Computer Support Blog

There are few industries where you can rise to become a billionaire with little in the way of formal education.  In fact, outside the entertainment industry, the most probable way to become a billionaire fast is through the technology sector.  The innovation of computer devices and electronic products requires intelligence and creativity. The technology industry still rewards people who have a great idea without a lot of formal education on their resume.  Marc Benioff is one such creative and intelligent mind who has used the technology sector to amass a fortune.

Marc Benioff is the founder and CEO of Salesforce.com.  In 1999, Benioff saw the potentials of the Internet to deliver software to customers in a non-traditional way.  Believing that the Internet represented a vast pool of data and computing power, Benioff conceived of the idea of computer users operating software that they did not actually have installed on their computers.  Yes, Marc Benioff is generally considered to have conceived of Cloud computing long before it was effectively marketed!

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If you have seen The Social Network, you know the Hollywood version of the history of the creation of Facebook.  In the movie, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook for the programming challenge and the status of creating the “next big thing.”  When Sean Parker comes into the mix, the priority with “The Facebook” is keeping the site cool and hip, as opposed to monetizing it.  This is actually one of the details from the film that jives with reality.  However, there came a time for Facebook to monetize and when it did, it was Sheryl Sandberg who made the cool Facebook into a multibillion dollar advertising platform.

Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook.  Sandberg arrived at Facebook in 2008 after being wooed away from a potential job at Google.  That hiring was seen as a real coup for the Facebook team and shortly after joining the company, Sandberg initiated the advertising program that changed Facebook from a potential cash cow into a multibillion dollar moneymaker.  By 2010, Facebook was showing a profit, which was virtually unheard of in Internet social networks.

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Have you had enough with portable technology devices?  If you said ”yes,” it can hardly be considered a surprise.  More than any other time in history, the consumer electronics market is overflowing with options . . . so many that it is easy to fail to see what the point of it all is.  Media players alone have become a market where the options seem to be designed more for competition between products than actually filing a niche that is desperately yearning to be filled.

For small-screen devices, you have your smartphones.  While many of the smartphones have screens that are less than 2” for the diagonal screen measurement, the iPod Touch changed the nature of such devices when Apple released it with a 3.5” screen.  This created a niche of handheld devices that could surf the Internet and perform all sorts of media functions, including playing movies and music.  The Apple iPhone added telephone communication to that and with that, Apple firmly entered the smartphone wars.

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In the vernacular of the young folks: O M G.

Just when you might think you have seen everything there is in the marketplace that could define decadence, someone pioneers some new overpriced bauble and puts to shame everything that came before.  It is hard not to have that sort of gut-wrenching, jaw-dropping reaction when you see the most expensive computer mouse in the world. That mouse is the Diamond Flower RF mouse from Pat Says Now.

Pat Says Now is a Swiss novelty mouse manufacturer.  The company also caters to high-end customers who, apparently, have far too much money to spend.  The Diamond Flower RF mouse is their premium product and currently stands as the most expensive computer mouse in the world.  The current retail price of the Diamond Flower RF mouse is $20,250.  That is not a typo: twenty thousand, two hundred fifty dollars . . . for a computer mouse.

Wow.

The Diamond Flower RF mouse is a standard computer mouse in many ways.  It is a standard RF mouse in that it is wireless and includes a receiver.  When you plug the receiver into your computer’s USB port, the mouse relays even the tiniest movements to your computer to move the cursor on your screen.  The Diamond Flower is a plug-and-play ambidextrous mouse for that works on any Windows-based computer from Windows 98 to Windows Vista.  The Diamond Flower also interfaces perfectly with all Mac computers running OS X and beyond.  The Diamond Flower features two buttons and a scroll wheel.

What, then, makes the Diamond Flower RF mouse worth over twenty thousand dollars?  First, the scroll wheel is not actually a scroll wheel.  The Diamond Flower RF mouse does not have anything as inelegant as a physical wheel that might make noise or need periodic cleaning.  Instead, Pat Says Now designed an optical sensor for the scroll wheel.  Just as the laser below the mouse precisely tracks in the place of a physical mouse ball, the optical scroll allows you to lightly pass your finger over the sensor on the top of the mouse to get on-screen movement you would expect form a scroll wheel!

