Computer Support Blog

With so many incredible products and services that may easily be found on the Internet, it is amazing that there is still room for innovation there.  Yet, every year entrepreneurs come up with brand new ways to utilize the Internet.  Those entrepreneurs are clever, imaginative people; the successful ones find a niche that has been neglected before they pioneer the new product or service.  Perhaps that level of imagination explains why so many entrepreneurs in the tech sector are so young!  Youth and imagination are characteristics Furqan Rydhan benefitted from when he became CEO of LiveServe Technologies, Inc. Read more »

Sometimes, the coolest places on the Internet are not the flashiest or the best known places.  When it comes to online shopping, most people look to eBay or Amazon or they log into specialized shops where they have specific products they are anticipating buying.  But the big online retailers are not the ideal place to buy art.  Art – fine art and homemade – has never had much traction on eBay.  There are some wonderful, specialized, websites and social networks for artwork online, like Art.net and Elftown.  But the place to buy and sell artwork on the Internet is Etsy. Read more »

Those who use Amazon.com’s Amazon Prime service for streaming videos have had a good few months recently.  The Amazon.com library of available videos has only been growing in recent months.  While Steven Kessel, the company’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Digital Media, deserves a lot of credit for the arrangements that provide users with more and more digital video files, there is an unsung hero of Amazon who deserves equal praise.  No matter what arrangements Kessel makes, no relationship between Amazon.com and production studios or distribution companies is complete until is passes muster with L. Michelle Wilson! Read more »

As online shopping has become more and more popular, there has remained a vocal minority of analysts who claim the movement is little more than a fad.  So far, Internet shopping trends have illustrated well that consumers are willing to wait for their merchandise in order to get it less expensively.  Consumers have also latched onto online companies like eBay and Amazon because their vast selection has no real-world equivalent in the marketplace.  But outside cranky brick and mortar retail store owners and conservative commentators who fear change, there has been a consistent voice arguing that online shopping is not likely to endure.  That voice has come from sociologists and the first real proof of their theories comes with a new deal reached by Nordstrom’s department stores and online retailer Bonobos. Read more »

There are few Internet sites where the sole, unabashed purpose of the site is to make money.  For sure, virtually every business on the Internet is there to try to make money, but most try to offer customers a product or service or otherwise disguise the fact that they are making money off your visiting their site.  Many websites take an approach similar to Facebook, where they focus on the experience of the site, as opposed to how the company will make money off it.  At the other end of the spectrum is Joseph Einhorn. Read more »

Changing the face of shopping on the Internet is not as easy an idea to execute as it is to conceive.  There are many different models for trying to lure websurfers into shopping, though the prevailing wisdom is one must have a site or interface that is rich with images.  Shopping through pictures you find on the Internet is the basic idea behind sites like Shopalong and Luminate.  Making it possible for you to buy what you see in pictures online is the job of the engineers at Luminate.  Directing them and making Luminate successful is Troy Chevalier.

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If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Pinterest has a lot to feel flattered about!  In addition to enjoying a lot of press in the online media, Pinterest is the concept that many new social networking sites appear to be trying to imitate.  Pinterest allows you to “pin” any image you find on the Internet to your bulletin board on Pinterest to share with your friends and followers.  You and your friends may comment on the pictures and the site inspires some very lively discussions.

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If you’re already planning your post-dinner shopping strategy in preparation for a long night waiting outside stores on Black Friday, perhaps you would like to reconsider. The notorious holiday is often the best time of year to buy electronics, as well as many other items. In case you’re thinking of hitting the stores on Thursday night, or even if you’re just not sure what to do, here are seven reasons you should stay at home, relax, sleep in, and shop online:

1)   False advertising: Unbelievable deals are unbelievable for a reason—they usually come with fine print. Incredibly cheap laptops, for example, are often not worth the wait. The cheap price tag can come back to haunt users with computer repair expenses, and stores like Walmart carry a very limited supply. Expect to find most of the deals you want gone by the time it’s your turn to get into the store!

