Author Archives: Carlos

Permalink to How To Pick A Web Design Company In Tucson

How To Pick A Web Design Company In Tucson

by Carlos|on April 1, 2011 |in Fyre News, Internet, SEO, Social Marketing, Technology, Web Design, Web Development |tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |Leave a comment
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A quick search on the internet will show you just how many web design companies that are out there that service the Tucson area. With this many companies out there, there are one or two things should be considered before you select the one you want to entrust your companies entire internet identity to. Designing a company’s website is nearly tantamount to designing a persons face. Your website is not only another storefront or access point for potential customers or clients to find your business, it also represents your entire company to the world. Though the sheer number of website developers can be daunting, it can be a real benefit to business owners that there are so many of these companies out there. With this many possible sources, there is a much greater chance you will ultimately finding a company you feel comfortable and confident with, and that is going to do a extraordinary job as well.

Many people are intimidated by technology or hesitant because they think that having a website created is going to be expensive. However, it all depends on what you need or want done. Websites can range from simple, easy and cheap to complex, difficult, and expensive. It is therefore extremely important that you check out all of your options and obtain various quotes before coming to a conclusion about the design and budget that you make available for its creation.

Therefore it is pertinent to check out at least several of the different companies that are offering this service. Of course each company will have their own website for you to look at and most will have a portfolio of some sort with examples of their work as well. This can often serve as a sample of what they have done in the past or can offer and at the least give you an indication of the quality of website that you can expect from hiring them.

One way for business owners to avoid unpleasant surprises is to talk to other business owners or people you know who have had a website designed for them and find out what they have to say about the process and the company that they used. This will give you an idea of whether or not those companies were pleasant to work with or not. Whether or not the person you are dealing with is approachable, understanding, and able to take any and all criticism or changes you may have in mind about the work that they have already done throughout the process is very important.

Some companies present pre-set prices for a website to be designed, while most quote prices depending on the number of pages, the types of content, and any tasks the website needs to be able to perform. However you decide to go about it, if you pursue a flat rate option it is imperative that you find out exactly what you can expect for your money, prior to entering into a contract. These deals tend not to come with any continuing support, however if you have a more static website that does not need updated it may be a superior arrangement.

Consistency in your requests of the web designers will help you get the end result that you want. This is often a reason people sometimes arrange to pay half the cost at the beginning of the project, and then pay the balance upon completion. This is especially common if your website is more complicated than normal. This solidifies the contract and also helps to build trust between both parties.

So when you are faced with trying to pick the best Tucson web design company the most important thing to remember is to take your time in making your decision as it pertains to who to hire. Also it is essential to make sure that both your and the design company’s expectations are clear. Keep in mind that there are a number of companies out there to choose from and there is no need to settle, only proceed with someone whom you feel will build a website that you will be proud to have represent your business.

Permalink to Smartphone Credit Cards

Smartphone Credit Cards

by Carlos|on March 25, 2011 |in Fyre News, Technology, Web Design |tagged , , , |Leave a comment
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Since the introduction of the smartphone the cellphone has become more than a cellphone. With the invention of new technologies our cellphones have taken over for a lot of things that used to be separate. It started with Internet access and MP3 players, but soon it may take on yet another role in our day-to-day lives, replacing and consolidating all of the credit & debit cards we have packed into our wallets. Instead of swiping a plastic card with a magnetic strip on the back as we are all used to doing at the checkout counter, consumers will soon only have to wave their phones near a receiver at the cash register to pay their bill.

The technology required and the desire to implement it has been around for years and is being perfected; there is just one problem. Though the technology is already being integrated in to millions of phones and is used overseas, extensive adoption of what is being referred to as mobile wallets is being slowed by a major battle between corporate giants in several industries behind the scenes. Mobile phone carriers, banks, credit card companies, payment networks and technology companies are just a few of the industries striving to produce and control these wallets. Before full implementation of this technology will happen these various corporations must first sort out which roles each will play in this new market and via what ways each will get paid.

The stakes in this battle are massive to say the least as the minute fees that are produced every time a consumer swipes their cards make up a market of tens of billions of dollars annually just from domestic use inside the United States alone.  Banks, mobile carriers, Apple and Google are all competing for domination of the new market. No one is seeing anything close to the actual potential profits and no one will until these powerhouse corporations sort it out. On one hand there are the long-established players in this game such as payment networks like Visa and MasterCard, along with banks who actually issue credit cards to patrons and want to stay at the center of any payment system and continue to collect the millions in fees from merchants, as they have for decades. However, on the other hand they are facing stiff competition battling with companies they see as intruders, invading their bread and butter market like Google, Apple, and Mobile carriers. These companies want to play a part in a new payment system by collecting fees via their control of the hardware themselves. Perhaps stuck in the middle of all this are the retailers, who provide and install the terminals that accept these mobile payments.

