Posts Tagged ‘BlackBerry’
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Late last week I had a conversation with one of our clients regarding upgrading their smartphones. As they are on state contract, their options aren’t as broad as those who pay full price for new devices. Entities which can take advantage of the New York State Contract, are limited to getting phones which are technically one year old. While they are new phones, they are not the latest model of smartphones.
Currently the smartphones which are in use at our client’s are BlackBerrys. While they have served them well for the past year, I have recommended they move to the Android platform. BlackBerrys have been for the most part very reliable. However the advantage they once held with push technology is now gone as Microsoft’s Sync has caught up. Add to that the unlimited texting option offered by Verizon Wireless and that takes away any advantage the BlackBerry Messenger had.
While there are plenty of apps for the BlackBerry and companies continue to write for them; there is no denying the popularity of the Android operating system and its proliferation in the marketplace. Also a business or organization does not need to use a BlackBerry Internet Server and the associated licensing to get push email, calendars, contacts, etc.
The options available to our client are the Motorola Droid 2 and the Motorola Pro. Both are good choices for business use; the Droid 2 offering a larger screen with a slide-out keyboard in landscape mode; and the Droid Pro more the style of typical BlackBerry. While many people are able to type quickly using a virtual keyboard, in my opinion most people find it easier to use a physical keyboard for lengthy emails, notes, documents, etc. Plus if you use a lot of complex passwords, a physical keyboard is tough to beat.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
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Tags: Android, Android (operating system), BlackBerry, BlackBerry PlayBook, Droid 2, Droid Pro, Droid2, Facebook, Motorola, Motorola Droid, Motorola Droid 2, Motorola Droid Pro, New York, Research In Motion, Smartphone, Verizon Wireless
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Smartphones | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
Earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit family out of town. While I typically don’t bring a computer along for an overnight, this time I decided to bring my notebook get some work done over the weekend.
On other occasions staying at this hotel when I brought the notebook computer, a CAT5 connection was available. The hotel where I stayed must have recently changed from a hardwired Internet connection to wireless Internet when they remodeled. Being concerned about security, I made the decision not to connect my notebook to their wireless network and didn’t bother tethering my Android phone to the computer. Instead I used Samsung Fascinate smartphone. Other than taking the notebook out of the case, it didn’t get any use.
Back at my office I find having a notebook works superbly as I am able to take advantage of both the display on the notebook and the 32” HDTV which acts as my second monitor. While smartphones and Android based tablets allow connection to an HDTV, they run in mirror mode as oppose to being able to run different software on each screen of a notebook computer. Also I don’t have to have a desktop computer at my home office as the notebook does double-duty.
There are so many new offerings, which may have a dramatic impact on notebook computers. The iPad started the tablet revolution and a week so doesn’t go by when a company announces a new tablet being introduced. Tablets have great functionality and if a person primarily uses the Internet, may fit the bill.
Notebooks still have value and depending on needs are a good solution; but their role is changing and perhaps in the not too distant future will transform into something completely different.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
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Tags: Android, BlackBerry, Computer, Handhelds, IBM, iPad, Laptop, Lenovo, netbook, New York, notebook, Smartphone, ThinkPad, Wi-Fi, Wikipedia, Wireless
Posted in Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
In a prior blog I detailed a list of how email should be handled in: Email Etiquette, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In the post, I neglected to discuss email and mobile devices.
This past week our company was fortunate in setting up a client with several hundred email and Exchange accounts. Transferring a few email accounts takes planning and coordination, hundreds takes substantially more! Quite a few of the users were not running Outlook in the past and many had BlackBerrys, iPhones and Android based smartphones which needed to be synced with the Exchange server.
To assist their staff learning how to use the new email systems, we created videos on several different aspects including setup, email, calendars and shared calendars, tasks and contacts.
It was a long and very rewarding day for our team as our client was very happy with the results. After the work day ended I sent an email to the head of one of the departments making sure he was happy with the IT and computer services provided to him. As I was writing this email on my Android based smartphone, the system decided that van should replace can, and I only noticed it when I pressed the send now button.
