Geek Office

Customize Your Android Phone with These Three Tips

alexandrabullard — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:00:26 +0000

Android phones allow for an impressive amount of customization. Simply follow the tips below to create a smartphone that’s as unique as you are.

One-touch dialing
Are there certain numbers that you dial more frequently than others? With Android smartphones, you can set up one-touch dialing for those people whom you call the most. Simply press an open space on your screen and select the “Shortcuts” option. Then press Direct Dial and pick the right person from your list of contacts. Now you’ll be able to call that person simply by pressing a single button.

Home-screen shortcuts
You can customize your Android phone so that you spend less time searching for your favorite web pages, too, by moving your top websites directly to your phone’s home screen.

Do this by pressing and holding onto any site listed in your browser’s bookmarks. Soon, a list of options will pop up. Press the “Add Shortcut to Home” option, and the selected web page will now appear on your phone’s home page.

Organizing with folders
By creating folders on your Android phone, you can better organize everything from your contacts to your most important work documents by grouping these items into their own folders.

For instance, you can create a folder reserved specifically for your most frequently called contacts. If you’re working on an important project for work, you can create a new folder that’s reserved for documents, Web addresses, and contact numbers related to this particular project.

To create folders, press on a blank space on your phone’s screen. When your list of options pops up, press “Folders.” This will allow you to create your own folder and name it. You can then drag and drop important documents, images, and files into these folders.

Google’s Graveyard: A List of Discontinued Apps, From Aardvark to Wave

alexandrabullard — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:00:01 +0000

For every hit application that Google launches, there are about five flops (give or take).

What does this say about Google? Does it say that they’re restless risk takers who love to innovate? Or might it point to quality control issues and/or something of an attention deficit disorder?

Aardvark
Answers
Audio Ads
Base
Blogger Web Comments (Firefox only)
Browser Sync (Firefox)
Buzz
Catalogs
City Tours
Click-to-Call
Code Search
Dashboard Widgets for Mac (Mac OS X Dashboard Widgets)
Deskbar
Desktop (Mac OS X, Windows 2000 SP3+, XP, Vista, 7, Linux)
Dictionary
Directory
Dodgeball
Fast Flip
Free Search
Gadgets
Gears (Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari)
GOOG-411
Google Pack
Health
Hello
Image Labeler
Jaiku
Joga Bonito
Knol
Labs
Lively (Windows XP, Vista)
Local
Mashup Editor
MK-14
Music Trends
Notebook
NotebookPack (Windows XP, Vista, 7)
Page Creator
Personalized Search
Photos Screensaver
PowerMeter
Public Service Search
Real Estate
Rebang (Google China)
Related Links
Ride Finder
SearchMash
Send to Phone (Firefox)
Sets
Shared Stuff
Sidewiki
Spreadsheets
Squared
U.S. Government Search
University Search
Video Player (Mac OS X, Windows 2000, XP)
Voice Search
Wave
Web Accelerator (Windows 2000 SP3+, XP, Vista)
Writely
X

Google’s Greatest Hits
It would be unfair to focus purely on Google’s failures. So here’s an abridged list of our favorite apps:

Web search: The only search engine that has become a verb. ‘Nuff said.

Gmail: Best free email around. Cool features and virtually unlimited storage.

Analytics: Indispensible. No other app gives you as much marketing insight as Google Analytics.

Maps: Google Maps is so good, and so comprehensive, it’s borderline creepy.

How the Hybrid Cloud Differs from the Public Cloud

alexandrabullard — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:34:15 +0000

Cloud computing has certainly caught on among business owners. No surprise there: the cloud offers more computing power, cheaper storage, seamless scalability and the simplicity that comes with someone else taking care of your servers.

But there’s a catch. To take advantage of cloud software and infrastructure, you’ve got to give up some control over your data … Or do you?