Visa and MasterCard currently dominate the market responsible for credit/debit card payments between banks and retailers. Currently, retailers are required to pay the banks that are issuing the cards a percentage of the total of each transaction, while payment networks like Visa receive their tribute in percentage of that ( typically for every $1 spent by a consumer the actual retailer is able to keep around 97 cents, the bank that is issuing the card swipes almost 2 cents while the one remaining penny is paid to the merchant’s bank for handling the transaction). Credit card and technology companies have talked about mobile wallets for well over a decade. But now, finally, the pieces are starting to fall into place and it is still unclear in what way all of the players will get paid. Will the number of hands in the cookie jar change or just how many cookies they each get, or even worse yet could the new costs make their way to consumers, possibly through new fees. Mobile carriers could easily force card issuers to pay them to store important payment credentials securely inside the phone.

Though there are multiple technologies that allow phones to transfer data wirelessly with other hardware, the front-runner for these types of payments is called N.F.C. (Near-Field Communication)

Past conversations between mobile carriers and banks have not been very fruitful because neither could agree on financial terms. According to analysts mobile carriers’ frustration with the banks, was the impetus for the joint venture between Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Discover to develop and implement their own mobile wallet. Called “Isis,” this system is expected to be introduced next year. Barclaycard, already a major player in Britain, will be the first issuer of the group’s in-phone credit card and sees it as an opportunity to expand in the United States.

Meanwhile, banks and credit card issuers have found a way to temporarily circumvent having to work with cellphone carriers. Bank of America, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp , JPMorgan Chase, and Visa, are all in various stages of developing wallets in order to provide this type of access to many of their own credit or debit cards. By designing their mode around a chip that consumers simply insert into a slot in certain phones, they were able to circumvent the need for the cooperation of mobile carriers. The long and short of it is that until the right companies ally themselves with each other with the right platform we may not see these types of technological advances.

Permalink to The iPhone Controlled Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter

The iPhone Controlled Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter

by Carlos|on March 23, 2011 |in Fyre News, Technology, Web Design |tagged , , , , , , , , , , |Leave a comment
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There are a few things in life that simply bring out the child in all of us. Having grown up with remote controlled cars that you had to follow behind because of the three foot cord to between the car and the controller, a flying radio controlled device is one thing that instantly turns me into a child again. The Parrot AR.Drone Wi-Fi quadricopter is the kind of toy my generation could only dream about. Everything a kid (or the kid inside anyone) could expect from a toy  is built into this marvelous contraption; first and foremost it flies, it is controlled via Wi-Fi with an iPhone/iPod/iPad, it stabilizes itself with gyroscopes and an altimeter, it has an on-board computer, and it has two cameras built into it. You would be hard-pressed to find a toy with more simultaneous fun all in one. The AR.Drone is an exceptional example of applied engineering and technological innovation, with a trendy twist; its controlled by devices most people have and use daily. It flies and it is controlled by a smartphone. This  is a device that no Gen-X member could pass up.

How does it work?

Once you install the application on your mobile device you connect to it just like you would any Wi-Fi connection and it is ready to fly. the application has two flight-control options.  “In the beginner mode, users hold the left onscreen button to maneuver the Drone with the iPhone’s accelerometer–tilt it left and the Drone glides to the left, forward to move it forward, and so on. The right side onscreen button is a virtual joystick that increases and decreases the altitude, and also rotates the Drone. The advanced mode uses a single onscreen virtual joystick to control the Drone. Another major feature is the use of several AR.Drone on a network. Thanks to its own generated Wi-Fi network, players can create a game party where others players can join and play against each other. named AR.PURSUIT, makes it possible to have a battle between two AR.Drone. Hulls are available in three different colors to easily identify your AR.Drone.” (ardrone.parrot.com)

  • Can I take photos or record videos?
    The video streamed to the iPhone cannot be recorded, since Apple has not authorized this function.
    The photo function has not been implemented in the AR.Free-flight application. You can still take a screen-shot by simultaneously pressing the iPhone’s on/off and “home” buttons.
  • Maximum speed?
    The AR.Drone can reach a top speed of 18 km/h / 11 miles/hr. You can adjust a setting in the application to reduce/increase the AR.Drone’s tilt angle and therefore reduce/increase the speed.
  • How high can the AR.Drone fly?
    Thanks to its many sensors, the AR.Drone can maintain stable flight at a height of up to 6 meters / 20 feet. Since the altitude at which the AR.Drone can fly depends exclusively on the Wi-Fi range, it can fly up to a height of 50 meters / 160 feet.
    The “Altitude limited” option in the AR.Drone’s settings can be adjusted to restrict the height to 3 meters / 10 feet.

