Computer Support Blog

For anyone who grew up watching Knight Rider, the idea of a talking car is nothing new.  In recent years, of course, talking cars have become more of a reality than a fantasy, thanks to GPS systems that deliver turn by turn directions out loud.  But, for those who still pine for a Knight Rider-style talking car, the car with an artificial personality is still several years away.  TomTom, though, now has the next best thing with voice upgrades for your GPS system! Read more »

Those who lived through the late 1960s laugh at the absurdity of protest today.  Protests since the late 1990s, like when protests erupted against NAFTA or the World Trade Organization, have become highly choreographed events that usually involve getting permits, inviting the media and the like.  They are also remarkably ineffective.  The fact that Occupy Wall Street does not actually feature tents and human chains physically blocking access to the critical financial buildings there illustrates the differences between protest then and protest now.  Protesters of days of yore fought for Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly (Constitutionally-protected rights) using means that were frequently illegal (trespassing).  Today’s protestors seem very pale by comparison. Read more »

There are many executives for whom their technology business is the end of their personal or professional growth.  This can make a lot of sense, as it is a herculean task to establish a successful business within the tech sector.  So, it is always interesting to find an executive who remains close to their roots and uses their businesses success to fund the causes dearest to them.  Lorne Trottier is one such executive. Read more »

In the wake of the National Traffic Safety Board’s proposal that each state pass a law to outright ban the use of electronic devices while driving and the revelation that Carrier IQ has been acquiring deeply personal data through its smartphone programming, it is hard not to feel jaded about technology right now.  The National Traffic Safety Board had absolutely the right idea in its proposal.  Unfortunately, if left up to the states or the federal government, it might take some time for government to act.  As penance for the Carrier IQ scandal, the smartphone industry should be compelled to make technology do what law enforcement has not. Read more »

Today, there are few technology-related aspects of life that are as important as having a reliable Internet connection.  Most people can easily live without advanced television features or even the telephone capabilities of their smartphone, but finding oneself trapped without a reliable connection to the Internet is enough to make you pull out your hair.  One of the essential tools for virtually any business or home, then, is a good router.  The ADSL2+ Four Port Ethernet Switch Router is a worthwhile router for home or business use. Read more »

One of the common misconceptions many people have when they hear the advertising about smartphones is that “4G” refers to the speed of data transfers across a network.  “4G” does not actually mean something like “four gigabytes per second” or anything of the sort.  Instead, “4G” is a simple term referring to the fourth generation of standards that guide transfers over wireless cellular networks.  But even as 4G networks are the key selling point to current hardware like the Samsung Infuse 4G or the Sony Xperia 4G, if Broadcom has its way, 4G will soon be passé.  Broadcom has innovated the fifth generation of cellular wireless standards. Read more »

It is rare for a Chief Operating Officer of a company, especially a company in the tech sector, to have a visible presence in the media.  More often than not, when a company issues a statement, they use their press department, the Director of Marketing or even the CEO.  But for VisionTek, that is not always the case.  In fact, in 2010 when rumors were swirling that the company was facing bankruptcy, it was VisionTek’s COO Michael Innes who leapt into the public spotlight to quell those fears. Read more »

Businesses that endure in the marketplace, by and large, weather trends that are cyclical.  No company has an unfettered ascent; there are adjustments, products that fail to launch the way the company anticipated they would, and economic events unrelated to the particular business that nevertheless impacts the business.  In the tech sector, companies that were once leaders suddenly find the niche they dominated crowded by competitors who devour their market share.  That is where smartphone manufacturer Research In Motion, inventor of the Blackberry, now finds itself. Read more »

In the late 1980s, there was a popular game called Laser Tag.  Despite the controversies about it at the time, Laser Tag was remarkably popular with young adults who enjoyed the technology and the physical activity the game required.  As a precursor to paintball, Laser Tag was a safe way for young people to run around shooting one another for live-action play.  Players had a laser sensor and a laser gun.  The object of the game was to shoot your opponent three times (as registered by changing lights on their sensor each time they were “hit”) with the laser gun . . . before they shot you!  Young people played Laser Tag in buildings, woods, and fields, both during the day and at night.   Now, Metalcompass, Ltd. is updating Laser Tag with some new twists with their XAPPR Gun! Read more »

With so much of the Earth’s surface area exposed to sunlight at any given moment, solar power seems like it would be a no-brainer as a renewable energy source.  Especially in already-developed areas of the world – cities, along highways, etc. – there are plenty of surfaces that could conceivably be covered in solar panels to generate electricity for industrial or residential use.  Actually, the problems of the solar energy industry are far more complicated than that.  As a result, every major renewable energy company employs a corporate officer who is responsible for developing a strategy for improving the distribution of products, educating the public, and guiding the product development within the company.  For Slunce Solar Technology, that executive is Debbie Varga. Read more »