Computer Support Blog

In the tech sector, major fields can change with alarming speed.  A few years ago, for example, the idea of streaming movies and music from the Cloud was a far-fetched notion and even the leaders of big businesses in the tech sector were unsure how to capitalize on such an idea.  Now, there are several companies and services that offer streaming video and it is a huge business.  Given the rapidly-changing nature of technology, human resources personnel for media technology companies, like Netflix and Hulu, have their work cut out for them.  When they make a hire, they have to evaluate how the candidate will work for the company as it is now and how it might radically change in the future.  In the case of Netflix, managing the personnel is made much easier thanks to Tawni Cranz. Read more »

The digital music revolution has been criticized by many audiophiles; people who love sound and music.  The main complaint that most audiophiles share is that the quality of digital music files is severely lacking when compared to records, compact discs, and live musical performances.  Many of the companies that are devoted to creating hardware that presents audio recordings have worked hard to overcome the quality issues of most digital music files.  Much of their hardware is designed to help you get the most out of your digital music collection.  Bang & Olufsen is one of the companies audiophiles trust and the Beosound 5 Encore is part of the reason why. Read more »

Some say that a real leader is one who knows when to lead and when to follow.  In the case of the tech sector, executives in leadership roles have a tendency to be deposed (usually for failing to meet a financial goal the company set), retire, or quite to move on to their next big project or company.  It is a rare leader who is willing to give up the lion’s share of control for the benefit of their company and yet continue to work under their successor.  Samuel J. Palmisano, former CEO of IBM, is one such impressive leader. Read more »

Given how fast the smartphone has gone from a novelty to a ubiquitous accessory in the hands of people from every demographic, it might be unsurprising to you how few manufacturers of smartphone accessories have tapped into all of the benefits of the smartphone for their accessories.  While many manufacturers focus on creating accessories that protect your mobile computing device or interface devices that make your mobile device act like a more traditional audio or video player, real innovators continue to create gadgets that use the full range of your mobile device.  Already, there are products that connect your smartphone to a controller to create a new handheld gaming system.  Brookstone wants you to use your Apple mobile devices to control Rover! Read more »

With so many companies making Bluetooth headsets, it can be very hard for some of the innovative manufacturers of such devices to get noticed by the potential customer base.  Many of the smaller companies have discovered that having a cool device that fills the needs of a specific niche is not enough.  Like many tech sector companies, the makers of Bluetooth-compatible devices are rapidly finding that they need superstar-style public relations teams to promote their product and generate the buzz that makes for a successful product release.  Jawbone has that type Public Relations Manager in Katie Boysen. Read more »

The popularity of Apple’s mobile computing devices has led many manufacturers to create accessories that attempt to make Apple’s products even better.  While Apple’s mobile devices, like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod lines are convenient for travel, they may be less-than-ideal for presenting media in a home environment.  Seeking to augment the usefulness of your iPod or iPhone, Denon now makes a cool iPod/Networking Client Dock With Wi-Fi. Read more »

The tech sector is, in many ways, the final frontier for driven individuals who have innate talent and simply need an outlet for it.  On the production end, having a great idea and learning to program it can make you the next Mark Zuckerberg or Martin Kleppmann.  On the business side of the tech sector, many companies reward experience and success over formal education.  Tom Jones is an executive who is proof that experience, charisma, and consistent success may be more of a commodity in the tech sector than a formal degree. Read more »

The notion that each person wears many different masks in the course of their lifetime and in different groups, is a very old idea.  How you interact with other people and what you choose to show one group of person in your life changes based on very old social mandates and ideas.  With the rise of the Internet and the subsequent explosion of social networking sites, you put quite a bit of information about yourself online every year.  Unfortunately, all of that information may create a much jumbled view of who you are and may be mixed in with information about other people who happen to share the same name as you.  Now there is a new site that has the sole goal of helping you create a single, focused, online profile that collects all of your disparate elements in one place.  That site is Vizify and it is very cool. Read more »

Following the rise of consumer and privacy activists to defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act earlier this year, the reaction to the defeat both online and in the tech sector has been interesting to watch.  Many of the leaders who organized the fight against SOPA have formed organizations, like the Internet Defense League, to create watchdog positions and communications networks to prevent future SOPA-like legislation from passing.  Many businesses decided to beef up their legal department so they could better understand the potential consequences of such legislation to their specific business.  Amazon.com hired Jamie Gorelick to its Board of Directors. Read more »

Even with the rise of the smartphone, the need for specialized personal safety devices persists.  For sure, a smartphone may be very helpful in a medical emergency or when there is a threat against your life.  However, with so many smartphones running sophisticated programs, one must often unlock their smartphone and wait for it to boot to a menu screen from which you select the applications you wish to use.  The time it takes to unlock your smartphone may be the moments – especially in a heart attack or assault situation – you need to actually be able to make an emergency call.  Fortunately, as communications devices have become more sophisticated, so too have the specialized emergency/personal safety devices.  One useful personal safety device is the ZOMM Wireless Leash Plus. Read more »