    • Specifications

    Specs:

    • Dimensions: 28 x 28 inches with hull; 29 x 11 inches without, 13.4 ounces
    • Range- 50 meters / 160 feet
    • Battery:
      • Fly time: 12 minutes
      • 3-cell lithium polymer battery
      • Capacity: 1000 mAh
      • Charge time: 90 minutes
    • Motors: 4 x 15W electric brushless motors (3,500 rpm)
    • Front camera:
      • VGA (640 x 480) CMOS camera
      • 93-degree wide-angle lens
      • 15 fps video
    • Vertical camera:
      • QCIF (176 x 144) High-speed camera (CMOS)
      • 64-degree diagonal lens
      • 60 fps video
      • Horizontal stabilization
    • Altimeter:
      • Ultrasound-based
      • Emission frequency: 40 kHz
      • Vertical stabilization
    • Internal guidance system:
      • MEMS (micro electro mechanical system)
      • 3-axis accelerometer
      • 2-axis gyroscope
      • 1-axis yaw precision gyroscope
    • Embedded computer:
      • ARM9 RISC 32-bit 468MHz
      • 128MB DDR RAM
      • Wi-Fi b/g
      • Linux OS
      • USB socket
    • Cost: $300 on Amazon
    Permalink to AT&T Acquires T-Mobile

    AT&T Acquires T-Mobile

    by Carlos|on March 21, 2011 |in Fyre News, Internet, Technology |tagged , , , , , , , |Leave a comment
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    Today AT&T officially signed to acquire T-Mobile USA Inc for a shocking $39-billion. Many worry that this will leave the market with only two main service providers, which could easily mean higher rates and fewer choices for consumers. Industry specialists warn that this could lead to a Verizon merger as well .  A trend like this would most likely drive up service rates while simultaneously reducing the number of phones and other mobile devices available to consumers. However, AT&T asserted that this deal would increase competition and lower prices, citing a government study that said the average cellphone bill had dropped over the last decade, a period in which there were several large telecommunication mergers.

    Approximately one third of  cellphone users in America have Internet-connected smart phones. Consumers on those phones inherently tend to have a larger demand for data-intensive activities such as video, music and Web surfing that can strain cellular networks. AT&T reports that data traffic on it’s wireless network has increased 8,000% over the last four years. The heavy demand on AT&T’s networks has contributed to a reputation as less reliable and slower network than many of its competitors. AT&T is hoping that  by utilizing T-Mobile’s national cellular network they will increase their ability to supply data traffic and cell service across the nation.

    Though AT&T would not comment as to whether or not  it would allow T-Mobile customers the option of using Apple’s iPhone the prospect is appealing to many T-Mobile users.

    AT&T also said that the merger would allow it to accelerate the spread of the faster, 4G wireless service to more of the country. Due to the fact that AT&T and T-Mobile already utilize similar cellular networks, the implementation of the new technology would be a lot easier according to company spokesmen. Of course a merger of this size is subject to government approval and regulation. If approved by regulators, the newly expanded AT&T would absorb T-Mobile’s market share and  have 130 million users, beating out top competitor Verizon Wireless and its 94 million customers, making it the nation’s largest wireless carrier by no slim margin.  “It is absolutely essential that both the Department of Justice and the FCC leave no stone unturned in determining what the impact of this combination is on the American people,” Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) said.”When you have two companies control almost the entire market, you’re almost back to reassembling the Ma Bell monopoly” when the previous AT&T monopolized local and long-distance service prior to it being broken up by federal regulators, said S. Derek Turner, research director for Free Press, a Northampton, Mass.  Washington lawmakers quickly jumped on news of the deal, with Democratic senators urging close scrutiny of the acquisition by federal regulators. In evaluating  the proposed acquisition,  both federal antitrust and telecommunications regulators like the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the DOJ (Department of Justice) are forced to weigh the benefits of technical efficiencies that will be achieved through the merger against the loss of competition in the wireless service provider market. Regulators are also likely to take into account the combined market share for both wireless telephone services and Internet broadband services as well when examining the p0ssible monopolistic effects. However, AT&T stated that it was confident that the deal would be approved within 12 months.


