The new iPhone 4 is thinner than its most recent predecessor, the iPhone 3GS. It has a greatly improved display as well, even though the iPhone 3GS already had an excellent display. The new iPhone 4 will also be equipped with a 5mp camera (as opposed to a 3mp camera on the iPhone 3GS), which will be capable of HD video recording. Additionally, the iPhone 4 has a camera on the front of the phone. This is used for Apple’s new feature called FaceTime which allows users to have video calls with each other. This is a huge leap forward in cell phone technology, but it only works over a wi-fi network, not over the 3G network. The new iPhone 4 also has wireless-n technology built-in. (See this article we wrote a few months ago on wireless-n networks). Lastly, the battery life has been further improved to last longer.

IOS 4 has over 100 new features. There have been great improvements for multitasking, or running multiple applications simultaneously, without slowing down the performance of the phone. Organization has also been improved. Users are now able to put applications into various folders to organize them. Email has been improved to have a global inbox (as opposed to having multiple separate inboxes), if you want, as well as the ability to open more attachments. It is also more customizable and allows users to have a different home screen wallpaper. For more information visit Apple’s overview.  Current iPhone users may be eligible for an upgrade to iOS 4. If you are a current iPhone user, click here to see if you can upgrade to the new software.

There have been many rumors circulating around about a “4G” iPhone, as well as other carriers getting the iPhone, so let’s clear that up. The iPhone 4 is still going to be over a 3G cellular network; AT&T has made no announcements about a 4G network being implemented. Furthermore, there have been no reports from T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint about getting the iPhone and it will remain an AT&T exclusive phone for now.

If you are interested in upgrading your iPhone or purchasing an iPhone, Emerson Technologies would be happy to assist you and configure it to work properly in your work environment. Just give us a call at 651-454-7729.

When Microsoft released Office 2007, there were significant changes to how the applications looked.  No longer are there menus such as “File” and “Edit” rather there is a ribbon with icons.  This change was designed to make using more features more intuitive. Many users have resisted upgrading from older versions because it takes time to get used to the new versions.  However this new interface is here to stay.  More and more applications from other vendors are utilizing this format.  Some office applications, such as Outlook 2007, did not implement much of this new interface, but Outlook 2010 has this new look and feel.  The ribbon in Office 2010 is much more customizable, allowing you to move tabs and create your own buttons.

If you are thinking about upgrading to a newer version of Office keep in mind that Office 2010 requires a little more powerful hardware than its predecessors, but it has a number of new features.  If you are currently using Office 2003 or an older version, it is strongly recommended that you upgrade.  Older versions of Office will stop receiving security updates and there are compatibility issues that have started creeping into some newer software causing problems with older versions of Microsoft Office.

Office 2010 allows for simultaneous editing of the same file. Have you ever seen a message popping up saying that the file is “in use” but you can open a “read only” version of it? In Office 2010 more than 1 user can be editing the same file at the same time. It will alert you and let you know who is editing it and what they are changing. This could potentially be very useful for a lot of people to collaborate on a project.  There have also been notable improvements to PowerPoint in terms of the video and photo editing capabilities. You are able to add a whole new amount of transitions and effects to pictures and videos.

The bottom line is if you are using Office 2003 or older you should upgrade.  If you are using Office 2007 then the only reason to upgrade is for the new features Office 2010 has, but there is no pressing need to upgrade.

If you have any questions about upgrading or are unsure if you should, or if you have any additional questions about Office 2010 please give us a call at 651-454-7729 and we would be happy to help.

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.

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

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.

Here is another way to look at it. Driving an expensive car is nice and can come with a lot of cool features, but at its core it is still a car with a main purpose of transportation. Compare the expensive car to a more basic car without air-conditioning, power windows, heated seats, premium sound system, sun roof or leather seats; it still serves the same main purpose – transportation. The expensive car is going to cost more initially and is going to cost more to maintain. Now think of paid anti-virus as a more expensive car. It is going to have a lot of features, many of which are very useful and worth the money. There are still however other features that you may not need. Some might think all of these features might slow down their systems. It is true that some free anti-virus programs perform faster than some paid anti-virus programs, but this is not always the case. For more in-depth technical information on performance tests, take a look at AV Comparatives, an independent anti-virus review website.

