Computer Support Blog

If asked what they first think of when putting cars and smartphones together, most people would answer with something about not texting while driving or about touch screens in their car. No one would answer with “an iPhone case.”

That may be about to change, however, because Nissan is getting ready to release a new iPhone case. Yes, Nissan the car manufacturer is making an iPhone case, yet why they are is very interesting. The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case will heal itself from any kind of scratches that occur.

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Today, more and more is being expected of headphones.  Back in the day, you plugged headphones into your stereo or portable tape player (or portable CD player) and the headphones brought you music at a level that didn’t annoy those around you.  But now, consumers are plugging their headphones into more sophisticated electronic devices and they are demanding more from their headphones.  Koss proves that they are up to the new expectations of music enthusiasts with their Porta Pro KTC headphones!

Koss Porta Pro headphones have long been an industry standard for audiophiles who have enjoyed the high-quality sound and fashionable, not bulky, appearance of the Porta Pro.  The addition of KTC, Koss Touch Control, upgrades the popular Porta Pro headphones for the current generation of music enthusiasts.  The big breakthrough with the Porta Pro KTC headphones is that the cord that connects the headphones to your Apple music player – iPod, iPad or iPhone – now includes a discrete control panel and a microphone!

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Like so many industries, the consumer electronics sector has a vibrant secondary market.  Thanks in no small part to Alpha Consumers frequently upgrading and the consumer culture that fosters the mindset that this year’s new products will be obsolete or uncool by next year, the used electronics market has grown in recent years.  Buyers who are more interested in substance than style or who are simply thriftier than their peers can enjoy significant benefits from buying their electronics in gently used condition.  One of the biggest sectors in the electronics secondary market is in cell phones and smartphones.

However, just like when you are considering purchasing a used car, there are some good rules to live by when purchasing a used cell phone or used smartphone.  Both as a buyer and a seller, you should consider the following:

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Apple Computers, employs an elegantly simple strategy to dominate the mobile computing marketplace.  Apple’s strategy is built largely on a hope that you will buy their entire product line, not just one or two of their devices.  That is to say, products from Apple, more than any other company in the technology sector, are designed to interact easily with one another.  For example, Apple makes it very easy to connect an iPad to an iTV or a MacBook Pro.  But, as many people have discovered, there are more affordable high definition televisions with more options than the iTV.  But why should you be inconvenienced for wanting a great HDTV and an iPhone and wanting them to interact?  Scosche does not think you should be inconvenienced!  That is why Scosche made the sneakPEAK HD Cable!

Scosche’s sneakPEAK High Definition Audio/Video Cable for iPad, iPhone & iPod is a fairly simple cable that allows you to connect virtually any Apple i-product that has a screen on it to a high definition television.  By connecting your Apple products’ output port to the HDTV’s input ports, you are transforming your Apple product into a media player, like a DVD or Blu-Ray player.  This will allow you to play media from your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad on your high definition television, even if you are streaming it from the Cloud!

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With all of the rapidly-changing aspects of computer technology, it can be very hard to keep up.  Indeed, for those who are casual computer users without real investment in the computer hardware industry, it was not so long ago that the USB port became the dominant interface port.  Suddenly, when you upgraded your computer and wanted to use your favorite old keyboard or mouse, you discovered there were no ports in the back of your new computer for it!  Like compact discs to records, the USB port has pretty much eliminated most specialized ports on computers.  In the world of USB ports, USB 3.0 is slowly creeping up in popularity.

But, you might be wondering, just what is USB 3.0?

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Have you had enough with portable technology devices?  If you said ”yes,” it can hardly be considered a surprise.  More than any other time in history, the consumer electronics market is overflowing with options . . . so many that it is easy to fail to see what the point of it all is.  Media players alone have become a market where the options seem to be designed more for competition between products than actually filing a niche that is desperately yearning to be filled.

For small-screen devices, you have your smartphones.  While many of the smartphones have screens that are less than 2” for the diagonal screen measurement, the iPod Touch changed the nature of such devices when Apple released it with a 3.5” screen.  This created a niche of handheld devices that could surf the Internet and perform all sorts of media functions, including playing movies and music.  The Apple iPhone added telephone communication to that and with that, Apple firmly entered the smartphone wars.

