Understanding Business Internet Options

As businesses of all sizes begin to rely more heavily on the internet to do business, it becomes more important for them to have a communication infrastructure that can handle the increased requirements. When looking for business internet service consider the following things:

1. How many users do you have? This may seem basic, each user you add to your office is going to have an impact on your overall network. Thing about how much you plan on growing over time and try to build that into your IT plan.
2. What else is using your network? For example, are you using off site backup? If you are, you want to make sure which ever service you pick is going to be able to handle the increased data upload without slowing connection. Users might try to disable backup if they feel that it is causing them problem.
3. What is the minimal level of service you need, and can your data provider handle your needs? Data is data. Bits are bits. What is important is does the provider provide the service level agreement and support that growing businesses need. Look for a service level agreement that specifies uptime transfer rates and maximum latency. Getting this information in writing you can help you hold the your provider accountable if it is determined that issues are on their end.

As Malware attacks on Smart Phones Increase, the iPhone Looks Like the Best Best

When Apple released the iPhone in 2007, they did not release an SDK that developers could use to create native apps. While many people were angered by this or claimed this would be the phone's downfall, it ended up being a good decision on Apple's part. When they did release development tools in February 2008, they were full featured and polished.

Apple and its defenders argued that opening a mobile phone platform to full scale development would necessarily lead to a less stable environmental. Having a crashy PC can be worked around if if it is for home use. If you are a bank running mission critical services — crashing is not an option. Apple saw the phone as a mission critical device. It has to be able make calls without crashing. Its battery had to last. In 2007 the Palm Trio and Windows Mobile (both of which had an app development eco-systems) had trouble on both fronts. To this day, Apple still keeps a tight control over app development and distribution.

This issue has becoming even important now that Android based phones are are open for any developer to release software for. In resent weeks android phones have been under attack from several different vectors. According to research by Tech Daily, there are 44 known peices of malware that target Android phones. There is also at least one known botnet running on Android phones on AT&T's network. Simmilar attacks have targeted Blackberrys and some Nokia phones.

Until Next Time,
Mike
Chicago Virus Removal

Crapware Filling new Android Phones

Windows starting going down hill as soon as Microsoft and its OEM partners began selling advertising space on new computers. This unwanted software drags the performance of new computers down straight out of the box. Until recently, smart phones were free of this crapware.

Recently being the watch word. Mike Jennings at PC Pro Reports:

On Friday, I eased the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro from its box, turned it on, and was greeted with a message urging me to set up McAfee WaveSecure before I’d even set up the phone with my Google account. Delving into the app drawer revealed more unwanted software, with a host of apps neatly summarising Android’s perennial fragmentation issues: alongside the official Market, the Xperia Mini Pro comes loaded with four different app stores. There’s also other McAfee apps installed as well as a Popcap Games trial and a selection of media management tools.

Sony Ericsson isn't the only one. HTC and Samsung are all coming with pre-installed software and demos. Unlike Windows, you cannot uninstall the unwanted software. This crapware comes hard coded into the phone's OS.

Short of rooting your phone and installing a clean version of the OS (which is going to violate the warranty) LauncherPro is your best option. LauncherPro will let you hind unwanted apps and reskin your UI.

Until Next Time
Mike
Chicago Virus Removal

Thunderbolt vs. USB 3.0

This story is not a repeat from 2000. We are once again talking about transfer speeds and the relative qualities of  two wired transfer standards. Thunderbolt and USB 3.0.

A little background. USB 3.0 is the latest version of the long standing data transfer standard. Yeah, there are about 15 different connectors but the basics are all the same. Every computer made after 2000, no matter the OS, supports USB 2. USB ups the transfer speed around 110MBps. As other parts of the pipeline get better, that should reach 640MBps or just shy of SATA3 speeds. 


Thunderbolt is a new standard from Intel and is currently only available in some Macs. Intel's goal is to create a standard that can stand up to professonal video development. When maxed out, Thunderbolt can reach a transfer speed of 1.2GBps. Nothing on the market short the highest end sold state hardrives can move that much data. Intel and Apple also tout Thunderbolt's ability to push video out to large monitors along with enough power to power 2 30 inch LED monitors. 


At the end of the day, neither really stand up. USB 2 is not that much faster than USB 3. Since it uses the same ports, it will simply replace the current standard. After 10+ years, not much has changed. Thunderbolt has no place on the consumer. Most people are moving to notebooks and wireless standards. 


For Now,
Mike
Chicago laptop repair

Google Bakes Malware Warnings into Search Results

It is good to see Google doing some due diligence when it comes to malware and virus detection. Importantly, more computer infections spread websites at the top of searches. Google's search spam team works really hard spammers from game the search algorithm. Searchers for “insurance”, “loans”, “mortgage”, “attorney”, “credit”, and “lawyer” are filled sites designed to scam unwitting people.

Last week Google Engeneers discovered some search traffic was being rerouted through proxies, likely as part of a PPC scam. When Google detects this, they are placing a large warning box at the top of search results to warn people that their is malware trying to jack links.

For more information about virus and malware removal visit our website

The HTC Status

Its an Android 2.3 phone with a small screen and a smallish physical keyboard. But it has a Facebook button! So you can Facebook! How awesome is that! Opening an app from the home screen is sooo hard.

I think the CNet review sums it up pretty well: "The HTC Status offers stellar hardware and a fantastic Facebook experience, but it's hampered by a tiny landscape-oriented screen."


If you are looking for a replacement for a dying feature phone the HTC Status might be the best option for you. Otherwise, give it a pass.


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New MacBook Airs

Not only did Apple release the newest benchmark version of its OS this week, but they refreshed the MacBook Air. From CNET:

On the larger 13-inch MacBook Air, the default 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD feels like enough for everyday use. On the smaller 11-inch model, you only get 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD for that much-hyped $999 entry price. Of that 64GB, only about 48GB is available to use after accounting for the operating system and preinstalled apps. With a big music or video collection, or lots of high-end games, that can start to feel crowded pretty quickly. Upgrades to both 128GB and 256GB drives are available for the 11-inch, and adding a 256GB drive brings the price to $1,499. Both sizes can also trade up to a Core i7 CPU, which costs $1,349 for the 11-inch and $1,599 for the 13-inch.

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