Computer Support Blog

Yet again, big names in the technology world are getting heat for wandering into the still grey area of online privacy. As most of our communication rapidly shifts into the cyber medium, and as we continue abandoning communication methods that can’t keep up with the powerful, interconnected nature of smartphones, tablets, and computers, we might as well get used to constantly hearing about privacy and Internet security issues.

In a milestone step in the debate over data collection and transparency, Facebook recently reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission about how Facebook now has to clearly ask users to opt-in to its new programs, as opposed to changing privacy settings without anyone knowing. The move doesn’t affect the social network giant’s past actions, but it does threaten to fine the company $16,000 a day for future violations. Well, that’s a relief, at least partly. It’s good to know that someone in the government is looking out for us. Similarly, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s office is currently subjecting the company’s international headquarters in Ireland to an audit based on user concerns over the amount of information that the company stores on users. Once, again, good on you, Irish authorities.

Android developer Trevor Eckhart recently exposed an equally serious threat to user privacy. The threat comes in the form of a built-in app called CarrierIQ that runs on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia devices. The app records immense amounts of data on smartphone users such as keystrokes and locations without asking permission first. The supposed aim of the app is to provide carriers and developers with data to better manufacture their products, according to The Atlantic Wire.

After an intense back-and-forth between Eckhart and the app’s developer in which the latter denied Eckhart’s claim and ordered him to cease-and-desist from discussing the app in the blogosphere, Eckhart finally showed in detail how the company was violating users’ privacy. So now we are faced with a new problem; not only are companies spying on people under the guise of product development, but they’re also denying it. This adds a whole new level of eeriness to the increasingly powerful technological big brother.

In many ways, the invasion of our Internet and technological privacy is necessary for the continued development of technology based on user trends and the likes. Atlantic Wire’s article presents a very interesting dilemma that we now face. The question, then, becomes, where do we draw the line? Do we stop now and slow down technological advancement, or should we let Facebook, Google, apps likes Carrier IQ, among many others to read us like open books, all in the name of progress? You see, there’s no easy answer.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

The Nielsen Company, the company whose ratings determine which television shows will continue being produced, gathers a wide range of data outside the entertainment industry.  One of the growing markets where Nielsen statistics have become increasingly more relevant is the technology sector.  Nielsen ratings for electronics, computer services and consumer trends in the technology sector help steer the technology markets.  Just as television studios change the course of their programming based on the trends Nielsen television ratings indicate, manufacturers of consumer electronics put a lot of stock in Nielsen ratings for determining their corporate direction.

The Nielsen Company has released its 2011 Third Quarter analysis of operating systems for smartphones.  As consumer spending rises in anticipation of the Christmas holiday, this information may be particularly valuable to shoppers.

The statistics collected by the Nielsen Company indicate that the third quarter was very good for smartphones running the Android Operating System.  Android-driven smartphones account for 42.8% of the smartphone market share.  The next most popular, by sales, operating system was Apple’s iPhone Operating System at 28.3% of the market share.  The only other substantial (over 10% market share) smartphone OS was RIM Blackberry’s Operating System with 17.8% of the market share for the third quarter.  Four different operating systems split the bottom 11.2% of the smartphone operating system market!

What does this mean for consumers?  Consumers spending money on smartphones for the Christmas 2011 holiday may want to consider an option other than a phone driven by Windows Mobile, Palm/HP Web OS, Symbian OS or Windows Phone 7 OS.  Those four operating systems may not have anything wrong with their functionality, design or support mechanisms.  Because they occupy the bottom of the market share, though, those manufacturers are most likely to re-evaluate their operating systems.  Smartphone consumers want stability and products that work. If the manufacturers decide to scrap their OS to reprioritize their focus on areas in which they may be more successful, consumers must change their OS.  Failure to change an operating system on your smartphone may leave you with a smartphone that cannot access the network where you have a smartphone plan.