In a previous post reviewing proper email procedures, I discussed that it is a good idea to sit on an email rather than send it immediately. Unfortunately I didn’t take my own advice when using my smartphone. I will in the future. The lesson is the policies established for computers should also be adhered to for portable devices.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: BlackBerry, Business, email, Email client, etiquette, Microsoft Exchange Server, Mobile device, New York, Outlook
Posted in Business, email | No Comments »
Monday, February 21st, 2011
On Friday, twitter turned off access from software created by UberMedia. The programs include UberTwitter for BlackBerry, twidroyd for Android, and the iPhone/iPad client UberCurrent. It appears twitter is considering buying TweetDeck, a competitor to UberMedia’s software.
So users of UberTwitter, twidroyd and UberCurrent needed to use another program for their mobile needs. While mobile twitter users may not be happy, it really doesn’t have a major impact on them. UberMedia however has a big problem as their primary software and source of income is on hold.
The same thing could happen to companies who’s products are designed for Facebook. While the upside is a built-in user base, a company is dependent on the policies of their host. Kind of like the pilot fish and the shark!
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, droid, Facebook, iPad, iPhone, New York, TweetDeck, Twidroyd, twitter
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Software, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
A while back I wrote about how I used the DataViz RoadSync to synchronize email, contacts, calendar entries and tasks from our hosted Microsoft Exchange server to my Android smartphone.
It was a big improvement over Touchdown and I suggested to some of my technicians that they may want to use RoadSync and one of the guys installed the trial version a couple of weeks ago. As it is expiring today, he attempted to purchase a full copy of RoadSync, but received a message indicating RoadSync is not compatible with his phone.
Talk about a glitch! He was running the trial version for two weeks, we share the same model phone, the Samsung Fascinate from the same carrier, Verizon Wireless and it is not compatible?
As Dataviz no longer accepts phone calls, I had to use their email form. Talk about horrible support and customer service! When I went to submit the information, their site crashed.
What is it about some software companies that they are afraid to talk to their customers? Part of our purchasing policy is to make sure any company we do business with has people we can talk with in the event of an issue. In the case of Dataviz, they did have a phone number but changed their policy and no longer have their phone answered by a person. Now unless you know a person’s name who works there, there is no getting through.
When I attempted to contact them via the RoadSync installed on my Fascinate, the program froze. So as of now, this is no longer on our list of recommended software.
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.
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Tags: Android, BlackBerry, Dataviz, DataViz RoadSync, iPhone, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange for Android, Microsoft Office, New York, Samsung Fascinate, Verizon Wireless
Posted in Smartphones, Software | No Comments »
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
It is amazing how many highly educated; professionals continue to use the standard email signature on their smartphones. Whether that is: sent from my iPhone, sent from my iPad, sent from my BlackBerry, sent from Windows Mobile or sent from my Android.
While I’m sure that it makes Apple, Google and RIM very happy that their products are being promoted for free; what is the benefit of letting people you do business with know you are using an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry?
Many organizations require some disclaimer on each email, yet fail to enforce the same requirement for mobile users. Considering that a majority of business professionals use smartphones to transact business, this is perplexing.
Each device has a signature setting which allows users to customize the signature line. The information can be either typed or pasted in. Depending on the device, it may be possible to use a web interface to enter the proper signature line.
If you don’t know where the setting is, and would like to use a custom signature, give us a call and we will help.
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: Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Google, iPad, iPhone, Research In Motion, Smartphone
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Smartphones, cell phone | No Comments »
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 14th, 2010
One of the first things I noticed after using the Samsung Fascinate for a while was how quickly the battery was being consumed. In addition to the spare battery I purchased from the Verizon store in Clifton Park, NY, I decided to purchase another spare battery. This provided me with always having a fully charged battery available even on long days without needing to find an outlet.
The first Android app I loaded was Touchdown, which is a program that synchronizes Android phones with a Microsoft Exchange server. As our company uses Microsoft Exchange, Outlook, SharePoint and several other software programs from Microsoft, it was very important that the phone ties seamlessly in with our current system. Other apps loaded included an anti-virus program, Kindle for Android, Fox News and a system monitor. I also purchased a copy of LogMeIn Ignition.
