Computer Support Blog

Virtually every portion of your computer can be customized.  You can easily change your wallpaper on your screen to make a statement about your interests or apply a skin to your laptop computer to protect it as well as show off your own sense of style.  The computer mouse is one of the more standardized computer components, though many independent artists have created audacious, unique computer mice that make the ordinary computer mouse into an extraordinary accessory.  Arguably the most incredible mass-produced computer mouse is the SONY VAIO Mouse Talk.

The VAIO Mouse Talk appears to be a regular optical mouse with scroll wheel.  The Mouse Talk connects to your PC, laptop or Apple computer through a standard USB port.  Once attached, the VAIO Mouse Talk – which is available in black or a stylish silver-blue color – functions like a standard laser-guided optical mouse.  What makes the VAIO Mouse Talk so special is that it opens up into a Skype phone!

With a standard clamshell phone design, the VAIO Mouse Talk seems instantly familiar when opened to reveal its phone function.  Skype, which is a Voice Over Internet Protocol program, allows users to effectively turn their internet connection into a phone line.  The VAIO Mouse Talk allows you to highlight and do computer work one moment and talk with a friend over your computer the next!  Anyone who has Skype may access it easily with the VAIO Mouse Talk, which eliminates the need for a Skype headset.  The VAIO Mouse Talk is a real asset on older computers that have fewer USB ports because it allows you to benefit both from a convenient optical mouse and a Skype phone through a single USB port.

In addition to the dual function of the VAIO Mouse Talk, SONY has created another product that is sleek and stylish with this mouse.  As a Skype phone, the VAIO Mouse Talk is comfortable in the hand and it is easy to use.  While open as a phone, the VAIO Mouse Talk’s scroll wheel becomes a volume control dial!  With the flick of a small button, the mouse controls are automatically switched to the phone controls, making this a very flexible to use device.

For most computer mice, you would have every reason to be alarmed if it suddenly began glowing blue in your hand.  With the VAIO Mouse Talk, the sudden blue glow means adventure is calling and you can take that call right away!

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

With the holidays behind us and many struggling already to keep their New Year’s resolution, it is nice to know that one of the most common subjects for a resolution has a little help this year.  If you are one of the millions of people who made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, technology is coming to your aid.  You might achieve success this year with the DietMate Weight Loss Computer.

The DietMate Weight Loss Computer is a handheld computer device designed exclusively to help you monitor your eating and exercise habits and keep you focused on achieving your weight loss goals.  The best aspect of the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is that it is a very simple specialized device.  Ideal for those who are easily distracted, and for whom a weight loss app on an otherwise cluttered smartphone or tablet computer could be ignored, the DietMate Weight Loss Computer helps you remain focused on a single goal.

The DietMate Weight Loss Computer is a handheld computer with a simple monochromatic LCD screen.  When activated, the screen has a clear, sharp readout and easy-to-use interface.  One of the striking aspects of the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is its lack of a keyboard.  The entire system works off seven buttons in conjunction with the screen.

The brilliance of the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is that it does the thinking about food and exercise so you do not have to.  Many diets fail simply because it takes so much work and effort to count calories each and every day.  Proper dietetics is a skill set like computer programming or accounting; asking most people to be so attentive to all of the nuances of nutrition is folly and the manufacturers of DietMate understand that.  The DietMate Weight Loss Computer comes programmed with all of the information on nutrition and aspects of dieting you need, so when you turn control of your diet over to the DietMate, you no longer need to be preoccupied with food.

Using the DietMate Weight Loss Computer is very easy and truly only requires a bathroom scale to use it successfully.  Each morning, you simply weigh yourself and then activate your DietMate Weight Loss Computer.  After inputting your current weight, simply carry around the DietMate and do what it tells you!  The DietMate Weight Loss Computer will tell you when to eat, it helps you choose your meals and it calculates the most efficient forms of exercise to help you reach your weight loss goals!

Approved by the National Institutes of Health, the DietMate Weight Loss Computer uses a powerful database and computer to take the thinking out of your diet.  By adapting your diet more to your existing life and patterns, you maximize your chances of weight loss success.  The DietMate Weight Loss Computer helps you change some of your patterns to help you lose weight!

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

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

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

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

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

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

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

In 2011, Lenovo had a lot to be happy about.  Rescuecom named the computer manufacturer Lenovo one of the most reliable computers on the market in the First Quarter 2011 Reliability Report.  As the creator of one of the most reliable PCs on the market, Lenovo is looking to broaden its horizons.  Lenovo has chosen to branch out into the gaming console market and 2012 may well see the first Lenovo gaming console.

Lenovo announced the iSec and is planning to release the console in May of 2012.  The iSec, which is an acronym for “Sports Entertainment Center,” will be released first in China.  Chinese citizens are not allowed to purchase or own most of the popular gaming consoles they manufacture in their own country.  As a result, Lenovo’s iSec will not be competing with the Wii, Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 for the hearts and minds of China’s consumers!  Not having to compete against the big consoles that dominate the U.S. gaming market gives Lenovo hope for a successful product launch.