Conversely, Android, Apple and RIM have a lot to be grateful for going into the fourth quarter.  Their platforms dominate the smartphone industry and Android especially has every reason to feel secure.  With over 42% of the smartphone market using Android-based smartphones, consumers have added incentive to purchase smartphones that run on the Android OS.  By dominating so much of the smartphone market, Android implicitly promises the stability consumers demand.

Smartphone technology changes almost every quarter, so selecting a phone with a stable and successful operating system ensures your smartphone will continue to change with the times.  Keep that in mind when buying this season!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Google has finally released its latest application, Google Music. The search engine giant officially made the latest Google service available Wednesday. Google Music is a simple concept with big ambitions, namely, to emerge in the online music world as a viable iTunes competitor. The service combines an online locker service with a music marketplace.

Google has gotten three of the big four music labels to sign on, as well as Merlin, a collection of larger independent labels, according to the L.A. Times. The only major music label that hasn’t yet signed on is Warner.

Though in general, the blogosphere received GMusic in a cool—maybe even hostile—way, there were still plenty of blogs and websites who found lots worth admiring in GMusic. Many people have automatically dismissed GMusic as an iTunes alternative that will fail, but we know from recent history (Kindle Fire, Android phones) that not all Apple alternatives fail. Indeed, there’s plenty of room for multiple service providers in the tech world, which is a good thing for innovation, competition and prices.

Rather than merely looking at GMusic and seeing how it fails against iTunes, we need to consider how viable its potential for growth is. Surely, we can’t expect it to take down iTunes a mere few days after its launch.

Google Music offers two main services, as well as a variety of smaller features here and there. The first is a cloud storage system for music. Google’s service allows users to store up to 20,000 songs for free. On the other hand, Apple’s iTunes cloud charges users $25 a year for a very similar service. With the cloud storage, of course, comes the ability to stream content from one’s cloud library to any device that has the free Google Music app, which is currently available for Android, or just access the service using a regular web browser. Compared to iTunes, this is really a breakthrough—no limit on number of devices that can link to the cloud (ten for iTunes users) and no need to have iTunes installed on each of them.

GMusic comes with an easy-to-use music manager that users can download for free from the online service. Once downloaded the music manager lets users upload their music to the cloud, where they can organize it. Some users complain that the uploading process takes too long, but given the fact that the service is free and that the uploading is a onetime thing, that shouldn’t really matter.

The other big service is GMusic’s marketplace. With big names like Universal and EMI, Google is offering users over 13 million songs, some of which are free.

So, even though at first, the service doesn’t seem all that amazing, a closer look reveals that it’s actually very appealing. It’s free music backup, free cloud access and storage, and occasionally free music. The interface is simple and attractive; the available collection is on the rise. What’s not to like?

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

With the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G, the Xperia Play is already obsolete.  The Xperia Play is not actually passé, but because gamers tend to be on the cutting edge of new technologies and are one of the groups of people most likely to upgrade products with even small improvements, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G will make a lot of gamers upgrade.  Given that the MSRP of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G is $50 less than the Xperia Play, Sony is clearly trying to make the upgrade worthwhile.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G uses the same shell as the earlier model, so it is 4.7” tall by 2.4” wide by .6” deep, when closed.  The “when closed” notation is important as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G slides open to present a control pad for playing video games.  As a mobile phone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G works much the way the Xperia Play did, though it has additional software in the form of an Adobe player and connects through the AT&T network in addition to Verizon.  As well as having Playstation certification, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G can be synchronized using Google Sync, which was not available on the earlier model.

The real selling points for gamers, though, come in the data transfer abilities of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G.  When using the 4G network, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G has Category 8 High Speed Downlink Packet Access.  This allows players to play multiplayer online games from the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G at the same fast speeds they get at home or in an arcade.

Given that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G came on the market about six months after the Xperia Play, it is not surprising that the embedded camera does not feature any new hardware.  Still, Sony did not forget the camera aspect of the mobile phone as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G supports four video formats its predecessor did not.  As well, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G comes with a new game preloaded, so users will be paying less to get more.

