Computer Support Blog

The process of driving has become more difficult with the proliferation of new technologies and the distractions those technologies represent.  With the rise of the cell phone, drivers suddenly had phone calls to distract them from driving safely.  While the utterly ineffectual laws requiring hands free devices sought to curb that problem, legislators had no idea how fast the smartphone would take over.  With the smartphone beginning to dominate the mobile phone market, drivers have even more to be distracted by.  Ford Motors, however, has come up with a solution, through their SYNC system!

The Synch AppLink is a new function of the Microsoft-powered Synch platform.  Synch is essentially the operating system for the computers aboard cars from Ford Motors.  Just as Windows may run your PC, Synch runs the onboard computer on Ford vehicles.  Synch monitors your Ford’s status and provides you – and your mechanic – with clear alerts when there is a malfunction within the car.  Synch also assists you in adjusting the frills in your car, like adjusting the radio station or volume.

Now, Microsoft has enhanced the Synch system with Synch AppLink.  Synch AppLink acts as a bridge between the Synch system and your smartphone.  Because Windows occupies such a small market share of the smartphone OS market, it was impractical to create a system for Ford that exclusively interfaced with only Windows-driven smartphones.  So, Microsoft created the Synch AppLink.

The Synch AppLink allows you to access compatible applications on your smartphone through the Synch system.  After docking your smartphone with your Ford, you may give Synch voice commands.  By activating the Synch AppLink, you will be able to give voice commands to activate compatible applications on your smartphone.  If, for example, you subscribe to the Internet radio station Pandora through your smartphone, you would be able to command the Synch AppLink to open the Pandora app.  Within seconds, you would be listening to Internet-based radio streaming from your smartphone to your Ford’s speakers all using the Synch AppLink!

The Synch AppLink is adding compatibility to new programs daily.  In addition to music apps like Pandora and Stitcher, the Synch AppLink has some compatibility with Twitter.  While hands free typing may not yet be available through Synch AppLink, you may now check your Twitterfeed through the Synch AppLink!  Even as you drive away from home, you may remain connected to your friends!

With the Synch AppLink, hands free usage of smartphones is becoming easier and that should make everyone on the road happier!

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 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

Happy Holidays from Rescuecom!

Today, as you spend time with friends, family and loved ones, we urge you to consider the less fortunate.  If you are reading this, you have access to the Internet and one of the most extraordinary technological tools in the world.  Not everyone is so fortunate.  In fact, the poorest Americans live without computer access or even telephones.

You have the power to use your new technology to help out a person in need.  96% of the population of the United States has a mobile phone.  You may have even gotten a new mobile phone or smartphone for the holidays!  While a part of the 4% that does not have a mobile phone includes people who just do not want the technology, a growing portion of the population simply cannot afford a cellular phone.  If you have looked around for a pay phone lately, you know that those who relied upon that traditional phone technology to spread holiday wishes may have disappeared from your area.

That is where you can make a difference this holiday season.  Many poor people have family members in other parts of the country or the world.  You can help connect poor, phoneless, people in your community with their distant loved ones, even if only for a phone call.  Smartphones with Internet access truly do make the world a smaller place and access to social networks through those smartphones may make for some real holiday miracles, even if you are just helping two people connect.

If your community has a large transient, disenfranchised or poor population, odds are there is a place they congregate.  Today is a great day to go there; bring a friend or several friends and your smartphones.  Politely introduce yourself when you arrive and ask the people there if there is anyone you could help them contact.  With your smartphone, you may be able to look up friends, family members or loved ones for the poor people there.  With social networks, you may even be able to connect two poor people without phones through friends in distant areas taking the same initiative!

For the cost of a phone call and the time it takes to help an impoverished person find contact information for another person on the Internet, you can make a real holiday miracle happen.  You have a cool phone that you might well upgrade by this time next year; helping to connect two people, even for a few minutes, can give you a joy that will last much longer.

