Category: Tech News

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2016 & 2017 Angie’s List Award Winner

2016 & 2017 Angie’s List Award Winner
Computer Repair Award 20172016 Angie's List Award Winner

iNFLUX PC, LLC Earns Esteemed Angie’s List Super Service Award, 2 years running. The Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

iNFLUX PC, LLC has earned the home service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of customer service to members of the local services marketplace and consumer review site in 2016 and 2017.

This achievement is particularly significant as Angie’s List experienced unprecedented member growth in. More than 1.6 million consumers, many of whom were eager to quickly hire highly qualified service pros, joined Angie’s List after the company added a new, free membership tier.

“Companies that can meet higher demands without missing a beat in their exemplary performance standards truly do stand apart from their peers,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Only a fraction of the Technology Services companies in Phoenix Valley, Arizona were able to do it.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2016 & 2017 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade. The SSA winners must also be in good standing with Angie’s List, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

“We are honored and excited to accept this award! We pride ourselves on maintaining 100% customer satisfaction.” said Brad, the company owner.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List as new, verified consumer reviews are submitted. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality.

For more than 21 years, Angie’s List restricted access to its verified reviews to consumers who paid membership fees. When the company removed that barrier, some companies worried that the new, non-paying members would not be as engaged as members of the past. Experience has shown, however, that these newly added members are just as engaged – across all age groups – as prior members. Also, because the company continues to adhere to its review verification process, there has been no degradation of review quality.

“The biggest change at Angie’s List is that we are connecting even more consumers to high-quality service professionals,” Hicks said. “And that’s good for everyone.”

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Angie’s List helps facilitate happy transactions between more than 4.5 million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly rated service providers in more than 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of more than 10 million verified reviews of local service, Angie’s List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local service experience for both consumers and service professionals.

Check out our other 2016 award from Expertise.com

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Best Computer Repair

Expertise Award - Best Computer Repair Service in Phoenix, AZ 2016

Best computer repair service!

We are so honored and proud to find out that Expertise.com awareded us the “best computer repair service” in Phoenix Arizona for 2016!
Check us out on their award page located here: www.expertise.com/az/phoenix/computer-repair

Who was the competition?

Expertise looked at a total of 268 Computer Repair Services located in and around Phoenix; including Goodyear, AZ, Avondale, AZ, Buckeye, AZ, Peoria, AZ, and other major cities in the entire Phoenix Valley. Expertise picked us to be in their top 20 in order to connect people to the best local experts. They analyzed and scored Phoenix’s computer repair service businesses on more than 25 variables across six categories to give their visitors a hand-picked list of the best computer repair service companies in and around Phoenix, AZ.

CriteriaExpertise Award - Best Computer Repair Service in Phoenix, AZ 2016

  • Reputation – A history of delighted customers as a signal of outstanding service.
  • Credibility – Building customer confidence with licensing, industry accreditation’s, and awards.
  • Experience – Masters of their craft, based on years of practical experience and education.
  • Availability – Consistently approachable and responsive, so customers never feel ignored.
  • Professionalism – Providing customers a seamless experience both online and off.
  • Engagement – Actively engaged with their customers across a number of platforms.

Read up on our latest Google Business reviews and find out why our customers think we are the best! We look forward to continuing our service offerings and helping our customers find the best solutions that fit their budget; including computer repair, technology advice, web design and hosting services, wireless network security, parental controls, and data restoration services.  How is is that we offer the best service in Phoenix?… By being honest and fair.

Spread the word to your friends and family and let us become your favorite award winning personal IT department!

Thanks for reading and we looking forward to working with you!

 

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Google Chrome expires on old operating systems April 2016

Chrome Nag
Please be aware that Google plans to end support for the Google Chrome web browser, running on older operating systems in April 2016. Be aware that Google will no longer update the application and will not release security patches after April. If you are running Google Chrome on an older operating system, you may begin seeing this message in your Chrome browser:
“​this computer will soon stop receiving google chrome updates because windows xp and windows vista will no longer be supported.”
​this computer will soon stop receiving google chrome updates because windows xp and windows vista

What does “no longer supported” mean?

By continuing to use the browser after April 2016, you will increase vulnerability to hacks, viruses, malware, and loss of personal information as Google will no longer release fixes to newly found problems with the browser. This only impacts customers using Windows XP, Vista, Max OS X 10.5 (or older) and also non-supported versions of Linux. If you are running Windows 7, 8, or 10 you are perfectly fine and may disregard. If you are still running Windows XP, get off now, it expired April 2015.

What options do I have?

This is a big deal but you have options to prepare you for April 2016. When Google no longer supports the Google Chrome browser you’ll want to already have one of these options completed.
  1. STOP USING GOOGLE CHROME ON OLD OPERATING SYSTEMS – This one is simple enough, just uninstall Google Chrome and stop using it on your old computer. Instead, use Internet Explorer or FireFox as your default browser. This will buy you time, at least until Windows Vista support expires in April 2017. Internet Explorer is already installed on your computer and FireFox is a free download, so there are not costs associated with this approach.
  2. UPGRADE YOUR COMPUTER TO WINDOWS 7 or NEWER –  Remember, Google Chrome is still supported on newer operating systems and is an awesome (the best!) web browser. Keep in mind, if you upgrade the operating system, you might as well upgrade the hard drive at the same time and give your system a complete overhaul.
  3. BUY A NEW COMPUTER – Buying a new computer is an expensive option; however, it might just be the best option depending how old your computer is. We can help you with determining what is best to do.

