Posts Tagged ‘Google’
Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
As one who makes a lot of purchases via the Web, I have accumulated my share of experiences, both positive and negative. Zappos ranks extremely high on the positive scale; Amazon typically does a great job with the occasional mishap; and getting the right things to happen with Google is like wrestling with a multi-colored octopus.
Zappos is an exceptional company. They take customer service very seriously. Zappos provides free shipping to the customer, takes returns on unused shoes for up to 365 days, and free return shipping. The selection of shoes at Zappos covers the gamut. This is a great example of a company doing things right. If you haven’t purchased from Zappos you might want to consider them for your next shoe purchase as it may inspire you to have your business achieve better customer relations.
Amazon is another company doing a very good job regarding customer service. Not long ago Amazon added as a free bonus to Amazon Prime members, free streaming video. Using Amazon’s website, one is able to do quite a bit with account management and purchasing.
Google, while offering some exceptional services, lacks in easily getting things done. The issue stems from not being able to speak with Google employees without going through gyrations. Google’s Marketplace guidelines are very consumer unfriendly. As opposed to Zappos 365 day return policy, Google offers 15 minutes. It is a virtually impossible task to make sure software will work properly given only 15 minutes. Some downloads take more that 15 minutes to complete. At a minimum, Google should provide a 7 day return policy, or if the developers really cared about empowering and retaining customers, they would offer trial versions of their software.
By learning how all of these companies interact with their customers, we can look at these as case studies and improve the companies we work for.
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.
Incoming search terms:
- can i use amazon prime on zappos?
- googleamaszonshoes
Tags: Amazon, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, Clifton Park New York, Customer service, Google, Google Marketplace, Zappos
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
Working from several different locations and different devices brings out the strengths and weaknesses of the various tools we use on a daily basis. Today I will touch on Microsoft Exchange, specifically Outlook Web Access (OWA) and how it compares to Android based smartphones.
In order to get the most from Microsoft Outlook Web Access, Internet Explorer needs to be used. Substituting other browsers such as Firefox disables certain functions. The benefit of using OWA is it eliminates the need to install Microsoft Outlook on the computer.
OWA looks very similar to Microsoft Outlook, but there is no Today page and some of the advanced viewing options such as seeing tasks on the calendar page are also not available. If you are not a fan of Microsoft’s new ribbon in Office 2010, then you will like Outlook Web Access. However if you do like the ribbon you are out of luck as it is not in OWA.
Advanced users of Microsoft Outlook will be disappointing that some of the drag and drop options will not work in Outlook Web Access. Viewing calendars of others is available if you have the appropriate permissions.
For the Android there are several options available to corporate users of Microsoft Exchange. Many phones such as the Motorola Droid X, Droid Pro and Droid 3 along with several from Samsung and HTC have built-in connectivity to Exchange. Depending on the phone and version of software, the calendar and email retention vary. While contacts synchronize with the Exchange contacts, notes and tasks do not.
There are several companies which offer an add-on for Android based smartphones; one program is TouchDown and another program is RoadSync. Both sync; calendar, contacts, email and tasks between an Exchange server and the Android smartphone. Each has its own limits and advantages.
TouchDown allows the creation of tasks from within an email which is a very useful tool used by those seeking the most efficiency. TouchDown also has uses categories from Outlook (Exchange) and the method to file emails is superior to RoadSync. A downfall of TouchDown is it is very easy for the system to not save notes in the calendar, tasks and contacts; which could be an issue for many. RoadSync works well, but lacks the categories and ability to create tasks from an email.
For power users, an Android based smartphone or tablet can be superior to Outlook Web Access, the one limiting factor is the lack of seeing calendars from others within the organization.
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.
Incoming search terms:
- android exchange tasks
- owa tasks android
- android exchange calendar
- owa task sync for android
- owa security breach firefox
- owa how to sync task android
- owa for TOUCHDOWN
- owa for droid 3
- owa fix for droid x
- owa fix droidx
Tags: Active Sync, ActiveSync, Android, Android Exchange Calendar, Android Exchange Email, Android Exchange Sync, Android Exchange Tasks, Calendar synchronization, DataViz RoadSync, Droid Pro, Exchange TouchDown, Google, Groupware, HTC Corporation, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Sync, Motorola Droid X, Outlook Web Access, Outlook Web App
Posted in Business, Smartphones, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Handling IT support for businesses in the Capital Region for many years, we often get requests to take over existing systems. Most in the IT industry are respectable business, but once in a while we come upon a business which is not. Case in point a recent client had their Microsoft Exchange SSL certificate held hostage.
Last year our company took over IT support for an state organization in Schenectady NY. Everything seemed to be going well until we went to get a new SSL certificate issued for their Microsoft Exchange Server.
The registration information on the SSL certificate showed the old IT provider. Both our client and us contacted the IT company and requested they renew the SSL. Their response was they would be willing do that if our client had them handle all of their email and IT support and pay them $10,000.00 per year to do so. As our client was not happy with their service this was not an option.
At this point you may be thinking we needed to get out the baseball bats to deal with the issue, but happily that was not the case. We were able to get the SSL certificate issue resolved through creative thinking. Even in this age of high tech, the old adage, caveat emptor, still rings true.
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.