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Over the last few years, millions of Angry Birds have attempted to rescue their stolen eggs from the evil green pigs. They fling themselves repeatedly at the pigs’ enclosures, attempting to knock them over and kill the pigs inside. Each time they succeed in killing all of the pigs they are one stage closer to the return of their precious eggs.

We have all heard of the Angry Birds game, and probably most of you have played it at least once. Have you ever wondered how this simple game of flinging birds at pigs became a nation-wide trend? Who thought up this game and why?

Rovio Entertainment Ltd created the hugely popular game Angry Birds in December of 2009 and launched it as a smartphone app. The game was a final effort to bring the company back from bankruptcy, according to Business Insider. Their efforts certainly paid off, with their small puzzle game launching a $50 million business built around the merchandising from one game.

There are Angry Birds plush toys, t-shirts, board and card games, blankets, headphones, backpacks, and so many other products. Rovio knows how to make money from their products – that they have created a game that so many people play is an accomplishment in itself, but to sell so many unrelated products simply because they have Angry Birds on them is phenomenal.

The game itself is very easy to learn how to play, but can be quite difficult to win. A basic understanding of physics and a lot of trial-and-error can take you far in the game, but the stages are progressively harder as you move further into the game. It could be said that Angry Birds has the popularity it does because of this method of game design – anyone can play it, but it takes determination to win.

There is currently an Angry Birds game available for all of the popular operating systems, including Windows, Mac, IOS, and Android. As an added incentive to buy their other products, Rovio has recently made the Angry Birds game completely free on Android.

Users should take caution, however, of possible Internet security threats from pirated copies of the Angry Birds game. With its huge success come many pirated copies of the game, some of which could contain malware and other threats to your Internet security. If something happens to your mobile device because of these Internet security threats, do not wait, get help from professional computer repair specialists at RESCUECOM.

Rovio is still keeping their focus on Angry Birds for now, but they have hinted that they are working on a new game, but it will be a while before it is ready. It is very likely that Rovio’s next game will capture the world’s attention the same way the Angry Birds has.

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

Have you ever wondered what material the screens on your computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones are? Why does it not scratch or break every time you drop it? On most new devices, the screen is Gorilla Glass, which is made by Corning Incorporated. Corning has created a thin, scratch-resistant, damage-resistant glass that manufacturers use in nearly all electronic devices for the screen. You can find Gorilla Glass in televisions, desktops, notebooks, smartphones and tablets from most manufacturers.

According to HowStuffWorks, after they prepare the glass mixture, they pour the Gorilla Glass into a trough that allows it to be pulled very thin. A potassium salt bath then treats the glass to provide the damage-resistance that makes it special. This kind of chemical treatment on glass is not unique to Gorilla Glass, but Corning’s glass is the most widely used and one of the toughest in the industry.

Beginning with the original Apple iPhone, Gorilla Glass has allowed new screens to be clearer, brighter, and stronger than ever. They report that Gorilla Glass is currently in over 600 different products. Now, Corning has announced that they have improved their Gorilla Glass to version 2.0.

This new version, Gorilla Glass 2.0, is the same in scratch-resistance and damage-resistance, but is 20% thinner than before. This new thinness will allow manufacturers to create smaller, lighter devices and therefore have more flexibility in their designs. With Gorilla Glass 2.0, Corning says that the screens will be even brighter and more sensitive to touch as well.

There is also the possibility that Corning could make the Gorilla Glass 20% stronger while leaving it the same thickness. That would mean we would be able to have similar devices in weight, but that last longer and do not require mobile computer repairs as often. You could drop your phone more often or probably throw it harder and not have to worry as much about the screen breaking.

Unfortunately, even when Gorilla Glass 2.0 is standard on almost all devices it will still be able to break when given enough force because it is glass after all. Therefore, until they find a way to make screens that are completely shatterproof, we will continue to deal with broken, chipped, or cracked screens. When that happens, as we all know it does happen, as least you can get reliable computer repair help from experts such as those at RESCUECOM, in order to get your electronic device’s screen repaired quickly and easily.

