Computer Support Blog

As the United States comes into another election year, political activism is once more on the rise.  But for those for whom politics is more than just an every-four-year event, new technologies are making their political activism more effective.  One of the relatively new technologies used by activists is the Short Message Service.  Among the various Short Message Services, Mobile Commons stands out for its effectiveness.

Mobile Commons is a marketing platform designed for smartphone users.  The Internet-based application acts as a social network that allows you to connect your smartphone to the smartphones of all of your friends.  Then, when you have an important issue that you need transmitted through your networks, the Mobile Commons application acts as a Short Message Service.  As an SMS, Mobile Commons helps transmit both messages – via the phone portion of your smartphone – and text documents to everyone with whom you have a relationship.

The benefit of the Mobile Commons application to political activists is almost self-evident.  As soon as you learn of an issue that affects the people in your network, you may inform them all simultaneously using Mobile Commons.  But as important, as a leader of a group, you may help guide the group to a specific course of action using Mobile Commons.  Using Mobile Commons, you may draft a form letter to your Representative or Senator (or any person you need to get a message to) and send it with your voice message.  As a result, within minutes of learning of a bill, news event or other political controversy, you and your entire network can spread the word and tell those people in power exactly what you want them to do!

Mobile Commons is not limited to just political activism in its usefulness as an application.  Large families may benefit from using Mobile Commons.  For example, if your large family is in the process of becoming even larger, Mobile Commons can be an invaluable tool.  You may use Mobile Commons to send everyone in your family network announcements about new births or other vital family events and attach photos of the new baby.  Using Mobile Commons, members of your family network may then spread the good news and pictures with people in their lives.

There are many applications that allow networking and sharing, but Mobile Commons puts it together in a very effective, easy-to-use platform that has a proven record of success.  That makes Mobile Connect very cool for activists and genuinely social people.

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 more and more states adopting hands free laws and the National Traffic Safety Board issuing an advisory to Congress that no electronic devices should be used while driving, Bluetooth technology is becoming more important than ever.  With so many different Bluetooth headsets on the market, it can be difficult to determine which Bluetooth headset is the right one for you.  One of the best on the market, especially for those who are environmentally conscientious, is the Iqua 603 Sun Bluetooth headset.

The Iqua Sun is a discrete Bluetooth headset that does not call much attention to itself.  With its muted black shell and earbud-style design, the Iqua Sun is not as flashy as many Bluetooth headsets.  The fact that the Iqua Sun does not sparkle or try to impress users with its simple appearance is not a good reason to disregard this very cool Bluetooth headset.  This Bluetooth has substance and it comes in the form of its solar powered battery.

The Iqua Sun is solar powered, which makes it one of the most environmentally-responsible Bluetooth headsets on the market.  Whenever you are outside walking with your Iqua Sun in your ear, it will charge off direct and indirect sunlight!  This makes the Iqua Sun an ideal Bluetooth headset for active outdoors enthusiasts who need to remain connected even when they are out in the elements.  For use at night, inside, or other dark environments, the Iqua Sun falls back on a Lithium Polymer battery that has a 9 hour talk capacity.  By the time you exhaust the battery, the sun will be back up to recharge it!

Because Iqua designed the Sun for substance more than style, the Iqua Sun Bluetooth Headset has very easy-to-use controls.  Outfitted with only a volume control toggle and call button, the Iqua Sun is one of the least complicated to operate Bluetooth headsets on the market.  At only twelve grams, the Sun is very light in your ear, making it one of the most comfortable Bluetooth headsets as well.

The Iqua Sun operates on any Bluetooth-compatible device that uses Handsfree 1.5 and Headset 1.1.  In addition to having the impressive solar power function, the Iqua Sun has a decent range.  You may pair the Iqua Sun with up to eight different hands-free, one at a time. The Sun remains connected to its device even when your phone, smartphone or other hands-free device is up to ten meters away.

The Iqua Sun Bluetooth Headset is a very cool Bluetooth headset that is ideal for those who like both being outdoors and having access to their gadgets.

