Computer Support Blog

Android has been dominating the handheld smartphone and tablet OS market for some time now.  Because it is such a popular operating system, manufacturers like Samsung have been quick to accessorize their tablets to accommodate the apps that Android supports.  With Cloud-based media applications on the rise, Samsung Galaxy Tab owners have been eagerly awaiting a connector that will allow them to connect their portable device with their home theater.  Galaxy Tab owners have enjoyed the convenience of Cloud streaming, but not the ability to interface with their home HDMI theater.  All of that changes with Samsung’s HDTV Adapter for the Galaxy Tab Android Tablet.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab HDMI Adapter is an easy-to-use device that allows users to transfer their Android-accessed Cloud-based library to any high-definition television, monitor or projector.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab HDMI Adapter features a male port designed to interface with the docking port on the Galaxy Tab.  Samsung created its own port configuration for its tablet computers like the Galaxy Tab and that port is what allows the Galaxy Tab to dock with other Samsung equipment.  Samsung’s Galaxy Tab HDMI Adapter includes a male connector that slides easily into the female docking port on the Galaxy Tab.  Like other Samsung connectors that connect to the docking port, the HDMI Adapter for Galaxy Tab clicks to lock into the port to assure connectivity.

What the connector does, then, is translate the signal coming out of the Galaxy Tab into an HDMI signal.  The connector at one end of the adapter is connected to a small converter box at the other end of the adapter.  That box has a female HDMI port.  Like many such adapters, like the equivalent adapter for Apple products, the HDMI Adapter for Galaxy Tab lacks the HDMI cable needed to connect the Adapter to a high-definition device.  In most cases, users of the Samsung HDMI Adapter for Galaxy Tab will not even need to purchase an HDMI cable to connect the adapter 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 Samsung HDMI Adapter for Galaxy Tab into the HDMI cable you unplugged from the existing player or gaming console and your Android-powered device may now stream directly to your high-definition television!

It is that easy.  The Samsung HDMI Adapter for Galaxy Tab allows you to combine the convenience of streaming, Cloud-based technology with the home theater you already own!

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 computer keyboard is a tough device to customize.  Computer keyboards are a standard device with a standard layout.  Keyboards have remained virtually unchanged in form and function from the typewriter to the earliest computers to now.  With smartphones, tablet computers, notebook computers and virtually every display interface made in a way that offers options for customizing, the keyboard remains one of the least personal, least customizable computer devices.  MapKeyboard changes that!

MapKeyboard is a program from InchWest that is available for free (though if you find it useful, you may donate funds to them) online.  MapKeyboard is not a virtual keyboard in the physical sense, but it does essentially create a virtual keyboard within your computer.  With MapKeyboard, you may reassign the values of each keyboard keystroke.  Have you always wished that the “a” key was where the “h” key is?  With MapKeyboard installed, you can program your computer so hitting the “h” key reads as “a” to your computer!  MapKeyboard allows you to reassign all 101 keys on a standard keyboard or even eliminate keys from functioning.  If you constantly, accidentally hit the “Print Screen” key, you may use MapKeyboard to disable the key!

MapKeyboard has a surprising number of practical applications.  If you are an editor who finds yourself editing works where one or two words – like “a” or “the” – need to continually be inserted into document, you can program MapKeyboard to make any four lined-up keys spell those words!  Through such customized programming applications you may increase your productivity.

As a security measure, MapKeyboard may be absolutely invaluable.  If you are one of the many people who loathes having to change your passwords because you cannot keep track of them, MapKeyboard may allow you enhanced security.  Instead of changing your password, you can change your keyboard.  Then, even if someone knew your password, when they attempted to type it using traditional keystrokes, they would essentially be inputting gibberish.

MapKeyboard works on Windows 7, 2008 and Vista and prior versions of the program which you may find online with ease worked with Mac computers as well.  For those who want everything their own way, MapKeyboard allows you to customize your keyboard.  It is about time.

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

In the last few years, Samsung Electronics has risen to be an exceptional powerhouse in the consumer electronics industry.  In 2006, Samsung surpassed Sony as the top-selling television brand in the world.  While Apple may have taken the U.S. by storm with the iPhone, Samsung is the world’s biggest smartphone vendor.  These changes in Samsung’s market share are largely attributed to Gee-Sung Choi.  If you do not recognize the name Gee-Sung Choi, it is not surprising.  Choi is the Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics and while he has had an exceptional career, his private life has largely remained private.