Lenovo also has a potential advantage in China with its interface.  Lenovo is continuing to pioneer motion capture technology with its iSec.  Your body will act as the controller for the iSec; there will not be any external controller to play the games the programmers are developing for Lenovo’s new platform.  Lenovo is showing real forethought in its market with the controller-less approach to launch its gaming system; the Asian markets have shown a strong predilection toward physical video games.  Dance video games, which are sweeping through the popular youth culture of the United States now, were hugely popular in Asian countries before the U.S. “discovered” them.

Eedoo Technology, a Beijing-based partner with Lenovo on the iSec, is not limiting its software developing to sports-related projects.  Already, eedoo has showcased a fantasy adventure program for the iSec, which broadens its appeal in the gaming community.  As well, the iSec features an interface with the user’s home stereo system.  This transforms the iSec from a gaming console into a full entertainment system.  The first major application that makes the iSec into a full entertainment system allows the gaming console to be used as a karaoke machine.

Whether Lenovo is successful with the iSec or not, the company seems to have done its homework in designing a gaming system that enters a rather flooded market with some new ideas.  If the iSec is successful in China, Lenovo could release the gaming consoles in the United States in time for a late-2012 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

Recently, we did a little profile on Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Computers.  Cook is hardly the only interesting professional in the computer industry. We would like to continue to present a look at some of the others who make the multibillion dollar computer industry work.  Today we take a look at Lisa Brummel, the Chief People Officer for Microsoft.

Lisa Brummel is a name that most people have probably never heard associated with Microsoft, but she has been an integral part of the Microsoft company since 1989.  As “Chief People Officer,” Brummel has the coolest title of any of the executives on Microsoft’s corporate directory.  She also has one of the few photos on the Microsoft corporate directory where the subject actually looks genuinely happy.  By all accounts, that is because Lisa Brummel has worked hard and now has a fun job with Microsoft that she actually loves.

Brummel took a risk in joining Microsoft back in 1989 before Microsoft truly dominated the software and OS marketplace.  She came aboard Microsoft after working for Prentice Hall publishing.  Brummel worked her way through various management positions to become the head of Microsoft’s Human Resources Division.  Before taking over as head of Human Resources, Brummel managed the Microsoft teams that marketed Microsoft’s Interactive Media Division, which helped to make it a success from its inception.  Brummel worked for a long time managing Microsoft’s Macintosh line.  So, if you use Windows for Mac, you have Lisa Brummel’s management skills to thank.

Lisa Brummel is distinguished from many of the other Microsoft executives by her casual speaking style and just how in touch she is with consumers.  As the former head of the Home and Retail Division of Microsoft, Brummel had to manage a billion-dollar division of Microsoft.  Part of the way she successfully managed the Home and Retail Division of Microsoft was through her ability to explain the complex workings of Microsoft in simple terms.  Brummel has a knack for making complicated ideas simple. When she speaks, Brummel communicates in a very casual way free from much of the jargon that makes speeches from other Microsoft executives intimidating to those not in the business.  In addition to having a mind that is adept at keeping all sorts of facts and figures straight, Brummel is known for having a great sense of humor.

That sense of humor is an asset to Brummel as she helps staff Microsoft as the Chief People Officer.  Since 2005, as Microsoft’s business models have changed and the company has grown in new directions, Brummel has been responsible for finding the right people for the new jobs.  Certainly part of the success Microsoft has had in recent years is because Lisa Brummel has put the right people in the right place within Microsoft.  If you’re looking to work for Microsoft, she is the woman to know!

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 few computer accessories that show little or no change from when the personal computer became a household item, but arguably the device that has changed the least is the keyboard.  The keyboard is essentially the same layout as a classic typewriter with an extra number pad on it.  While the ergonomic keyboards broke up the solid keyboards and wireless keyboards made your keyboard more portable, those improvements left the basic keyboard remarkably intact.  The leap forward for keyboards that we have been waiting for finally comes with the Cellulon Virtual Laser Keyboard “Magic Cube.”

As the name implies, the Magic Cube projects a keyboard using lasers to create a keyboard anywhere you might want one.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is only physical in that it requires a surface to be projected onto; the only physical component to this cool device is the Magic Cube.  The Magic Cube is a laser projector and it is a comparatively small device at that.  At 1.5” wide by 2.95” tall by 1.14” deep, the Magic Box is very easy to transport.  The Magic Cube connects to a PC, laptop computer or any smartphone with a USB port.  Connecting your Magic Cube to a USB port allows you to swap the Virtual Laser Keyboard between any of your computers, tablets or smartphones with which you type.