The main factor driving up the price of the Diamond Flower RF mouse is the fact that the shell of the mouse is 18 carat gold.  Because you might not want to have the same vastly overpriced mouse as your other rich friends, the Diamond Flower RF mouse comes in white gold or a traditional yellow gold shell.  Embedded in the gold shell are fifty-nine diamonds.  Yes, the name “Diamond Flower” is not just for show, the Diamond Flower RF mouse features fifty-nine diamonds in the shape of a flower embedded in the shell of the mouse.

So, if you want to feel like a high roller and have enough money to buy a new car, but want to spend it on a computer mouse instead, the Diamond Flower RF mouse is for you!

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

Virtually anyone can manipulate statistics in so many different ways that it is sometimes funny what passes for news using statistics.  As the annual Consumer Electronics Show launched in Las Vegas this year, the NPD Group (formerly National Purchase Diary Group) came out with what appeared to be ominous financial statistics for the technology sector.  This was treated as potentially devastating news among many members of the technology press, most of whom were off covering the Consumer Electronics Show.

Is it possible the technology reporters and bloggers did not actually read the NPD report?  Is it possible that the mainstream media that picked up the story did not understand it?  Either way, the tech sector ought not to be reeling from the NPD Group’s assertion that holiday consumer electronics spending dropped six percent during the holiday shopping season in 2011.

This would actually be news . . . if it were true.

The NPD Group’s methodology in determining that consumer electronics sales dropped is a flawed one.  In fact, they use methodology so flawed as to make the results meaningless.  The NPD report states that total consumer technology sales “excluding cell phones, tablets, e-readers, and video games” dropped.  What?!  Why is anyone taking the report seriously when it excludes some of the biggest consumer spending items of the holiday season?!  Every major poll in every single respectable publication put the Amazon Kindle Fire at the top of both “most wanted” and “most purchased” gift lists.  The Apple iPad was also a highly sought-after and delivered gift.

Saying that consumer electronic spending is down without including tablets, e-readers and video games, is like saying that cars are being pulled over less by police . . . when red and black cars are excluded.  Given that red and black cars comprise the greatest number of cars on the road in the United States, any statistic correlating cars and car color is worthless without including them.  So, too, is a statistic about holiday spending on consumer electronics that omits the most popular consumer electronics of the holiday season!

Why did the NPD release such a worthless statistic?  To be fair, the data is virtually impossible to come by.  Amazon is notoriously tight-lipped about how many of its e-readers have sold, and, with the Kindle Fire, they have been characteristically opaque.  Apple is also less eager to release its sales figures on tablet computers, though it is widely predicted that when you consider tablets a personal computers, Apple is now the largest PC manufacturer on Earth.

Regardless of what the NPD wants consumers to think, ten days in the 2011 holiday shopping season saw billion dollar sales, which is more than any other holiday season ever before.  To think that consumer electronics like tablets, e-readers and video games did not contribute tremendously to that is naïve.

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

There are a lot of charities that deal with helping those who have the greatest need get technology like computers.  Of course, the very existence of such charities implies that the problem persists, but as the holidays wane and you look forward to your tax refund, perhaps you are thinking of the less fortunate.  One of the charities that are working hard to make a difference is the World Computer Exchange.

The World Computer Exchange is a charity that seeks to deliver computers to impoverished countries.  Their Computers for Girls initiative is one of the charity’s biggest endeavors.  Computers for Girls is, as its name implies, an effort to provide girls in other countries with computers.  In addition to providing computers, Computers for Girls works with girls and young women in foreign countries to teach them how to use the computers.  Computers for Girls has recently teamed with the Peace Corps to help provide the education component of their mission.  So, while the World Computer Exchange has only been operating since 2000, the Peace Corps is hardly a fly-by-night organization!

The need for computer education and computer hardware for girls is very real.  The gender gap is even more severe in nations like Pakistan, the Philippines and Panama.  Liberia, which is still recovering from its last civil war, has made women’s rights issues a very low priority on its national agenda.  So, the need for an organization like the World Computer Exchange is unfortunately very real.  The Computers for Girls initiative provides real educational opportunities to girls in thirteen of the most impoverished or oppressive counties on Earth.

