Oct 22, 2018 | Smartphone
So are you tired of your old smartphone? Do you have a new one and don’t have any need for the old one? Then Maybe Ebay can help. Ebay’s instant selling: Sell your old smartphone.
So this is a new system Ebay created. They call it Instant Selling. However, there is good news and bad news in this. The good news is this will only take a few minutes, and Ebay does most of the work for you. However, the bad news is you don’t get money back. Instead, you get an Ebay voucher. That’s great if you’re an avid Ebay shopper. But what if you’re just a once-in-a-while Ebay user? Or what if this is your first time on Ebay, and an Ebay voucher doesn’t interest you at all?
So here is the first step: Click on this Ebay?page.?Then, tell them what brand and model your phone is. They’ll ask you about the condition of the phone because the better shape it’s in, the more money, I meant, the bigger Ebay voucher you’ll get. It also helps if you have the original box it came in. You’ll get a table of prices and worth. Then, you’ll get the voucher when you agree to your specific quote. They’ll give you a label to print. You follow instructions on where and how to ship your old phone. Then all you do is enjoy your Ebay voucher.
From what I’m seeing, they’re only doing this for newer smartphone brands, like Galaxy S7 or IPhone 6 and newer. Also, you need to be under contract with AT&T or Verizon. Sorry, Sprint and T-Mobile customers. Many in the IT support and computer repair community have those brands. Ebay does need new ideas, especially if they’re going to compete with Amazon. What do you think of Ebay’s Instant Selling?
Oct 19, 2018 | General
So at Cornell University, an Ivy League university, they’re conducting an IT support and IT support experiment. It involves blue cheese and virtual reality. But what do these two things have in common? They ask the questions. Can VR help your food taste better?
First, they gave 50 people VR headsets. Then, they gave them pieces of blue cheese. They ate the cheese in a typical booth first. Then they put the VR glasses. It was there where they sat on a park bench surrounded by green grass. There was also a cow barn and a farm setting, but no cows. Then they ate the blue cheese in this fantasy setting. According to their research, the cheese tasted better on a fantasy farm than in a real booth.
One of the researchers wanted to prove this point: It’s not just about what we eat and the taste of it. He talks about the input we get from our senses: or eyes and ears. Other researchers also say this even brings about memories for our surroundings. For instance, those who say the same cheese tasted better in the farm. I wonder how many grew up on the farm, or who ate cheese on the farm. Or I wonder how many ate cheese in a rural or green grass setting.
So maybe I’m titling this blog wrong: Can VR help your food taste better? Because the researchers say this isn’t about VR making your food taste better. However, this can made VR some sort of a taste bed experiment. Here’s an example. In the future, you could be on a bus, train, plane , or any other crowded place. Then they break out with the VR goggles of a peaceful, rural place, or any other pleasant surroundings. They’re banking that the pleasantries of VR will make the food taste better no matter what earthly chaos they’re in. Will corporations and/or consumers buy this?
Oct 17, 2018 | scam, Smartphone
So do you own an iPhone? Did you ever pay hundred of dollars for an app? Also, here’s another question: Do you have to pay $5 a week for an app? It may not seem like much, but it adds up. That’s why Apple cracks down on iPhone scammers.
But paying for Apps, especially that much, seem to be going out of style. However, there are still complaints from customers and computer repair experts. They talk about ‘dark patterns’. That means tricking users into buying and using apps and sections of apps they really don’t need. They they can get you to pay for things you don’t intend to pay for.
One app is…or should I say…was Scanner App. Yes, it worked and did what it was supposed to do. However, it costs $4 a week. That adds up to around $20 a month and $220 a year. Now, I say was because the Scanner App no longer exists. That’s because Apple cracks down on iPhone scammers. Others who do this same thing are going. The ironic thing: Apple is the one enabled it. Back in late 2016, they let paying Apps charge subscribers fees, instead of paying one lump sum. When you think of it, people are happier to pay for that.
However, Apple isn’t the only one exposing this. Last year, publications like Mashable and Forbes, called out apps that charge as much as $99 a week. Times are changing. As of right now, only 15% of all apps are the ones you have to pay for. As for me, I only get the free apps. So do many customers from our computer service shop. When I see an app in which I have to pay a fee, then red flags go up. Especially, when they pay a certain amount a week. What do you think of paid apps and do you think the crack down is a good thing?
Oct 16, 2018 | News
So when most people think of Microsoft, they think of Bill and Melinda Gates, right? However, we forget that Gates had a lot of help in founding this IT support giant. His co-founder, Paul Allen, was there, literally from day one. R.I.P. Paul Allen: Microsoft co-founder and tech innovator.
Paul Allen died yesterday from lymphoma. He was 65 years old. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. But that’s not all. He also created the two button mouse. Furthermore, Allen created other Microsoft products and continued to push for higher standards in tech world. In fact, many say if there were no Paul Allen, then there would be no computing as we know it. In 1983, he left Microsoft, but this was just the beginning of his IT service career.
Paul Allen went on to found Vulcan. With Vulcan, he invested into many companies and other places that deals with everything from enhancing culture to fighting climate change. Soon, Allen became one of the greatest philanthropists in Seattle’s history. His own website says his giving surpassed $2 billion. For example, in 2003, he founded the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Here, he funded brain studies and combated brain illnesses, like concussions.? He also built homes for homeless and low-income citizens that ares.
Allen was a huge sports leader. He owned the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers. Even there, he was known for using technology to improve players’ lives on and off the field. Tributes pour in from all over the Silicon Valley community. Tim Cook tweeted “…our world has lost a force for good.”. Jeff Bezos fondly remembered his love for inventions. Then, his friend Bill Gates remembered him as a man who loved technology, life, and everyone around him. I’m not only impressed by his heart and tech genius, but by Allen’s humility and his willingness to help anybody in need. These are things we can use not only in the tech world, but in the whole world. R.I.P. Paul Allen. Thank you for all you did for us.
Oct 15, 2018 | Computer technology, News
So last week, Hurricane Micheal devastated the Florida Panhandle. The pictures are hard to watch. Not only was this the strongest October hurricane of all time, but was one of the strongest storms of any time. However, many credit technology for helping out and even saving lives. Let’s look at Hurricane Michael and technology.
So many of people, like meteorologists, credit IT support and technology for saving lives. They credit radar and computer models for watching the storm’s rapid intensity. For example, on Sunday the 7th, it was just a tropical storm. But by the time it hit Wednesday the 10th, it was almost a category 5 storm.
They also thank the EOC (emergency operations center) for putting warnings out. They sent evacuation warnings to smartphones and other devices all over the land. Also, they kept using this to get the warning out. As a result, many people fled. In Franklin County, Florida, over 12,000 people left because of the warnings. Of the 1,000 people of Mexico Beach, FL, over 700 left. Cell phone companies and ISP providers set up hot spots all over the areas so people can contact missing relatives, friends and neighbors. They are sending hundreds more to help re-connect people with cell phone service. Who is doing the sending? It’s major phone companies like AT&T and Verizon.
I know on my Facebook page, people all over the hit areas mark themselves safe. People also talk about if they’re out of power. In some ways, social media gives regular people a journalist’s voice they didn’t have some 15 or 20 years ago. Oh, and like other disasters, online giving will pay a huge role in the clean up and recovery efforts. Just be careful about who you give to and accept help from. Those are just some of the ways IT service and technology are helping people whether the storm. How else do Hurricane Michael and technology go together, I mean in technology helping people?
