Computer Support Blog

When Instagram launched in 2010, it changed the way many people approached mobile photography.  While anyone could snap pictures just for themselves and their close friends to see, Instagram offered users a simplified way to make artistic-looking photos that people wanted to share publicly.  Instagram’s filters gave people a sense of performance when taking and uploading their pictures and allowed many people without photo editing skills to feel like pros with their smartphone camera.  Magisto is a smartphone app that wants to recreate this experience on mobile, but this time for video rather than photography.  Magisto is a cool product that lets you upload your mobile videos to its app and choose a “theme” to apply to them.  Each theme dictates an automated editing process, which gives your video a more artistic look.  Themes add different visual filters to your video, not unlike Instagram does with photos, but also actually edits the video itself to make it more dynamic. Those who have have trouble recording videos with their mobile devices can get smartphone IT support to help them with their camera. Read more »

Losing your keys is not a fun experience.  You end up locked out of your home and unless someone who lives with you has a spare key, you have to go to great expense and effort in order to enter your house or apartment again.  The August Smart Lock is a cool product that removes the risk of this happening to you.  The team at August claims that, with their product, the only thing needed to enter your home is your smartphone.  The device uses the combination of a mobile app and Bluetooth technology to recognize your phone when you approach and automatically unlock so you can enter as soon as you get to your door.  You can log into the app from any mobile device, so you won’t have to worry about problems if you change your phone.  However, it is probably best to make sure you have a smartphone computer support service available in case your phone breaks at an inopportune time.  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 »

Sometimes, the hard work of an executive is realized when the company they work for is bought out.  As a matter of course in corporate negotiations, companies that are being bought out tend to have executives who the new company must either absorb or compensate.  Large companies give promotions to the most valuable executives in such mergers as encouragement to stay on to make the transition between the old company and the new company smoother.  William D. Ingram has proven his worth in the telecommunications world; in at least two corporate buy-outs, his professional advancement has been a part of the package! Read more »

Like so many industries, the consumer electronics sector has a vibrant secondary market.  Thanks in no small part to Alpha Consumers frequently upgrading and the consumer culture that fosters the mindset that this year’s new products will be obsolete or uncool by next year, the used electronics market has grown in recent years.  Buyers who are more interested in substance than style or who are simply thriftier than their peers can enjoy significant benefits from buying their electronics in gently used condition.  One of the biggest sectors in the electronics secondary market is in cell phones and smartphones.

However, just like when you are considering purchasing a used car, there are some good rules to live by when purchasing a used cell phone or used smartphone.  Both as a buyer and a seller, you should consider the following:

Read more »

After release date delays, Dell’s Streak is finally ready to hit the market.

The smartphone-tablet hybrid will be available to customers who pre-ordered on Thursday, with general online availability on Friday.

The Streak is Dell’s first entry into the smartphone/tablet market and is the first contender to directly attempt to compete with Apple’s iPad.  Read more »