    Permalink to Google Uses its Resources to Help Families Reconnect After the Tragedy in Japan

    Google Uses its Resources to Help Families Reconnect After the Tragedy in Japan

    by Carlos|on March 14, 2011 |in Fyre News, Internet, Search Engines, SEO, Technology, Web Design |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment
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    By: J. Carlos Velasquez
    The world has had to watch in horror as the true level of devastation from Japan’s Earthquake and the resultant tsunami surge continues to reveal it’s self. The cost from the devastation is expected to reach tens of billions of dollars which is paled only by the death count from the disaster which  is expected to reach tens of thousands of lives snuffed out. Nine international organizations and  ninety-one countries thus far have offered their assistance with relief efforts the victims in Japan. Amongst those volunteers are several resources to help locate victims of the disaster and put them in contact with loved ones abroad.

    Perhaps the most notable volunteer is Google; this past week Google launched Google Person Finder to aid victims of the Japan Earthquake. Using this online application people can look for victims or post information that they have about someone who may have fallen victim to the disasters. Google also has a Crisis Response page with numerous other resources and help for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami victims.

    Below are some resources for helping and finding 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami family, and victims:

    Prime Minister of Japan and Cabinet – A site from the Japanese Prime Minister with several useful links and information on the country’s response to the disaster.
    Google Person Finder – Google launched its Person Finder to aid victims of the Japan Earthquake. People can look for people or add information they have about someone who may have been impacted by the disasters. Google also has a Crisis Response page with numerous other resources and help for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami victims.
    NTT Docomo Safety Response – NTT Docomo, one of Japan’s mobile-phone makers set up a message Disaster Message Board where you can enter the mobile phone number of the person you with to confirm the safety of.
    KDDI Disaster Message Board – The KDDI corporation, another large telecom corporation in Japan, has created a disaster message board where people can place messages to find a friend or family member that can be confirmed by mobile phone or PC.
    Japan Shelter Map – A Google map created that lists shelters for people affected by the tsunami.
    Hawaii State Civil Defense – resources for prevention, protections, and rapid assistance during disasters for the state of Hawaii which includes a list of evacuation centers and refuge sites for citizens and other resources for helping find family and friends.
    The Red Cross has several resources and pages dedicated helping and finding victims of the disaster:
    Red Cross Shelters – The American Red Cross has a Google Maps application that allows people to find its shelters around the U.S, including California, Washington, and Oregon.
    Safe and Well from The American Red Cross – a site that lets your family and friends know that you are safe and well after a disaster.
    Red Cross Tsunami Checklist – The updated Red Cross Tsunami Checklist provides information on tsunami preparation and tips on what to do after a tsunami hits.
    Red Cross Twitter Page – The Red Cross Twitter page provides resources for people to learn more about the tsunami and earthquakes, along with a phone number people can call to find information about friends and family that may have been affected the disaster.
    Red Cross Newsroom – The Red Cross Newsroom page provides updated information on the tsunami and basic data about earthquakes.
    Donations to help relief efforts in Japan
    American Red Cross Donations – The American Red Cross launched a special donation page for victims of the 2011 Japan earthquakes and the tsunamis.
    The Convoy of Hope has served more than 41 million people throughout the world through international children’s feeding initiative, community outreaches, disaster response and partner resourcing. The Convoy of Hope is taking donations to help disaster victims.
    The Salvation Army – The Salvation Army is taking donations to help relief efforts in Japan.
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration information on tsunamis and earthquakes
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has several useful references for those wanting in depth information on tsunamis, including:
    The NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory – The NOAA offers several visual depictions of the tsunami and its impact around the Pacific, including a wave-height model, a view of the Pacific Ocean floor and a whole lot more.
    The NOAA Center for Tsunami Research – an event page was added for the impact the Honshu tsunami had. It includes a graphical display forecast, hazard assessments, and research services to those wanting to learn more about it.
    The NOAA Tsunami Informational Page – Users can learn more about the tsunamis, including how they originate, the history of tsunamis around the world, and how to prepare for them.
    The NOAA Tsunami Fact Sheet (PDF) – The NOAA also has a PDF document that offers insight into tsunamis and their impact around the world. It offers insight on the tsunami warning system, Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami stations, and a lot more.

    Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/304627#ixzz1GcKR5Ad6

    Permalink to Top 5 Reasons Every Small Business Needs an SEO / Webdesign Consultant

    Top 5 Reasons Every Small Business Needs an SEO / Webdesign Consultant

    by Carlos|on March 11, 2011 |in Fyre News, Internet, Search Engines, SEO, Social Marketing, Technology, Web Design, Web Development |tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , |Leave a comment
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    By J. Carlos Velasquez on 03/11/2011

    Why should every small business bring in a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant for their website needs? It’s a question most small- and medium-sized business owners should address to avoid marginalizing their online efforts. It used to be that if your business was small enough, you may not need to hire one; SEO would be would be most beneficial for the big companies and online businesses alone. This was when all one had to do was appropriately use your keywords and utilize local citations and the company would do well in it’s ranking. However, that was before every business had a website and when online marketing was not a necessity to obtain a substantial market share. This is definitely not the case anymore with Google providing local updates faster than bloggers resort to sarcasm. Website management is getting more and more complex, faster paced, and more of a business necessity across the board. With these developments comes a strengthening of the correlation between website management and a websites utility to a business. In today’s market, there are not only many important benefits that come with working with a professional SEO consultant but also a reduction of risk.
    Below we will explore a few examples of what professional web management provides for a business.

    Appropriate Execution of Devices and Strategies

    Many business owners are on the fence when it comes to bringing in an SEO get their optimization strategies via blogs, participation in forums or even through simple trial and error. And while these are all valid sources of education, these mediums are not typically the best at explaining the actual application and implementation of the proper devices and strategies, they merely introduce them. This leaves business owners trying and figure out how to utilize what they learned into use all by themselves with only a tangential understanding. I wouldn’t feel capable of correctly performing surgery after merely reading about how someone else does it on their blog. When I need surgery performed I would ask a surgeon =, if I want to make a good sandwich I would ask the owner of a sandwich shop, and if you want to optimize the effect your internet presence has on your business I would ask Fyresite (a company that does SEO, web design, and marketing) because that is what they all do best. If you as a business owner are not sure, or don’t have a complete understanding as to how to do what your business needs, it’s better to seek advice from someone who does. By simply consulting with a knowledgeable SEO professional you can save your business a lot of time, headaches, and rewrites by getting things right the first time and only investing in the tactics that will really help your site. Not to mention with sites like Google increasing regulations on these marketing tools, you can avoid the severe penalization that come with using these devices incorrectly.

    More Tactically Precise Link Development

    The trouble with link building is that it’s as important as it is difficult to do correctly; and recent changes in regulation and protocols can actually land your website in a lot of trouble if not done in the approved manner. In fact at the end of February, Google announced that it was updating its search algorithm to serve higher-quality results to searchers. The update has since been dubbed the “Farmer Update” due to the algorithm’s new bias against what Google considers “sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful.” (Translation: if you own www.how-to-rank-better-by-reading-these-articles-i-stole.com, things aren’t going to be looking as peachy-keen as they may have been beforehand). Google can penalize you for suspicious linkage and having your rankings slip or completely disappear from results as a result. Links drive traffic and rankings. Building links to your site is not as simple as one might think. Taking full advantage of linking means being able to identify the distinctive types of links available on the web, analyzing which types would benefit your business most, what your competitors are utilizing that you’re not, understanding what links are most important for your industry, and then developing a strategy for how you’re going to implement them into your business model. If you don’t have someone on your team who is both skilled in and dedicated to the art of link building (and it really is an art and a detailed one at that) you’re going to be missing out on a lot of profitable linking opportunities. Consulting with an expert will help you find existing goldmines on your site you didn’t even know where there as well as the ability to develop new ones. It all comes down to the content.

    The Pros Use The Latest Strategies

    One thing that’s common among most SEOs is that they live and breathe what they do, they’re absolutely obsessed. That’s not always good for their social lives, but it’s exceedingly good for their clients. People who make their living in the search engine optimization and web design industry pride themselves on being up-to-date and skilled on the latest and greatest tactics. They keep themselves active by always staying one step ahead of Google and their competition, also they are constantly experimenting to see what works right now, but also what will work in six months. That’s something an in house SEO or a DIY SMB owner doesn’t have the access or time to do. Your time could be better spent focusing on other aspects of your business if you can leave reading of blogs and attending conferences up to the professional SEO and Web Design individual you charge with maximizing your website’s utility. When you need a fresh pair of eyes or someone to help you find the signal in all of the noise, an SEO consultant can help you do that.

    Better Conversion Rates

    Good SEO consultants are responsible for money, not traffic. That means they pretty much live in their analytics, analyzing the data they’re seeing and then using that to create or modify a site that not only ranks well, but that converts. Ultimately that’s the goal of all of this. It’s not to drive as many people as possible to your website (though that is a tool and can be an indicator of progress). It’s to make your site more money, and if you’re not skilled in studying conversion funnels, creating landing pages, understanding time on site, monitoring keyword trends, studying user interaction, or other tactics us professionals do, then you’re not optimizing your site’s utility as much as you possibly could. That behavior is basically leaving money on the table.

