets the Readmill app apart from other eBook experiences, which focus almost entirely on the purchasing and personal reading aspects of the experience.  While Berggren is entering a somewhat crowded area with Readmill, he does so while filling a gaping hole in the market—a socially connected eReader app.  Any user who has trouble downloading the app to their phone should have mobile PC support services try to resolve the problem. Read more »

Underage drinking is a serious epidemic and many bars have run into trouble due to sophisticated fake identification card schemes.  The best way to handle fake IDs is to use an ID scanner, which can read digital signatures attached to specific driver’s licenses and ID cards to determine their legitimacy.  However, investing in an expensive and unwieldy ID scanner that is not only very expensive but also requires upkeep from time to time is not something many bar and club owners are enthusiastic about.  Cool person in technology Benjamin Sibert founded his company Bar and Club Stats to come up with a solution this problem.  Sibert and his team have created a functioning ID scanner for bars and clubs using iPhones, iPods, and iPads.  Sibert hopes that with such a device will appeal to club and restaurant owners who want a cleaner, more streamlined solution to checking identification at the door.  Each of Sibert’s company’s scanners attach themselves around the outside of their respective iDevices like a case.  Any restaurant owner with an unused or broken iPad could easily repurpose their device with one of Sibert’s scanner cases after getting iPad repair. Read more »

A slew of startups have popped up over the past few years that offer technology-based solutions for large events and professional conferences.  BusyEvent, one such startup based out of St. Louis, is trying to set itself apart with a cool product that leverages mobile technology for event organizers.  While many other companies design individual apps for events, costing an event’s host significant amounts of time and money, BusyEvent offers a way for event organizers to create their own mobile apps.  BusyEvent produces, in their own words, an “app that builds apps” for event organizers and marketers.  BusyEvent claims that their mobile application allows their customers to create event-specific apps “in five minutes”.  Organizers can then personalize their event’s app with different styles, themes, layouts and of course, content.  Users can view and edit the apps they make with BusyEvent through the web, on Android or on iPhone.  Anyone who needs help navigating or working through BusyEvent’s features can get help from a mobile tech support provider. Read more »

Bands and musical artists have used photos from concerts as promotional items for years.  However, getting good pictorial content from gigs can cost a lot of money and require a lot of resources for artists, especially if a major label doesn’t back them.  Bands need a paid photographer to get the content and need to put up on their website or across social media.  Cool product Vivogig wants to take the effort out of this process by allowing bands an easy way to use their fans best photos for promotional and marketing content.  Fans download the Vivogig app to their phone and upload their gig photos to a band’s profile, where other users can vote on and rate their photographs.  This system creates competition between fans to upload the best photos and get their content featured on the app.  Competition like this ensures that Vivogig only features the best quality fan photos on a band’s profile page.  Fans who use the app but have trouble with their phone’s camera may need smartphone computer repair to fix the issue. Read more »

It is common for people to have an experience where they remember an item of clothing by its color or pattern, but cannot remember the brand or the store where they purchased it.  ASAP54 is a cool product that solves this conundrum by letting you search through fashion websites and online clothing stores by simply uploading a picture.  If an ASAP54 user wants to find a piece of clothing they see someone wearing, they can just snap a picture, upload it to the app and ASAP54 does all the work.  The app recognizes the image and scours the Internet trying to find visual matches for the item you photographed.  The app provides users with all the matches that it can find, and then lets the user filter further by looking for specific brands, types of clothing, and colors within their results.  Users who have difficulty operating the search filters can always call iPhone support for help navigating the app. Read more »

When Instagram launched in 2010, it changed the way many people approached mobile photography.  While anyone could snap pictures just for themselves and their close friends to see, Instagram offered users a simplified way to make artistic-looking photos that people wanted to share publicly.  Instagram’s filters gave people a sense of performance when taking and uploading their pictures and allowed many people without photo editing skills to feel like pros with their smartphone camera.  Magisto is a smartphone app that wants to recreate this experience on mobile, but this time for video rather than photography.  Magisto is a cool product that lets you upload your mobile videos to its app and choose a “theme” to apply to them.  Each theme dictates an automated editing process, which gives your video a more artistic look.  Themes add different visual filters to your video, not unlike Instagram does with photos, but also actually edits the video itself to make it more dynamic. Those who have have trouble recording videos with their mobile devices can get smartphone IT support to help them with their camera. Read more »

Most travel or concierge style apps target the lower and middle market of consumers, as that’s where you find most mobile users.  However, cool person in tech Matthew Rowe founded iVIP to cater to a very specific, premium piece of the travel market—the very rich.  Rowe created his suite of iVIP apps as part of a service that gives targeted advice, information, privileges and special offers to individuals of high net worth who prefer luxury accommodations and services.  Rowe believes there that the upper tier of the market is looking for a mobile app that caters specifically to their taste and lifestyle.  The iVIP apps come with a service where luxury companies offer members exclusive upgrades, products, and services to members of the app.  Rowe’s iVIP apps connect users to these services based on their specific location, as the app’s offers vary from city to city.  If you were interested in checking out the iVIP app but have trouble with your mobile device, a mobile tech support service would be the best option for you. Read more »

Urban professionals often work sixty to eighty hour weeks if they’re part of a major industry.  That schedule leaves very little time for errands like housework, furniture assembly, and moving.  Cool product Handybook is using the Internet to try to make getting these services booked as faster and easier.  Handybook lets users book home services through their website by simply filling out a quick online form.  The site then connects its customers to one of their pre-screened home service providers.  The idea is to eliminate the time and hassles required to do proper research on home service providers, make several calls, get quotes, and choose a provider.  Read more »

Everybody likes a little surprise in their day.  At least that sentiment is what the creators of cool technology product Doot are counting on with their location-based smartphone messaging service.  Doot lets users leave messages with their smartphone that tie themselves to specific location.  When one of your friends comes to that same location, their phone notifies them and shows them your message. Your friend gets a surprise message about where they are and hopefully find the surprise interaction fun and whimsical.  Users can post public messages to all of their friends or direct specific messages at particular people.  Doot integrates with Facebook so you can leave messages for all your friends and contacts as soon as you download the app.  If you have had trouble with Facebook connected software before, remote computer support may be able to help you. Read more »