All of us Geeks in the tech community HATE Internet Explorer with a passion. Hell, I’ll download Safari on my PC before I’ll use it. I’ll switch back to dial-up and use a Net-Zero browser before you see IE on a computer that I own. Apparently Microsoft has made it’s own New Year’s Resolution, to rid the world of IE! In comes Spartan,? an entirely new, light-weight browser that should be able to compete better with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Sticking with their obsession with the Xbox phenomenon “Halo” to theme all of it’s new products (“Cortana” is their version of “Siri”), more than likely to appeal to the younger audience.
Spartan will make it’s grand entrance in 2015 coupled with Microsoft Windows 10, and although they aren’t “replacing” IE, lets be honest, Internet Explorer 11, should be the last iteration of that browser. Internet Explorer has been losing market share among computer browsers for years (it?s at about 58 percent today, according to NetMarketshare.com, compared to more than 90 percent 10 years ago), and browsers from Apple and Google dominate the mobile market.
Spartan should support extensions, and will more than likely be using an updated version of the Trident rendering engine, which means it should be able to go blow for blow with Chrome and Firefox. On January 21st, Microsoft plans to show some of the new features of Windows 10 and in all likelihood, we should get a peak at Spartan. Unless the software isn’t ready yet, in which case they don’t need Spartan’s first appearance to be riddled with a bug, or a crash, which would be fatal to the project.
Windows 10 is designed to run on many different devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones. Microsoft?s goal is for the user to be able to have a familiar experience no matter what type of devices they?re using, and to that end, if ?Spartan? is indeed under development, we?re likely to see both desktop and mobile versions in the end. Internet Explorer 11 is already available for Windows computers, tablets, and phones, so the two browsers will probably coexist for the foreseeable future.
Internet Explorer made its debut in 1995 as part of the Windows 95 operating system. Microsoft hasn?t built an entirely new browser since then ? all its focus in that area has been on keeping Internet Explorer up to date ? so a made-from-scratch ?Spartan? would be a big deal for the company and for customers.
And maybe Microsoft wont have to deal with these memes anymore..
New Years Resolutions are everywhere this time of year. Everyone else makes them, but when it comes down to actually doing it, people rarely follow through. Those of us that frequent our local gym, will have it inundated with people for the first month, maybe two,? and then like magic, everyone is gone. So why don’t people just make New Years Resolutions that they can stick to? Things that are easy, and that don’t take a ton of your valuable time. Well, here at Computer Geeks we have compiled a list of New Years Resolutions for all of you to help your PC thrive in 2015! And if your computer and everything on it is fast and safe, then it will save you time, and potentially a lot of money. Without further ado, here is the list
7. Viruses, spyware, malware, adware protection
Listen, most people have anti-virus software because it comes with virtually every computer out there. But do you have Anti-Malware on your PC? How about Anti-spyware? Probably not. Computer Geeks has several solutions to this problem that we can put on your computer, and the best part is that the software is free!
6. Maintenance Checkups
I know, I know, nobody likes to schedule to fix their computer. But checkups are important. So many people who call me up with a dead computer that they haven’t had serviced in 5 years. What if you didn’t take your child to get a check up for 5 years? Sounds outrageous right? Same thing with your computer. That could be all of your family memories on that computer, or your entire business database, gone because you didn’t see a problem coming. A computer should get a thorough cleaning and tune up every 3 months to keep performance optimal. Simple checkups can increase the average computer life span by up to 4 years. Computer Geeks can set you up on scheduled maintenance calls for the entire year, all at once! And you can always reschedule at no cost if something comes up!
5. Use Better Passwords on your computer
I’m sure your dog is cute, and is a great companion, but he’s a BAD password. Most hackers who get into your computer can find personal information, like your pets name. And when they go to steal your email address, or your bank account info, you might as well have not even set a password. You want there to be 3 variables to your password, a capital letter, lowercase letter, and numbers, but please don’t just do R4m35eS, they’ll try that too. Combine two things to make your password unguessable, like your dog and your birth year backwards. My birth year is 1982 so my password could be this: S2e8se9ma1R, now that’s a password! (FYI that’s not my password)
4. Archive your old emails
For you outlook users, your inbox/outbox for your email can look like the warehouse from Indiana Jones. Filled with so many items that you’ll never find anything. Outlook has an auto-archive function that will archive anything that is older than a certain amount of time, that you can dictate. Set it once, and then forget about it! The best part is that if you need to view the archive emails, they will still show up when you use the Outlook Search feature.
3. Watch what you post on social media
Listen, we’ve all done it, had a bad day at work and then go home and blow up Facebook about how much your boss’ management style reflects that of Adolf Hitler. The problem is, when you go to leave Hitler’s company, your new potential employer is more than likely going to find you on Facebook before he hires you, so he can see what he may be getting himself into. Be careful what you post online, there is no escaping something once its on there…
2. Be careful where you surf on the web
Seriously, this should be self explanatory. Don’t go to a site that you don’ t know what it is. And if you do go to a bad site and pop-ups and people saying you have viruses comes up, CALL GEEK CHOICE FAST!? Once a virus is on a computer the longer it sits there the more damage it can do. Turn the PC off, and give us a call 800-433-5435.