    Client Support

    One of the paramount things you get from bringing an SEO consultant into your business is that it means an expert is never more than a phone call away and customer satisfaction is paramount in their industry. If you’re unsure whether or not you’re doing something correctly, not sure how to target specific content or you think you’re seeing something awry in the search results, you have someone who is an authority on the subject to go to; someone who will either calm your nerves or validate your fear and fix any flaws. Having an expert on your team and on your website can be priceless in giving you that reassurance as well as ensuring that your site is perpetually on the right path. As both business and online culture continue to evolve, SEO is going to become an increasingly important part of the marketing process. If you don’t have someone on your team who is dedicated to that task with substantial resources behind them, you will soon find your website being left behind and unable to keep up with the industry changes that occur on a daily basis. You may know your business inside and out, but when it comes to SEO and web design, business owners often don’t realize how much they don’t know. That’s where we can help.

    Permalink to Top 7 Reasons Friends Shouldn’t Let Friends Browse Internet Explorer

    Top 7 Reasons Friends Shouldn’t Let Friends Browse Internet Explorer

    by Carlos|on March 10, 2011 |in Web Design |Leave a comment
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    Here are some of the most important reasons why Internet Explorer shouldn’t be used in general.

    Internet Standards Disregarded

    The Internet works as a interconnected and unified entity, because all makers of web sites and browsers comply with certain accepted standards as far as design and use. Microsoft time and again refuses to respect these standards in favor of being proprietary. In other words they would much rather force users to utilize their software rather than change their software to meet the rapid changes and growing demand for cross platform and browser compatibility.

    This business model has made Internet Explorer in many peoples opinion the absolute hardest browser to work with. If someone were to design a website and it isn’t working in FireFox, Safari, or any other contemporary browser, the needed changes to fix these errors is quite small and simple, because they all for the most part accept the same standards of design and use. However, if it doesn’t work in Internet Explorer, forget about it; the necessary tweaks required to make it operate correctly in Internet Explorer are relatively substantial as well as time consuming. The designer has already spent immense amounts of time designing their page and ensuring it will work with the four most common browsers, The last thing one would want is to spend the additional days on end attempting to make Internet Explorer able to properly view it.


    ActiveX Is Computer Herpes

    Safety is another massively important issue with Internet Explorer. The other browsers do not employ or permit use of ActiveX and Active Scripting, which are two Microsoft applets that permit outside entities to access your browser for various programs. The issue is that these two programs allow someone else the ability to control your computer, which in turn opens a hole you could drive a truck through. Said truck typically would have a payload consisting of viruses, adware, spy ware, malware and phishers essentially giving them access to any sensitive information stored on your computer.

    Virus software and firewalls can become futile when the user uses Internet Explorer. Users will continue to receive malware on a regular basis, clogging your computer’s processors, causing slowed performance, crashes and quite possibly putting your data at risk. Of course, there is always a risk of virus or malware getting on the computer using one of the other browsers. However, the main difference here is that it is typically the user’s actions that are required to acquire these bugs because they have to actually open a file or interact with it in some way to allow it access, while Internet Explorer lets malware in regardless of the user’s behavior.
    Open source vs. Closed Source

    While no software can accommodate the entire list of preferences of it’s user base because it’s impossible, other browsers like FireFox and Safari, at least acknowledge this and allow third party programmers to construct extensions and add-ons that provide the missing features. Making their browsers open sourced makes every one happy. Internet Explorer demonstrates great hubris by not allowing anyone to create or add features that address the user’s personal needs and more importantly the many issues with their software and its lack of compatibility with so many things.

    There have been several suits filed in various places wanting Internet Explorer to no longer be tied to Windows, and to be forced to be more compatible with contemporary internet standards.


    Bill Gates is Ugly …and so is Internet Explorer

    Anyone who has ever viewed a web page designed solely with Internet Explorer in mind in another browser knows just how hideous, non functional, and clunky these pages are in almost every case. Safari does the best job of patching or fixing the looks of an Internet Explorer page, but it can’t do much to fix the way they work or rather how they don’t work. The notion that the internet still should be hard to navigate and lacks aesthetics is not only outdated it is also outright wrong. The moment a user uses another browser, your eyes will opened to a new internet, one that is not only more aesthetically pleasing but also easy to use.