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

Entering a new year is traditionally a time of introspection, which is why so many of us make New Year’s resolutions to try to change parts of ourselves and our lives with which we are unhappy.  One of the most common New Year’s resolutions that people fail to achieve is to lose weight and keep it off.  Lose It! may help you lose weight and stick to a program if you have found it challenging to lose weight in the past.

Lose It! is an interactive weight loss website and now an application for smartphones.  Lose It! helps you monitor your diet and exercise and achieve specific weight loss goals that you set for yourself.  Unlike specialized computer devices designed for weight loss, Lose It! is a comprehensive software application that includes both personal weight loss plans and a community component.

Lose It! is a blend of a computerized weight loss journal and a social network centered on losing weight.  You may access Lose It! through the Internet or through the LoseIt! app on your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch.  Once there, you will discover that LoseIt! is an all-encompassing weight loss solution.

First, LoseIt! helps you manage your weight by creating specific weight loss goals that you record within your profile.  Your profile is more like a medical file than like a profile on other social networking sites.  As a result, your profile through your LoseIt! account includes your weight loss goals, any medical conditions you need the program to take into account and your journal.  The journal function of LoseIt! is the cornerstone to using LoseIt! to lose weight.  There, you record each and every item you eat, ideally right before you consume it.  LoseIt! then factors the caloric intake of what you are eating and calculates the amount of calories you may consume for the remainder of the day.

To get the most out of LoseIt!, you have to be very vigilant with your journal records and you have to not be shamed by your computer.  Interfacing with a computer program instead of a human being may prompt you to be more realistic about both your achievements and your progress if you are serious about your weight loss goal.  Each time you exercise, you must update your LoseIt! journal as well.  By keeping accurate records and following the suggestions LoseIt makes – like “stop eating for the day!” – you have a much better chance of achieving your weight loss goal.

LoseIt! also maximizes your chance of weight loss success through its social network capability.  Because weight loss goals are so common and the challenges to losing weight are shared by so many people, LoseIt! helps dieters to network.  Through LoseIt!’s chat functions and bulletin boards, you may exchange recipes, discuss issues and make goals with other dieters.

LoseIt! truly incorporates computers and smartphones into your plan to lose weight.

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

If you are alive and living in a First World or Second World nation, you probably know what an iPod is.  In our world today, the iPod is a universally-recognized device.  While Apple Computers would prefer its trademarks not be infringed upon, “iPod” is used far more frequently to refer to any portable digital music player.  That sort of meteoric product launch and instantaneous word association does not just happen.  The smashing success of the iPod and the products that have followed it from Apple Computers came from effective marketing.  In fact, you would find it difficult to find a person in the United States today who cannot recall a single Apple advertisement.  That level of cultural penetration from advertising is largely the work of Philip Schiller.

Philip Schiller is the Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Apple.  When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Schiller became an integral part of Apple’s executive leadership team.  He ascended to the post of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing after a strong marketing career with software companies Macromedia and FirePower Systems.

As Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Schiller was responsible for rebranding Apple and his success speaks for itself.  In his tenure, Apple Computers went from being a floundering computer company to the dominant computer manufacturer on the planet.  While Steve Jobs and Tim Cook deserve a lot of credit for pushing the company’s direction into the emerging markets of portable digital music players and handheld computing devices, all of their efforts would have been for naught had it not been for the effective marketing Schiller and his team provided.  As the leader of the marketing department at Apple Computers, Philip Schiller made the first iPods seem indispensible and easy-to-use.  Even more important, through his targeted advertising strategy for the iPod, Schiller made the iPod cool.

As Apple has risen to dominate the portable digital music player market, Schiller’s marketing teams have made the career of many musical artists through their association with Apple’s advertising.  Schiller is an executive who is not content to rest on a single success.  As such, Schiller effectively led the Apple marketing arm through an entire rebranding.  Well in advance of the product releases for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, Schiller and his marketing department created such hype that each of those product releases became an event.

It is one thing to have a successful product launch, it is entirely another to market so effectively as to create a culture surrounding a company’s entire product line.  That sort of result requires a leader and Philip Schiller is just that type of leader for Apple!

