Computer Support Blog

GPS has made many advances since it became available for everyday use, and it now comes as a standard feature on almost every smartphone and many tablets as well.  While many higher-end models can be somewhat adaptable, showing recent shifts in traffic, road closures, and similar issues, there are still many factors for which even the best GPS cannot account.  This is where an app called Mapkin can help.  While there is a great deal of information that a GPS can provide about the route you choose to take or its alternatives, there are many things that only a local can tell you about any particular place.  Mapkin provides users with access to information that can sometimes drastically affect your drive, information that no GPS can provide otherwise. Read more »

Waiting for someone to show up when he or she has made plans with you is never fun.  While people can text, e-mail, or call their friends or associates to find out where they are when running late, there are many situations where that person won’t be able to respond.  If the person running late is driving or talking to someone else because of a crisis, trying to communicate with him or her through a phone or mobile device will go nowhere.  However, cool person in technology Bryan Trussel founded Glympse to help people keep track of each other when they’re running late.  Without having to disturb people by sending them repeated text messages or phone calls, Glympse users can track their friends and see their location without bothering them. Read more »

For many people, one of the greatest advantages of mobile technology is the ability to find whatever they need when they are out in the physical world.  The ability to look up the closest gas station when someone’s car is running low or finding the nearest ATM when a person’s wallet is thin are some of the greatest advantages of mobile computing.  Cool person in technology Jim Brady founded Earthcomber to push these advantages even further and make it even easier for people to find what they need with their smartphones and tablets.  Earthcomber finds the services and locations that users want to know about automatically.  Brady’s technology uses GPS to detect where people are when using their phones.  Earthcomber then finds the places closest to a user that will be most helpful to them based on their profile.  If users indicate they like to know where the nearest banks are whenever traveling, Earthcomber will automatically find them without them having to search for it.  Users can also set the app to detect things like restaurants, gas stations, hotels or even locations with free Wi-Fi.  If Earthcomber isn’t detecting locations properly for a user, that person should consult a smartphone computer repair professional about the phone’s GPS. Read more »

Members of small communities and neighborhoods often look out for each other when problems arise.  Whether someone has been the victim of a crime or lost something important to them, such as a valuable possession or a pet, neighbors are usually willing to provide aid in some way.  People usually help out by posting flyers or going around the community and asking questions, hopefully piecing together enough information to assist the person in trouble.  Cool person in technology Jay Sebben wants to use technology and the web to help people within these communities assist each other.  Sebben’s company Crowdfynd provides people with a platform where they can post ads about lost items, safety issues, suspicious activities or anything else they feel would be good for the neighborhood.  People can browse Crowdfynd to find ways to help each other out.  People can also find out if anyone has found their lost items by checking the Crowdfynd website or mobile apps.  Any less technically inclined users who would like to use Crowdfynd to help their community can contact remote computer support services for help getting started. Read more »

Social analytics aren’t always the most accurate way to find out what a company’s reputation is on the web.  Most of these analytics tools scan social networks and find relevant posts simply by the mention of a business’s name and potentially a few keywords.  However, this often means that these tools measure both positive and negative statements about a company in the same manner.  Someone complaining about a restaurant’s menu and someone complimenting it could look the same in many tools as long as the authors used one or two of the same words.  This situation demands a more accurate solution and the team at Local Measure believe that they have found one.  Read more »

While online shopping has become the norm for many people, many still prefer to shop in physical stores.  This is especially true for home-based products like furniture and decoration.  No matter how many pictures someone looks at online, seeing the physical product in person is always preferable when it’s going to be on display in one’s home.

Cool person in technology Alex Loizou has created a product that uses the resources of the web to help people who prefer to shop in the physical world.  Loizou’s product StreetHub has a database of items on sale in retail shops and boutiques.  Using GPS technology to cross-reference with this database, Loizou’s website connects users with nearby shops that carry the specific products and items they want.  This way, a user can browse through products online but still go out and purchase them from a physical store once they find what they want from the convenience of their home.  If someone is on Loizou’s site and sees a set of table and chairs they like, or any other product, that person can still go to the store and see it in person before buying.  StreetHub could be a godsend for anyone who has ever bought items online only for them to be very different than a shopping website represented them.  Since StreetHub uses Wi-Fi and GPS to determine location, someone who has a computer with these features broken may need home computer repair to use Loizou’s service. Read more »

Everybody likes a little surprise in their day.  At least that sentiment is what the creators of cool technology product Doot are counting on with their location-based smartphone messaging service.  Doot lets users leave messages with their smartphone that tie themselves to specific location.  When one of your friends comes to that same location, their phone notifies them and shows them your message. Your friend gets a surprise message about where they are and hopefully find the surprise interaction fun and whimsical.  Users can post public messages to all of their friends or direct specific messages at particular people.  Doot integrates with Facebook so you can leave messages for all your friends and contacts as soon as you download the app.  If you have had trouble with Facebook connected software before, remote computer support may be able to help you. Read more »

Jump2Spot is a cool product in technology that operates on the idea that every geographic location has a story worth telling.  The team at Jump2Spot wants to share those stories and make them easily accessible to the world with the help of mobile technology.  With the combination of intense research and geotagging technology, Jump2Spot has mapped over 70,000 moments and stories to their location.  Those who want to learn the stories that a place holds can go online or on the Jump2Spot iPhone app and search through a location’s moments.  Moments can be things like groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs, important political happenings, or even something as simple as a major public figure or celebrity visiting a store or a restaurant.  These moments have been tagged to their location digitally either by the Jump2Spot staff or the app’s users.  Read more »

Geotagging has become a useful tool for many consumer technology startups and services. Travel and hospitality websites and applications see the ability to attach information to specific locations digitally as a way to add new features and increase convenience for their customers.  However, cool person in technology Pedro Valdeolmillos doesn’t think geotagging’s benefits should be limited to locations on land.  Valdeolmillos founded tech company Bloosee to help sea-lovers take advantage of this technology as well.  Read more »

Sometimes, if you are not a part of a subculture or community, the devices utilized by that group of people might seem alien.  Even so, if there is a niche market and a device that might benefit that group, you can pretty much bet that there is a company within the tech sector that will try to market to that niche.  For those who want to get the most out of their golf game, there is no longer a need to carry around your tablet computer or use multiple devices on the golf course.  Garmin has devised the ultimate golf watch, the Approach S3. Read more »