    Crash and Burn

    When you install Internet Explorer, it automatically overwrites your system’s DLL files. In many cases the files Internet Explorer installs are not completely compatible because it not only refuses to be attuned with the direction the internet is traveling, but also with its own operating system as well. This behavior can frequently lead to system slow down and or crashes. When you take into account the malware issues discussed above and you can end up with a real mess on your hands, or computer rather.


    Coffee drinkers be ware Internet Explorer Java is like day old coffee

    Few users realize that the Microsoft version of Java is not the same as the Java nearly every other browser uses. It is a safe bet that nearly every Internet Explorer user has experienced the unnecessary frustration of attempting to view a web page that utilizes Java applets that friends or colleagues have been viewing flawlessly in other browsers, only to discover that it will not work correctly for you because you are using Internet Explorer. This is simply one more example of IE refusing to comply with the standards everyone else adheres to. They want users to have to use Microsoft products and Windows. What most users don’t know is that they can use FireFox and still use your Microsoft programs. Simply changing browsers won’t blow up your computer, it will just open up a completely new online experience.


    What about Linux?

    While the general public doesn’t care, Internet Explorer’s continued incompatibility with Linux is an issue for the relatively tech savvy share of the online market.

    This is by no means the entirety of Internet Explorer’s deficiencies, in fact there are so many reasons not to use Internet Explorer it was difficult isolating the most important ones. However, the long and short of it is that using Internet Explorer is in no way ideal, especially with so many great alternatives free of cost.

    

    Permalink to What Apple isn’t Telling You About iPad2…

    What Apple isn’t Telling You About iPad2…

    by Carlos|on March 8, 2011 |in Fyre News, Internet, Technology, Web Design |Leave a comment
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    Steve Jobs hypnotized the world Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, when announcing the details for the iPad2. Jobs presented the new model in a way that left mainstream customers salivating, wowed tech geeks, upset his competitors and caused Wall Street to ask “how high?”. However, when one looks at what wasn’t said Wednesday it may tell them more about what apple is releasing to consumers than what was discussed.

    “Technology alone is not enough,” he said in one of the day’s more interesting comments. “Technology married with liberal arts, humanities, yields the result that makes our hearts sing.”

    However, when a dream is made in reality there are bound to be limitations and imperfections, especially in today’s high tech gadget business. Like any good performer, Jobs used sleight of hand and misdirection to distract the audience from the things we’re not supposed to see, and questions we weren’t supposed to ask.

    Like a Magician who uses wires in their act Jobs didn’t let us see them, and in this case, the wire is the same familiar white cable that will have to be used to sync your iPad to your PC or Mac. applications such as Audiogalaxy or Air Server let you stream music and video to the iPad via Wi-Fi, however, apple failed to remove the need to hook up to iTunes to back up or sync content for most apps when the capability to do so is now technologically elementary. In a device that’s supposed to be about seamless and effortless connecting, and a world that is in the generation of cloud syncing, this is a bulky throwback.

    Despite the rumor mill’s whispers, there was no improvement in screen resolution. The iPad 2 is already lagging behind the iPhone 4, with its oh so popular retina display,even though an iPhone 5 is expected to debut later this year.
    While Jobs announced the specs as far as how many frames per second of video the new iPad’s cameras would shoot, he failed to mention a number pertaining to megapixels. This is not a spec he has been shy about announcing when it came to iPhone models.

    How much memory will the new iPad have? no one outside Apple knows, because they simply didn’t tell us. Given that he made a spectacle of most all the other specs of the device, it seems a suspicious omission. many are theorizing that it is simply because its memory is the exact same 256 megabytes as the original iPad. This neglegence may be because the new state of the art iPad2′s memory would be embarrassingly dwarfed next to iPad’s competitors like Motorola’s Xoom or HP’s Touchpad, which both boast 1G of RAM. Gadget blog Gizmodo claims that an Apple employee was quoted saying “256mb” when demonstrating the product, only to have the statement deducted by an Apple PR representative.

    There is another kind of memory that is important as well as the same on iPad 2 as it was on the original iPad and that is storage space. Apple’s tablet still maxes out at 64 gigabytes which the competition isn’t beating yet. However, due to the typical pace of technological advancement, one might expect at least a 128-gigabyte hard drive by now. Either tablet design has hit some sort of inherent size limit or this is yet another hold back for apples third generation tablet because of a lack of competitive pressure in this area. Because of the excitement, it’s easy not to realize that many of the features announced for iPad 2 were not only expected, they were technically possible for debut in the iPad 1. It was widely discussed that Apple was deliberately holding back built-in cameras, so that the iPad 2 would launch with a larger effect on the market.