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 advances in technology like the camera and video camera on the Apple iPhone 4S, it seems like smartphone manufacturers continue to forget about the basic purpose of the phone.  The telephone and mobile phone were devices used for person-to-person communication before they were data storage tools, music players or cameras.  Touch, an app for smartphones manufactured by the small Canadian company Enflick, seems to recall the origins of the smartphone and makes texting cool again, by providing more chat options and blending some of the most successful elements of social networking.

Touch, which went by the name Pingchat until recently, is an application for Apple iPhones (or any other iOS-driven device), Android powered smartphones and Blackberry products.  The Touch app is designed to make texting more flexible and to provide options for group communications over your smartphone.

The texting options Touch provides are a bit more sophisticated than standard text programs.  In addition to not having the strict character limits of traditional texting, the Chat function through Touch provides vastly faster back-and-forth messages between you and the person with whom you are chatting.  The interface has more in common with a chat program like Instant Messenger than it does a texting program, including being able to see when the person or people you are chatting with are typing.

The group aspect of Touch is another distinctive aspect of the app.  Touch allows you to chat or share photos with other individuals or select groups of your friends.  You may have a multi-person chat session with other Touch-enabled friends.  During such multi-person chats, you may share photos and videos through Touch with all of your friends.  As a result, Touch becomes a great way to get feedback from all of your friends at once.

As well, Touch allows you to send private messages to individuals or groups outside the Touch conversation.  While obscure social networks like Elftown have had systems where you could see when someone had read your message, a lot of the newer networks and apps leave you in the dark about what happens to your messages after you send them.  Touch goes back to letting you see just how your friends react to your messages, including having status updates noting your friend drafting a response to a message you sent!

By combining some of the best old ideas with some of the newest innovations in social networking, Touch reinvents texting and file sharing for smartphone users.  Touch makes intimate group texting cool and it is a welcome app for smartphone users . . . at least until we all have videophones!

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

It is hard to argue that any computer or electronics company has tried to tie itself to cutting edge popular music more than Apple.  Apple Computers reinvented itself on the strength of their portable music device, the iPod, and has been at the forefront of the legal digital download market with iTunes.  While Apple has leased many classic tunes for its advertising, appearing in an Apple commercial can truly jumpstart the career of an emerging musical artist.

When the first Apple iPod commercials began playing in 2001, each of the four different commercials used a different song.  While Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” remained an overplayed hit when the commercial was released and Seal’s “Crazy” showed no change in sales by being featured, newer acts fared better.  Sister Hazel, who had been written off as a one-hit wonder, managed to turn their floundering album Fortress into a gold record by letting Apple use the single “Beautiful Thing” in their first commercial!  Even the Dave Brubeck Quartet successfully promoted using those first iPod commercials.  Inclusion of the classic jazz song “Take Five” bolstered the sale of three Dave Brubeck Quartet albums in 2001!

They cannot all be winners, of course.  The Apple iPod 5G commercials featured a U2 song, “Original Of The Species” that failed to break into the Top 40.  U2 had little to complain about in its relationship with Apple, though; in 2004 the band teased its album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb on iPod commercials using the single “Vertigo.”  The commercials using “Vertigo” used dancing silhouettes that pushed the album’s sales up to nine million units sold, in a year rap and hip-hop music dominated the music industry.

Arguably, no one has benefitted more from an association with Apple advertising (outside Apple itself!) than the artist Feist.  Feist released her album The Reminder in April, 2007 to little fanfare and very little radio support.  Feist’s song “1 2 3 4” from The Remainder was featured in the 2007 iPod Nano 3G commercials promoting the different color shells of the Nano.  Following the launch of the commercial, sales of The Remainder skyrocketed to sell over one million copies!  “1 2 3 4” has sold 1.2 million digital downloads, most of them through iTunes!

Apple ties its products to trendy music in a way that has a proven record of revitalizing careers as well as pushing struggling artists to the forefront of the public’s attention.  Perhaps that is why Grouplove is so happy to have their song “Tongue Tied” featured on the new iPod Touch 4G commercials.  The iPod Touch 4G will undoubtedly be one of the bestselling Apple products this Christmas season; it remains to be seen how Grouplove fares!