In general, most home users will be fine with free anti-virus software assuming the following: your computer is kept up to date with Windows Updates and the program is setup to scan properly. However, if you don’t want to risk anything or if you are worried about a free program and aren’t sure what you need, you can purchase a full featured anti-virus program. They aren’t too expensive and often have versions that are licensed for use on up to 3 computers, so you can install them on your home computer and laptop.

By the way, it is NOT good to have more than 1 anti-virus application installed on your computer. They will conflict with each other and significantly slow down your computer. This can often lead to the anti-virus programs detecting each other and trying to remove each other (due to the nature of how an anti-virus program is designed). However, this is not to be confused with having an anti-virus program and also a secondary program that you use regularly to run additional scans periodically.

Currently, Emerson Technologies recommends that home-users install Microsoft Security Essentials for those looking for a free anti virus program and either Trend Micro AntiVirus and AntiSpyware or Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 for paid anti-virus application.

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.

ThinkGeek has some bizarre but excellent gifts. Some of them are useful and others are just “kinda neat”.  Check the LED Shower Light. It is an LED fixture that attaches onto a shower-head and makes the water “appear” blue if it’s cold and “red” if it’s hot. It costs $39.99.

ThinkGeek also has a great little desk accessory that can be useful for anyone. It is a miniature beanbag that you set on your desk and then set your cellphone in it. This way, you don’t have to worry about it going off on your purse and having you miss a call or feeling the bulky cell phone in your pocket (as we all know how big cell phones are getting). Check it out here! It can be purchased for $9.99

This last gift is excellent for anyone who has a USB powered device (iPod/iPhone/other mp3 players/certain Cell Phones). Essentially, it is a battery that you take around with you that you can use to charge any USB device you have. The actual battery charges by plugging into a wall. It can be especially useful on airplanes or long flights when you don’t have the ability to charge your device by any other means. It can be found here, it and costs $19.99.

Online backups have a couple great advantages over local backups. For example, say you have all of your data backed up on another computer in your office; that’s great. If something happens to your main computer, you can still access all of your data from the other computer. But what if a break in occurs? If both of your computers are stolen, then where does that leave you? What happens to all of your data that you had backed up? Unless you had it backed through a different medium it is lost forever. What if there was a fire in your building? Even if you have sprinkler systems, if the fire doesn’t damage your computers then there is a very high chance that water damage will. A tornado can destroy your entire building; an earthquake can destroy an entire city  This is why having an online backup is an important component of your backup strategy.

Here is a perfect example of where an online backup could have saved someone their career. Francis Ford Coppola, a well known movie director, writer and producer was working for his movie script for the scheduled 2009 movie “Tetro” and had his laptop and other items stolen. Even if he had his data backed up on another computer or source in his home, the thieves cleaned out his place of all electronic items and left him without a script. Had he had an online backup system in place, he would have been able to recover the data immediately.

If you don’t like the idea of having your data backed up somewhere on the Internet where you can’t “have” it with you, then it is VERY important to have an off-site backup. This can mean having 2 sets of backups that you rotate every other week. This will mean that one set of your backups is off-site so if there is a burglary or fire you will only have a week of work to make up for, which is still quite a bit. The other problem with off-site backups is that it is a lot of work to have to remember to rotate backups in and out and can easily be forgotten and overlooked.

One of the best parts about online backups is the costs associated with them.  An online backup can cost a user anywhere from a few cents to less than $10.00, depending on how much data they have to back up.  This costs much less than having to buy additional hardware.  Additionally, the user doesn’t have to worry about maintaining hardware because that is done for them.

Online backups are so simple and easy to use. They just need to be configured one time, and then they run every hour/day/week or however often you would like. This ease and automation of online backups makes them a great asset to any individual or company. If you or someone you know would like any more additional information about online backups, or if you would like help setting one up, we would be happy to help. Please give us a call at 651-454-7729 or email us at help@emersontech.net.

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.