The big change with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G, though, is the ability to connect to the 3G and 4G networks of both Verizon and AT&T and that makes quite a difference for multiplayer online gamers.  While the screen on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G may be smaller than one’s home HDTV, the small gaming device still receives all of the same data.  That means speed and bandwidth are essential and that makes the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G a worthwhile upgrade.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

With so much new technology bombarding us left and right, it’s hard to decide on the right time to upgrade to a newer model of a product or even try out something new. Many people are aware of the fact that brand new technology often needs quite a bit of initial tweaking to fix production glitches that are missed in the testing phase. It’s often the case that a few days into a new product’s debut, problems start to emerge, as was the case with Apple’s iPhone 4S, where Siri and battery problems began to show.

For many enthusiasts, this is hardly a problem—many enjoy being an indirect contributor to the success of gadgets by testing them out. If you’re so eager to try out a new product that you’re willing to work through any initial limitations, then by all means, go for it. Certainly, if you’re an experienced technology lab rat, you probably know what to expect. You might be such a loyal Apple or Android user that you actively push your new smartphone or tablet to its limits in the attempt to discover its strengths and weaknesses. Still, dropping your device or trying every single app you can get your hands on aren’t exactly the best approaches. Trying out too many apps, especially, can clog-up your device, not to mention pose security threats. Over the last four months, for example, the number of apps with malware in the Android market went up by over 400 percent!

On the other hand, if you’re just getting into the tech market and are thinking of standing in line for the new Windows phones, Nokia Lumia 800, for example, keep in mind that as cool as the latest technology is, it often costs more than just big bucks. You could find yourself waiting anywhere from a few weeks to a few months for software upgrades and security patches, which could limit your new device’s initial functionality.

Another thing to keep in mind is supply and demand. As more manufacturers push their products onto the market, competition will grow. The heightened competition will benefit consumers in more ways than just lowering prices. Companies will face each other in the OS battlefield, each trying to beat the others in quality and elegance.

Manufacturers learn from their mistakes, which is a good thing in the end, but it also means that consumers willing to buy the latest gadgets have to agree to be technology lab rats, for a short while, at least.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Whether your Facebook account is a few months old or whether it will be celebrating its seventh birthday soon, chances are that you have accumulated quite a bit of data the website’s servers. Unless you regularly weed your pictures, tags, wall posts, comments, and “likes” to remove old—and often embarrassing—data, then all this data is lingering in Facebook cyber space.

Maybe you just don’t like the feeling of having so much Internet activity documented and scattered on dozens, maybe hundreds, of pages, photos and links, or maybe you’re worried about a stalker, regardless, there are plenty of reasons to want to purge your public online activities off Facebook . The problem is, it’s virtually impossible to do it all manually. There’s no way you can remember every post you’ve made or every photo you’ve liked. Even if you did, going through and removing them all would take endless hours. It might also cause you more distress than you need as you see old and embarrassing photos and posts. Fortunately, if you’re looking to clean up your Facebook account before an important job interview, for example, a new Android app called “Exfoliate” can do the job for you. The app can delete old Facebook  posts, comments and “likes,” putting your mind at ease.

Currently, the app only works via an Android phone. Once you install it, you connect it to your Facebook  profile and select what exactly you want deleted. For example, you can specify that all your Facebook  wall posts older than two years be deleted, or you can have the app delete all comments older than 3 months. The latest “Exfoliate” also supports photo deletion.

The apps creators warn that it does use up a lot of the phone’s battery and can clog up the user’s network service. Still, it’s faster to run the app on a Wi-Fi connection. Most people will want to run it over night, as it does take quite a while to go through a few years of old posts.

One thing that the app doesn’t do is remove others’ photo tags of you. That unfortunately, you’ll have to do manually. Recent Facebook  upgrades, though, are making it easier to remove unwanted tags. You can now even ask friends to take down pictures that you appear in if they’re not particularly flattering.