Have your cloud and your privacy too
Here’s the thing: not all clouds are the same. There’s the public cloud, the one with which we’re most familiar. But then there’s the hybrid cloud too. As its name suggests, the hybrid cloud is a combination of two different types of clouds, public and private. The hybrid cloud can give your business all of the benefits listed in the first paragraph (power, affordability, scalability and simplicity) without the tradeoffs that come with entrusting your data to an unknown (or unresponsive) quantity.

How might that work in practice? Here’s an example: A business provides some resources in-house. For instance, it might store current consumer data on its private in-house cloud. It might also store employee records, new marketing campaigns, and current proposals to new clients on its in-house storage.

That same business, though, might store older, archived data on a public cloud service. This frees up space on the business’ servers, and allows its in-house computers to operate more efficiently.

At the same time, taking a hybrid cloud approach to data storage allows businesses to take advantage of the space-saving benefits of the public cloud without also exposing their sensitive current data to third-party providers. In other words, the hybrid cloud provides businesses with security, cost-savings, and efficiency.

Why the hybrid cloud approach makes sense
It’s little wonder, then, that so many businesses today are moving toward a hybrid cloud approach. There is simply too much data floating around today for smaller businesses to adequately store. At the same time, businesses in today’s competitive environment don’t want to expose company secrets and sensitive consumer data to either their rivals or hackers.

The hybrid cloud allows businesses to have the best of both worlds.

How it works: 3D Printing

alexandrabullard — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:55:46 +0000

Developed in the last decade, 3D printing has, all hyperbole aside, changed the face of manufacturing.
Consider that innovators now have the means to efficiently create new prototypes within a couple of hours, bypassing the long and painstaking process of creating new concepts by hand.
Not surprisingly, the pace of innovation—in architecture, aerospace design, dentistry, jewelry, footwear and even toy manufacturing—has risen dramatically due to this technology.
But how the heck do 3D printers work? We’ve been wondering for a while, so we decided to do a little research. Here’s what we found…
Also known as “additive manufacturing,” three-dimensional printers work by adding multiple layers of material, one on top of the other. This is in contrast to a subtractive method, where material is removed by techniques such as machining or milling.
There are several different technologies currently available when it comes to 3D printing. The first is SLS, or selective laser sintering, which employs concentrated lasers to melt material into the appropriate shape. You can choose from a wide variety and make your object from glass, metal, plastic or even ceramic. Once your printing is complete, the unneeded material can be reused for your next project.
A second form of 3D printing uses a heated nozzle to add successive layers of plastic to build your item. This is termed FDM, or fused deposition modeling, and it was the first type of 3D printing sold on the market. In fact, it has been available since the 1990s, and IBM was central in its development.
Multi-jet modeling is a third style of this innovative technology, and it employs a glue substance which adheres to layers of powder. This printer most resembles a traditional inkjet design, and it is one of the fastest units for sale today. Also, it offers the option of coloring your item, which is not supported by most other printers.
The fourth printer utilizes a digital light processing projector to shoot light into a special liquid polymer. As the light touches its surface, this material hardens until the three dimensional model begins to take shape. The extra polymer remains in its liquid state, and simply drains off at the end of the process.
A fifth 3D printing method boasts an electron beam (cool, right?) which melts material into the desired form. The most common material used is metal powder, and titanium is a popular choice. Why do they use such an expensive metal? Companies which select this form of additive manufacturing typically specialize in making parts for airplanes or medical implants. Therefore, weight is a factor, and titanium is one of the lightest and most durable materials available today.
3D printing is a fascinating innovation, and its use will only continue to grow. With the advent of miniature printers, they can now be run by a simple computer, and uploaded with a CAD or other 3D program design. This makes this technology highly accessible, and many small businesses and even personal users are beginning to enter the market. With the ability to shape your own object in a matter of minutes, 3D printing is a powerful tool with nearly limitless potential!

The Best Productivity Tools for Entrepreneurs

alexandrabullard — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:38:23 +0000

Wondering what tools you’ll need to start a new business or revitalize your current venture? Head over to Quora.com (a popular Q & A forum among Silicon Valley types) for a crowd-sourced list of helpful digital and analogue resources.

