Computer Support Blog

Virtually anyone can manipulate statistics in so many different ways that it is sometimes funny what passes for news using statistics.  As the annual Consumer Electronics Show launched in Las Vegas this year, the NPD Group (formerly National Purchase Diary Group) came out with what appeared to be ominous financial statistics for the technology sector.  This was treated as potentially devastating news among many members of the technology press, most of whom were off covering the Consumer Electronics Show.

Is it possible the technology reporters and bloggers did not actually read the NPD report?  Is it possible that the mainstream media that picked up the story did not understand it?  Either way, the tech sector ought not to be reeling from the NPD Group’s assertion that holiday consumer electronics spending dropped six percent during the holiday shopping season in 2011.

This would actually be news . . . if it were true.

The NPD Group’s methodology in determining that consumer electronics sales dropped is a flawed one.  In fact, they use methodology so flawed as to make the results meaningless.  The NPD report states that total consumer technology sales “excluding cell phones, tablets, e-readers, and video games” dropped.  What?!  Why is anyone taking the report seriously when it excludes some of the biggest consumer spending items of the holiday season?!  Every major poll in every single respectable publication put the Amazon Kindle Fire at the top of both “most wanted” and “most purchased” gift lists.  The Apple iPad was also a highly sought-after and delivered gift.

Saying that consumer electronic spending is down without including tablets, e-readers and video games, is like saying that cars are being pulled over less by police . . . when red and black cars are excluded.  Given that red and black cars comprise the greatest number of cars on the road in the United States, any statistic correlating cars and car color is worthless without including them.  So, too, is a statistic about holiday spending on consumer electronics that omits the most popular consumer electronics of the holiday season!

Why did the NPD release such a worthless statistic?  To be fair, the data is virtually impossible to come by.  Amazon is notoriously tight-lipped about how many of its e-readers have sold, and, with the Kindle Fire, they have been characteristically opaque.  Apple is also less eager to release its sales figures on tablet computers, though it is widely predicted that when you consider tablets a personal computers, Apple is now the largest PC manufacturer on Earth.

Regardless of what the NPD wants consumers to think, ten days in the 2011 holiday shopping season saw billion dollar sales, which is more than any other holiday season ever before.  To think that consumer electronics like tablets, e-readers and video games did not contribute tremendously to that is naïve.

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 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

The popularity of Apple products has been skyrocketing in the past few years. New and returning Apple users stand in line for long hours, even days, in anticipation of the debut of the latest product. In fact, the Apple obsession has arguably developed into a new form. Recently, for example, over two-thousand-five-hundred fans waited in line for the opening of Apple’s latest retail outlet in Grand Central.

Though the last two blogs in this series discussed the social—perhaps even psychological—components of loyalty to the Apple brand, to claim that Apple users are attracted to the brand merely in order to form unique social identities or to gain membership into Apple’s welcoming technological family is an unfair statement that ignores the fact that Apple products are powerful, sturdy, innovative, and simply put, very cool. Even people who don’t like to admit it know that Apple products have a much stronger security infrastructure, making using them for web related activities much less threatening. People who use Apple iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks face far fewer Internet security problems. Apple technology also comes with slight but significant technical advantages like longer battery lives and rarer needs for virus removal efforts.

Still, beyond all this, the biggest advantage that Apple has over its competition is the fact that it has so few products. Yes, at first, it seems counterintuitive to attribute success to limitation in choice. In this age of intense materialism and capitalism, we have all come believe that variety means freedom, that multiplicity in smartphone models, for example, ensures something for everyone; and, most of all, that competition is good for the market. But when examined in depth, this too is a counterintuitive approach—why should we want a million different models and brands with scattered features? How is it a good thing to have one smartphone offer half of the features we want and need, but not the rest? Ideally, what we need is a smartphone (or tablet or computer, etc) that combines all our technological wants and desires. Oh wait…

Therefore, culture and identity aside, we’ve arrived at the other major component of Apple’s success—its ability to offer immensely sophisticated technology in such a simple consumer-ready package. The moment a user decides to buy Apple, he or she is practically done—there’s no need to spend endless hours researching choices. If you’ve been in a mobile phone story recently, you have probably seen the confusing and bombarding choice of smartphones! When it comes to iPhones, on the other hand, there are very few choices that you need to make—storage capacity and model generation. Occasionally you might have to choose between black and white, but that’s about it.

What makes falling in love with Apple products so easy is their simplicity. In a perfect example of “less is more,” Apple gives users everything they need in one product and takes the difficulty of deciding out of the equation.

As we approach the end of the series, we will shift back to discussing the non-technological component of Apple’s success: brand marketing. So read the entry on the 10th for the next blog in the series.

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