Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
This past weekend I was in a conversation with a business owner who was describing her frustration with a new web enabled cell phone. As technology has increased so rapidly, today’s smartphones exceed the technical capabilities of computers which were state of the art not too long ago.
The goal was to transfer contacts from one cell phone to another. The business owner called the provider of the cell phone service and was on with their technical support for over three hours. At that point she decided to bring the phone to the store for them to transfer the data. While her experience at the local store wasn’t frustration free, it didn’t take a lot of time.
As we are in a constant state of searching for and reviewing a range of hardware, software and other items in the technology realm, this week I tested a new software service. Part of our procedure is to try out the company’s technical support staff. So last night I placed a call. A person from India answered and the connection was not strong. I thanked the person and went on my way, making a note that this is not a company I would do business with.
How may people get frustrated with technology and waste hours of their lives on the phone with technical support? While some people don’t like spending money, it is a resource which can be replenished; time cannot! And while I can’t speak for others, I don’t need to add to my stress level when it can be avoided by simply spending a few more dollars.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: Business, Cell phones, Computer, computer repair, India, iPhone, mobile phone, Science and Technology, Services, technical support, Technology
Posted in Technology | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 2nd, 2010
We meet all types of people in our business, as do many other people. Recently we had an odd issue with a person who thought we were logged into his computer remotely.
Several weeks ago we preformed a network audit for a professional business in Albany. Part of the process included installing software which would track what the system was doing over several days. When the audit was complete, the remote access was removed.
Last week I met with the gentleman over breakfast to review the network audit and pointed out some items he should look into. Two days later I received a message from him asking why we were on his system.
Even though I was on vacation, I made sure I looked into this as we take our work very seriously. Several attempts were made to contact the business, but the answering system was all we were able to get through to.
When I was able to speak with the gentleman he was pleasant but went into a long speech about us accessing his system. Finally I had to interrupt as everything being stated was incorrect. I asked if he would look at his email, as I sent him a copy of our access log (with portions of names redacted). He then stated that he had better find out who was accessing his system.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in the Capital District of New York.
Tags: Apple Inc., Audit, Business, iPhone, IPod Touch, ITunes, LogMeIn, Microsoft, networking, Personal computer, Remote access, remote desktop, Remote Desktop Services, Windows 7
Posted in Security, Technology | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Last week a client brought their PC into our computer repair office in Clifton Park, NY. The problem was the computer was crashing as it had the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
When one of our techs took a look at it they discovered that the client had decided to remove the anti-virus system we installed and put on one they thought would be better. As this computer had a virus issue originally, I thought this was kind of odd.
On my way home I was thinking about the situation and it reminded me of my brother-in-law and a young man. My brother-in-law is a big man and has a great sense of humor. Several years ago he was talking with a teenager who had a wiffle ball bat. My brother-in-law asked the young man if he could see the bat. After the bat was given to him, he gently tapped the boy on the head with the bat and handed it back to him. He again asked for and was given the bat. Again he tapped the teen on the head, then handed the bat back. This happened for a third time.
How many times do we have to do something which causes a negative impact before we learn not to do it any more? In the case of our client above, he has still has another shot left.
This article was authored by The Boss at HITman Services. A computer repair and IT services company located in Saratoga County of New York.
Tags: AntiVirus, Bat, Blue Screen of Death, Brother-in-law, Malicious Software, Personal computer, Security, spyware
Posted in Technology | 1 Comment »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Last week we received two alerts from systems which we monitor, both were servers. Had the issues not been caught it could have brought down both systems, one almost immediately, costing thousands of dollars in lost time. Both systems were miles away from our office in Clifton Park, NY.
We monitor many network servers, computers, and notebooks for a myriad of potential issues and bottlenecks. Often times, the alert may relate to something which we need to resolve, but is not an immediate threat. Some of the items we keep watch over include; processes, CPU and memory load. We check the event logs for unusual or suspicious activity. Basically we keep a watchful eye over all the systems under our supervision.
Because of this, the alerts were simply that. We were able log in remotely to the networks and resolve the situation before it became a major issue. At both sites, there were no user interruptions and if it wasn’t for the fact that we contacted our clients afterword to inform them of that we took action, it was just another business day as usual.
As all of us depend so heavily on technology, it is important to have someone looking out for your best interest and the health and safety of your network infrastructure. We can be that someone 
Tags: Central processing unit, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, Components, Computer, Hardware, Hardware virtualization, Infrastructure, networking, notebook, Servers, Virtual machine, VMware
Posted in Business, Technology | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Recently we worked on a client’s computer in an attempt to retrieve data stored on the notebook as all of the data had been deleted. The issue arose when with his Sony notebook was not working properly. As it was under warranty he decided to contact Sony directly.
During the process of Sony attempting to diagnose and resolve the problem, they had him format his C: and D: drives. Whatever possessed the Sony support person to suggest this is beyond my comprehension, but our client believing the Sony representative knew best, followed the instructions.
Needless to say, this was not the correct course of action to resolve the issue and only caused considerable frustration and lost time and money for our client.
We have had many similar examples when people try to save a few dollars by contacting a manufacturer directly. Many times the people on the front line do not have the expertise to fully diagnose the issue and offer a proper resolution. It’s easy for someone thousands of miles away to simply say “you need to reinstall the operating system”, but it’s quite another to have to deal with the ramifications of the horribly poor advice.
The take-a-way is just because someone in a “position of power” says to do something, doesn’t mean you should do it. If you’re unsure, question.
Tags: Apple, Clients, computer help, computer support, Customer service, Sony, technical support, VAIO
Posted in Business, Technology | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
One of the area which I believe Android phones are lacking is in security, especially when compared against BlackBerry devices.
