Computer Support Blog

Television shows have always been a major piece of American pop culture and in recent years, there has even been increased media attention for popular shows on network and cable television.  Shows such as Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory and Mad Men have all garnered tremendous fan bases and mainstream media attention. Many online communities centered on different television shows sprout up consistently as well.  Die-hard television viewers who watch and follow several shows religiously now have a cool product that helps them stay up to date with each show they watch.  TeeVee is an iPhone app that contains a large database of many active and inactive television shows that still air regularly either in their main runs or through syndication.  The app gives users data about the next time a show is going to air, episode details and even connects people to preview trailers for new seasons and episodes of popular shows.  TeeVee is currently available as an app both for iPhone and iPad users. Apple support is available for those who experience issues trying to download TeeVee from the App Store. 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 »

While many people use digital projectors at home for their excellent pictures and cinema-like feel, most home projectors are less than convenient.  While the machines are small, the requirement for users to install large viewing screens into their houses makes them a problem in many cases.  In addition, many projectors require special remote controls sold separately, making it more expensive if users want to control their devices from a distance.  Cool person Pierre Lebeau has founded his company Keecker to create a new product that changes the status quo for home projectors.  Lebeau has reimagined the product from the ground up to try to give users an easier and overall more satisfying experience.  Read more »

Wine is a passionate hobby for millions of people all over the world.  Wine tastings and winery tours draw huge numbers every year.  Now, a cool product uses mobile technology to cater to the passionate wine enthusiast community.  Vivino is a mobile app available on both Android and Apple devices that allows users to discover, review and share information about all the wines they try.  Vivino contains a giant database of available wines for people to access the details about at any time.  Users can look up different wines and learn not only where it comes from, its flavor profile, and where one can buy it, but also what other wine drinkers think of it.  Vivino lets people leave starred reviews of thousands of different wines and share their opinions of the products.  People can favorite specific reviews and even follow users that have similar tastes to them.  When people become friends on Vivino, they each receive updates when the other user reviews a new wine.  Enthusiasts can find new wines to try out, or even avoid, based on the tastes of their Vivino friends.  Anyone who has trouble while downloading Vivino from the App Store or the Play Store will need to get Android support or Apple tech support to help. Read more »

Over time, many people’s grocery shopping become repetitive, and they end up eating the same meals over and over again.  Some may want to expand their palettes but due to budgetary issues or a lack of ideas for new recipes, they remain stuck in the same pattern.  Cool product Kitchin wants to help these people find ways to change up their usual meals without forcing them to change their shopping habits.  Kitchin uses the groceries a person buys to search the web and find new and unique recipes that someone can use with those ingredients.  Users download the Kitchin app, take pictures of their grocery receipts with their smartphones and receive recipe suggestions directly through their phone.  Kitchin uses image recognition technology to recognize what food items are on someone’s receipt.  Kitchin then crosschecks those ingredients against a large database of potential recipes to find new possibilities for the app’s users.  Of course, any users who experience trouble using their mobile cameras should find a smartphone computer repair service before trying the Kitchin app. Read more »

Making plans spontaneously is difficult.  Even with the advent of social media like Twitter and Facebook, trying to get hold of friends on short notice isn’t easy.  People aren’t always online and often don’t check social networks until it’s too late to take advantage of a spontaneous plan.  Cool person in technology Raji Bedi created doingtonight, a mobile social network, so that people have a specific place to go to when they want to make last minute plans.  On doingtonight, users post their potential plans for the evening and can tag specific friends and locations in their posts.  Those friends receive notifications about each proposed plan and can either call the original poster or simply show up if they are free that night.  By creating a social network exclusively for these occasions, Bedi is making it easier and less awkward to use social media for spontaneous outings and get-togethers.  Currently, doingtonight is available on iPhone.  Users who have issues installing it from the App Store can contact Apple tech support for help. Read more »

Subscription services seem to be becoming the new norm for entertainment.  Netflix has changed the television world with their streaming service model and Spotify has made a huge impact applying the same concepts to music.  Now, there is a cool product that wants to shift this model to yet another area.  Bardowl provides users unlimited access to streaming audiobooks using a month-to-month subscription model.  The company focuses entirely on a mobile-based subscription for the time being, providing the app on iPhones, iPads, and iPods to start.  A mobile-first approach is likely the right one given the immense growth of the mobile market over the last several years, especially in the area of entertainment.  People already frequently download audiobooks from Amazon and Apple for use on their mobile devices, so believing they would use primarily use a mobile subscription service to listen to them is not much of a stretch.  Users who experience any trouble listening to books through the Bardowl app should seek out a mobile tech support company for assistance with the issue. Read more »

As entertaining as large, flat-screen television sets are when people are using them to watch shows, movies and sports, they can also be an eyesore during a party or causal get-together when people aren’t using them.  Cool person in technology Sheldon Laube has found a way to give TVs a better purpose when not performing their primary function.  Laube has created Artkick, which provides a massive archive of photographs and digital artwork for users to push to their television displays wirelessly through an Android and iPhone app.  Artkick users can wirelessly control what images display on their large screen televisions using their phones.  Laube wants people to be able to repurpose their televisions easily when not using them.  With Artkick, people can instantly make their televisions into eye-catching art displays that make their home feel more welcoming to visitors.  Users simply connect their phones to their televisions through a Wi-Fi signal and select whatever image they want displayed.  Anyone who has trouble connecting their smartphones to their TVs through their wireless Internet will need to get home network support for help. Read more »

Checking different news sites and blogs is quickly becoming the daily morning routine for many professionals.  More often than not, one can catch many people going through popular entertainment blogs and news sites on their phone over breakfast or coffee in the morning.  However, despite the fact that someone can do it all on a device that fits in his or her pocket, there is still an aspect of inconvenience to this process.  One must always stop what they are doing in order to check new postings or read articles on their favorite blogs.  Outside of those people who use public transportation and have a specific time where their hands and eyes are free during their morning commute, stopping work or travel is necessary for people to check these websites on their phones.  Cool person in technology Espen Systad wants to make it easy for people to get the information they want from entertainment and news sites without taking more time away from them.  Systad’s company Capsule.fm accomplishes this feat by automatically converting the text from blogs and news sites into a personalized audio feed for smartphone users. Read more »

Members of small communities and neighborhoods often look out for each other when problems arise.  Whether someone has been the victim of a crime or lost something important to them, such as a valuable possession or a pet, neighbors are usually willing to provide aid in some way.  People usually help out by posting flyers or going around the community and asking questions, hopefully piecing together enough information to assist the person in trouble.  Cool person in technology Jay Sebben wants to use technology and the web to help people within these communities assist each other.  Sebben’s company Crowdfynd provides people with a platform where they can post ads about lost items, safety issues, suspicious activities or anything else they feel would be good for the neighborhood.  People can browse Crowdfynd to find ways to help each other out.  People can also find out if anyone has found their lost items by checking the Crowdfynd website or mobile apps.  Any less technically inclined users who would like to use Crowdfynd to help their community can contact remote computer support services for help getting started. Read more »