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 the publishing industry changes with technology, it is no surprise that digital comics are becoming an important part of the lives of comic book readers everywhere.  Comic book fans have often been maligned as either being oddly illiterate (requiring pictures to actually read books) or obsessive compulsive collectors who do not even read their mint-condition books.  Digital comics confound those prejudices by giving the collectors a virtual product that allows them to enjoy the stories they love and illustrating that most comic readers are not only literate but tech savvy.  While digital comic book programs like the one from Comixology have their benefits, for readers of Marvel Comics comic books, there is no substitute for Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.

Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is a comprehensive premium subscription digital comic reader that has been around longer than any other mainstream digital comics program.  The Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited service is both a first-run digital publication service and the most incredible archive a Marvel Comics fan could hope for.  For $9.99/month or $59.88/year, you have access to the incredible Marvel Comics vault as well as all new comics in a digital form.

When you subscribe to the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, you get unrestricted access to the Marvel Comics vault.  Every day, Marvel adds many vintage comics to the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited collection and the stated goal from Marvel is to have every single issue of every single book Marvel Comics ever published available in a digital form in the vault.  Already, there are tens of thousands of Marvel Comics available from the service.  Each comic book in the collection is rendered as a Flash program.  As a subscriber, you may open any available comic book on your computer, smartphone or tablet computer to access read the book.  The Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited format guides you from panel to panel of each book, so you read at your own pace, but in the order the author intended you to read the book.  This format is especially helpful when reading comic books where the illustrators awkwardly arranged the panels of the book on the page; the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited format eliminates that issue!

Marvel releases new comics in the same format, so there is consistency between old and new comic books.  Marvel publishes each new comic to the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited program a few months after their initial print publication.  This, they argue, keeps the print medium relevant while still encouraging subscribers to the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited program.

With the rising costs of graphic novels and comic books, a subscription to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited may be the most cost-effective way to keep reading comic books old and new!

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 the new year blossoms and you consider your New Year’s resolution, you may find that you have, metaphorically, bit off more than you can chew.  Two of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight and to quit smoking.  While technology can be used to help you lose weight, what you might not know is that there are now ways to use technology to help you quit smoking.  Livestrong, the marketing and merchandising arm of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, helped to develop the MyQuit Coach application for the Apple iPhone and it may help you to quit smoking!

MyQuit Coach is available through iTunes for all variations of the Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS 4.0 or above.  The application runs as a blend of a motivational program and journal function designed to help you rid your body of nicotine!  The MyQuit Coach app will help you quit smoking if you do not want to use medicines or other smoking cessation methods and no data yet exists on how effective the program is.  However, for those who believe in the power of mind over matter – but just need a partner in the process – the MyQuit Coach application may be just the ticket you need to quit smoking this year.

The motivational aspect of the MyQuit Coach application comes in the form of screenshots and slogans.  Each time you access the MyQuit Coach application, you are greeted with a statement, like “Smoking affects me and my loved ones,” to help keep you aware of the consequences of your actions.  The application also includes videos that help detail the consequences of smoking.  The MyQuit Coach acts as a “good-cop, bad-cop” routine on your iPhone encouraging you and warning you of the consequences of slipping from your plan.

Perhaps the more useful function of the MyQuit Coach is the journal function.  Using the MyQuit Coach, you may program your iPhone to detail specific benchmarks in your goal to quit smoking.  If you have tried and failed in the past as quitting smoking cold turkey, you may use MyQuit Coach to wean you from cigarettes incrementally.  Under such a plan, you use MyQuit Coach to keep track of how many cigarettes you have had in a day and the application warns you when you are about to pass the goal number you have set for yourself.

The MyQuit Coach application is actually a very smart use of smartphone technology.  Because one of the common complaints smokers have when the relapse and smoke again is that they did not know what to do with their hands when they were not smoking, the MyQuit Coach comes up with an elegant solution.  By keeping the smoker’s fingers busy on an iPhone, the application helps break the physiological connection to smoking that seasoned smokers might have.  That is a clever idea and makes the MyQuit Coach application a very cool 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