Gee-Sung Choi is to Samsung what Tim Cook is to Apple Computers.  Choi is the CEO of Samsung Electronics and in that capacity, he is responsible for positioning Samsung to dominate the electronics market.  Under Choi, Samsung embraced the Android OS for smartphones.  The Android operating system is now on 52.5% of all smartphones worldwide.  The popularity of the Android OS combined with Samsung marketing several low-cost smartphone options led the company to a third quarter in which they sold 24,000,000 smartphones!  Pairing the popular OS with the lower-priced smartphones is a business decision that Choi fostered.

Like many CEOs, Gee-Sung Choi worked his way up the corporate ladder at Samsung.  Samsung is a forty year-old company and Choi has been working for Samsung for more than thirty years!  Gee-Sung Choi worked his way up from an executive in the International Trade Division to help create the Virtual Display Division of Samsung.  In that position, Choi helped build Samsung into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of monitors and televisions.  Samsung had the largest worldwide market share in monitors and televisions when the Board promoted Choi from President of Digital Media Business to President of Television Network Business.

In a similar fashion, Samsung rose to be the second largest mobile phone manufacturer by market share while Gee-Sung Choi was the President of Digital Media And Communications Business.  With such a clear track-record of success, it is very easy to see why the Board Of Directors of Samsung promoted Gee-Sung Choi CEO after Lee Kun-hee departed the company amid a scandal.  Gee-Sung Choi has remained diligent in his commitment to Samsung since his promotion and he has a firm plan through 2020 for the company!

He may not have the celebrity of a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but with an estimated net worth of $3.4 billion, Gee-Sung Choi certainly has the success!

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

There are a lot of charities that deal with helping those who have the greatest need get technology like computers.  Of course, the very existence of such charities implies that the problem persists, but as the holidays wane and you look forward to your tax refund, perhaps you are thinking of the less fortunate.  One of the charities that are working hard to make a difference is the World Computer Exchange.

The World Computer Exchange is a charity that seeks to deliver computers to impoverished countries.  Their Computers for Girls initiative is one of the charity’s biggest endeavors.  Computers for Girls is, as its name implies, an effort to provide girls in other countries with computers.  In addition to providing computers, Computers for Girls works with girls and young women in foreign countries to teach them how to use the computers.  Computers for Girls has recently teamed with the Peace Corps to help provide the education component of their mission.  So, while the World Computer Exchange has only been operating since 2000, the Peace Corps is hardly a fly-by-night organization!

The need for computer education and computer hardware for girls is very real.  The gender gap is even more severe in nations like Pakistan, the Philippines and Panama.  Liberia, which is still recovering from its last civil war, has made women’s rights issues a very low priority on its national agenda.  So, the need for an organization like the World Computer Exchange is unfortunately very real.  The Computers for Girls initiative provides real educational opportunities to girls in thirteen of the most impoverished or oppressive counties on Earth.

The World Computer Exchange is a very reputable charity and meets most of the Better Business Bureau’s qualifications to be an accredited charity.  In fact, with 86% of every donation being used to provide the services and materials of the charity, the World Computer Exchange has a more efficient operation than the March Of Dimes (75%) or the Make-A-Wish Foundation (also 75%).  It is worth noting that the element the WCE failed to meet to get its accreditation actually helps the charity run more efficiently.  The WCE’s Board Of Directors is required to meet multiple times a year to get accredited.  Because the WCE is an international effort, their Board meetings include members who have a virtual presence at each meeting.  Using computers and telecommunications devices, those board members participate in the meetings without being physically present; the BBB does not consider that acceptable.  In some ways, it is reassuring to see a charity where the leaders are so dedicated to their cause that they will not make an international trip and abandon that cause!

The Computers for Girls initiative is putting real computers in front of girls who might otherwise receive no formal education or training.  Supporting the World Computer Exchange’s Computers for Girls program is worthwhile.