Sadly, another limitation of the app is that despite removing data from public visibility, all your Facebook  activity, your posts, your pictures, your comments, are stored by Facebook ’s servers. The issue has gotten recent media attention as more people start to freak out—rightly so—about how much Facebook  really knows about them.

“Exfoliate” is highly rated on the Android Market app store, and for the amount of work it does, $2.99 is an incredible price. For the opportunity to clean your Facebook activity off yours and your friends’ walls with such ease, it might even be worth buying an Android phone just for the app!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

As cool as tablets are, they still have to overcome plenty of tech support issues before they join the realm of standard computing devices. The biggest tech support issue facing tablets is functionality. Tablets operate largely like fancy smartphones. Even Apple’s iPad is closer to an iPhone than to a laptop. Additionally, tablets need a lot more tech support to tackle problems relating to connectivity, storage and usability.

Tablets are gaining a lot of popularity among business travelers and people who need light, portable computing devices, but such users often discover that connecting their tablets to printers is complicated and messy because tablets significantly lack printing tech support. To connect a tablet to a printer, it is often necessary to use a third party app, as tablet makers haven’t provided sufficient tech support yet.

Another tablet limitation is web browsing. Tech support for tablet web browsers is also limited, often forcing users to use multiple browsers to access different websites. One exception to this may by Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which is due for release next week. The Kindle Fire comes with its own web browser, SILK, which was designed exclusively for the device. SILK does not operate on any tablet or device other than the Kindle Fire. Because it was created for the Kindle, rather than made to work with it, Amazon says that browsing using SILK will be a super fast and a very smooth experience.

Tablet computer repairs are another major limitation of the devices. Computer repair work for tablets is usually tricky because of the devices’ delicate and compact nature. Taking risks with cheap or self-help computer repair work can be very risky. It’s always better to seek out professional tablet computer repairs that have a history of excellent computer repair work than to trust amateurs. It’s easy for the inexperienced person attempting to provide tablet computer repair to damage the device by merely trying to take it apart.

Software computer repairs aren’t as risky, but that’s no excuse to take them for granted. Again, always seek out professionals as your first option. Don’t wait for an inexperienced provider to try—and fail—at fixing your tablet. Bad computer repairs can cost you to lose valuable data.

Because tablets are still in their Alpha phase, we can expect that they will continue to need plenty of tech support. And who knows, perhaps enough time and advanced tech support will actually succeed in making tablets a standard computing device, a title still monopolized by computers and laptops.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

There’s plenty of exciting technology out there. There’s so much of it, in fact, that it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Laptops, MP3 players, Smartphones, e-readers, digital cameras, and of course, tablets. Technology addicts should inform themselves well before buying new gadgets.

The golden rule, here, is that you get what you pay for. The more expensive the device, the more reliable it’ll probably be. More money spent upfront often means less money spent on tech support and computer repairs. For example, even though Apple’s iPad comes with a hefty price tag, it’s still by far one of the most reliable tablets on the market. A cheaper tablet that claims to function in the same way as an iPad will probably require more computer repair down the road. Cheaper tablets are usually less sturdy and less powerful. This difference doesn’t necessarily apply to tablets like Amazon’s new Kindle Fire, for example, because even though that tablet is a lot cheaper, it targets a different audience and functions differently from computing tablets like the iPad.

Buying cool gadgets can be costly, but that’s a onetime cost. What can really break the bank is the occasional need for computer repairs and tech support. There are several things you should keep in mind when it comes to computer repair costs, as well as tech support.

When you buy a fancy gadget, be it a tablet or a smartphone, remember that prevention is the best cure. Take care of the device’s physical structure to delay the need for computer repairs. For example, avoid placing your smartphone in your back pocket, which might cause you to accidentally damage it by sitting on it; keep your tablet away from water; protect your e-reader from scratches. You’d be surprised at how effective simple practices can be in offsetting expensive computer repairs.

Also, get your gadgets regular tech support when that’s applicable. Tech support can take the form of regular security updates or software patches and upgrades. Smartphones and tablets that operate using a version of Google’s Android OS are especially susceptible to viruses and hacking efforts, which is why such devices require regular tech support. Providing regular tech support is an essential practice to offset computer repair costs.

