Computer Support Blog

In the wake of the National Traffic Safety Board’s proposal that each state pass a law to outright ban the use of electronic devices while driving and the revelation that Carrier IQ has been acquiring deeply personal data through its smartphone programming, it is hard not to feel jaded about technology right now.  The National Traffic Safety Board had absolutely the right idea in its proposal.  Unfortunately, if left up to the states or the federal government, it might take some time for government to act.  As penance for the Carrier IQ scandal, the smartphone industry should be compelled to make technology do what law enforcement has not. Read more »

Today, there are few technology-related aspects of life that are as important as having a reliable Internet connection.  Most people can easily live without advanced television features or even the telephone capabilities of their smartphone, but finding oneself trapped without a reliable connection to the Internet is enough to make you pull out your hair.  One of the essential tools for virtually any business or home, then, is a good router.  The ADSL2+ Four Port Ethernet Switch Router is a worthwhile router for home or business use. Read more »

One of the most important aspects of a sales-driven business is the ability to reach out to your customers.  Having an interface for customers and vendors is especially important on Internet sales sites, notably online sites that are essentially a platform for vendors who are not directly connected to the site, like eBay and Amazon Stores.  For the art sales website Etsy, the community aspect is exceptionally important.  Artists and those who buy art tend to naturally form communities to discuss art – both the creation and acquisition of art.  That makes Vanessa Bertozzi’s role at Etsy a very important one. Read more »

One of the common misconceptions many people have when they hear the advertising about smartphones is that “4G” refers to the speed of data transfers across a network.  “4G” does not actually mean something like “four gigabytes per second” or anything of the sort.  Instead, “4G” is a simple term referring to the fourth generation of standards that guide transfers over wireless cellular networks.  But even as 4G networks are the key selling point to current hardware like the Samsung Infuse 4G or the Sony Xperia 4G, if Broadcom has its way, 4G will soon be passé.  Broadcom has innovated the fifth generation of cellular wireless standards. Read more »

Right now, the United States economy is at an intriguing place that it has never been at before.  As the country continues to emerge from its recession, the housing market remains understandably depressed (understandable because financial issues in the housing market precipitated much of the current economic malaise).  While a shaky economy and even more problematic housing market are nothing new, this is the first time since the Internet became a household tool that these conditions have existed.  This means unprecedented opportunities for fast access to information about real estate.  Rather than searching the totality of the Internet or allying yourself with one realtor, you might want to check out Zillow. Read more »

With the proliferation of digital photograph editing programs, a number of new companies have sprouted up.  In order to make these emerging businesses successful, most of the new companies are staffing from established, successful technology companies.  The opportunity to trade the steady, reliable position that a large company offers for the excitement of a small start-up is surprisingly appealing to a number of people in the tech sector.  One person who enthusiastically transitioned from a major firm to a small IT company was Paul Murphy. Read more »

Virtually every business journal has weighed in on the decline in Facebook’s stock.  After years of playing coy about it, Facebook had its initial public offering in May at $38 per share.  When the stock fell below $30 on May 29, every pundit in the business world weighed in on the decline.  The prevailing wisdom was that Facebook’s stock was overvalued and investors did not have a good-faith belief in the long-term profitability of the company.  That makes perfect sense from a business perspective.  The problem, however, with that view, is that it completely neglects the consumer perspective and there is an excellent chance that the consumer perspective is what is affecting Facebook’s stock. Read more »

One of the truly wonderful things about computers today is that they have enough power and programming to allow you to do just about anything, provided you have the right programs.  No longer are consumers limited by highly-pixelated monitors, graphics cards that lack power or processors that keep you waiting hours to render a single image or program.  With today’s fast-running computers, you can accurately envision almost any task, including home and landscaping alterations.  When you purchase HGTV Ultimate Home Design, you can see how any home and garden project should come out before you ever purchase supplies or reach for your tool belt! Read more »

Different corporate philosophies lead companies in different directions when it comes to growth.  In the tech sector, research and development has often been an important component of growth.  Even with cutting-edge tech companies, though, rather than invest in R&D, sometimes a bigger company will simply buy a successfully-developed product from the smaller company that innovated it.  Some of the companies that are cash-heavy, but development-light, have taken to buying up entire companies.  That is the tactic Groupon has been using and for the past four months, it has been rather aggressively buying up smaller businesses. Read more »

In January, activists from all across the political spectrum came together to inform Congress that they did not want the Stop Online Piracy Act to pass.  Through actions like a coordinated blackout on January 18 to businesses lobbying heavily in favor of the bill, the defeat of SOPA stands as a great example of how representative democracy can truly work.  Despite the defeat of the bill, there have been lasting reverberations from Congresses attempt to legislate the Internet.  One of the changes that will become more evident when Congress reconvenes is an active presence of concerned citizens and companies.  The presence is the Internet Defense League. Read more »