Computer Support Blog

Tuesday, November 15 saw the addition of the Kindle Fire tablet computer to a marketplace that has been dominated by Apple’s iPad.  Apple popularized the tablet computer with the release of the iPad in 2010, despite the fact that Microsoft released the Microsoft Tablet PC almost eight years prior.  Since the release of the iPad, major manufacturers like Sony, Motorola, and Acer have produced tablet computers, though as of October 2011, Apple retained 67% of the world’s tablet market share based on sales.  The Kindle Fire is Amazon.com’s offering to the tablet computer market and for those who have been pleased with the Kindle, the Kindle Fire is likely to make a great upgrade.

The Kindle Fire is instantly inviting with a sticker price of $199, in comparison to the baseline iPad 2 at $499, making it an affordable option as the holiday season arrives.  The Kindle Fire is over a third of a pound lighter than the iPad 2 and that can make a difference as the key element for tablet computers is portability.  With changing weight restrictions on planes, even a quarter pound can make a difference.

Designed for the book-reading crowd that made the Kindle popular, the Kindle Fire offers a color screen and the ability to play music and movies as well as the Kindle-formatted digital books.  Side by side with other Kindle products, the Kindle Fire is visually a shocker; the full-color screen erupts with a vibrancy that is likely to make Kindle users want to upgrade from the standard Kindle.  The Kindle Fire reminds users of the first time they experienced the printing leap from dot matrix to color laser printing.  The transformation of media is vivid, though it is hard to imagine why scholarly young people for whom reading became cool on the Kindle would need the Kindle Fire if not to abandon that pursuit in favor of the movies, television shows and music videos that the Kindle Fire suddenly opens up to users.

The main advantage the iPad 2 has over the Kindle Fire is in the memory department.  The Kindle Fire has 8 GB of memory, of which only 6 GB is available for user content.  While that represents, according to Amazon, enough space for 80 apps plus six thousand books, it is only space for ten movies.  The saving grace for the Kindle Fire’s lighter storage capacity comes in the way the Kindle Fire uses it. Because Amazon content may be stored off-device with the Cloud technology, the Kindle Fire may become a valuable tool to access a library that is vastly larger than the tablet device itself.

In short, the Kindle Fire is prepared to transform the market Amazon popularized with the Kindle, usurping Apple’s app-based iPad with a media-focused tablet that encourages users to do more than just read.

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

The results are in for RESCUECOM’s first Computer Reliability Report of 2011, Lenovo claims the top spot!

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Jun. 6, 2011 — RESCUECOM’s Computer Reliability Report reveals the top five manufacturers with the best overall computer reliability.

“There have been some interesting changes over the last 3 months. We are in a time of rapid technical change and consumers more than ever need to have up-to-date unbiased guidance.” stated David Milman CEO of RESCUECOM.

The Computer Reliability Report gives an unbiased summary of the most reliable personal computer manufacturers. The top five brands with the best overall reliability in Q1 2011 are:

1. IBM/Lenovo (254)
2. Asus (242)
3. Toshiba (164)
4. Apple (149)
5. HP/Compaq (122)

Read more »

Don’t Suffer from the Crash: Store Data Online

Crashing computers and multiple devices create difficulties in getting documents on demand. Entire papers can be lost, or the wanted photograph is on another device.  Online data storage offers a solution to the issue. Customers can arrange for a digital file cabinet for data files and avoid lengthy processes to recover or carry wanted items.

More customers use storage websites as more people grow more mobile. The number of available websites to store information also increases with the demand. Some options include: Carbonite.com, Dropbox, and MobileMe. Remember for expert and personal computer support, RESCUECOM offers a Remote Backup solution to protect all files against human or system errors through the device’s Internet connection. RESCUECOM’s trained technicians install the Remote Backup and will help retrieve lost information24 hours a day.

Read more »

Personal technology goes far beyond just a home computer. So, Microsoft designed an operating system modified to perform on many different personal devices. Windows 8, due to release next year, adapts to each product that runs it.

Rescuecom has five things customers need to know about the upcoming operating system.

Read more »

The digital video making and viewing community came together a little more, recently.  Apple lifted the ban on Adobe Flash Player appearing in iPhone or iPad, ending online compatibility issues.

