Computer Support Blog

The search for reliable, renewable, alternative energy sources is a pursuit of companies and individuals all around the world.  While the United States has been slow to adopt alternative energy sources that would wean the country from a dependency on fossil fuels, many other nations – especially the European countries – have been developing, utilizing, and marketing alternative energy products for businesses and consumers for years.  One of the leading companies presenting solar power options to the world is SMA Solar Technologies AG.  Recently, SMA Solar Technologies AG hired Emanuele Arpini. Read more »

In the tech sector, every major company that has a Board of Directors uses different criteria to choose who will serve on the Board.  Even so, there are some similarities in how the various Boards are assembled.  The Boards of Directors of the most successful companies in the tech sector tend to feature Directors who might not be intimately tied to the tech sector.  Successful companies like Microsoft utilize a wide range of knowledge and experience on their Board of Directors.  Maria M. Klawe is one of the diverse voices that helps to guide Microsoft’s Board of Directors. Read more »

No matter how effecting the marketing departments for navigation apps for smartphones are, using your smartphone while driving is just dangerous.  No matter how reliable wireless providers insist their networks are, they are not infallible. There is little worse than being lost because you have driven out of your network coverage area and lose your navigation tool!  For those who plan ahead or travel with a laptop computer and can pull over for get directions from your computer while driving, there is no more reliable a navigation tool than Microsoft MapPoint 2011! Read more »

In the previous blog in this series, we discussed that although the concept of tablets had existed for decades, self-contained portable computers were never possible until advances in technology caught up to the idea. Manufacturers tried their best to give consumers what they wanted, but the technology and the market were simply not ready yet. In the early 2000s, however, the market began to see an upsurge in tablets.

This upsurge was driven by Microsoft’s rededication to the tablet concept. The computer giant released a set of guidelines for manufacturers to build tablets using a tablet-specific version of Windows called Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. These newer tablets more closely resembled the tablets currently on the market than the previous generation of tablets.

These devices featured touch screens, video playing capabilities, Internet connectivity, and lighter designs. With the new technology came more complete mobile computer support as well. They were not quite up to the abilities tablets would have in only a few years, but it was a great start.

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In big technology companies like Microsoft, it is a rare thing for an executive in the Customer Service branch to make the mainstream news.  In fact, it is hard to make a splash in customer service such that you get noticed within the industry at all.  Customer service defines the old adage of “no news is good news;” if a customer service department is doing their job efficiently then you seldom hear about them.  But in 2010, one corporate officer in the technology sector’s customer service division stood out.  That person was Barbara Gordon and she boldly challenged Google to rise to the level of customer service Microsoft delivers!

Barbara Gordon serves as the Corporate Vice President for Customer Service and Support for the Microsoft Corporation.  In 2010, she wrote a blog that became famous in the technology industry.  The article, Microsoft’s Support Sets Us Apart, garnered mainstream media attention by boldly calling out Google for its lack of customer service options.  While some in the industry characterized the gambit as brazen, Gordon used the media attention to constructively criticize Google while touting the strong customer service department at Microsoft.  When Google floundered in its response – even now it offers easy access only to Internet customer service support – Gordon’s risky public statement paid off for Microsoft.

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There are very few companies in the technology sector that invest heavily in research and development anymore.  Ironically, for an industry that has seen the greatest growth come from spontaneous invention, the computer and consumer electronics markets have stopped investing as much time, money, and resources on pure discovery.  While most big businesses in the technology sector work to refine already-existing technologies, Intel continues to innovate.  Leading the software development efforts of Intel is Renee J. James.

Renee J. James serves Intel as one of the company’s Senior Vice Presidents.  James acts as the General Manager of the Software and Services Group, which is a key division of Intel.  Intel, which develops advanced computer hardware, relies upon the Software and Services Group to ensure that the hardware they create in the laboratories functions with the dominant software platforms on the market.  In some ways, Renee J. James works as a corporate ambassador between Intel and every major OS and software provider in the world!

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Windows 8 is just around the corner. Microsoft released its new operating system for the developer’s pre-beta testing phase in September and a beta version will come out in February. The reviews so far from the pre-beta phase are extremely encouraging about Windows 8.