The World Computer Exchange is a very reputable charity and meets most of the Better Business Bureau’s qualifications to be an accredited charity.  In fact, with 86% of every donation being used to provide the services and materials of the charity, the World Computer Exchange has a more efficient operation than the March Of Dimes (75%) or the Make-A-Wish Foundation (also 75%).  It is worth noting that the element the WCE failed to meet to get its accreditation actually helps the charity run more efficiently.  The WCE’s Board Of Directors is required to meet multiple times a year to get accredited.  Because the WCE is an international effort, their Board meetings include members who have a virtual presence at each meeting.  Using computers and telecommunications devices, those board members participate in the meetings without being physically present; the BBB does not consider that acceptable.  In some ways, it is reassuring to see a charity where the leaders are so dedicated to their cause that they will not make an international trip and abandon that cause!

The Computers for Girls initiative is putting real computers in front of girls who might otherwise receive no formal education or training.  Supporting the World Computer Exchange’s Computers for Girls program is worthwhile.

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

Every executive in charge of a big company has a story.  Some of those stories are intriguing and complex, others are surprisingly mundane.  One might suspect a consumer revolution would occur if most Americans knew just how many CEOs became CEO by simply being in the right place at the right time.  Few CEOs, however, have had the complicated and fascinating careers of Meg Whitman.

Meg Whitman is the new Chief Executive Officer and President of Hewlett-Packard.  Whitman’s rise to CEO is not a happenstance and her ascension comes after a particularly rough business year for HP.  Whitman’s new role as CEO of HP is generally seen as a desperate move to put Hewlett-Packard on a more successful track after a particularly tumultuous series of failing CEOs.  Whitman’s predecessor served as CEO for only eleven months before the Board of Directors showed him the door!

Since the mid-1980s, Meg Whitman has been a powerful executive.  Her first executive position was as a senior vice president at Bain & Company.  From there, she moved to various executive positions at the Walt Disney Company, FTD, and Hasbro.  Her big leadership opportunity came when she assumed control of eBay as its CEO.

As CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman made eBay from a minor Internet sales site into an international powerhouse.  The company grew from thirty employees to a significant international company.  More importantly, Whitman helped eBay achieve its success by completely reorganizing the corporate structure as well as the site’s functional organization.  Under her guidance, eBay became a publicly traded company, adopted the iconic four-colored logo and purchased Skype!  Whitman ran eBay for a decade before moving on, leaving the company as one of the most powerful women in business and one of the most influential CEOs of the last decade.

Immediately before taking on the job of CEO of HP, Meg Whitman ran for governor of California.  As a Republican candidate, Meg Whitman hoped to continue Arnold Schwarzenegger’s style of leadership over the traditionally Democratic state.  While she lost in the general election, her campaign made a good showing after several scandals that would have taken down a lesser person.  Following her failed gubernatorial run, Whitman joined HP’s Board of Directors where she served until the Board promoted her to CEO.

If Meg Whitman’s past successes are any indication, she represents the best chance Hewlett-Packard has to restructure and survive as a powerful business in the tech sector!

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

If you have had M&M’s lately, you might be contributing to a growing problem without even knowing about it.  M&M’s has a current promotion on many of its wrappers advertising the chance to win free movie tickets.  This is very exciting; in addition to getting some candy, you have the chance to get into a movie for free!  How cool is that?  Your response might be a little different after you pull back the curtain and look at what MARS/M&M’s is actually doing (and they are not the only ones!).

When you go on the Internet to enter the code found on your wrapper of M&M’s, the site requests your birthdate and state.  This is a very odd redundancy as the M&M’s website requires you to provide your birthdate just to access the site (it reconfigures for different age groups, which is admittedly pretty cool).  After you have added your date of birth and state or territory, you may enter your game code.  When you enter your game code, you are compelled to provide your e-mail address before the site will tell you what you have won.

And lo!  The vast majority of winners who win anything from M&M’s.com have to enter their address . . . so M&M’s may mail you your movie coupon.  This may seem like a very exciting process that has you eager to go to the movie, as well as eat more candy (you could win again!).

But what has really happened?  In the space of about one minute, you have provided the MARS/M&M’s Corporation with your name, address, e-mail address and birthdate.  You have given the company everything they need to put you on a mailing list!