    Permalink to iPad 2 vs iPad. What Apple has in store for consumers

    iPad 2 vs iPad. What Apple has in store for consumers

    by Carlos|on March 3, 2011 |in Fyre News, Technology |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment
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    Now that apple is ready to give the public a peak at what to expect from the new generation of iPad, most are probably asking “what’s the difference?” The devices are of course very similar, however there are some major changes and they come from where it matters. Lets explore these differences and what they will do for us. The largest and most important change is processing power. The iPad introduced us to the Apple A4 processor, clocked at 1GHz and is a fully integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC). With the new iPad 2, Apple introduces the A5, which is a dual-core chip based on the new ARM Cortex-A9 design. The A5 is clocked at 1 GHz but as is the way with the dual-core ARM design, there is no added power consumption. Like the iPhone 4, the iPad and iPad 2 both have anImagination TechnologiesPowerVR SGX-based graphics chip. Apple is promising nine times better graphics for iPad 2 versus the original iPad. Keeping in line with the original iPad, the iPad 2 comes loaded with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage. However, the original iPad had just 256MB of RAM, but with other tablets coming out at 1GB, Apple will have boosted this but has not released the specs on the new model. Because of the fierce competition in this market apple is keeping this particular card close to their chest.

    However, Apple promises the same 10hr battery life that the original ipad has. Along with matching the memory of the original iPad, the iPad 2 also has the same screen dimensions. It’s a 1,024 x 768 9.7-inch LED-backlit display with fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. However apple has redesigned the structure of the device increasing its strength while making it 15% lighter and 1/3 thinner down to 8.8mm from 13.4mm from its predecessor. As before there will be two versions of the iPad 2 available for purchase, the more expensive of which will harness 3G capabilities as well as Wi-Fi access. From the original iPad Apple kept their Assisted GPS as well as a digital compass and the accelerometer, now found in all iOS devices. However in the iPad 2 apple hase included the three-axis gyroscope found in the iPhone 4 and other recent Apple devices. Like the iPad the Ipad2 will have an ambient light sensor as well as the standard dock connector, volume control, Home button and sleep/wake button straight off the iPhone. With the iOS 4.3 on iPad 2 allows you the option of a mute control or screen orientation lock button depending on what your settings are.

    Because of the increased processing power Apple added a gyroscope for a better gaming experience, introduced Face-Time video conferencing, and has developed new applications capable of harnessing the pure power the A5 processor puts out. Also Apple introduces a simple mirroring system, by plugging in you iPad2 to your HD tv your tv will instantly mirror the iPad screen which can be done wirelessly with an Apple tv. The touch screen on the new generation of iPad is able to differentiate between the amount of pressure applied to it; expanding application’s abilities. With the new cover that comes with the iPad2 there is no need for a case anymore. The screen cover can be used as a stand and can be configured to allow comfort while typing or easily changed to prop it up for media as well as many other uses. Overall Apple took the iPad and took every flaw and inconvenience and resolved those issues. Apple says “the iPad defined a category and the iPad2 will redefine that category for years to come”

    Permalink to Apple Stumbles into multi-million Dollar Market; Changing Corporate Culture

    Apple Stumbles into multi-million Dollar Market; Changing Corporate Culture

    by Carlos|on March 1, 2011 |in Fyre News, Internet, Technology |tagged , , , |Leave a comment
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    When Apple released the iPad they were originally targeted toward the consumer market. However, the possibilities for use in business are just now coming to light. Thus far the iPad has been tested or fully implemented by 80% of fortune 100 companies and it’s showing no signs of slowing its progress. According to iSuppli Apple is expected to ship 43.7 million iPads this year and 63.3 million in 2012, up from an estimated 14 million in 2010.

    Every industry from pharmaceutical companies to car dealerships are beginning to implement the iPad into their businesses. Executives can view, edit, and distribute materials wirelessly on the go, supplying accessibility and versatility in a user friendly platform. Salesmen are able to pull up product information and put it in the hand of potential clients or access information quickly to answer any questions they may not be ready for.

    Companies IT departments are scrambling to keep up with the new technology. With new technology comes new problems, and the accessibility and mobility of the iPad have caused new security issues. Knowing what information should be accessible and making that access as secure is only half the battle. With the size and mobility of these products, keeping track of them and protecting them from theft are several issues.

    Apple is not alone in their pursuit of mastering the tablet. They face competition from dozens of companies, the most threatening being Microsoft’s Xoom. With the explosion of smart phones in the last several years other companies have been able to get a head start on what they now pursue.

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