Computer Support Blog

Despite its many successes in the software field, it is virtually impossible to deny that in many ways, Microsoft has been chasing Apple for years.  While Microsoft was still utilizing keyboard-based DOS, Apple had a mouse-based interface that captivated its users and made life easier for them.  That Microsoft Windows largely made PC’s more like Macintosh computers is a pretty old argument.  But as more and more details are leaked from Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8, it is hard not to see the parallels between the new operating system from Microsoft and Apple’s iOS. Read more »

Some of the coolest products in the tech sector come from very specific niche markets.  After all, not everyone needs a golf watch that helps them measure from the tee to the hole better or a scanner they can take on an airplane.  But for those who love stargazing or checking out earthbound occurrences through the curtain of night, there are a number of pretty cool products available.  One of the neatest is the Galactic View Star Gazer 60mm Monocular. Read more »

The path of innovation in the tech sector is becoming a much broader one.  For most companies, gone are the days of scientists and engineers working in their laboratory doing pure research and development while corporate bean counters manage the finances of such projects in a distant office.  Many companies in the tech sector have begun to rely upon the engineers and scientists themselves to manage the funds for their projects and as a matter of corporate advancement, those companies tend to promote the best and brightest to leadership roles within their research and development department.  Of course, in many cases, that means that the scientist must return to school for additional education, focused more on business than engineering.  That is what happened with David Mosley. Read more »

Even though Facebook continues to grow and dominate the social network market, the Internet giant has had a pretty rough first half of the year.  The Facebook stock offering was fumbled and the value of the company remains below where it was when the IPO occurred.  Even before Facebook went public, one of the nagging concerns to both the corporate executives and potential investors was how Facebook was monetizing on mobile platforms.  No company, Facebook included, has yet produced a reliable, consistent, and strong revenue stream from advertisements launched on smartphones and tablet computers.  However, Facebook may be prepared to change that, which is making Facebook users wary. Read more »

Serious audiophiles know that the era of digital music has begun as a real mixed bag.  While digital music has made an immense library of music available in a way that virtually assures it will be accessible indefinitely, many times the basic audio files are not the highest possible quality.  When one does have a great system and appropriately dense music files, one frequently runs into the problem of having inadequate peripheral audio hardware.  Fortunately, companies like Klipsch exist to solve that problem.  One of the most impressive solutions to mediocre sound quality from digital music devices is the Lou Reed X10i Signature Edition Headphones. Read more »

There is no doubt about it; alternative energy is a hot industry right now.  Between the environmental, economic, and national security arguments, dependence upon fossil fuels is hardly a viable long-term strategy for any nation on Earth.  So, innovative companies have been formed to develop the energy sources that might replace oil.  One company, Solazyme, has found real success in manufacturing fuel oil from plant sugars.  As you may imagine, such a development has the potential for explosive growth and Solazyme has been experiencing incredible growth as a result of their new process.  That growth is exactly why the company needs Jane Marvin. Read more »

For the Holiday Season, 2011, one of the hottest gifts on the market was the Amazon Kindle Fire.  Amazon released the right product, at the right time, to compete against Apple’s iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nook line.  Moving out of the pure e-reader market, Amazon moved closer to a full tablet computer with the Kindle Fire e-reader.  Their gambit (and marketing) paid off: the Amazon Kindle was one of the most-bought, most-desired electronic devices of the fourth Quarter, 2011. Read more »

Power is rapidly becoming the hardest aspect of mobile computing devices to improve upon.  Manufacturers continually find new gadgets to add to smartphones and tablet computers, but with all of the new components that rapidly drain batteries, there has been no radical leap forward with manufacturing batteries.  As a result, users have not gotten significantly greater battery life from their mobile devices with the newer smartphones and tablet computers.  This is especially irksome for mobile device users who use their devices primarily for business purposes.  They do not need improved video cameras or more realistic speakers to play digital music; they require reliability and endurance.  While the manufacturers of electronic devices may not be radically improving batteries, peripherals manufacturers are focused on delivering stronger power supplies to consumers.  One of the leading products for augmenting the innate power supply of thousands of devices is the Fueltank DUO. Read more »

The telecommunications industry, like most of the tech sector, continues to change much more rapidly than most people within the industry expected ten or twenty years ago.  As a result, many of the cutting-edge companies within the telecommunications industry utilize a wide array of computer-based products and services, like voice recognition software and Cloud-based storage.  Those are some of the many tools utilized by the voice message and Short Message Service, ShoutPoint.  To continue to keep the company growing, ShoutPoint needed an expert sales manager and that is why they hired Rob Guastucci! Read more »

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computers, may have been a visionary, but he also was a product of his time.  Jobs was, in many ways, the right person, at the right place, at the right time; he captured the attention (and investing dollars) of the Baby Boomers.  Without their capital and belief in Steve Jobs and his vision, Apple Computers would not have endured its financial ups and downs.  It is telling, then, that the current leadership of Apple Computers waited until after Jobs was dead and the company was firmly ensconced as the most profitable company in the world before it quietly withdrew its products from EPEAT. Read more »