Computer Support Blog

Image editing is a task most of us have to do on our computers at one point or another.  We often need to fix our vacation photographs, create a flier for an event, or a myriad of other possibilities.  Unfortunately, most image editors fall into two categories: they’re either simplistic and mostly useless or expensive and overly complex.  This doesn’t have to be the case.  Gus Mueller, founder of Flying Meat Software, has developed an image editor for Mac OS X called Acorn.  Mueller designed Acorn to be accessible for those who want to make their photo editing an easier experience. Read more »

Many have toiled over problems regarding how to handle young computer users.  It is practically a requirement for children of all ages to use computers in our connected age.  Their homework often requires it and even kids must complete many of their everyday tasks online now.  However, Internet security has always been a difficult issue in regards to children on the computer.  Parents have struggled for years to find a solution that will truly teach their children about proper use of the Internet and keep their PC safe in the process.  Richard Shah and the MiiPC team at ZeroDesktop believe they’ve developed a product that can tackle these difficult issues.  The MiiPC is an affordable desktop running on the Android operating system that comes with a mobile app that allows parents to monitor their children’s computer activity in real time.  Read more »

Phishing attacks have become an increasing problem as of late both for everyday computer users and even major publications.  In the last month, there have been widespread phishing attacks aimed at both Apple and Twitter accounts.  These attacks come in the form of e-mails or web pages that seem as if they were from a service the recipient uses.  These e-mails trick recipients into giving over information, which then lets the cybercriminals access their accounts.

The phishing attacks aimed at Apple users mimicked an account verification page from Apple and prompted users to give their e-mail, credit card information, and account password.  This particular attack compromised over one hundred websites, which displayed the page that tricked Apple users into handing over their information.  Without proper Internet security service or software, it would be difficult to detect the attack for most people.  The intent of such attacks is to gain access to people’s Apple accounts.  Criminals will then sell the information or use it to compromise the accounts themselves. Read more »

Video conferencing and calls have become commonplace in the world today.  Video messenger services like Microsoft’s Skype, Apple’s Facetime and Google’s Hangouts have made what we used to see only in Science Fiction an everyday reality for consumers.  However, the developers of the Spreecast video Internet broadcasting service believe there is still untapped potential in the video conference concept.  With this service, users can make public “spreecasts” where other users can join in and drop out at any time.  Once in a spreecast, anyone can come in and interact via text chat while watching, but the host can approve any user to join through video as well.  Spreecast creates a public broadcasting forum where users can search for interactive video broadcasts the same way they access viral videos on Youtube.  If you have issues getting Spreecast to work on your browser, computer support is always available. Read more »

Both on-demand music streaming and Internet radio services seem to be taking the music industry by storm.  Many streaming service options have flooded the market, including Spotify, Rdio, and Rhapsody, among others.  However, these services don’t do much to distinguish themselves.  They all tend to offer mostly major-label music, and they split their services into a limited free option that includes many advertisements and a paid option that limits the devices on which you can stream your music.  Joey Flores, CEO of Earbits, believes in a different model for Internet music streaming.  Earbits.com offers both Internet radio and on-demand music streaming free of cost but focuses on new and independent artists as opposed to the usual major-label music you find elsewhere. Read more »

Google recently announced that they have integrated app activities into their desktop web search service.  This means that when Google users search for specific sites or services that use web apps—such as popular movie site Fandango—they will see aggregate information related to the web app.  For example, if you search for Fandango, promotional posters from popular movies among Google users at that time will appear to the right of your search results.  Clicking on one of these movie posters will link you directly to the film’s Fandango page.  If your search is more specific, the aggregate data will also be more specific.  Google means for the function to erase some steps when you’re searching for content in certain web apps.  Read more »

We all have stories to tell and many of us fear losing them to history, where at best they’ll become lists of facts stored in dusty file cabinets.  Personal histories, especially those passed on orally, are often lost this way.  Michael Davis believes StoryPress can help solve this problem.  StoryPress lets users document and record their personal stories orally using an iPad.  Each story is stored virtually on StoryPress’s cloud drive, where one can access it anytime.  StoryPress also organizes your stories and allows you to make them available for public viewing if you desire.

This is an elegant application of technology for recording and organizing family and personal histories.  Michael Davis, the CEO of StoryPress, had family histories in mind when he created the app, but other interesting uses have appeared. Read more »

Sometimes, you need a little help from your family and friends. The MediSafe Project calls itself the first cloud-synced mobile app that helps monitor if people take their medications when they should. The app lets users know when it is time for each medication.

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Smile for the Memoto Camera – Every 30 Seconds

Even if you do not have a photographic memory, you can soon buy one. Memoto is a small lifelogging digital camera. It takes a photo every 30 seconds for a continuous look at your life, even noting the GPS location. Read more »

The ability to video conference is a very modern one that was once the stuff of science fiction and spy shows. But now, the achieved technological level affords individuals and businesses the ability to actually teleconference from anywhere in the world. While there are many companies that manufacture and develop remote conferencing technology, Polycom continues to make some of the most innovative. One of their premiere devices is the Polycom HDX 4000 Series. Read more »