Virtually every company with an online presence now gets their data directly from their customers in this fashion.  Why pay for a mailing list from a competitor when you can simply have your customers furnish their contact information under the guise of winning something?  The bottom of the receipts for Taco Bell and Wal-Mart promise the chance of money each month when you call and inform the company about the service you received.  Some users online have reported spikes in e-mails from companies like Wal-Mart following filling out those surveys!

It used to be that businesses kept customers in the dark about how their names ended up on mailing lists.  With the rise of Internet contests and surveys that require you to give your contact information, the process is being redressed poorly.  But kudos to the big companies!  They have realized they do not need data miners; they just need to offer the possibility of getting something more with your seventy-five cent candy!

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

In 2011, Lenovo had a lot to be happy about.  Rescuecom named the computer manufacturer Lenovo one of the most reliable computers on the market in the First Quarter 2011 Reliability Report.  As the creator of one of the most reliable PCs on the market, Lenovo is looking to broaden its horizons.  Lenovo has chosen to branch out into the gaming console market and 2012 may well see the first Lenovo gaming console.

Lenovo announced the iSec and is planning to release the console in May of 2012.  The iSec, which is an acronym for “Sports Entertainment Center,” will be released first in China.  Chinese citizens are not allowed to purchase or own most of the popular gaming consoles they manufacture in their own country.  As a result, Lenovo’s iSec will not be competing with the Wii, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 for the hearts and minds of China’s consumers!  Not having to compete against the big consoles that dominate the U.S. gaming market gives Lenovo hope for a successful product launch.

Lenovo also has a potential advantage in China with its interface.  Lenovo is continuing to pioneer motion capture technology with its iSec.  Your body will act as the controller for the iSec; there will not be any external controller to play the games the programmers are developing for Lenovo’s new platform.  Lenovo is showing real forethought in its market with the controller-less approach to launch its gaming system; the Asian markets have shown a strong predilection toward physical video games.  Dance video games, which are sweeping through the popular youth culture of the United States now, were hugely popular in Asian countries before the U.S. “discovered” them.

Eedoo Technology, a Beijing-based partner with Lenovo on the iSec, is not limiting its software developing to sports-related projects.  Already, eedoo has showcased a fantasy adventure program for the iSec, which broadens its appeal in the gaming community.  As well, the iSec features an interface with the user’s home stereo system.  This transforms the iSec from a gaming console into a full entertainment system.  The first major application that makes the iSec into a full entertainment system allows the gaming console to be used as a karaoke machine.

Whether Lenovo is successful with the iSec or not, the company seems to have done its homework in designing a gaming system that enters a rather flooded market with some new ideas.  If the iSec is successful in China, Lenovo could release the gaming consoles in the United States in time for a late-2012 release.

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

In revamping the aviation industry to revolutionize air travel, many new products and technologies are being developed.  One of the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest priorities is to replace outdated systems that have been in place since the 1950s.  To that end, the FAA has developed products like the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and it is working on revolutionizing the communications systems between air traffic controllers and support workers at airplane terminals.  Another product integral to the NextGen program for changing the airline industry is the System Wide Information Management system.

The System Wide Information Management system is a new software system for the airline industry.  Created as a new, uniform operating system, SWIM is responsible for correlating data in the new vision of the aviation industry.  SWIM has essentially created a National Airspace System intranet and it is one of the NextGen programs that is already up and running.

The aviation industry employs a ridiculous number of computer systems to gather and correlate data.  In addition to plane movements, weather patterns and atmospheric conditions, the FAA receives data from the military, the government and small civilian airports.  Many of those organizations have their own intranets and when they provide data to the FAA, it is not in a form that is easily usable by the FAA.  For the past fifty years, there have been many jobs in the military and civilian sectors manually re-entering data from those disparate sources for the FAA.  Remedying the problems that come from trying to mediate between all of the systems aviation computers is why the FAA developed SWIM.

SWIM eliminates the need for manually re-entering data into an FAA-based program.  The innovative System Wide Information Management software collects data from the National Airspace System affiliates and correlates it into a standardized database.  SWIM provides a new, uniform interface, which will make jobs in the aviation industry much more portable.  With SWIM fully realized, a technician working for the Air Force would not need to retrain on a new system when they re-entered the civilian work force!

The System Wide Information Management system stands to make the aviation industry much safer by providing all of the information collected by members of the National Airspace System and presenting the data to all members in a universal interface.  SWIM will make flying easier and safer and software that can do that is undeniably cool!

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