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Product Spotlight: Temperature and Moisture Monitoring

bwassell — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:40:57 +0000

Computers + extreme temperatures and/or water = bad news. This is why a company named Invetex released two different products to help monitor temperature and moisture. The first product is called “Halotile.” Essentially it is a flat 2ft by 2ft panel that is designed to go on top of ceiling tiles. If you don’t have ceiling tiles or that doesn’t sound like a feasible option then they have a second product called “Aquapede.” Aquapede does the same thing that Halotile does, but it is a small sensor that is placed on the floor near the baseboard.

These products are designed to alert you the second there is temperature variation or the slightest amount of moisture. That way necessary action can be taken to help prevent damage. Alerts can be sent out via cell phone texts, or emails. This protects you if pipes freeze,if air conditioning units go out, if there is too much moisture in the air or many other situations that could arise. All of these conditions could cause disastrous results if they are not taken care of promptly, on top of the cost of replacing / fixing damaged hardware there is also the cost of unplanned downtime which can greatly harm productivity, costing thousands of dollars. By utilizing Invetex’s monitoring tools, action can be taken at the slightest hint of trouble before serious problems arise.

These products are used around the country to protect computers in server rooms, drugs in pharmacies, expensive medical equipment, document storage rooms and more.

Here is a sample situation in which Invetex’s products could be very useful. Suppose it is a Friday night after everyone has left for the weekend and the air conditioning unit goes out in your building and/or server room and nobody will be in the office until Monday morning. Depending on the setup, the heat could rise to levels that could damage your server and any other of the sensitive electronic equipment in the room. This means that when you get there on Monday morning, there could be a lot of serious problems. There are also going to be potential costs of replacement hardware and the time it is going to take to reconfigure everything, which could be hours or even days. If you had the proper monitoring equipment in place, then Friday night once the temperature started to rise an alert would have been sent out and action could be taken immediately- preventing any huge complications Monday morning so everyone can return to work and not even know there was a problem over the weekend.

For more information, send us an email or call us at 651-454-7729 and we can assist you in getting these products purchased and set up for you so that you can have peace of mind knowing that the correct precautionary measures have been taken.

Pogoplug: Easy Access to Your Files from Anywhere

bwassell — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:36:49 +0000

Do you happen to have an iPhone or Android based phone? Want to access your music and files at home while sitting at work on your laptop? What if you could access all of your music, movies and files from home on your smartphone or computer – whenever you wanted, from anywhere with Internet access? If this interests you, then you should check out the Pogoplug.

Pogoplug is a device that allows your to take your files that are on a USB thumb-drive or USB hard drive and connect them to the Internet so you can access them from anywhere. Here is how it works. First, connect your Pogoplug to your network router via an ethernet cable. After it is connected you can hook any USB storage to your Pogoplug. Then, you visit their website and register your Pogoplug. Once the initial setup is done, any data on your USB-drive is securely accessible to you over the Internet. It can be accessed from an Android phone, an iPhone, or any computer that is connected to the Internet. Additionally, you can stream content to a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360!

The applications of a Pogoplug are limitless. If you have a very large music collection and like to listen to it on your phone, but you don’t have enough space, then a Pogoplug can be very beneficial. All of the data is stored on a hard drive, and the Pogoplug allows you to access it from your phone! You can watch movies on your phone (though the quality is not the highest because it has to stream all of the data). You can even setup certain folders you want to be shared with others. This means you can have all of your photos online and share them with friends and family very easily.

The Pogoplug currently costs $129. This does not include the cost of any external drives that you will need to store your files. It may seem like an expensive device but the functionality that it provides as well as the ease of use make it very valuable. If you are interested in learning more about the Pogoplug please see the following articles, or send an email to help@emersontech.net and we will assist you the best we can.

For more information see the following articles:

“Pogoplug second generation debuts, coming this holiday with enhanced web interface” – Endgadget

“Pogoplug: A Simple Way to Share Data in Your Personal Cloud”
(older version of the Pogoplug, but same idea)

“What Is Pogoplug” – Pogoplug.com

Windows 7 Overview

bwassell — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:01:19 +0000

In November of 2009, we wrote an article to help you determine if you should upgrade to Windows 7, but we didn’t cover any of the new features. Now it’s time to take a look at Windows 7 and what it offers that Windows XP and Windows Vista don’t.