According to developers who are already using the pre-beta version, Windows 8 is a very different operating system from its predecessors. The entire operating system is a rethought and redesigned product to fulfill the needs of users better on all platforms.

That is right, all platforms. Instead of using a different operating system for smartphones and tablets than they use for computers, Windows 8 will be available for all devices. It will to work the same on every device, as well as be able to synchronize your trusted devices so that you can pull up the same programs when moving from one device to another. This should simplify computer support for any of your devices.

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A few years back, Microsoft had some legal troubles.  The U.S. government decided to aggressively pursue the Microsoft Corporation for antitrust violations.  This resulted in a restructuring of much of the way Microsoft does business and as Microsoft progresses past that dark chapter in its corporate history, it is once more growing steadily.  The results of the government probes and prosecution would have been much worse, had it not been for Mary E. Snapp.

Mary E. Snapp is the Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel in the Law and Corporate Affairs branch of Microsoft.  She specializes in providing legal advice for the Products and Services Division of Microsoft.  As Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the vital Products and Services division, Snapp oversees 150 lawyers working to protect Microsoft’s legal claims for some of the most widely-used Microsoft products.

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Every major industry has a merchandising arm designed to attract business.  If you have ever been to a medical conference, you may have gotten nauseated seeing how much money pharmaceutical companies pour into some of the weirdest swag in the world.  So, it ought to be utterly unsurprising that computer companies have similar merchandising arms.  Apple, for example, has an entire line of products from clothes to pocket knives.  Similarly, to commemorate the defeat of a human chess player by the supercomputer Watson, IBM has produced some limited clothing.

The Watson cap is a black baseball cap that features the Watson logo on it!  Clearly IBM wanted Watson to be able to identify who in a crowd was allied with the supercomputer as this hat is made of quality materials.  The cloth of the hat is enzyme washed cotton twill and the adjustable strap on the back of the hat is fabric and features a buckle and grommet design.  IBM made the strap padded for comfort and easy adjustment for different head sizes.  What truly separates the Watson hat from cheap baseball caps is the embroidered Watson symbol on it.  Instead of just silk screening the bright blue and green symbol on the black cap, IBM embroidered the symbol so it will not chip off or fade as easily!

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The Kinect for Xbox 360 has been the ‘next big thing’ for gaming since it came out in November of 2010, but now it may become the ‘next big thing’ for computers too. Microsoft recently announced that they are releasing a Kinect for Windows in February of this year.

According to Todd Bishop on MSNBC, however, the Kinect for Windows are “more likely to show up first in business settings, such as car dealerships and retail stores. This is not coming to your home computer in a couple weeks.” He says this because what Microsoft was announcing was the release of the software development kit so that businesses could develop programs for the Kinect for Windows.

At this point, The Kinect for Windows has limited or no computer support with your personal home computer unless you develop the software for it yourself. Down the road though, the Kinect for Windows has great potential to change how we think about computers and their functionality. With its ability to detect movement both close up in Near Mode and farther away like the Kinect for Xbox, the Kinect for Windows will be a great new way to interface with the computer.

The Kinect for Windows is able to more accurately detect movements than its predecessor, so that when companies develop software for it, this technology will be useful and precise. It will also be able to recognize voice commands more accurately than ever before. This new user interface device will be a truly revolutionary product, when it becomes available widely to the public.

One of the downsides, however, is that because Microsoft owns the Kinect, this technology will only be compatible with Windows computers. Most likely, it will only work with Windows 7 and 8 (to be released this year). Other companies are working on this kind of motion sensing devices for televisions and other electronic devices, but Microsoft may have a monopoly on this type of technology as it applies to computers for a while.

There are plenty of other applications for this technology, as demonstrated on the Xbox Kinect website itself. There are videos there presenting the innovative ways people are already using their Kinects, including helping doctors look at MRIs and CAT scans, teaching autistic children, and helping stroke patients regain motor skills.

The Kinect for Windows could lead to some completely new applications as well. With its ability to track movement and recognize faces, the Kinect for Windows, might be the latest step in moving towards completely immersive gaming and computing. Admittedly, that is a long way off still, but it cannot hurt to dream!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com