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

In the world of business and technology, there are some stories that truly are amazing.  In the case of Stan Shih, who founded Acer Computers, the story is one that deserves a wider audience; few Americans know his name, but his inventions have influenced almost everyone on Earth.

Stan Shih was more than a typical business executive or a computer expert.  Instead, Shih is one of the few executives who made an effective transition between the very different worlds of engineering/computer programing and multi-billion dollar business executive.  Shih’s significance to the world began in 1971.  At that time, the Taiwan-born developer created Taiwan’s first desktop calculator.  Successfully marketing his calculator, Shih did not rest on his first major industrial accomplishment.  Instead, the next year, Shih helped form Qualitron Industrial Group and spearheaded the creation of the pen watch.

What Stan Shih became known for, at least in Asia, was founding a little computer company called Multitech International Corp.  Multitech International Corp. grew and it soon evolved into a computer manufacturer known as Acer.  Shih led the company from a $25,000 startup to become one of the largest computer manufacturers on Earth.  When Shih left Acer in 2004, it was fifth in the personal computer vending market.

In his tenure as Founder and CEO of Acer, virtually every respectable publication in the business world named him one of the most influential people in the world.  In 2006, Time Magazine credited Shih with revolutionizing Taiwan’s industrial sector to create the infrastructure to make it a dominant PC-manufacturer.  Shih deserves those accolades; it was his leadership and skill that nurtured the developing market to make it one of the most important technology sectors in history.  Far from the toys and trinkets Taiwan produced before, Shih’s Acer made a viable, seemingly limitless, production industry for the country.

Since retiring from the day-to-day management of Acer, Stan Shih has shifted his focus to business pursuits.  Never forgetting how the IT industry made his career, Stan Shih founded iD SoftCapital, which is a financing company for emerging technology companies.  As the Group Chairman of iD SoftCapital, Stan Shih continues to shape the technology world by making business decisions that fund what he believes are the most profitable emerging technologies.

From the desktop calculator to the next generation of computer and electronics products, Stan Shih has left an indelible footprint on the world!

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

Since 1997, the coolest dentist offices in the world have all been treating their customers with a surprisingly awesome device from Milestone Scientific.  Originally called The Wand, Milestone Scientific’s CompuDent Instrument revolutionized the way dentists deliver anesthesia for oral surgery.  The CompuDent Instrument does not provide dentists with computer imaging technology to better visualize dental problems better; it makes the pain of oral surgery go away!

Computers are involved with the CompuDent Instrument, which delivers local anesthetic to oral surgery patients.  Milestone Scientific realized that much of the fear of oral surgery – of all kinds – comes from a very rational fear of pain.  The initial pain that patients felt when the oral surgeon or anesthesiologist first delivered the local anesthetic realized the fears of all those patients.  The CompuDent Instrument eliminates that initial pain.

The CompuDent Instrument is a two-piece device that includes the computer injection system and the wand.  When the dentist places the wand in the patient’s mouth, the computer injection system takes over.  The CompuDent Instrument transfers local anesthetic to the gums, teeth and other precise targets in the oral cavity through the wand.  After the wand is rooted, the CompuDent Instrument delivers the anesthetic painlessly.

The painless aspect of the CompuDent Instrument is its big selling point and the computer-assisted injection system makes the injection painless.  The initial pain of receiving local anesthetic usually comes from the pressure of the anesthetic being blasted into the tissue during the initial injection.  The CompuDent Instrument eliminates that initial pain by monitoring the pressure in the tissues surrounding the wand and adjusting the anesthetic injection and drip accordingly.  Through precision measurements and adjustments, the CompuDent Instrument makes the injections painless.  This frees up your oral surgeon to pay attention to the procedure they are doing, not your pain management.

The CompuDent Instrument’s precision delivery had an unexpected secondary benefit.  Because the CompuDent Instrument provides precise levels of local anesthetic exactly where you need it, the device all but eliminated peripheral numbing.  If you are having your wisdom tooth extracted, the anesthetic will not be so strong as to numb your lips or cheek when delivered with the CompuDent Instrument.  That precision also leads to faster recovery times, as your body metabolizes the discrete, targeted local anesthetic better.

While there have been many advances in computer imaging technology and data storage devices that have inarguably aided dentists, it is hard to argue with the benefit of a device that causes patients less pain.  The CompuDent Instrument helps make going to the dentist painless and that is very cool.