A few weeks ago I began researching options to enhance the security of my Samsung Fascinate Galaxy S phone. Several articles from well know and established magazines and Internet sites all had on their list a specific application, which I purchased and have been using for about ten days.
Yesterday I discovered a way to get around the security. Last night I thought I found another way to bypass the security and tested my theory this morning, and it was another security flaw.
I wrote the company last night and will wait a week to see if the company responds before releasing their name.
A major point to be taken from this is many magazines and review sites do perfunctory evaluations. In order to do a proper assessment, time must be spent. Not an hour or two, but a substantial amount over an extended period. It is the only way to do justice to the people who value their opinions.
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Tags: Android, Android Market, App Store, BlackBerry, Consultants, General and Freelance, Handhelds, iPhone, PC World (magazine), Samsung Fascinate, Samsung Galaxy S i500, Security, Smartphone
Posted in BlackBerry, Security, Smartphones, Technology | No Comments »
Thursday, October 21st, 2010
Recently, one of the techs at HITman Services and I were talking about Apple’s iPhone versus Google’s Android phones. We were specifically discussing their architectures and how Android is open whereas Apple is closed.
Apple believes they know what is best for their users and dictates exactly how it will be. How each application will interact with the device, the user experience and what your home page will look like, the fact that you can’t change the battery for whatever reason. And, only apps purchased from the Apple iTunes store can be installed.
Android is a more open architecture and trusts users to a much greater degree. When installing an app, the system will tell you what the app will have access to and asks your permission before it is actually installed. You have the ability to get apps from other places than just the Android Market. If the battery dies, you can simply change it.
Like one political party, there is a group of elites which believes they know what is best. It really doesn’t matter what the people want, they will get what is offered and any attempts to hack or jail break the system will be dealt with.
On the other hand there is a party which believes that as a whole, when individuals are given the power, they will create much more success. While mistakes will be made, they will ultimately produce superior results as a result of their freedom.
So which camp are you in? Apple or Android?
Incoming search terms:
Tags: Android, Android Market, Apple, Handhelds, iPhone, Smartphones, Steve Jobs, User experience
Posted in Smartphones, Technology | No Comments »
Friday, October 8th, 2010
For my summer retreat this year I was considering going minimalistic, sans notebook computer. As I was going to be away for eight days, it was important the device I would bring was up to the task. My smartphone days go back to when Palm dominated the industry, so I have a fair amount of experience when it comes to PDA’s and smartphones.
A couple of weeks before going I had concerns that the smartphone I was using at the time, a Samsung Omnia II, wouldn’t be sufficient if indeed I did not travel with a notebook. Thus my search for a new PDA started. As Mr. T (aka Mike) was also looking for a new phone, we hit the Verizon Wireless store together after lunch at Panera Bread in Clifton Park.
We focused on four phones, the HTC Incredible, the Samsung Fascinate, the Motorola Droid 2, and Motorola Droid X. We didn’t look at the BlackBerry Tour, Storm 2 or Palm Pre as I previously had those and Mr. T had a Storm.
While I like physical keyboards, I wasn’t thrilled with the one on the Droid 2, also when comparing the screen size to the Fascinate and Droid X, it was lacking. Mr. T was of the same opinion. The speed on the incredible was impressive, as was Swype, though with the smaller 3.7″ screen, it was at a disadvantage.
That left Motorola’s Droid X to battle it out with the Samsung Fascinate. Both Mr. T and I thought the display on the Fascinate was superior. We were also a little concerned that the Droid X was just a tad too large. The fact that the Fascinate had Swype was icing on the cake. Each of us decided that was the phone to get.
Stay tuned for part 2.
Tags: BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Storm 2, Blackberry Tour, Droid Incredible, Droid X, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid 2, Palm OS, Palm Pre, Panera Bread, Samsung Fascinate, Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S i500, Samsung i9000 Galaxy S, Samsung Omni II, Samsung Omnia II i920, Swype, Verizon Wireless
Posted in Smartphones, Technology, cell phone | No Comments »
Friday, September 10th, 2010
Yesterday, many companies found their computers coming to a halt as a result of a computer virus which was circulating the Internet. The virus was called “here you have”, because of the subject line, is a Trojan-Horse which arrives in an email. As with many viruses of this sort, the major problems come as a result of a user clicking on the link, which then infects the computer.
One of the many benefits to having a system like our hosted email system in place, is that the internal network does not take a traffic hit. This is because the email server resides outside the local network. Our spam filtering and the initial phase of our virus scanning also takes place outside the network.
While there is no sure way to be safe on the Internet, aside from abstaining, our clients did not face the same issues as that of CBS, Disney, AIG, NASA, and many others.
Incoming search terms:
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Tags: Computer virus, E-mail, E-mail filtering, Google, here you have, Message transfer agent, NASA, Spam, spam filtering, Trojan horse (computing), Walt Disney Company
Posted in Security, Technology, email | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
First there was the smartphone operating system battle between the Palm OS and Windows Mobile. Then Research in Motion (RIM) stepped up their effort. Next in the progression was Apple with their iOS, and then Google’s Android.
Recent numbers from Quantcast showing that Apple and their iOS hold a 56% market share for mobile operating systems being used for browsing the Internet. Google’s Android however is quickly making inroads as it now holds 25% of the market. RIM is left in the dust with 9%, while other mobile operating system account for 10% of mobile browsing.
Since last year, iOS has dropped off by 11% and RIM by 10%, while Android has increased by 17%. During that same timeframe mobile browsing of the Internet has increased by 110%.
Tags: Android, Apple, Google, ios, Mobile operating system, Palm OS, Research In Motion, Windows Mobile
Posted in Smartphones, Technology | No Comments »