On the second day of my of my trip I needed to add a new rule to my Outlook 2010 to assist with a security issue. I used LogMeIn Ignition to remote into my computer and while using an Android device to control a computer is certainly not as easy as using a mouse or track-pad, I was able to accomplish my task in a relatively short time.
The 3G reception was very spotty where we stayed, but I was always able to get to the Internet. The browsing experience on the Fascinate is very good, far superior to Windows Professional 6.51 or BlackBerrys and only lacking in its inability to view Flash (at least for the current moment).
There was one evening when two calls went directly to voicemail, this also happened to someone else in my party who was using an Apple iPhone 4 and I attribute this to an issue with reception. Making calls from the same location that evening went out properly.
I used the camera and video quite a bit and both performed flawlessly. The many camera settings added some very nice enhancements to the photos I took.
Part 3 to be released soon.
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, Clifton Park New York, iPhone, Microsoft, Samsung Fascinate, Samsung Group, Samsung i9000 Galaxy S, Verizon
Posted in Smartphones, cell phone | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
For many years web designers have been using Adobe’s Flash as a way to enhance the look of websites. Programming with Flash provides some very unique and interesting content. Disney is an excellent example of a company which utilizes Flash to greatly enhance their website.
But as of recently, more and more issues are arising from the use of Flash. There have been several security flaws which compromised computers. Just last month there were lawsuits filed against companies for using zombie cookies in Flash. Some of the companies included ESPN, Disney, Hulu, MTV, ABC, and NBC.
In addition to that, there has been the rift between Apple and Adobe over the use or non-use of Flash in iPhones and iPads. Apple will not use Flash in any of its devices.
There are many other mobile devices such as BlackBerrys and Androids on the market which do not use Flash. And with the rise in use of all these mobile devices, companies need to create two versions of their website if they want to use Flash, thus increasing costs.
So the question is: Is it still worthwhile to use Flash?
Tags: Adobe, Adobe Systems, Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Development Frameworks, Flash, Hulu, iPhone, Multimedia, Zombie Cookie
Posted in Technology | No Comments »
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Are you one of the millions of us who are strapped for time? These days there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.
One way to put more time into your day is to turn downtime into productive time. And technology can help us achieve this goal.
Whether you’re waiting for your car to be repaired, a plane flight or a doctor’s appointment, the following methods will put some extra time into your life, so let’s get started.
As far as equipment goes you will need to have a Smartphone. This article will focus on using a Smartphone with either the Palm or Windows Mobile operating system. The reason for this is the wide array of software available. A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) could be used to help with some of the tasks outlined below, but not all.
The second item is broadband access. This can be either on a per KB basis or unlimited data. Text messaging is also a worthwhile addition.
For software you will need a package similar to Documents To Go. This software allows you to transfer documents and spreadsheets from your PC to your Smartphone. Additionally you will need an email program.
Now that we have the basics covered, we can explore how the Smartphone can help to get more time out of the day.
Is there a book you’ve been trying to read for a while but just haven’t had the time? Many books are now offered in electronic versions. There “e-Books” can be downloaded onto a Smartphone and read whenever you have the time. The following Websites offer books which can be downloaded: ebooks.com, ereader.com and manybooks.net.
Do you have a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) at home? If so, with the proper hardware and wireless plan, you can catch up on the shows you have tapped. You can even use this to schedule shows you would like to tape in the future.
Are there asks in your Smartphone which can be accomplished where you are? Even if you are only able to add notes, this could help you move the task along. This may be a good time to review all upcoming tasks.
Microsoft Word documents can be worked on and when you get back to the office the changes can be uploaded to your computer. The same is true of spreadsheets, although the small screen size hampers much productive work with spreadsheets.
Review your calendar. Did you make any noted from a previous meeting which you forgot to set as a task? Reviewing your calendar at quiet times might create a new thought.
Texting gives you the ability to communicate with other while at the same time, not disturbing people around you and keeping the communication private.
There are just a few ways a Smartphone can help us.
Tags: BlackBerry, Microsoft, Microsoft Word, Operating system, Personal computer, Shareware, Windows, Windows Mobile, Word processor
Posted in BlackBerry, Smartphones, Technology | No Comments »