One of the first things you will notice about Windows 7 is the changes to the look and feel. There are many newer themes which make the computer look and feel more modern. A nice feature of Windows 7 is the desktop slideshow. This feature allows a user have their background automatically change to a different picture at a given time interval. Although Windows XP and Windows Vista have been able to do this with the use of third party programs, it is built in to Window 7 which is a nice addition. The Windows 7 taskbar is also very different. It has a unique feature called preview. This allows a user to move the mouse over an icon and a preview of it will pop up. This can be useful to keep organized with different programs. Here is an image of the Windows 7 taskbar including the preview feature. The taskbar also groups all icons for a given application together. For example, if you have three different Microsoft Word documents up, they will all be grouped into one Microsoft Word icon, and you will first click on that and then choose which document you want to access. This helps the taskbar to stay cleaner and more organized.

Windows 7 also added some new “flashy” features, but they do have a purpose. For example, there is a feature known as “Aero Snap”. You may have seen this commercial demonstrating the snap feature. Essentially it allows for two programs to be set up side by side so that you can multi-task better. Another window management feature of Windows 7 is called “Aero Shake”. This feature allows a you to minimize all windows except the one you want by simply clicking on it and “shaking it” it from side to side for a second. Click here for a video demonstration.

Another improvement of Windows 7 is the Action Center. The Action Center is a one stop place where you can get a quick look at your computer and how it is performing. The Action Center will alert users about updates, firewalls, problems, and many other potential issues with your computer. It will serve as a reminder to keep your computer updated, backed up, and also makes sure you have proper anti virus software installed. It also integrates with the notification area to alert you if any action is needed on your computer.

So far we have noted the aesthetic changes of Windows 7 because that is what many people care about – how the system looks. But one of the most important aspects is also how the system performs. Windows 7 boots up faster than Windows Vista and Windows XP. It also has improved battery life features for laptops. Behind the scenes, Windows 7 has many improvements for the way hardware runs to take advantage of multi core processors as well as solid state hard drives.

Overall, Windows 7 has taken many steps in the right direction. While no Windows operating system has ever been perfect, Windows 7 looks and performs better than its predecessors.

Is Your Computer Up To Date?

bwassell — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:59:02 +0000

One of the most important things you can do to keep your computer safe is to keep the software on it up to date. Most people are familiar with the updates Microsoft provides using the Windows Update tool and most people apply them regularly whenever they show up. This is a very good practice but it is only one necessary step to keep your computer safe. If all your computer’s applications are not kept up to date, your computer is vulnerable to attack.

Often times when we see a reminder on out computer that “A new version of program xyz is available” we will simply disregard it or click on remind me later. While this is definitely more convenient, it is incredibly important to apply these updates. Some examples of programs which especially need to be kept up to date are: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Adobe Flash, Java, Apple Quicktime, all anti-virus software, and all Microsoft programs.

According to an article in the journal “The Register”, Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most exploited application. Acrobat Reader is the most popular program to read PDF files, though there are many other programs out there that can do this. As of March 2010, the latest version is 9.3.1 You can download the most recent version by going to http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

When running updates be careful what options are checked. Often times sponsors of programs will bundle toolbars in with the installation. See this article on toolbars as a reference. When installing Java updates for example, it will often have an option to install a toolbar with it and the option will already be checked. It is advised that you go through the update carefully to ensure that you don’t have that option checked. Also, if you want to be sure you are applying the correct updates, for home users there is an excellent free tool called Secunia Personal Software Inspector which will tell you what programs are out of date, and it will show you where to get the most recent updates/versions for your programs.

If you see options for installing updates on any programs on your computer, it is advised that you install those updates. To run Windows updates you can go to http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/

If you need assistance installing updates or are unsure if you are up to date, please give us a call at 651-454-7729 or send an email to help@emersontech.net and we would be happy to help.

Wireless-n

bwassell — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:30:05 +0000

Wireless Internet communication is something that most of us use at some point. You may have heard terms such as 802.11 followed by a letter such as a,b,g or n. 802.11 simply refers to a set of wireless protocols for carrying out wireless transmission. The letter refers to a particular type, generation or version of wireless transmission and offers improvements over the preceding generation. We will examine the latest, 802.11n and determine if it makes sense for you.

When wireless started becoming popular in many households, most people purchased a wireless b or wireless g router, which are backwards compatible with each other. It has only been recently (in the last 2 years or so) that wireless-n routers have been released and started to make their presence known. Wireless-n routers have some improvements over the older versions, but are they worth the additional cost?