It’s Time to Recommit to Your New Year’s Resolutions!

alexandrabullard — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:31:46 +0000

You haven’t given up on your New Year’s resolution, have you? It’s February, which means that many of us have begun—at the very least—to slack off a bit. Now is the perfect time to reaffirm those noble goals and enlist some help from technology. Here are five goal-tracking apps (collected by the folks at Lifehacker.com) that will help you stick to plan!

Want to raise the stakes? If you have an important goal that you *really* want to achieve, consider using stickK.com, an app that lets you set up a binding financial penalty for not meeting a target, resolution or commitment. There’s no better motivation!

stickK: “Years of economic and behavioral research show that people who put stakes—either their money or their reputation—on the table are far more likely to actually achieve a goal they set for themselves.”

Read more at Lifehacker.com and stickK.com

*Winner of reader vote at Lifehacker.com

Warren Buffett Finally Invests in a Tech Firm. Guess Which One

alexandrabullard — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:05:48 +0000

During his storied career as an investor, billionaire Warren Buffett has famously avoided buying technology stocks. Until recently.

The Oracle of Omaha not only invested in a tech company, he invested a huge chunk ($10.7 billion, to be exact) of Berkshire Hathaway’s sizable fund. In fact, only Coca-Cola has a larger piece of Buffett’s fortune.

Care to guess which technology company was the beneficiary of his largesse?

Hint: It’s one of the most recognizable brands in the technology landscape, and it has been for several decades. Once a dominant player in the personal computing market, this behemoth now specializes in providing technology solutions on a macro scale—supplying the computing power for large multinationals, research institutions, utilities, and even entire cities and states.

And the occasional Jeopardy contestant.

If you said IBM, give yourself a gold star. “It’s a company that helps IT departments do their job better,” Buffett told CNBC’s Squawk Box last November, when the deal became public. “It is a big deal for a big company to change auditors, change law firms or IT providers.”

(IBM also recently became the second most valuable tech company in the world, so there’s that.)

Does the IBM purchase signal the beginning of a more tech-oriented investment strategy for Berkshire Hathaway? It doesn’t look like it…

Since the IBM news broke, Buffet’s team has made waves yet again with another unorthodox investment: in December 2011, the fund said it would be purchasing Buffet’s hometown newspaper, the Omaha World Herald, for $150 million.

Not one to make investments based on sentimentality, Buffett must believe that the struggling newspaper industry still has some life left.

What’s Apple Working On Now?

alexandrabullard — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:28:18 +0000

What’s Apple working on now?

Since the 1970s, Apple has gotten really good at keeping everyone on their toes. Steve Jobs was the master at wowing audiences at the company’s regular keynote addresses, unveiling new gadgets and software applications that inspired (and continue to inspire) instant lust. (We can expect CEO Tim Cook to do the same, in his own fashion.)

And the company is notorious for keeping secrets under wraps, so there’s a large cottage industry (is ‘large cottage industry’ an oxymoron?) of rumor and speculation about what cool things Apple has cooking in their kitchen of wonders. One of the better websites in this niche, because it relies on patent information, which is in the public domain, is called Patently Apple. If you’re an Apple fan, this is a great website for you. It’ll slake your thirst for insider information coming from Cupertino, and it also provides a fascinating look into the evolution of Apple devices, from initial concept to final product. (Hint: It’s rarely a straight line.)

In a Dec. 9 post, Patently Apple called attention to an idea that Apple appears to be very excited about (the company has expedited the patent application process): the idea is to use mechanical wave mechanisms to vaporize grime on your touchscreen devices.

OK, so maybe that example isn’t as exciting as, say, a new iPhone prototype, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. And it is yet another testament to the company’s ingenuity and almost inhuman attention to detail.

Check out Patently Apple:
http://www.patentlyapple.com/

The Five Components of a Comprehensive Malware Protection Strategy: Part 1

diana — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:02:24 +0000

Corporate Class Monitored Anti-Virus / Anti-Spyware Software

In an age when all it takes is opening an email to infect your computer and your entire network, every system on your network should be protected by an always-on scanner that protects against common threats.

Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programming (code, scripts, active content, and other software) designed to disrupt or deny operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy or exploitation, gain unauthorized access to system resources, and other abusive behavior. Although there are millions of different threats to your system just waiting out on the internet, the two biggest threats are viruses and spyware/malware.

So what is the difference between a computer virus and other less damaging, but still dangerous programs like adware and spyware? A virus is a computer program that can copy itself, and infect a computer, while adware and spyware do not have that same reproductive ability as a virus but are still dangerous to your computer and privacy. A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB drive. Spyware, on the other hand, is a type of malware that can be installed on your computer which collects small pieces of information about users without your knowledge.

Any way you slice it, the internet and computer networks are dangerous places: the one-fifth of the globe population connected to the Internet has to cope with approximately 2,000 new and mutated viruses per day, almost 50,000 phishing attempts per month and more than 1,000,000 hijacked computers that spread bots, rootkits and other malware during one year – according to a recent article featuring Catalin Cosoi, Senior Anti-Malware Researcher at BitDefender. Nowadays, sometimes all that it takes to get infected is simply visiting a website or viewing an HTML email message.

To be effective, your anti-malware software must update regularly and be monitored, and every computer on your system should be protected. With threats changing daily, an outdated anti-malware system leaves you and your business vulnerable to any number of threats, and worst of all it only takes one compromised machine on your network to give hackers a way in to do more damage! Make sure that your Malware Solution is constantly updating its definitions and is the right fit for your business and security level.

Have questions about your anti-malware software set-up? Send us a note!

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Virtual IT Services Give Your Business an IT Edge

diana — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:58:16 +0000

Your business means everything to you – it’s your lifeline, your daily challenge, and often times the thing that keeps you up at night worrying about what would happen if anything went wrong. We know the feeling (after all, we’re in IT) and also understand the burden of having to employ a full time IT staff, or having to “compromise” on your overall business security to ensure that other aspects of your business stay up and running.

Here at Geek Office, we’ve focused the last year on switching our approach from the fire-fighting business to the “peace of mind” business – and one of the best ways that we can assist our clients is with our recently unveiled Virtual IT Services. Sure, we’ll always be there if the “bottom drops out” and you need a Geek to call, but with Virtual IT Services from Geek Office Solutions, clients are given all of the benefits of a of a fully staffed, well trained IT department, without expense associated with maintaining (or building) one in house.

So what does Virtual IT offer, and how does it differ from the usual reactive model?

The main components of Virtual IT are:

Virtual CIO Strategic IT Planning & Consulting Services
Proactive Monitoring of Critical Systems
Monitoring of data backup with periodic testing
Comprehensive IT Preventative Maintenance Program
Complete Vendor Management & Network Administration
Discounted Project Rates

For a full PDF of offered services, view here.

While the components of Geek Office Solutions’ Small Business Virtual IT Program are vast, the goals are simple:

Prevent most problems from occurring in the first place.
Solve the ones that do more quickly.
Help clients to get more out of their It investment.

In addition to all of that, Virtual IT clients have access to our Help Desk, which is staffed with IT professionals who are ready to help with any issue immediately. Best of all, at the end of the day, we’ll still send your friendly geek out when needed, BUT under Virtual IT, we monitor and maintain your whole system – leaving you to focus on the aspects of your business that really make a difference to your bottom line. We even have plans that include unlimited support for a fixed monthly fee.

The Virtual IT model was designed with the Geek Office Solutions mission in mind: to help our clients reduce risk, increase productivity, and achieve peace of mind.

If you have questions or are interested in discussing our Virtual IT Solutions, please contact us at: sales@geekofficesolutions.com. We offer our Virtual IT Services in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut as well as other areas throughout New England and Southern New England.

Please feel free to contact us regardless of location, as we are pleased to implement Virtual IT projects or offer guidance to any small businesses in need.