Incoming search terms:
Tags: Business, Capital District, Certificate authority, Clients, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Google, HTTP Secure, Information Technology, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Exchange Server, New York, VeriSign
Posted in Business, Technology | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Privacy on the Internet? Are you kidding me? We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you go. In fact, we know everything about you; and there’s not much you can do abodit!
Most everyone has their shorts in a bunch over the latest security breach by Epsilon. Epsilon is a marketing company focusing on Internet technologies such as social media and captures information such as email addresses. Large corporations such as Disney, American Express, Target, Citibank, Chase, TD Ameritrade and hundreds of others are all clients of Epsilon.
Epsilon’s email system was breached and as a result, possibly millions of email addresses have been stolen. While Epsilon states that no personally identifiable information has been given out, this opens up the very strong possibility of computers being compromised; and massive identity theft as unsuspecting people click embedded links in fraudulent emails they receive.
As hard as one might try to retain some form of anonymity or privacy, if you use Google or make any online purchases, you can fuhgeddaboutdit. Google keeps from months to years of everything you search for and as has been shown by the latest security breach, companies such as Epsilon store millions of pieces of information from thousands of its corporate clients on what you buy.
Other than taking a baseball bat to your computer or moving to a secure family compound with no connection to the outside world, this is one of the unintended consequences of today’s technology.
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: American Express, BestBuy, Business, Citibank, Clifton Park computer repair, Data breach, Email address, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Marketing and Advertising, Personally identifiable information, Privacy, Security, TD Ameritrade, TiVo
Posted in Privacy, Web | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Recently Toyota has been cleared of any wrong doing for their cars unintended acceleration. It seems the unintended acceleration was caused by the operator, not the car.
If we take this scenario though, extrapolate it out and consider where the auto industry is going, it isn’t entirely out of the realm that an epidemic of unintended acceleration could happen.
Cars are increasingly becoming more dependent on computers. First it was remote door locking and unlocking; then memory retention for settings was added. Now we have cars which can communicate with Google and cars which don’t need a physical key inserted into the ignition to run.
Many years ago, before hacking computers became a lucrative business, it was exploited as a way to wreak havoc. For people who do not care about the property of others, what better way for them to have what they consider fun then by having cars run into each other. Or perhaps instead of accelerating, when a driver applies the brake or turns the steering wheel, the car just dies. No power means no brakes and no steering.
Will car hacking replace car jacking? At least there wouldn’t be the need for violence. Will insurance rates skyrocket because of the increase in thefts? Will we be downloading the latest in firewalls and virus protection to our cars in the future or will the manufacturers invest in and design their systems with high security in mind from the outset?
At the moment, who knows?
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: Acceleration, Automobile, Computers, Electronic throttle control, Google, hacking, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Sudden unintended acceleration, Toyota
Posted in Life Management, Privacy, Security | 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 »
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
There are two large Internet ad services, one is owned by Google and Microsoft has the other. Microsoft’s service is MSN and Google’s is DoubleClick. Many computers had malware silently installed on their computer just by browsing seemingly innocuous websites.
According to The Register, http://www.theregister.co.uk, “Among the titles silently thrust on marks was HDD Plus, a piece of malware that falsely claims users have serious system errors that can only be fixed by buying a premium version of the program.”
By default, most browsers provide no protection from this type of attack. We expect to have a white paper out shortly which will describe how to protect your computer from malware attacks such as this.
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: DoubleClick, Google, Hard disk drive, Internet Explorer, malware, Microsoft, MSN, Register
Posted in Security | No Comments »
Monday, December 13th, 2010
You’ve probably head it before, my computer has a virus again. Running a computer and IT services company in New York’s Capital District, we hear that pretty often.
Recently a woman brought her computer in stating her computer has viruses again. Overhearing the conversation, I instructed one of the techs to perform a forensics investigation on the hard drive because it is not normal for a computer to come back unless something else is going on behind the scenes.
The tech found many traces of pornography website visits on the computer. I placed a call to the woman to review the situation with her. It was a very interesting conversation. She was very polite and insistent that it couldn’t be her teen son or her husband visiting the porn sites and it must be her kindergarten aged child as the child knows how to use Google and can read. Hey, whatever.
We received a call from our client who said over the weekend, a confession was made. It wasn’t the kindergartner. Who’da thought!
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: Anti-Virus, AntiVirus, Capital District, Child pornography, Google, Hard disk drive, Internet pornography, Pornography, Virus, virus removal
Posted in Security, Web | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Well, once again we are faced with a new critical vulnerability from Adobe Flash player. This one is for version 10.1.82.76 and earlier, running on Window, Apple’s Macintosh, Linux, Google’s Android and Solaris.
If exploited, the vulnerability crashes the computer, thus opening it up for an attacker to control the computer. While there have been reports of this exploit in the wild, Adobe states they are not aware of any attacks from this vulnerability at this time.
At the current time there is no fix for this, as Adobe is working on a patch. Your best solution is to use Mozilla Firefox with scripts disabled, blocking Adobe’s Flash player.
Tags: Adobe Flash, Adobe Systems, Apple, critical, Google, Linux, Mozilla Firefox, Solaris (operating system)
Posted in Security, Web | 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:
- yesterdays internet virus
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 »