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

According to the IFPI Digital Music Report from 2011, the music industry is a 15.8 billion dollar industry.  In 2010, legal digital music downloads generated $4.6 billion.  That number, which represents 29% of the music industry, has a vast number of analysts reaching very different conclusions.  The report, which notes that the music industry suffered a 31% loss between 2004 and 2010, is enough to give audiophiles pause.

Digital music in the form of digital downloads – audio files traditionally found online – have been on the market for over fifteen years.  However, the music industry started more carefully tracking the market share of digital downloads in 2004, following the collapse of Napster.  The influence of digital music in the marketplace has only increased; since 2004 the value of the digital music market increased 1000%!

Even with the convenient access to music that digital music affords its listeners and the lower production cost digital music offers producers, the music industry has seen widespread revenue losses.  Most in the music industry want to attribute the loss of revenue to pirated digital downloads.  Trends of pirating of digital music vary with every country, but some areas with less stringent intellectual property protections contribute more to the loss of revenue from pirating.  In the UK, 76% of music obtained online in 2010 was obtained illegally.  Industry experts estimate that digital music sales would be 131% greater if all piracy ended.

But the industry analysts may be making too many stretches in blaming digital music piracy for the industry’s woes.  The Digital Music Report attributes the 12% drop in global Top 50 concert revenues to pirating.  That connection may be a false one.  There is no evidence to suggest that those who pirate music either were attending concerts before they became music pirates or are less inclined to attend concerts once they begin pirating.  A much more likely factor contributing to lower concert attendance is the global financial crisis which has left many without the disposable income to spend on attending concerts.

Moreover, the report acknowledges that at 30% of their revenues, the music industry invests more heavily than any other entertainment sector in marketing and A&R (artists and repertoire, which is essentially talent scouting and artist development).  The report and analysts are quick to blame music piracy as the overwhelming cause of 31% drop in the value of the music industry since 2004.  Again, this is a simplistic view.  In that same time frame, pop music has all but died, replaced by rap, hip-hop and R&B on most Top 40 stations.  It is just as likely that the A&R sector of the music industry radically misjudged what music customers would pay for as it is that the piracy of digital music has precipitated the loss of revenues.

New services like Google Music continue to bolster the legal propagation of digital music downloads; there is no corresponding A&R avenue to so vigorously promote new, quality artists.

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 rabidly check every computer-oriented or technology-related site on the Internet to keep up with the most current events in the technical world, you may well be confused by a name you keep seeing there.  For the last few weeks, one name keeps appearing with a frequency that has not appeared on technical news sites and blogs since the death of Steve Jobs.  The new name on the tip of virtually every technology geek’s tongue is Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.?

Louis C.K.?!  Who is Louis C.K.?  If his name is on the technical sites, he must have taken over one of the big computer companies!  Is Louis C.K. the new CEO of Microsoft?  No, Louis C.K. is none of those things.  Louis C.K. is a stand-up comic and comedy writer.  He has, to date, illustrated no particular aptitude for anything computer-related or innovative in the electronics field.  Why then, are so many technical sites that usually focus on Internet security issues, forthcoming computer product releases and everything concerning the minutia of smartphones paying so much attention to Louis C.K. all of a sudden?

In mid-December, the 44 year-old comedian decided to skip the networks, bypass potential FCC censorship and all of the other potential middlemen who might have profited off his talent and presented his latest stand-up comedy special, Louis C.K.: Live At The Beacon Theater.  The reason this has become such an issue for the computer sector of the blogosphere is that Louis C.K.’s direct-to-consumer offering has several significant technical aspects that have been untried until now.

On the most technical side, Louis C.K. has attempted to make his program exceptionally easy to view.  Louis C.K.’s website sells the program directly and after paying via PayPal, you return to the site where you get access to the video and have the ability to download it.  Louis C.K. presents the video without digital-rights management programming or regional encoding, which means you may view it on any computer or smartphone around the world.

The computer and electronics industry place a huge premium on intellectual property rights and protecting those who create programs and media.  The reason so many technical sites are interested in Louis C.K.’s direct-sale from his website experiment is that Louis C.K. is counting on fans to not pirate his work for free distribution.  That’s it; Louis C.K, is using the most advanced technology on the planet to test the most basic human instinct.