Last year, Apple refused to work with Flash, the most popular additional program for creating and viewing multi-media websites. The media creation and viewing program’s use restricted costumers to certain devices. Adobe blocked access to Flash from Apple devices. Apple’s continually expanding mobile devices struggled to view images and videos supported by the additional program.

Read more »

Students know about the cost and weight of text books. Across campuses upperclassmen share tricks for avoiding college bookstore prices and bursting backpacks. A new iPad application has a simple and easy new solution for students.

Inkling has contracted with Apple to create an application for putting textbooks on the iPad. Focused on making college life a little easier and cheaper, the Inkling application publishes interactive versions of textbooks. The biggest features include music attachments, note taking and sharing capabilities, and social networking.

Inkling’s application does four crucial things for the college student:

·         Saves money –Hundreds of dollars get spent on textbooks every year. Instead of hunting through used book stores or posting requests to buy books off last semester’s students, textbooks can cost next to nothing without wasting time. Save even more money buying one chapter at a time and avoid paying for unnecessary chapters.

·         Relieves carrying load– Textbooks are usually huge, heavy items that some students have trouble carrying around. Any student can carry an iPad in one hand with nearly no effort. Personal notes from lectures or reading can be entered onto the page, decreasing the need for pens, notebooks, and Post- its. Students no longer need a heavy bag of supplies to be prepared for class.

·         Saves paper. – Inkling is attractive to environmentally concerned students. Many textbooks cannot be recycled, so reducing print production also saves a natural resource. The paperless approach also decreases chances of paper cuts.

·         Provides instant discussion groups– Linked with Facebook, students can share ideas and questions about the text without waiting for a specified time and place. The discussion lasts without class time restraints. Students and professors can enter notes into the application while reading, and even scan over notes from other readers for different ideas. Terms central to the chapter can be touched for definitions and better understanding.

Inklings created a design which also translates to the print world. Text appears clearly on the screen, including page numbers found on print copies of the same book. Students can follow professor’s directions to parts of the text, or reference the text in an essay.

Currently, the Inkling application includes 25 textbooks. Many more textbooks are in production, and Inkling has deals with textbook publishers like McGraw-Hill and Pearson to start creating more. Students still can enjoy some financial and physical relief with the titles currently available. 

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

Cool Product: Attractions Application for iPhone and GPS

Vacation is more exciting and much easier when travelers do not dread planning the trip. Now, a helpful guide in finding the best destinations can come along. Fun attractions across the country now appear on Apple iPhones and GPS. RoadsideAmerica.com, known for suggesting oddities and attractions, has connected with Apple and Garmin to offer travelers mobile information on 6,000 or more national attractions and oddities.

RoadsideAmerica.com for iPhone users can get 6,700 places by choosing one of six geographic regions for $2.99, or the entire United States for $5.99 a year. Application users can plan trips around personal interests by browsing through favorite categories like music, technology, atomic, big, or 70 others. Travelers interested in the newest attractions can find “research” locations that do not appear online yet. Users can be the first visitors to the newest attractions.

Travelers can submit tips about the best parts of each attraction for future application users through the iPhone. Users can share pictures of attraction visits to the application, too.

Other fun features for the new application include

·         Been There!– The feature lets travelers mark visited sites and keep track of every trip and location.

·         Call attractions– One touch to a phone number lets the user call the attraction ahead with questions or to make reservations.

·         Save directions– Travelers can save directions to attractions to use again if the wireless connection is lost. Even if the phone is not working, visitors can have fun.

·         Editor ratings– Travelers can see what other users think about each location, and get help deciding about visiting.

·         Current information – Users can continually get updated information about hours, prices, and new places to visit.

RoadsideAmerica.com for GPS offers access to 6,000 roadside locations across the United States. Travelers can access directions to locations, attraction hours, available phone numbers for locations, and pictures of the attractions.  

Like on the iPhone, travelers can arrange a personalized journey with the lists based on each person’s favorite things to go see. Lists of interesting locations include statues, natural wonders, museums and architecture.