Wireless-n routers transmit data at faster speeds than wireless g or b routers. However, the speed at which you browse the Internet is also limited by your Internet connection. Since your Internet connection is going to be a lot slower than the high speeds that data can be transmitted through your wireless router, if you are trying to speed up the use of your Internet, it really doesn’t matter that wireless-n routers can transmit data faster because you are still going to only browse websites at a maximum speed of your Internet connection. All types of wireless routers are still limited by Internet connection speed. If you are moving files around your local network, then wireless-n will not be limited by the speed of your Internet connection. For example, if you have a media center setup at home then a wireless-n network would be very useful for moving large videos around. Also, wireless-n routers can transmit up to 220 feet vs. 120 feet of wireless b or g routers. So if you need to have a wireless connection in a large home or even a small office, then a wireless-n router is advantageous.

Having said that, there is one issue with wireless-n routers to keep in mind: they require n-capable adapters to work at their top speed. This means if you have a laptop that doesn’t come with a built in n-capable wireless adapter, you can still connect to a wireless-n router but you won’t be able to get the full benefits of it. In order to use the benefits of a wireless-n router you have to upgrade the hardware in your laptops, computers, video game systems and portable devices as well. This can be an expensive process if you have multiple wireless devices that need upgrading. Having said that, you do not have to upgrade everything at the same time. As devices get old and are replaced, you will probably be replacing them with a device that supports the newer, faster technology right out of the box.

The bottom line is that for most people, wireless-n routers are not very cost effective unless you are in need of a new wireless device already. If you don’t have n-capable devices in your computers (which most people don’t), the benefit of wireless-n is not worth the cost of replacing all your older wireless devices. Additionally, even though wireless-n routers can transmit at faster speeds it won’t speed up most people’s Internet usage because the speed that matters is limited by your Internet connection. Unless you have a need to transmit wireless data over longer distances, or are moving large files between local computers, don’t worry about upgrading to a wireless-n device until your current equipment is up for replacement. In other words, don’t go out and buy a wireless-n router just for the sake of upgrading, rather wait until you have devices that support it and are in need of an upgrade, then buy a wireless-n router. If you don’t have a wireless router at all and are going to buy one, then it would be wise to purchase a wireless-n router.

If you are looking at buying a wireless-n router or need assistance setting one one, Emerson Technologies would be happy to help. Just call our office at 651-454-7729 or send an email to help@emersontech.net and we will assist you.

Android Phones

bwassell — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:26:55 +0000

Have you heard of an Android phone before? Perhaps you have heard of the Verizon Droid. This is one example of an Android-based phone, but what exactly does “Android”mean? Why are Android phones becoming so popular, and why are they seen as a competitor to the iPhone?

An Android based phone means that it is running a Linux operating system called Android. You may be familiar with different Windows operating systems, such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and different Mac operating systems, such as Max OS X – Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, etc. Well, Android is simply an operating system for phones.

The company which originally designed the Android operating system was acquired by Google in 2005. Google had them design the fist Android-based phone, the G1. From there more and more Android phones began to be created. Android is similar to the iPhone in that there is a market where thousands of applications can be downloaded. Any of the newer Android phones have full support for exchange email for businesses, Google calendar, Gmail, and email account synchronization. Additionally, Android phones can connect to Wi-Fi networks, have bluetooth connectivity and also have built in GPS technologies.

One of the most important aspects of the Android operating system is that it is an open platform that you can install any application that you want. This is different from the iPhone due to the fact that every single application has to be approved by Apple before it can be placed on the Apple App Store. With an Android-based phone, software developers are free to offer their applications on their own, without being required to get it approved by another company prior to it being made available.

Android phones offer many more features than traditional Smartphones such as and Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones, and are still easy to set up for synchronization in the business world. They function similarly to the iPhone. Lately, the iPhone and Android-based phones have been referred to in a new category of their own. They are referred to as “Super Smartphones”. Examples of some Android based phones include G1, HTC Hero, HTC Legend, HTC myTouch, Motorola Droid, Motorola Cliq, and the Nexus One. If you are considering buying a new phone, Emerson Technologies supports and recommends Android phones. One thing to consider if you are used to working with Windows Mobile is that Microsoft has a new version of their Windows Mobile OS called “Windows Phone 7 Series” coming out at the end of this year. If you are partial to Windows Mobile for any reason you might want to wait for a bit for our discussion of the huge changes coming to the Windows Phone field. We will have an article on Windows Phone 7 Series coming soon.

