Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’

It’s Time For a New Smartphone, But You’re on State Contract

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.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Incoming search terms:

  • hitman pro clifton park ny
  • hitman on playbook
  • how to get a new smartphone while in contract
  • new york state contract smart phones

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Smartphones | No Comments »

How Safe is Your Facebook Information?

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

In early June, Facebook faced an attempt for a hacker to break into the social networking site.  As of this writing, the authorities in the United States and United Kingdom are looking into the matter.

According to Facebook there was no compromise of its system and no user data was stolen.  Facebook is a major target as they have a very large user base of over 500 million people, people post personal information and many users trust what they receive while in Facebook.

The first item, Facebook being so large is just a fact of life.  One has to hope that Facebook starts to take very seriously the trust which people give them.

The second item, posting personal information is something each user has some control over.  Facebook does incorporate many security options to restrict access to personal data; most people however don’t enable them.  The reason I said each user has some control over data is because a family member or friend can write about them or post pictures of them on Facebook.

The third issue, people trusting friends within Facebook, requires a change in behavioral habits.  You may do a very good job of securing the information you have posted to Facebook, but what happens if you add an app you thought was suggested to you by a friend or click on an link which you also believe they sent?  If their account is compromised, by automatically trusting them, you too could be compromised and could infect your friends.

Having personal information such as birth dates, address or phone number may not be a good idea.  Home addresses and phone number can always be sent to people once you verify who they are.

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.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Privacy, Security | No Comments »

The Problem With Hitching Your Wagon to One Company

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.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in BlackBerry, Business, Software, Technology | No Comments »

Who’s To Blame For Business Being Bad?

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Running a business I have the opportunity to interact with many other business owners, managers and professionals. Some complain about business being bad, but who’s to blame?

Recently I had intended to meet a business partner for lunch at a local restaurant which opened within the past year.  As they were closed for lunch I sent them an email inquiring if they still continued to serve during the lunch time.  That was over a week ago and as yet the restaurant has not responded.  As I was initially going to meet a friend there for lunch later this week, we will now dine at another restaurant.

Yesterday I brought my car in for service at the dealership where I purchased it.  The entire staff couldn’t have been more accommodating.  The service writer was superb, the salesman came over to talk with me, and the managers while on the phone, waved.  During my conversation with the salesman, we talked about business.  He said business was good last year and they had a great fourth quarter and they are waiting for the weather to break as they expect another good year.  This dealership is always communicating with their customers via Facebook and when I opened my email this morning, there was a nice note from the dealership regarding my service yesterday.

For years I would take my vehicles to a car wash which is down the road a bit.  As the owner knew there was a car wash right down the street from our Clifton Park office, he was always appreciative and each year would send me a couple of free car washes as a token of his thanks.  The business owner took on a partner in 2010 and the holiday season went by without any communication or thank you from the business.  Now I find myself using that car wash less.

While the economy may not be good, it makes it that much more important for businesses do everything in their power to properly take care of their customers.

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.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Business | No Comments »

Does Google Ever Fail?

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

The short answer is yes; and most recently earlier this month.  The software:  Google Wave.  If you haven’t heard about it don’t feel too badly as it never created the buzz Google was looking for.

About a year ago, Google came out with a product called Google Wave. It was touted as a real-time collaboration and communication system. Google Wave comprised all forms of Web 2.0 including; instant messaging, wikis, social media, chat, email, and more.

The issue is that Google Wave just hasn’t taken off. People have not taken to it the way they have with Facebook.  Google will continue to provide the service until the end of the year. While Wave may be down for the count, there’s always another match not too far in the distance, and I can’t imagine Google giving up.

Information provided by: HITman Services, a computer and IT services company located in Clifton Park, New York.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Technology | No Comments »

Facebook, twitter and Privacy

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

This past week a bug in Facebook’s regular update process, private messages from a user were inadvertently sent out. There are many privacy concerns which each of us needs to take into consideration before we signup and use free services. Facebook, twitter, and other such companies offer superb tools for communication. But they are just that, tools. It is up to us to determine what should be posted or sent. Corporate accounts are generally the safest, but the company usage policy needs to be read to make sure email can be used for personal business. Also some companies may routinely go through a users email box for compliance reasons or to make sure there is no inappropriate or illicit material. Some people simply don’t care about privacy while others may not fully understand the possible ramifications of a message, email or photo getting into the wrong hands.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Life Management, Privacy, Security, Technology | No Comments »