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 iPhone 4S has been the subject of a lot of writing in the blogosphere lately, especially pertaining to the phone’s failing batteries.  Because of all the press the iPhone 4S receives about the defects, sometimes it is hard to overlook all that this smartphone can do.  While there are already rumors abounding that the iPhone 5 is in various stages of development or production, the iPhone 4S has a lot to recommend it.  In fact, there are so many improvements in the iPhone 4S over the iPhone 3 that it is easy to see why the iPhone 4S is one of the hottest gifts for the 2011 Christmas season.  Because so little has changed with the physical appearance of the iPhone 4S, it may not be evident to casual observers just how much has changed with this upgrade to the iPhone.

The back of the iPhone 4S features a camera and here Apple went for professional quality.  Rather than develop a separate Apple digital camera, the iPhone 4S includes an f/2.4 designed to make Apple competitive in the digital camera market.  The 8-megapixel resolution certainly is an improvement over most smartphone cameras!  In addition to the basic camera function, the Apple iPhone 4S includes a video recording ability.  The Apple iPhone 4S features video stabilization and produces 1080p HD movies.  Apple intends for the movie function, like the camera function, to appeal to professionals.  As a result, the iPhone 4S shoots movies at 30 frames per second and is loaded with tools to capture colors with vivid reality.

Inside the iPhone 4S are 2 A5 processors.  Because the iPhone 4S is designed for its computing – from running apps to playing Cloud-based movies seamlessly to accessing other online storage programs – the powerful processing speed of the two A5 chips is a big leap forward for iPhone users.  The two A5 chips service the Retina display screen.  Apple is touting the new Retina display for having a pixel density so tight that the naked eye cannot distinguish individual pixels.

Finally, the Apple iPhone 4S features Siri.  Siri is a digital personal assistant who talks to the user and responds to voice-activated commands.  In addition to talking on your iPhone 4S, you can now talk to your iPhone 4S.  It is almost surprising that with Siri, Apple’s advertising campaign was not “You are never alone with your iPhone 4S!”

Undoubtedly, the Apple iPhone 4S is a neat smartphone and it will remain one of the best smartphones on the market . . . at least until the iPhone 5 comes out.

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

Say what you will about Apple computers, but they are boring.  For sure, you can access all sorts of cool things with your MacBook, iPad, iPhone or iPod, but the look and color scheme of Apple products is boring.  In fact, it is hard to recall such a sterile looking product line that has been as successful as Apple’s many electronics and computing products.  Fortunately, MegaVinyl shakes up the boring Apple sense of style with its Custom Vinyl Decals.

MegaVinyl Custom Vinyl Decals are available online exclusively through Etsy.  Through the online store, MegaVinyl provides Apple users with decals to lend personality to their Apple MacBook or iPad.  Part of what makes MegaVinyl’s Custom Vinyl Decals so clever is that MegaVinyl seems to realize that Apple users want other people to know they are Apple users and their decals are designed around that.  Because the MacBook has a lit Apple symbol on the back of the monitor, most of MegaVinyl’s Custom Vinyl Decals are oriented around that symbol and do not obscure it.  So, for example, Family Guy fans may purchase a Lois Griffin MacBook decal that has Lois oriented so it looks like she is holding up the Apple symbol!  In a similar way, most of the decals incorporate the Apple symbol into their design.

Each of the MegaVinyl Custom Vinyl Decals is made of high quality vinyl, which protects your MacBook or iPad from wear.  The decals come with explicit instructions on how to apply them and include a money-back guarantee in case you have issues with the application of the decal.  With that protection in place, it is very easy to shop MegaVinyl for decals for your iProducts!

MegaVinyl taps into popular culture with some very cool custom decals and the willingness to do custom work.  Fans of Disney can get all sorts of variations on Snow White, from the traditional to a Goth rendering of her!  Fans of Family Guy, Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Hello Kitty will find several options each.  MegaVinyl’s standing inventory includes characters like the Joker and Iron Man, Bugs Bunny and Homer Simpson!  Assuming their custom work is as good as what is in their store, truly the possibilities are endless for making your Apple computer product distinctive and unique.