E-book Readers: How to Carry Thousands of Books Anywhere

bwassell — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:17:23 +0000

An item of technology that has become increasingly popular over the last year is an electronic book reader, or “e-book reader”. Essentially, it is a hand-held, portable device that allows a user to read a book electronically and store multiple books all in one location. They are incredibly useful and for the avid reader they are a becoming a necessity. They come in different sizes but typically have around a 7″ screen. They display 1 page from a book at a time (or magazine, blog or newspaper) on a paper-like screen; the screen emulates the actual page from a book so that it can be read in sunlight, or inside in normal reading conditions. This means that it is soft on the eyes and doesn’t cause strain like a computer screen does.

Say you are going on a business trip for a few weeks and you know you are going to have a lot of downtime between meetings and projects, and you like to read books. It is impractical to have to bring multiple large books. Carrying around multiple books tires quickly and takes up space. Since airlines now charge money for extra baggage, taking along multiple books is not a very good option. With an e-book reader you can have up to 1500 books (depending on the model you purchase) all in one place. You simply turn it on, select the book you want to read and start reading. This brings up a few questions, however. How do you get an e-book on your e-book reader and how long does the battery last?

When it comes to getting an e-book on your e-book reader, there are a number of different options. With some devices such as the Amazon Kindle, you can download new books wherever you are. It will connect to a wireless network using the same technology that advanced 3G cell phones use. You are able to download books, newspapers, magazines and blogs. If you buy books from Amazon’s service then they are automatically backed up for you. Additionally, e-books can be downloaded from other websites or even rented temporarily. Some people predict that local libraries will begin offering books as e-book rentals in the near future. Amazon alone has more than 360,000 books and features New York Times best sellers.

The battery life on e-book readers is amazing. This is because of the technology that they use. E-book readers use what’s called E-Ink technology. This means that there is only a black and white screen and power is only used to draw the text. Once the text is drawn and the page is displayed, no more power is used. The devices can go days or even weeks before the need to recharge.

Because e-book readers have such an excellent battery life, are very portable, and have the ability to download thousands of books, they are an excellent item of technology to have for anybody who enjoys reading. They will continue to rise and grow in popularity and they make excellent gifts.

If you are interested in learning more about e-book readers, this video does an excellent job of describing e-book readers in detail and gives you a firsthand look at them.

Windows 7: Should I Upgrade?

bwassell — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:06:15 +0000

Windows 7 has been out for almost a month now and for the most part has gotten positive reviews. I have been asked by a lot of people if they should upgrade their computers to the new operating system. The short answer is no, but for some users it does make sense.

When you buy a computer from a retailer it comes with a sticker on it that says something like “Designed for Windows _____”, where it will have a particular version of Windows such as XP/Vista/7. This means that the computer manufacturer set up the computer hardware to work with that particular operating system. This means that all of the drivers on the computer have been set up to work with the given operating system. If you upgrade to a different operating system such as Windows 7, there is no guarantee that it will work right away. You may have to do some tweaking and download new drivers in order to get your system to work properly. This is one reason why upgrading to Windows 7 does not make sense for a lot of people.

Newer software requires newer hardware. As software evolves, so does the need for more powerful hardware. Even though Windows 7 runs more efficiently than Windows Vista, it still needs a lot more power than older Windows XP machines have. If you have a computer that came with Windows XP and is a few years old, then it does not make sense to upgrade to Windows 7 because you will most likely have to upgrade your hardware in order to be able to run Windows well. If you want to go to Windows 7 then it makes more sense to buy a new computer with Windows 7 already installed. Then you don’t have to worry as much about your computer hardware.

That does however bring up another point: why do you need to upgrade to Windows 7? If everything is working okay for you right now then you shouldn’t change anything. If you are familiar with Windows XP and everything is set up the way you want it, then there is no need to upgrade. Until Microsoft stops supporting Windows XP entirely (which will happen eventually), there is no need to change. There is nothing magical about Windows 7. It is just a flashier more aesthetically pleasing operating system from Microsoft. Additionally, the upgrade process from Windows XP to Windows 7 is a lot more involved than the upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7, and I would strongly advise against it.

So when does it make sense to upgrade to Windows 7? If you bought a Windows Vista computer after June 26th, 2009, there is a good chance it came with a “free upgrade” to Windows 7. If this is the case, then it is a good idea to upgrade to Windows 7 because the software won’t cost you any money and Windows 7 is a better operating system than Windows Vista. To see if you qualify, see the following article from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/buy/offers/upgrade-option.aspx.