The Virtual Laser Keyboard is a red laser projection that comes from the Magic Cube to any flat surface nearby.  While the Magic Cubes come in several stylish colors, to date they only project red virtual keyboards.  The projection is a standard QWERTY-style keyboard, so in that way Cellulon maintains the familiarity of the classic keyboard.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard operates easily, with the projected “keys” typing letter on your computer when you break the beam associated with a specific letter.  As a result, you do not need to vigorously press against the surface upon which the Virtual Laser Keyboard is projected.  This makes the Virtual Laser Keyboard ideal for those who have injured hands or overly sensitive fingers.  The Virtual Laser Keyboard is also ideal for travelers who might not have a lot of space before them upon which to project the keyboard.  They may use a smaller surface area for the virtual keyboard, simply by projecting the keyboard with a more narrow focus!

While the standard price of $170 for the Virtual Laser Keyboard may seem steep for personal use, it is a steal for industrial and scientific settings where space is at a premium or industrial elements require you to replace a keyboard frequently.  Because there are no physical keys for the Virtual Laser Keyboard, there are no keys to gum up!

The Virtual Laser Keyboard from the Magic Cube is the next leap forward for both the convenience of a full-sized keyboard and the flexibility of a portable device.

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

While scientists work to engineer a completely artificial hamburger, computers are actually improving the agriculture industry in more appealing and practical ways.  Computer usage and ownership has been increasing in the United States steadily since 2001when the USDA began first seriously tracking computers on farms.  But just how do farms and computers relate?

In 2011, the USDA reported that 65% of U.S. farms have access to a computer, with 63% owning or leasing their own computer.  That statistic is significant in that it indicates that the agriculture industry is the most vital industry in the nation with the lowest computer penetration.  While large-scale farms have adopted the computer to aid in the business of agriculture, many family farms and farms run by an older generation of farmer have actively refused computer integration.

The farms that use computers largely use them for their Internet capabilities.  95% of farms that have a computer have Internet access.  The World Wide Web is being used to connect farmers across the country.  Oddly, it is the resistance of traditional farmers that may be hurting their own business.  The Internet provides local farmers with a new avenue to reach specialized local markets.  However, the USDA found that farms making sales between ten and one hundred thousand dollars only use their computers for farm business 41% of the time!  This is in stark contrast to the farms with sales above $250,000.  Those farms used the computer for farm business 72% of the time.  The willingness to use advancing computer technologies allows larger and specialized farms to continue to grow.

The most common use for computers on farms involves data storage.  Farmers use computers to keep track of workers and inventory.  While many of the smaller farms, the ones that resist the computer, still use traditional bookkeeping methods, most computer-connected farms use computers for keeping track of workers and payroll.  As well, computers help tech-savvy farmers keep a closer eye on inventory and supply chain issues.  By computerizing their feed and fertilizer inventories, farmers using computers provide more precise estimates to economic forecasters.  The estimates developed by economists from data supplied by farmers has been more accurately able to predict price spikes in the price of a gallon of milk, which is one of several key indicators in calculating the poverty line!

Farmers are also using their computers to get more accurate meteorological and climatological data.  Getting data on the weather is vital for farmers, especially crop farmers.  Livestock farmers are also helping to provide environmental scientists with data that is helping to predict and regulate more accurately the environmental impact of agricultural production, like the beef industry.  The flow of information both ways has helped to create sophisticated models that have prevented further outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease.

The agriculture industry may be the last big holdout in accepting the role of the computer, but those farmers that have adapted to the times are discovering the benefits of the computer outweigh the discomfort of change.

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 revamping the aviation industry to revolutionize air travel, many new products and technologies are being developed.  One of the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest priorities is to replace outdated systems that have been in place since the 1950s.  To that end, the FAA has developed products like the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and it is working on revolutionizing the communications systems between air traffic controllers and support workers at airplane terminals.  Another product integral to the NextGen program for changing the airline industry is the System Wide Information Management system.

The System Wide Information Management system is a new software system for the airline industry.  Created as a new, uniform operating system, SWIM is responsible for correlating data in the new vision of the aviation industry.  SWIM has essentially created a National Airspace System intranet and it is one of the NextGen programs that is already up and running.

The aviation industry employs a ridiculous number of computer systems to gather and correlate data.  In addition to plane movements, weather patterns and atmospheric conditions, the FAA receives data from the military, the government and small civilian airports.  Many of those organizations have their own intranets and when they provide data to the FAA, it is not in a form that is easily usable by the FAA.  For the past fifty years, there have been many jobs in the military and civilian sectors manually re-entering data from those disparate sources for the FAA.  Remedying the problems that come from trying to mediate between all of the systems aviation computers is why the FAA developed SWIM.

SWIM eliminates the need for manually re-entering data into an FAA-based program.  The innovative System Wide Information Management software collects data from the National Airspace System affiliates and correlates it into a standardized database.  SWIM provides a new, uniform interface, which will make jobs in the aviation industry much more portable.  With SWIM fully realized, a technician working for the Air Force would not need to retrain on a new system when they re-entered the civilian work force!

The System Wide Information Management system stands to make the aviation industry much safer by providing all of the information collected by members of the National Airspace System and presenting the data to all members in a universal interface.  SWIM will make flying easier and safer and software that can do that is undeniably 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