1. BACKUP ALL YOUR FILES
This last one is so simple, so important, but almost always not done. People think backups take up a lot of their time, or that they are expensive. But Computer Geeks is here to tell you they are neither, they are just lifesavers. 10 times a week some poor soul wanders into my office telling me their hard drive is dead, and they’re whole life was on it. I ask if they have a backup, and they give me the frowney face. Backups are really cheap, and for the most part can be set up 1 time, to perform backup either daily, weekly, monthly or ever quarterly. And you can set the backup to occur at 3AM while you sleep, so you never have to deal with it! Computer Geeks can get you on a yearly backup plan for UNLIMITED DATA at only 59.95! Just give us a buzz and Computer Geeks can help
We hope you have enjoyed our New Years resolution blog, feel free to follow us on Twitter @geekchoice, and like us on Facebook Here to get all of our daily blogs to keep you updated with everything technology from cell phones, gaming systems, to computer tips and hints!
Computer Geeks would like to take this time to wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas! We hope all is well and everyone stays safe this holiday. Lets hope that Santa was nice and got you a fancy new tech gadget, or a new computer! If you are having any issues with your new technology device feel free to call us. Our call center is open all day today and we are available for service calls starting Friday the 26th!
We’d also like to thank all of you out there that have supported our business and our staff throughout the years that you have been great, loyal customers. It has been an honor and a privilege servicing the Beacon Hill and Boston community every day for the last 18 years! We look forward to a great new year in 2015, but for now, let me summarize some of the new, and old services Computer Geeks can provide for you
So I wanted to do something funny for you guys on Xmas and give you the 12 Days of Geek Christmas. This is an assortment of “gifts” our customers give to us throughout the year. I’m going to fill it with lovely pictures, and memes, and just overall fun things that should put a smile on your faces for the Holidays!
On the 12th Day of Geek Christmas my customer gave to me, 12 Trojan Viruses!
Please don’t trust him. Never open something when you don’t know what it is, or else they’ll getcha.
Here at Computer Geeks we are the nation’s leader in Dental IT Support, and there are days where everything goes haywire, and Dentists panic, till they call us!
Another thing we have all done, whether we dropped it, kicked it, stepped on it or just closed it real hard when there was something on the keyboard, we all need laptop screen repair.
http://youtu.be/1gyzSdGjJU8
On the 4th Day of Geek Christmas my customer gave to me, 4 water damaged laptops
On the 3rd Day of Geek Christmas my customer gave to me, 3 Paper Jams
With Christmas only a few days away, HOPEFULLY, you have gotten all of the Holiday shopping done for the tech-lover in your life. Popular tech items are typically high ticket items, such as HDTV s, cameras, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and we all are looking for bargains in today's economy. So, what are we to do? Below are some tips that can help you find the bargains when purchasing these items, as well as help you get a head start on next year by taking advantage of online sales many retailers put out starting as early as Christmas Day.
Where to find these Bargains
Christmas day is a great time to keep an eye out for the online sales many retailers post, so timing is essential when trying to find the best bargains. This means you can buy that item for your tech lover (or let’s be honest, yourself..) at a great price, and be ahead of the game for the 2015 Holiday season. Popular tech items typically see the best bargains after the New Year and March. Websites and mobile apps, such as fatwallett.com are also becoming an amazing resource for smart, and savvy online shoppers. They work closely with popular retailers, such as Best Buy and Target, to publish store discounts, coupon codes and Cash Back rewards to its members. FatWalllet is also the place for you if you like to stack deals and coupons. The FatWallet forums have become a place for smart consumers to share and learn in this evolving online marketplace. Additionally, keeping on trend, their?Deal Hunter app?enables the mobile shopper to compare current bargains, and the new?FatWallet Express?allows for quick cash back activation while shopping online.
So, get going on your shopping, get the best bargains on those gifts for the tech-lover in your life, (or yourself) and look like a rock star this New Year!
This is the time of year to look back and see what the past 12 months or so have brought us. Let’s take it a step further. Let’s look at the top websites…of the last 18 years.
In 1996, the top five websites were AOL, Webcrawler, Yahoo, Netscape, and Infoseek. AOL and Yahoo had the number one and two spot from 1996-2000. Google doesn’t even make the top five until 2002. That year, AOL, MSN, Yahoo, and Ebay were at the top. Google has been in top five every year ever since. And then there’s Facebook. When it started in the mid-2000s, it didn’t even crack the top 20. In fact, everybody was in love with My Space. But in 2010, Facebook finally made the top five and has been there ever since. The 2014 list haven’t come out yet. But here’s the 2013 top five list: Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and AOL.
What do I say then? Like all things, web fads come and go. When was the last time you heard of Webcrawler, Netscape, or Infoseek? It’s been a long time for me, too. But some, like Yahoo and America Online/AOL, have been at or near the top every year. And despite some of the problems of the last few ?years, Yahoo still holds his popularity. What do you think will make the top five most popular websites in 2014?