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 a rare thing for a CEO of a computer company to be seen working in the art department of the company they run.  No one would expect to see Tom Cook, CEO of Apple Computers, at a drafting board adjusting the design of the next iPod!  And yet, Satoru Iwata periodically works on art for Nintendo software . . . despite the fact that he is CEO of Nintendo!

The board of directors of Nintendo promoted Satoru Iwata to CEO following the resignation of Hiroshi Yamauchi.  Members of the Yamauchi family had, historically, run Nintendo and the promotion of Satoru Iwata to CEO and President of the company marked a profound shift for the company.  Why did Nintendo change its longstanding tradition? Quite simply, there was no one better for the job than Iwata!

Satoru Iwata began working for the software laboratory, HAL Laboratory, right out of college.  HAL Laboratory was only three years old when Iwata took over as coordinator of software production, developing the Kirby franchise from the ground up for Nintendo.  With many successful projects under his belt, Iwata became president of HAL Laboratory.  He served as President for seven years before Nintendo wooed him to become their head of corporate planning.  He served in that capacity for only two years before Nintendo’s board of directors promoted him to CEO and President of Nintendo.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Satoru Iwata has seen Nintendo through some of its most profitable years, with no foreseeable end in sight!  Black Friday 2011 was the company’s most successful sales day for the Wii gaming console.  This might seem un-extraordinary until one considers the console has been on the market for six years now!  To have a bestselling game console after six years is an exceptional business feat.

As well, the Nintendo portable system, the 3DS, became a remarkable commercial success.  While many other video game companies were altering their business models to put their games on smartphones and other portable devices, Iwata saw an opportunity to reinvent dedicated portable video game hardware.  Iwata’s vision was prophetic as the 3DS and its related software had exceptional sales leading up to Christmas 2011.

More than anything else, Satoru Iwata is a man of vision.  He is an expert planner and his willingness to take calculated risks in a traditionally unstable market has made him a world leader in the video game marketplace.  As CEO of Nintendo, he has plans to keep the company growing for years to come and if history is any indication, he will be wildly successful.  Still, that does not mean you won’t find him working on the artwork or game design for the next Legend Of Zelda release!

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 Internet has produced many billionaires.  The dot com bubble may have burst, but some business owners made a lot of money very fast.  One of the few such executives who are still standing at the head of a successful dot com is Jeffrey Bezos.  Jeffrey Bezos is the President, CEO and Chairman of the board of Amazon.com.

Jeffrey Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 as the Internet was still growing.  As brick and mortar stores were slowly developing an online presence, Bezos created the virtual bookstore with a robust inventory and a commitment to customer service.  A year before eBay was launched, Bezos had Amazon.com online, selling books and building a customer base.  Quickly realizing the site was underperforming for its potential, Bezos expanded Amazon.com to sell movies, music and other products alongside books.  Bezos transformed the business he ran from his garage to an international online retailer that increased his net worth to approximately 18 billion dollars!

While many billionaire CEOs of technology-related companies achieved their prominence from having a fresh, new idea, Jeffrey Bezos simply exploited, first and best, the emerging technology.  There is nothing particularly audacious about the idea of using the Internet to sell goods.  What made Amazon.com impressive at the time of its inception was that Bezos effectively exploited the new revenue channel to reach an exceptional marketplace.  While established brick and mortar stores were looking to supplement their income through occasional online sales, Bezos realized the potential of the virtual storefront and built Amazon.com.  Bezos pioneered the idea of the virtual storefront, selling a product online without an accompanying physical store.  When Bezos’s model proved successful, Pierre Omidyar would take the idea a step further and build an online sales site without any product (eBay)!

While many Internet stores have since risen and fallen, Amazon.com has remained strong.  Many attribute the strength of Amazon to the leadership Jeffrey Bezos exhibits as founder, CEO, President and Chairman of Amazon.  It is hard to argue with that logic.  By commissioning the creation of the Kindle, Bezos helped to ignite the entire e-reader market as well as a renewed interest in reading by the general population.  The success of the Kindle Fire, which many industry analysts suggest Amazon is selling at or below the cost of production, illustrates Bezos’s commitment to a long-term approach for Amazon.com’s success.  Bezos sees the value in selling more of a product at a loss when the virtual product – the e-books – has the potential to make his company billions!