Garmin GPS devices and some TomTom devices accept the application from RoadsideAmerica.com. Every roadside location in the United States can appear on a GPS device for $19.99. Once the application is added to the GPS device, users can find any oddity or attraction in the country.

Both RoadsideAmerica.com for iPhone and RoadsideAmerica.com for GPS let travelers find great places to visit. The applications let users take a road trip without having to plan ahead. Fun can be found anywhere and now no one has to stop to find it.

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

Cool Product: Wi-Fi Pocket Camera

Personal photography can be wireless without losing picture quality with the Samsung SH 100, a pocket camera that can act like social networking device. The product is designed to mix the best of digital camera features with smartphone abilities. Pictures can now look the best and be shared right away.

Wi-Fi features let users share pictures and videos with friends on Facebook and YouTube directly. Pictures can also be sent to Picasa and other websites, or pictures can be shared by e-mail from the camera. The camera can automatically find a compatible PC and download images, saving images easily. With the Wi-Fi features, users do not have to wait until a vacation is over to share the fun.

The camera has an LCD touch screen control that acts like a smartphone or touch screen computer. The different options on the home menu are arranged like a smartphone screen, making using it familiar, and the home button lets users return to the first screen anytime. Photographers can view, edit and share pictures with just a little tap.

Recognition sensors take pictures when someone smiles or block the picture when someone blinks. The sensors also adjust the light on nine faces at once, creating clearer and cleaner pictures. Blurriness from low light, zooming, or an unsteady hold disappears when the camera sensors change the image path before the picture is saved. The sensors provide bright pictures with everyone clear and looking happy every time.

Some fun features are included on the SH 100. For example, Smart Auto 2.0 which picks central aspects of the picture’s composition and selects the best view from 17 different modes like Portrait, Fireworks or Night. The Magic Frame feature provides a selection of templates to give photo a personal touch. Photographers can personalize pictures without waiting for a computer’s photo editing program.

Samsung’s SH 100 produces quality pictures or videos, and removes extra equipment from the editing, sharing and saving process. The blend of camera and networking device means that the fun can be shared with everyone, and no one has to go home early.

Over the weekend, Epsilon notified millions of customers that the company had experienced a break-in and email addresses were stolen.  One consequence is that now it’s open season for phishing!  Now, instead of using bait to “catch” personal information, a more direct line of attack against your private information exists. 

You can avoid having your sensitive material, including your email address, exposed in this or some similar way.  Josh Kaplan, President of RESCUECOM, strongly recommends that you take immediate action to set up a separate e-mail address for all online transactions – and ONLY use this address for online transactions.  You should be aware that it is not safe to give your personal e-mail address used by your friends and family to any company. 

Even “reputable” companies with whom you may have been doing business for years should not be given your personal email address.  Companies regularly outsource their e-mail communication.  For example, companies such as Marriott, JPMorgan Chase, Walgreens, Capital One, and others contracted with Epsilon to manage their email information and send out e-mail blasts to customers.  Rather than directly overseeing the security of this information base, a third party is involved, thereby increasing the chances of compromised data.

Unfortunately, for many people, such as those affected by the recent data breaches at Epsilon, this warning may come too late.  Be sure that you set up a separate email address for those online business transactions today.  Consider setting up a new personal address as well if your existing address has already been compromised.

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

You’re not just buying a machine; you’re also buying a company!

Among the most popular holiday gifts this year will be computer laptops, desktops and related products. Those who buy computers as gifts can easily make the wrong purchase if they don’t give their decision the proper thought. With that in mind, RESCUECOM has issued a Holiday Computer Buyer Checklist, items to consider before buying that first computer you see, or the first one the retailer suggests you buy.

With cut-rate pricing, high-pressure sales, and new technology being introduced all the time, confusion ends up being the biggest Grinch for technology shoppers during the holiday season. Those buying computers must think not only about the price of a machine but other factors such as warranties, reliability, how the recipient is likely to use the computer and what additional accessories they are likely to need.

The RESCUECOM Holiday Computer Buyer Checklist is designed to give shoppers guidance in their technology purchasing decisions. If used in conjunction with RESCUECOM’s soon to be released National Computer Reliability Report, shoppers will be ready to make the right purchase this holiday season. Read more »