Minimize the need for computer repairs by protecting your Apple MacBook, iPad or iPod with something that expresses your unique sense of style.  MegaVinyl’s Custom Vinyl Decals do just that and they can make your blasé Mac cool again!

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 spread of Cloud-based media, the ability to transfer movies, television and other files to small, portable devices has only increased.  Smartphones are essentially tiny movie theaters now!  While tablet computers and smartphones make watching movements convenient and easy, nothing takes the place of seeing movies on the big screen, as the director intended.  Fortunately, with the proliferation of larger flat screen high-definition televisions, watching movies in big, bold displays is also easier.  The problem, for most users, is how to bridge the portable device – that has the Cloud access – and the HDTV.  For Apple products, Wolverine has the answer with the iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module.

The Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module is a remarkably simple device that allows users to transfer their Cloud-based library to any high-definition television, monitor or projector.  The Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module features a male port designed to interface with the docking port on the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.  That 30-pin docking port on the Apple products is one of the unique ports that Apple created for their devices with touchscreens.  Wolverine’s iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module includes a male connector that slides easily into the female docking port on the Apple product.  Like Apple connectors that connect to the docking port, the Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module clicks to lock into the port to assure connectivity.

What the connector does, then, is translate the signal coming out of the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch or iPhone into an HDMI signal.  The 30-pin connector at one end of the Module is connected to a small converter box at the Module’s other end.  That box has a female HDMI port.  What the Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module does not have is the HDMI cable needed to connect the Module to a high-definition device.  In most cases, users of the Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module will not even need to purchase an HDMI cable to connect the Module to your HDMI device.  If you already have a Blu-Ray player, DVD player or gaming console connected to your HDTV through the HDMI port, you already have the HDMI cable.  By simply unplugging your HDMI-connected device at the player, you have access to the connector that is still connected to the HDTV.  Simply plug your Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module into the HDMI cable you unplugged from the existing player or gaming console and your Apple device may now stream directly to your high-definition television!

It is that easy.  The Wolverine iPad/iPod/iPhone HDMI Module allows you to combine the convenience of streaming, Cloud-based technology with the awesome power of a full-size high-definition television or digital projector.  Finally, convenience and awe made possible by one small connector!

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

Finding toys for people perpetually attached to their computers and smartphones used to be difficult.  Now, the market is flooded with various computer-programmed toys.  The coolest computer-driven toy for the 2011 holiday season is undoubtedly the Tankbot by Desk Pets.

The Tankbot is a small self-propelled robot designed for desktop play.  The futuristic looking robot features two treads for moving the robot across flat surfaces.  The Tankbots have a universal frame that looks like Desk Pets dropped a sports car on top of an all-terrain tank frame.  Desk Pets makes Tankbots in four different colors, with each color responding to a different frequency control.  You may play with multiple Tankbots without interference provided each Tankbot is a different color.

What makes the Tankbot so cool is that it has three different operating modes.  One mode allows the Tankbot to drive around without colliding into walls or other objects using its onboard sensor array.  The second mode allows the Tankbot to infuse personality with its movements.  In the second mode, the Tankbot does not simply drive in a straight line until it encounters an obstacle.  Instead, the Tankbot may meander, make sudden turns or otherwise drive as if it has a mind of its own.

The real selling point for those who love computers and gadgets, though, comes from use of the third mode.  In the third mode, the Tankbot responds to remote control signals.  What separates the Tankbot from simple remote control vehicles is the fact that your iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android smartphone may be transformed into a remote control!  You may download an app for one of the eleven supported devices and use your smartphone or other device as a remote.  Even more impressive is that the application allows you to program a course for the Tankbot to follow.  Using your smartphone or Apple product, you may set your Tankbot on a series of commands that takes the little vehicle up to fifteen minutes to complete!  The programmable nature of the Tankbot makes the toy an ideal one for inquisitive young people or bored computer fans.

The Tankbot recharges through a USB charger on the robot.  Simply plug the male USB lead into your computer’s female USB port and the Tankbot will recharge.  The Tankbot takes forty minutes to recharge and at full charge, it will run for fifteen minutes.  There are a lot of USB-driven devices on the market this year; the Tankbot is one of the coolest.

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