Computer Support Blog

With so many high-end peripherals for personal computers specialized toward very specific computers, consoles and operating systems, it can be a very financially trying time for even the best manufacturers.  After all, whenever an OS manufacturer upgrades or entirely revamps the operating system they manufacture, the peripheral manufacturer must alter the programming and sometimes even the design of the computer hardware they manufacture.  Movea, the manufacturer of the Air Mouse, knows all about the challenges of staying current in an industry where the technology their products interface with is constantly changing.  That is why Movea hired Anne Gabrot. Read more »

As more and more technology purchased and used in the United States is manufactured in China and China has one of the world’s few growing economies, relations between the United States and China are especially important.  While there are numerous government organizations and individuals that negotiate trade and commerce between the United States and China, there are very few people who are truly considered experts on trade and commerce with China.  One of the most important voices in advising both China and the United States on investing is Jing Ulrich. Read more »

Traditional television service, like any other service, has both positive and negative attributes.   Lately, though, it can be difficult to find the benefits of traditional broadcast television service when the detractions to it are so easy to spot (like weather-related outages).  Even cable television no longer seems as impressive a service, especially when compared to emerging Internet-based television options. Users of Internet television services have discovered that they can pay a fraction of the price to subscribe to Hulu Plus or HBO Go and get a more customized service. Read more »

The diverse and specialized markets within the technology sector change with alarming frequency.  With the demands that come with operating within quickly-changing field, it is almost surprising just how many strategies there are for a business to survive.  While some tech sector businesses invest heavily in research and development in order to survive the erratic fluctuations of the market, others make frequent incremental updates to their product line to continue to inspire consumers to spend.  Voxx International has managed to survive the turbulent technology market by buying its competitors.  That is a strategy developed by Patrick M. Lavelle. Read more »

More than ever before, consumers are bombarded by advertisers and institutions that demand your attention.  Network television studios try to keep you thinking about your favorite show for the entire week between episodes, just as news channels tease upcoming stories constantly and advertisers desperately try to get your attention so you can buy their merchandise.  As consumers adapt to one form of advertising or programming reinforcement, experts in the industry work to develop new methods, products and services.  Arguably the coolest new service that connects your television viewing experience to other aspects of your life is Flingo.

Flingo is a relatively new company that combines the television watching experience with the social resources that enhance the experience.  The CEO of Flingo, Ashwin Navin, is not attempting to change the way network television viewing happens.  Instead, with Flingo, Navin hopes to enhance the viewing experience in ways that others have not tried before now.  In addition to innovating for television viewers, Flingo works with high definition television manufacturers and producers to try to elevate the television-viewing experience as much as possible, while still keeping it the passive activity most viewers want.

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Like so many industries, the consumer electronics sector has a vibrant secondary market.  Thanks in no small part to Alpha Consumers frequently upgrading and the consumer culture that fosters the mindset that this year’s new products will be obsolete or uncool by next year, the used electronics market has grown in recent years.  Buyers who are more interested in substance than style or who are simply thriftier than their peers can enjoy significant benefits from buying their electronics in gently used condition.  One of the biggest sectors in the electronics secondary market is in cell phones and smartphones.

However, just like when you are considering purchasing a used car, there are some good rules to live by when purchasing a used cell phone or used smartphone.  Both as a buyer and a seller, you should consider the following:

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In the midst of the worldwide recession, as companies like Facebook prepare to make billions of dollars overnight, there are still some websites devoted to giving on the Internet.  The giving sites are attempts to remind people who have Internet access that they live in a land of (comparative) plenty and that no matter how bad your problems are, there is someone, somewhere in the world, who has it much worse than you do.  You have the ability to help others at minimal cost to you.  That is the philosophy behind Philanthroper.com, which is arguably the coolest giving site on the Internet!

Philanthroper.com is a website that challenges visitors to donate to worthy nonprofits – 501(c)3 groups – each and every day (if at all possible).  The site has a very simple design and exists, not to make money for itself, but to raise money for charities most people have never heard of.  In order to encourage donations on a regular basis, Philanthroper.com only allows donations from $1 – $10.  The site’s founder hope that by limiting the amount of the donations, you will be encouraged to come back each day because giving was not that difficult the day before!  On the other end of the equation, founder Mark Wilson hopes to conclusively illustrate that many people doing a little bit each day adds up to a lot.  By having many people pooling a fraction of their resources, they may still do a great deal of good.

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With technologies changing very fast, popular companies absolutely need the best possible advertising to survive.  In fact, the corporate strategy that a company devises to survive changes or remain dominant in a given field may be useless if they are not able to properly express that strategy to their customer base.  With the move toward digital media (downloads) over physical media (DVD, Blu-Ray discs), companies like Netflix have been struggling to adapt.  Or, rather, Netflix would be struggling were it not for the effective efforts of Leslie Kilgore!

Leslie Kilgore is the Chief Marketing Officer of Netflix and she has served the company since 2000.  Kilgore is credited with much of the success of Netflix in terms of winning over the American people on the concept of a mail-delivery DVD service.  As Chief Marketing Officer, Kilgore was responsible for the advertising campaigns that launched Netflix into the collective consciousness and made Netflix into a serious competitor to traditional video rental chains, like Blockbuster Video.  Through her tireless efforts, Netflix surpassed Blockbuster as the primary video rental service in the United States!

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There are few job sectors where women are overlooked for hiring, promotion, and leadership roles compared to their male counterparts as in the technology sector.  Despite intense gains in social equality in the legislative arena, concerted efforts to provide computers specifically to impoverished girls, and rising test scores for girls in math and science, jobs in the technology sector have remained scarce for women.  But because the Internet has helped women to network, the barriers to women in the technology sector may be broken down.  If they are, it will be in no small part thanks to Carolyn Leighton.

Carolyn Leighton earned her bachelor’s degree in human development at Pacific Oaks College.  In her studies there, she became passionate about women’s rights, specifically in the workplace.  An expert on the gender gap and the glass ceiling, Leighton’s studies revealed to her a profound inequity in the treatment of women in the technology sector.  As a businesswoman, Leighton was baffled at how slowly women were making progress in companies responsible for computer development and electronics manufacturing.  Having had several successful businesses since college, Leighton was building Criterion Research when she conceived of the International Network of Women in Technology.

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A few years back, Microsoft had some legal troubles.  The U.S. government decided to aggressively pursue the Microsoft Corporation for antitrust violations.  This resulted in a restructuring of much of the way Microsoft does business and as Microsoft progresses past that dark chapter in its corporate history, it is once more growing steadily.  The results of the government probes and prosecution would have been much worse, had it not been for Mary E. Snapp.

Mary E. Snapp is the Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel in the Law and Corporate Affairs branch of Microsoft.  She specializes in providing legal advice for the Products and Services Division of Microsoft.  As Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the vital Products and Services division, Snapp oversees 150 lawyers working to protect Microsoft’s legal claims for some of the most widely-used Microsoft products.

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