A pioneer in the Internet retail market, Jeffrey Bezos is a CEO who was at the right place, at the right time, with the right vision!

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

Every executive in charge of a big company has a story.  Some of those stories are intriguing and complex, others are surprisingly mundane.  One might suspect a consumer revolution would occur if most Americans knew just how many CEOs became CEO by simply being in the right place at the right time.  Few CEOs, however, have had the complicated and fascinating careers of Meg Whitman.

Meg Whitman is the new Chief Executive Officer and President of Hewlett-Packard.  Whitman’s rise to CEO is not a happenstance and her ascension comes after a particularly rough business year for HP.  Whitman’s new role as CEO of HP is generally seen as a desperate move to put Hewlett-Packard on a more successful track after a particularly tumultuous series of failing CEOs.  Whitman’s predecessor served as CEO for only eleven months before the Board of Directors showed him the door!

Since the mid-1980s, Meg Whitman has been a powerful executive.  Her first executive position was as a senior vice president at Bain & Company.  From there, she moved to various executive positions at the Walt Disney Company, FTD, and Hasbro.  Her big leadership opportunity came when she assumed control of eBay as its CEO.

As CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman made eBay from a minor Internet sales site into an international powerhouse.  The company grew from thirty employees to a significant international company.  More importantly, Whitman helped eBay achieve its success by completely reorganizing the corporate structure as well as the site’s functional organization.  Under her guidance, eBay became a publicly traded company, adopted the iconic four-colored logo and purchased Skype!  Whitman ran eBay for a decade before moving on, leaving the company as one of the most powerful women in business and one of the most influential CEOs of the last decade.

Immediately before taking on the job of CEO of HP, Meg Whitman ran for governor of California.  As a Republican candidate, Meg Whitman hoped to continue Arnold Schwarzenegger’s style of leadership over the traditionally Democratic state.  While she lost in the general election, her campaign made a good showing after several scandals that would have taken down a lesser person.  Following her failed gubernatorial run, Whitman joined HP’s Board of Directors where she served until the Board promoted her to CEO.

If Meg Whitman’s past successes are any indication, she represents the best chance Hewlett-Packard has to restructure and survive as a powerful business in the tech sector!

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 have had M&M’s lately, you might be contributing to a growing problem without even knowing about it.  M&M’s has a current promotion on many of its wrappers advertising the chance to win free movie tickets.  This is very exciting; in addition to getting some candy, you have the chance to get into a movie for free!  How cool is that?  Your response might be a little different after you pull back the curtain and look at what MARS/M&M’s is actually doing (and they are not the only ones!).

When you go on the Internet to enter the code found on your wrapper of M&M’s, the site requests your birthdate and state.  This is a very odd redundancy as the M&M’s website requires you to provide your birthdate just to access the site (it reconfigures for different age groups, which is admittedly pretty cool).  After you have added your date of birth and state or territory, you may enter your game code.  When you enter your game code, you are compelled to provide your e-mail address before the site will tell you what you have won.

And lo!  The vast majority of winners who win anything from M&M’s.com have to enter their address . . . so M&M’s may mail you your movie coupon.  This may seem like a very exciting process that has you eager to go to the movie, as well as eat more candy (you could win again!).

But what has really happened?  In the space of about one minute, you have provided the MARS/M&M’s Corporation with your name, address, e-mail address and birthdate.  You have given the company everything they need to put you on a mailing list!

Virtually every company with an online presence now gets their data directly from their customers in this fashion.  Why pay for a mailing list from a competitor when you can simply have your customers furnish their contact information under the guise of winning something?  The bottom of the receipts for Taco Bell and Wal-Mart promise the chance of money each month when you call and inform the company about the service you received.  Some users online have reported spikes in e-mails from companies like Wal-Mart following filling out those surveys!

It used to be that businesses kept customers in the dark about how their names ended up on mailing lists.  With the rise of Internet contests and surveys that require you to give your contact information, the process is being redressed poorly.  But kudos to the big companies!  They have realized they do not need data miners; they just need to offer the possibility of getting something more with your seventy-five cent candy!

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