One last point I would like to make is that if you are buying a new computer then I advise you get it with Windows 7. Some manufacturers will offer a downgrade to Windows XP for an additional charge, but because Windows XP support time frame is limited, it is a good idea to start familiarizing yourself with Windows 7.

If you are not sure if you should upgrade, or if you have any questions, please give us a call at 651-454-7729 or send us an email at help@emersontech.net, and we would be happy to help you.

Planning Ahead For 2010

bwassell — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:44:54 +0000

Most people are still using a version of Windows called “Windows XP.” After Windows XP, the next version was “Windows Vista.” Coming out on 10/22/2009 is the newest version of Windows, “Windows 7.” There is nothing wrong with continuing to use Windows XP; there is no need to upgrade…yet. Emerson Technologies recommends that Windows 7 be deployed as you purchase new computers from now on. Once Windows 7 is released, Windows XP will no longer be available for direct purchase. It will still be possible to find Windows XP for use in new computers for some time yet, however it will be significantly more expensive to purchase. Microsoft will gradually be supporting Windows XP less and less. The gradual transition to Windows 7 is only one aspect to consider when planning for the 2010 budget.
The 3 most recent versions of Microsoft Office are Office XP, Office 2003, and Office 2007. Another version, Office 2010 will be coming out in 2010. Microsoft only supports the latest 3 versions of Office. This means if you are using Office XP there will no longer be any support or patches – even if security vulnerabilities are discovered. We would be happy to assist you in planning for any upgrade.

The recommended lifespan of a desktop is about 3 years. After that, there is a good chance that the hardware will start to have problems. This is not good because it can cause unexpected results that could slow down efficiency or cause unplanned downtime. If you have any computers that are nearing the 3 to 4 year mark, give us a call and we can make a recommendation for you. Depending on how many computers you have, you can easily spread out your computer replacements over the year to help spread the costs out. The replacement of older computers will help ensure that there aren’t any issues which could slow things down, and also will help make things work smoother with a newer machine. It is important to realize that computers don’t last forever and need to be replaced and maintained – much like a car.

By planning ahead for 2010 you can be sure that your business is well equipped to perform efficiently.

Apple Releases New iPod Nano: Now with Radio and Video Camera capabilities!

bwassell — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:41:25 +0000

This month, Apple released their latest version of the iPod Nano. The iPod Nano has been Apple’s smallest fully functioning version of their iPod line. I say fully functioning because they do have an iPod shuffle, which is nothing more than a small music player with no interactive screen. The new iPod Nano has a 2.2” screen and weighs 1.28oz. It has a lot of new features as well. It can be bought in either an 8gb model or a 16gb model which is approximately 2,000 or 4,000 songs.

The camera on the iPod is only a video camera. This is important to note if you are thinking of buying one to take pictures with, as the current version only captures videos. Apple will most likely be releasing a newer version in the future to take both pictures and videos. The camera captures 640 x 480 pixels, which is pretty standard for cell phones. The iPod does have 15 special effects built in to it that include: sepia tone, black & white, motion blur, tunnel, twirl and more. The iPod can hold 8 hours (or 16 hours) or video, depending on what size you get.

The radio on the iPod is more than a traditional radio. It features iTunes tagging and Live-Pause. iTunes tagging means that the song being played on whatever station you are listening to displays the artist and the song name. The tagging part means you are able to click a button while listening to a song, and then when you reconnect your iPod to your computer you are able to find the song in iTunes automatically. This makes it easy to download your favorite songs. Live-Pause is the really cool feature. Say you are listening to a song and need to take a break for whatever reason. You can then pause the song and continue listening to it later. It will let you go as far back as 15 minutes.

The new Apple iPod Nano has a new feature called Voice-Over. What this does is tell you the artist and song name you are currently listening to. This is able to help you figure out what song you are on. Additionally, you are able to navigate around your iPod without actually having to look at the screen. This makes it so if you are driving in a car you can just click a button as opposed to being distracted by looking down at the screen and trying to figure out what you are listening to. The new iPod also has new features in terms of fitness. The Nike / iPod feature has been around for a while, where you can track your running on your iPod, but the new version of it is really neat. It has a “built in pedometer”, which you can turn on or off at anytime. It calculates your acceleration and will tell you how far you have walked or ran or the total number of steps you have taken in a day. Note however that this still requires the iPod Sport Kit, which contains a sensor you place in your shoe.

For more information on the new iPod, or for a more detailed overview, you can view information on apples website. http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/features/