Computer Support Blog

When the Apple iPhone 4S was released, there was much ado made over Siri, the talking virtual butler program that was integrated into the new iPhone.  Siri receives input through verbal commands and inquiries and responds in a pleasant, feminine voice.  While Apple has been lauded for the technology (and criticized for its flaws), it is not the only company diligently working on voice recognition and vocal delivery software.  In fact, compared to LumenVox – a company working in the vocal engine software industry for over a decade – Apple is a relative newcomer!  Currently pushing the envelope of all that LumenVox creates is Nigel Quinnin. Read more »

Strategic partnerships are, largely, built upon the needs of groups, companies, or individuals at the time the partnership is made.  As is frequent in the business world and tech sector, times change and the needs of companies in both fields are dramatically altered.  As a result, strategic alliances between tech companies and prominent businesses are occasionally dissolved.  One of the latest partnerships to call it quits is the alliance between Microsoft and NBC which resulted in the MSNBC news channel and website. Read more »

If you are building your own computer, you will require a power supply.  There is no getting around the need for power, but what might surprise you is just how many options there are for power supplies for PCs and servers.  For those who plan on making a system that utilizes a lot of peripherals and drives, you will need quite a bit of power.  As important as having power is utilizing the power supply in an efficient way.  For above-average power distributed in an exceptionally efficient manner, it is hard to find a better power supply than the XFX ProSeries 1050W PSU. Read more »

Finding staff for a tech sector start-up can be a challenge beyond what one might otherwise expect.  After all, human resources specialists have to woo highly-skilled workers from whatever company at which they are currently employed to a project that, odds are, is a virtual unknown to the worker.  Equally important, the human resources specialist for a start-up company is assembling a team that will define the initial corporate culture of the new business.  That is a lot of pressure and responsibility and it takes an extraordinary recruiter to pull off effectively staffing a start-up.  Farri Ouraie is that type of human resources specialist! Read more »

Unlike some of the clone sites of Pinterest that sprouted up when Pinterest’s meteoric rise to popularity began, most notably Shopalong, Pinterest has been stumbling through monetizing the site.  While the executives at Pinterest are not at all resistant to the idea of monetizing, like Facebook’s founders were when they were simply focused on creating something new and cool, Pinterest has been slower than some similar sites to figure out how to make money off its own popularity.  For the last month, though, Pinterest has taken steps to stop others from making money off the site, even as it figures out how to better generate revenue itself.  Some of the ways Pinterest is working, under the guise of stopping spam, to prevent other individuals and sites from utilizing Pinterest include: Read more »

One of the most frequent computer problems for portable computers – laptop, notebook, and netbooks – comes from internal elements overheating.  Many notebook and laptop computers are unfortunately designed with inadequate abilities to dissipate the heat within their casing, resulting in damage to internal (and in some cases, external) components.  This common design flaw is why there is a thriving laptop cooler market.  One of the better options for notebook computer users is the Zalman High Performance Notebook Cooler. Read more »

In the business world, the tech sector especially, venture capital is essential for early growth.  Almost no company starts out instantly profitable and as a result, they need seed money.  Even social networks require initial startup funds for servers, domain names and money to pay their programmers. Without an immediate revenue stream, young entrepreneurs rely upon investors and venture capitalists who see the potential in their idea and believe in the abilities of those applying for funds to execute that vision.  Helping consumers get the most out of their money, reducing personal debt and financing promising new endeavors are the cornerstones of John Tran’s venture capital enterprises! Read more »

Summer seems to be doing good things for some troubled, but popular, Internet businesses.  Facebook, whose stock had been dropping pretty steadily since its IPO, not only leveled off, but has begun a rebound.  In the streaming media market, Netflix, whose stock has had an almost year-long decline, bottomed out on June 1 at $60.70/share.  Since then, however, Netflix investors have had a lot to cheer about and their investment has been bouncing back in the right direction. Read more »

As technology companies try to homogenize virtually all of their products, it is very easy to distinguish the professionals from the amateurs who simply enjoy the novelty of new gadgets.  A professional photographer does not want to take photographs on their smartphone.  A professional filmmaker does not want to rely upon a laptop computer to make their feature film.  In a similar vein, professional interviewers and musicians do not rely upon equipment that does eighteen different things; they utilize digital voice recorders.  One of the premiere digital voice recorders on the market is the TASCAM DR-100mk II. Read more »

There are very few boardrooms in the tech sector that can boast about gender diversity.  One of the notable exceptions to the disappointing trend that has women kept from managing or directing many of the top companies in the world is Google.  Google has three women who serve on its ten-person Board of Directors and with 30% female direction, Google represents one of the most gender-integrated Boards in the tech sector!  Ann Mather was one of the earliest members of the Google Board of Directors and far more than a diversity hire, Mather represents one of the most active presences in the business world today! Read more »