2)   Similar deals: As more people flock to stores’ websites, stores are flocking to give people what they want. Wal-Mart and Target, among others, are very much aware of the shifts in Black Friday shopping trends and are increasingly offering most of the same deals online.

3)   Hungry crowds: Black Friday shopping can bring out the worst in people, which is why it can get pretty nasty. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the stress of tending to multiple lists and balancing different schedules to match different store opening hours. Especially in this bad economy, low prices can be a dangerously strong motivation to push and shove. Why deal with the crowds when you can stay in bed?

4)   Localized shopping: Shopping online places dozens of stores and retailers in one location for your convenience: your computer. You don’t have to hop from one mall to another to buy a computer, a bathrobe, and a new tie. In fact, if you shop at Amazon.com, you’ll find a huge variety of items on one site.

5)   Earlier sales: Amazon, Walmart and Target have already begun offering discounted items as part of a weeklong online sale. You don’t even need to wait for Friday (although some deals are still exclusive to Friday). Look on these retailers’ websites for previews of what to expect over the next few days. Remember, though, that even some online supplies are limited.

6)   Peer Pressure: Amidst the in-store shopping frenzy, it’s easy to impulsively buy more than you need. When we see others buying left and right, we tend to think we should be competing and often do the same thing. Besides, the physical proximity of merchandise can lead us to reach for things we do not need just because they’re within sight.

7)   Research: Buying online gives you ample time to research and compare products. After all, a low price isn’t always the only selection criterion. It’s difficult to compare products in a store where they’re flying off the shelf before you can even reach them!

If you are not convinced and still want to shop in stores, then make sure you’re prepared: do your research, know what you need, and stay away from crowds.

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’ve ever been in a small pizzeria or a local family diner that has just recently started accepting credit cards, you might have seen a little gadget that’s attached to the checkout computer—a small credit card reader. With the advances in network services, it has become very easy to attach a credit card reader to almost any computer with an Internet connection. In fact, if you’d like to swipe away your credit cards at home, then by all means, go for it. SmartSwipe is a small, very cool personal credit card reader that can be used to read credit cards at home or in the office.

SmartSwipe isn’t just a cool way of playing shop at home. Sure, you can swipe away your credit cards when shopping online to get a more commercial feel for your transactions, but there’s more to this credit card reader than fun. SmartSwipe adds an entire new dimension of security to your online financial activities that involve using credit cards. No matter how secure you think your Internet connection is, and regardless of how advanced your anti-virus software is, when you enter your credit card information, you still face some Internet security risks. SmartSwipe reduces (or maybe even eliminates) these risks by encrypting your credit card data before it reaches the information field. This way, if a hacker is trying to monitor your keystrokes or remotely observe your screen, he or she will not be able to see the information you enter.

Under normal circumstances, when you use a credit card to make an online purchase, the website you’re using scrambles (encrypts) your data to prevent hackers from seeing it in its raw form. However, if your device is infected with spyware, for example, that program will have access to the data before it is encrypted. SmartSwipe encrypts the data in its external hardware so that by the time it reaches your computer, it’s protected.

The safe credit card reader is an essential tool for people who regularly enter their credit card information online, whether it’s for online shopping or other financial transactions. As Identity theft problems increase, it’s essential for users to safeguard their private information.

The device is easy to use and connects to your computer via a USB port. Additionally, it is compatible with all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and JCB.

SmartSwipe doesn’t come with hidden fees, according to its manufacturer, and using it is completely free after you have purchased the product. The device also helps protect you from accidentally buying the same product twice as it only accepts one purchase per transaction.

To investigate how well the card reader actually works, CBS affiliate, KUTV, independently put it to the test. The show’s producers attempted to get access to a volunteer’s credit information as she completed two transactions, one with SmartSwipe and one without it. Sure enough, when she used SmartSwipe, the (friendly) hacker wasn’t able to see any of her information. On the other hand, when she didn’t use the device, all her data was visible.

Costliness aside, the SmartSwipe looks elegant, connects to your computer easily, and, most importantly, adds a priceless level of security to your online financial transactions, and really, can you put a price tag on that?

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