Computer Support Blog

Unlike some of the clone sites of Pinterest that sprouted up when Pinterest’s meteoric rise to popularity began, most notably Shopalong, Pinterest has been stumbling through monetizing the site.  While the executives at Pinterest are not at all resistant to the idea of monetizing, like Facebook’s founders were when they were simply focused on creating something new and cool, Pinterest has been slower than some similar sites to figure out how to make money off its own popularity.  For the last month, though, Pinterest has taken steps to stop others from making money off the site, even as it figures out how to better generate revenue itself.  Some of the ways Pinterest is working, under the guise of stopping spam, to prevent other individuals and sites from utilizing Pinterest include: Read more »

One of the most frequent computer problems for portable computers – laptop, notebook, and netbooks – comes from internal elements overheating.  Many notebook and laptop computers are unfortunately designed with inadequate abilities to dissipate the heat within their casing, resulting in damage to internal (and in some cases, external) components.  This common design flaw is why there is a thriving laptop cooler market.  One of the better options for notebook computer users is the Zalman High Performance Notebook Cooler. Read more »

In the business world, the tech sector especially, venture capital is essential for early growth.  Almost no company starts out instantly profitable and as a result, they need seed money.  Even social networks require initial startup funds for servers, domain names and money to pay their programmers. Without an immediate revenue stream, young entrepreneurs rely upon investors and venture capitalists who see the potential in their idea and believe in the abilities of those applying for funds to execute that vision.  Helping consumers get the most out of their money, reducing personal debt and financing promising new endeavors are the cornerstones of John Tran’s venture capital enterprises! Read more »

Summer seems to be doing good things for some troubled, but popular, Internet businesses.  Facebook, whose stock had been dropping pretty steadily since its IPO, not only leveled off, but has begun a rebound.  In the streaming media market, Netflix, whose stock has had an almost year-long decline, bottomed out on June 1 at $60.70/share.  Since then, however, Netflix investors have had a lot to cheer about and their investment has been bouncing back in the right direction. Read more »

As technology companies try to homogenize virtually all of their products, it is very easy to distinguish the professionals from the amateurs who simply enjoy the novelty of new gadgets.  A professional photographer does not want to take photographs on their smartphone.  A professional filmmaker does not want to rely upon a laptop computer to make their feature film.  In a similar vein, professional interviewers and musicians do not rely upon equipment that does eighteen different things; they utilize digital voice recorders.  One of the premiere digital voice recorders on the market is the TASCAM DR-100mk II. Read more »

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 »

Some of the coolest products in the tech sector come from very specific niche markets.  After all, not everyone needs a golf watch that helps them measure from the tee to the hole better or a scanner they can take on an airplane.  But for those who love stargazing or checking out earthbound occurrences through the curtain of night, there are a number of pretty cool products available.  One of the neatest is the Galactic View Star Gazer 60mm Monocular. Read more »

The path of innovation in the tech sector is becoming a much broader one.  For most companies, gone are the days of scientists and engineers working in their laboratory doing pure research and development while corporate bean counters manage the finances of such projects in a distant office.  Many companies in the tech sector have begun to rely upon the engineers and scientists themselves to manage the funds for their projects and as a matter of corporate advancement, those companies tend to promote the best and brightest to leadership roles within their research and development department.  Of course, in many cases, that means that the scientist must return to school for additional education, focused more on business than engineering.  That is what happened with David Mosley. 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 »