Ultimately, you get what you pay for. But with time, what you have to pay will become less. You’ll find that resisting the urge to buy the latest gadgets as soon as they come out can save you higher initial costs, the need for lots of tech support, and computer repair expenses.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Smartphones, just like ordinary computers, need regular tech support and are certainly not immune to needing smartphone computer repairs. It’s not uncommon to delay getting smartphone computer repairs because we can’t part with our devices for more than a few hours. Still, when a smartphone remain without the right kind of tech support for long, smartphone computer repair may become inevitable.

To delay the need for expensive remedial tech support or smartphone computer repair, try to keep these tips in mind.

1)   Leave the heavy stuff for the pros—if the back cover of your smartphone is scratched, you probably don’t need any kind of serious smartphone computer repair. Simply buy a new cover and replace the damaged one. When the damage is more severe than a scratched cover, though, you’re better off not messing with your device and getting professional smartphone computer support. Internal hardware failure, especially, is not something you even want to try to fix. Trying to provide your own smartphone computer repair can end up costing you more than a professional smartphone computer repair service.

2)   Keep it healthy on the inside—when your device gets clunky with apps or folders, consider taking it to an expert to get the right kind of tech support. Most smartphones have auto update functions for their software but if you notice your smartphone not doing this, you should get expert tech support from a tech support provider with a proven track record of providing excellent computer and smartphone tech support like Rescuecom.

3)   Keep it healthy on the outside—when you accidentally hit your hand against the desk and it bruises, you usually don’t panic too much. In a few days, it’ll heal itself. Sadly, smartphones don’t have regenerative cells. When the case gets scratched, it’ll stay scratched. The same goes for the screen: it will need professional smartphone computer repair. Be gentle when using your phone. Buy a protective shell to reduce the risk of damage from an external physical force. Accidents happen, so make sure you ensure your phone against those nasty drops by using a sturdy cover.

Smartphone computer repair can be pricey. A small problem with the screen might require extensive smartphone computer repair to replace the entire outside shell, for example. And as always, prevention is the best cure. Regular tech support and graceful handling can delay the need for smartphone computer repair.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

The way the smartphone market is heading, those things that once allowed us to make phone calls and send text messages (what where they called again?) will quickly be forgotten. In their place (oh, that’s right, phones) the standard communication device will be the smartphone. Smartphones are becoming more like computers and less like phones. Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, the two systems currently dominating the market, already work like mini computers. Given this slow but inevitable shift in the functionality of phones, it is important to remember that they are becoming more susceptible to Internet security issues and may encounter problems that require virus removal.

As browsing capabilities on smartphones become more sophisticated, users are able to access more websites, many of which pose a risk to a smartphone’s Internet security. Downloading email attachments, for example, carries Internet security risks. Internet security is also threatened by using unsafe networks. The biggest threat to Internet security, though, is mobile apps. According to an article in The Telegraph, malicious software attacks on smartphones are on the rise.

Cyber criminals are rushing to write new virus software that can breach smartphones’ Internet security and record private and sensitive user data such as bank account information or login passwords. Such increasing threats require users to employ the necessary measures to ensure their phones’ Internet security.

Unfortunately, sometimes even the best Internet security precautions fail, causing smartphones to require virus removal efforts. Virus removal for smartphones is relatively new territory, which is why users shouldn’t gamble with their devices and risk losing valuable data and money because of amateurish virus removal. Smartphone users should seek out professionals in virus removal, like Rescuecom who have a long history of providing Internet security services, as well as virus removal services for a variety of computers and computer-based devices.

The transformation of the phone into the smartphone marks an exciting and important time in the development of technology. It signals the marriage of complex technology and basic tools. But while we drool over the potential that these devices bring with them, we should remember that as computers, they require more advanced tech support to stay healthy. They also require us to pay more attention to Internet security and to get the right kind of virus removal if that ever becomes necessary.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com