The experiment appears to have worked.  After almost a week on the market, Louis C.K. claims that 110,000 paid downloads streamed from his website.  To date, there appears to be only one pirated source of the program on the Internet and that means Louis C.K. might have hit on something many of the multi-billion dollar media companies have not.

If people like what you produce, they will buy.  Maybe it truly is that simple.  Louis C.K.’s success certainly makes that argument.

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 Internet has the capacity to be many things from an entertainment source to an off-site data storage facility to a powerful tool for education.  The Internet remains one of the most powerful resources for communication and understanding from people of all ways of life, all around the world.  But the Protect IP Act threatens that freedom, and it does so under the guise of improving Internet security to intellectual property owners.

Right now, the United States Senate is considering S. 968, the Protect IP (Intellectual Property) Act.  The Protect IP Act bolsters Internet security by creating new punishments for Internet providers who have any pirated material pass through their servers.  This means that the United States government would begin policing the Internet and making online data storage sites of material it believes are pirated inaccessible before prosecuting those accused of pirating.

The Protect IP Act empowers the United States Federal Government to punish service providers who may not know about the contents of their data storage units.  In fact, the more popular a site is, the less likely the service provider is to know about all of what is on the servers.  Given the vague language of the bill, the U.S. Government potentially becomes the biggest threat to Internet security by assuming a Big Brother type role.

But the Protect IP Act version of Big Brother comes armed.  Sites that welcome photo sharing or other online data storage are particularly vulnerable.  Hypothetically, the Protect IP Act could allow the U.S. Government to shut down Facebook because a photo a user posted infringed upon the copyright.  Given that copyright laws, data storage agreements and Internet security protocols are not uniform throughout the world, the Protect IP Act could easily force the U.S. government into a police action in a place where it has no jurisdiction.  Perhaps the Senate has forgotten that the first two “w’s” in “www” stands for “World-wide.”

For sure, Internet security is important and due vigilance must be maintained in defending intellectual property rights.  Unfortunately, the Protect IP Act is a dramatic overkill, analogous to chopping a person in half to remove a tick on their arm.  The bill commits the U.S. to wield such a large machete to the world and with such flimsy language in the bill and the lack of a reasonable way to enforce it overseas or where the data storage hardware is inaccessible or dangerous to reach, it is hard to see the passage of the bill as anything but disastrous.

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

Facebook users log into the social network over one billion times a day. Hackers and imposters trying to access other users’ accounts make up 600,000 of those log-ins according to The Telegraph. With over 800 million users, it’s not surprising that the website gets so many daily hacking attempts. Hackers try to take over other users’ accounts to post images, send out spam or phishing links, spread malware through Facebook content, and access users’ private information.

Just recently, Facebook suffered from an extensive flood of porn and violent images that appeared across the website. CNN reports that Facebook had a security team work to identify the source of the spam and remove it.

As Facebook becomes increasingly aware of the Internet security issues it faces, the website is taking significant steps to inform users about such threats, as well as add new defense mechanisms to its already sturdy arsenal.

Facebook has issued a detailed infographic full of interesting little facts about the numerous steps involved in protecting users’ security. The first step towards accessing an account is, naturally, logging in. The graphic points out that users can enable an HTTPS connection for all Facebook related activity by adjusting their account settings. In case of a forgotten password, the website asks a user to identify tagged friends, a task which a hacker would not be able to do. Other initial security checkpoints include keeping track of a user’s location and log-in device to detect anomalies or sudden changes.

The social network giant is also introducing some brand new features to strengthen password security and resolve threats that emerge when users are locked out of their accounts. The “Trusted Friends” feature allows you to confirm your identity with the help of trusted friends. If you can’t log in, several pre-selected friends receive a code that they pass on to you. You then use the code to create a new password.

Still, despite the occasional spam that slips through Facebook ’s many security precautions, last week’s being the most graphic example of this, the website claims that less than half a percent of users experience spam, a remarkably low number compared to email spam, for example.

