Computer Support Blog

In the late 1980s, there was a popular game called Laser Tag.  Despite the controversies about it at the time, Laser Tag was remarkably popular with young adults who enjoyed the technology and the physical activity the game required.  As a precursor to paintball, Laser Tag was a safe way for young people to run around shooting one another for live-action play.  Players had a laser sensor and a laser gun.  The object of the game was to shoot your opponent three times (as registered by changing lights on their sensor each time they were “hit”) with the laser gun . . . before they shot you!  Young people played Laser Tag in buildings, woods, and fields, both during the day and at night.   Now, Metalcompass, Ltd. is updating Laser Tag with some new twists with their XAPPR Gun! Read more »

As summer actually begins, it is hard not to turn on the television and see multiple advertisements for smartphones during any given commercial break.  Smartphone advertisers are capitalizing on the idea that their phones can be associated with activity, youth, and vigor; they know that during the summer people travel more and are outside more often.  Many of the advertising campaigns are geared toward making the connection between their smartphone and your outdoor activity.  One smartphone manufacturer is doing that less, though.  Instead, Samsung is focusing on power with their advertising campaign surrounding the Samsung Galaxy III. Read more »

With identity theft remaining one of the enduring problems with modern communications, it is unsurprising how many products and services there are that offer to protect your data.  When it comes to data storage, there are several products that encrypt your files to protect them, like the industry-leading Ironkey Flash Drive that makes transporting your data incredibly risk-free.  It is hard to find an analogous product when it comes to communications technology, though.  That is about to change, thanks to Silent Circle. Read more »

There are, essentially, two ways to sell new technologies in a new market.  The first is to create a device that is entirely indispensible.  Creating a product that consumers feel they absolutely need is a great way to sell millions of units of a product.  The other way to sell new technologies in an emerging market is to reduce prices to move inventory.  It is that approach that Research In Motion is taking in India. Read more »

Big business transactions happen every day in the tech sector.  As more and more technology companies buy out their competition or diversify to stay relevant in a changing marketplace, it is sometimes tough to understand what specific transactions might actually mean.  Lately, there has been a lot of speculation that Google will pay $12.5 billion to buy Motorola Mobility.  This transaction has created a lot of buzz in both the tech sector and the business world.  There are several factors that make Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility an atypical buyout. Read more »

Smartphones can do amazing things.  From mapping your current travel plans to ordering your dinner, there are innumerable things a smartphone can do.  But what many private consumers fail to consider about smartphones is that their operating systems are not always compatible with the enterprise software of individual businesses.  As a result, most smartphone manufacturers devote an entire division to meeting the unique needs of business clients.  For Motorola Mobility, that responsibility falls to Christy Wyatt! Read more »

Good journalism requires sources.  Reporting a story requires facts, verification from authorities and precise language.  In the tech sector, however, virtually every otherwise ethical and authoritative journalist throws out the book when it comes to reporting on Apple products.  Apparently, speculation on Apple’s next major release allows journalists to become absolutely sloppy and report loads of information which they later retract.  Read more »

There is no denying that the Apple iPod is an iconic electronic device.  There is, however, some irony in the idea that Apple does not make some of the very best accessories for the iPod line of products.  In fact, some of the best manufacturers of iPod accessories are companies that traditionally manufacture stereo equipment.  Harman Kardon is a manufacturer of high-quality stereo devices and they have made some of the best iPod docks.  Their latest iPod dock, the Go + Play II, is one of the highest-quality iPod docks for audiophiles. Read more »

It seems like every few months, there is a new smartphone that hits the market to offer a new feature, service or style that makes consumers rethink the smartphone they already have.  Early on in the race to make better smartphones, the addition of cameras or video technology made for a compelling smartphone release.  Now, it is all about speed and versatility.  If the smartphone is not a 4G smartphone or on an LTE network, it barely registers with consumers.  Nokia’s new Lumia 900 not only registers, it is already thrilling consumers! Read more »

Sometimes, the best ideas come from the ashes of a previous idea that simply did not work out.  When ZeptoLabs began making computer games, the chief programmer worked very hard on a physics software engine.  That engine was programmed to realistically mimic how objects fell based upon a player cutting the ropes that suspended the object.  ZeptoLabs went with a different game mechanic for their first release, Parachute Ninja.  However, the programmer who worked on the initial version of the game thought there might be a way to use that game engine.  That tenacious programmer was Efim Voinov! Read more »