Computer Support Blog

Before the Internet took over popular media, television was not only the dominant medium for entertainment, but in many ways was also a very social medium.  Groups of friends and families would often watch television together as a collective activity.  They would talk and interact while their favorite shows were running rather than sit in silence.  People would do this especially often during sports broadcasts, and in fact, many still do, as Super Bowl parties are part of a lot of people’s yearly social calendars.  However, for most situations, the social element of TV has transferred online.  Rather than talk about what’s happening on a show with friends that have come over for the night, people go on Twitter and Facebook to post status updates about it.  Cool product in technology Tok.tv is working to make the social aspect of watching television more interpersonal again and ironically, is doing so with the use of technology itself.  Tok.tv is a mobile app that combines a second screen experience for television with group voice chat over the Internet.  Users who have issues downloading the app can get help from an Android support or Apple support professional depending on the device that they own. Read more »

DJs who mix and perform sets of Electronic Dance Music, or EDM for short, usually require large set-ups of computer hardware and digital turntables to put on a performance.  The amount of work involved in setting up equipment for each gig is substantial and can be limiting for DJs who make their living from their mixing and performance work.  Cool product in technology Mixify is an online platform that not only makes it possible for DJs to avoid large set-ups by streaming performances remotely in high quality audio, but also lets them stream mixes and sets to multiple locations at once all over the world.  Read more »

People often find themselves in unfortunate circumstances when traveling with their cellphones and ending up with no signal.  When driving long distances or heading to remote locations without wireless network connections, smartphones essentially turn from incredible tools of communication into fancy paperweights. However, there is now a cool product in technology called FireChat that allows users to chat wirelessly on their smartphones without any Internet connection.  FireChat is a smartphone application that uses a proprietary technology called “mesh networking”. Mesh networking lets smartphones communicate with other mobile devices in proximity even when there is no Wi-Fi or mobile signal connection available.  FireChat does not completely replace the need for an Internet connection or allow users to text people from very long distances without a connection.  Still, this smartphone app has many potential applications for consumers who travel.  Read more »