If you’re really interested in the details of Facebook security, check out the infographic. For now, there’s no full-proof method for ensuring Facebook security, unfortunately. Be vigilant in your online interactions, post and respond carefully, be selective in what links you click on, and change all your passwords every few weeks if possible.

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

With so much new technology bombarding us left and right, it’s hard to decide on the right time to upgrade to a newer model of a product or even try out something new. Many people are aware of the fact that brand new technology often needs quite a bit of initial tweaking to fix production glitches that are missed in the testing phase. It’s often the case that a few days into a new product’s debut, problems start to emerge, as was the case with Apple’s iPhone 4S, where Siri and battery problems began to show.

For many enthusiasts, this is hardly a problem—many enjoy being an indirect contributor to the success of gadgets by testing them out. If you’re so eager to try out a new product that you’re willing to work through any initial limitations, then by all means, go for it. Certainly, if you’re an experienced technology lab rat, you probably know what to expect. You might be such a loyal Apple or Android user that you actively push your new smartphone or tablet to its limits in the attempt to discover its strengths and weaknesses. Still, dropping your device or trying every single app you can get your hands on aren’t exactly the best approaches. Trying out too many apps, especially, can clog-up your device, not to mention pose security threats. Over the last four months, for example, the number of apps with malware in the Android market went up by over 400 percent!

On the other hand, if you’re just getting into the tech market and are thinking of standing in line for the new Windows phones, Nokia Lumia 800, for example, keep in mind that as cool as the latest technology is, it often costs more than just big bucks. You could find yourself waiting anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for software upgrades and security patches, which could limit your new device’s initial functionality.

Another thing to keep in mind is supply and demand. As more manufacturers push their products onto the market, competition will grow. The heightened competition will benefit consumers in more ways than just lowering prices. Companies will face each other in the OS battlefield, each trying to beat the others in quality and elegance.

Manufacturers learn from their mistakes, which is a good thing in the end, but it also means that consumers willing to buy the latest gadgets have to agree to be technology lab rats, for a short while, at least.

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

Anyone who went to the movies over the summer or watches their television for more than half an hour on network television knows that the Muppets are returning to the big screen with The Muppets.  While the dozens of trailers and parody posters might be exciting the online communities, no one is bringing the Muppets into real life quite like Performance Design Products.

To help promote The Muppets and show off the stylish nature of the Muppets, Performance Design Products has released more than a dozen Muppet-related products.  Performance Design Products is not without a sense of humor about how they merchandise the Muppets, either: to protect the Apple iPad, Performance Design Products has released a case and sleeve that features the chaotic Animal.  Animal is one of the most popular characters from the Muppets and the bright rendition of the character on the neoprene sleeve is enough to make users go wild with their iPad.  For more sedate Apple iPad users, there is an equally durable Kermit the Frog sleeve and clip case for protection against mundane wear.

Performance Design Products makes it easy to be green with the Kermit The Frog iPod Nano slap band.  The Performance Design Products Kermit The Frog slap band perfectly complements the latest iPod Nano.  The current generation of iPod Nano features a clock face function and Kermit The Frog is preloaded!  Great for children or just those with an unabashed love of the singing green frog, the Kermit The Frog slap band securely accessorizes the iPod Nano.

Performance Design Products’ products from the Muppets are geared exclusively to Apple products, with the bulk of their merchandising being directed at protecting iPod Touch 4 and Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 3 mobile phones.  Performance Design Products protects iPod Touch 4 with one of six clip cases with matching screen protector.  Fans may choose between Animal in color or black and white, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Kermit or Beaker, the cantankerous lab assistant.  Beaker clip cases are also available for the iPhone 3 and iPhone 4, while the black and white Animal clip case is only available for the iPhone 3.  Naturally, the diva Miss Piggy has a clip case for the iPhone 4 exclusively.

All of the Performance Design Products protectors are functional as well as stylish and with the durable materials they use, it is hard to imagine one’s Apple product showing any wear when protected by their sleeves and cases.  Certainly, the time is right: regardless of how The Muppets performs in theaters, the Muppets have influenced the generation that uses the latest Apple products.  The new protectors from Performance Design Products ensure that the Muppets will be around to influence the next generation!

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