Here is the notification from Google regarding the end of support for Google Chrome web browser on older computer operating systems.

Are you ready? Let us know how we can help get you there.

Information from Google about Google Chrome

Google Chrome’s support for the following platforms will end in April 2016:

  • Windows XP and Windows Vista.

  • Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7, and 10.8.

  • Any 32-bit Linux, as well as Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise) and Debian 7 (Wheezy).

Starting April 2016, Chrome will continue to function on these platforms but will no longer receive updates and security fixes. If you are still on one of these unsupported platforms, we encourage you to move to a newer operating system to ensure that you continue to receive the latest Chrome versions and features.

FAQ

Q: When does support end for these platforms?
A: April 2016.

Q: Will I still be able to use Chrome on these platforms?
A: Yes, Chrome will continue to function as normal on these platforms. However, you will no longer receive updates and security fixes.

Q: Why is Google doing this?
A: These platforms are no longer actively supported by Microsoft and Apple. Such older platforms are missing critical security updates and have a greater potential to be infected by viruses and malware. In particular, computers running Windows XP haven’t received security patches in over a year and are facing a number of critical security vulnerabilities. At the operating system level, computers running XP are inherently in danger of being infected by malware and viruses, making it increasingly difficult for Chrome to provide a secure browsing environment. That is why we strongly encourage everyone to update to a supported, secure operating system.

Q: What should I do?
A: We encourage you to move to a newer operating system to ensure that you continue to receive the latest Chrome versions and features.

If your computer is not able to support these newer operating systems, you may want to consider investing in a modern computer, Mac or Chromebook.

 

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800 million Android smartphones, 300 million iPhones in active use by December 2013, study says

etsy-android-poptop

February 6, 2013 9:26 AM

By the end of this current year, 1.4 billion smartphones will be in use: 798 million of them will run Android, 294 million will run Apple’s iOS, and 45 million will run Windows Phone, according to a new study by ABI Research.

The ABI study factors in an annual smartphone growth rate of 44 percent for 2013, which is just ever-so-slightly down from 2012′s 45 percent but is still a torrid pace. ABI also predicts that 20 million BlackBerry 10 phones will be in active use at year-end.

The result of that growth — and a push for share by Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 — is a global customer market share of 57 percent for Android, 21 percent of iOS, and 3 percent for Windows Phone. Which sounds big for Android, but is actually significantly down from its third-quarter 2012 performance, in which Android captured almost 70 percent global market share.

It’s also a significant divergence in the global numbers from U.S-specific sales, which show Apple leading the market with over 50 percent share in the last quarter thanks largely to both new users and older models of iPhones.

But perhaps the most startling prediction? The bit players will start to become serious contenders again, ABI says.

“2013 should be seen as relative success for both Microsoft and BlackBerry,” analyst Aapo Markkanen said in a statement. “For the end of the year, we expect there to be 45 million Windows Phone handsets in use, with BlackBerry 10 holding an installed base of close to 20 million. Microsoft will also have 5.5 million Windows-powered tablets to show for it.”

For tablets, Markkanen is predicting continued hyper-growth: 125 percent, which will result in 268 million tablets in use. Sixty-two percent will iOS, he says, and 28 percent will run Android.

Image credit: Etsy

Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/06/800-million-android-smartphones-300-million-iphones-in-active-use-by-december-2013-study-says/#d4I3AB1fqalHJktx.99

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Microsoft working to unify further its Windows and Windows Phone platforms

Original Article found here: http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-working-to-unify-further-its-windows-and-windows-phone-platforms-7000011070/
Summary: A new Microsoft job posting indicates Microsoft is planning to enable Windows apps to run without modification on Windows Phone and vice versa.

Mary Jo Foley

By  for All About Microsoft |

It’s not too surprising, but it’s good to know: Microsoft is actively moving toward making its Windows Phone apps available on Windows, and its Windows 8/Windows RT apps on Windows Phone.

According to a new job post on the Microsoft careers site – thanks@Windows4Live and WMPowerUser.com for the find — Microsoft is seeking a software development engineer in test (SDET) to help make this possible.

From the February 7 Windows Phone team job posting:

Are you excited about Windows Phone? Are you passionate about delivering the best possible experience to the developer community? Do you wish the code you write for Windows Store apps would just work on the Windows Phone and vice versa? If so, then this is the role for you! 

(Note: Windows Store apps are Metro-Style apps, for those still stymied by Microsoft’s naming conventions.)

“We are looking for a highly motivated and technically strong SDET to help our team bring together the Windows Store and Phone development platforms,” the job post continued. To make this happen, Microsoft is “bring(ing) much of the WinRT API (application programming interface) surface and the .NET Windows Store profile to the Phone,” according to the job post.

“You will work closely with your developer and PM (product program manager) counterparts to solve the technical challenges of bringing a platform built for desktops and tablets to the phone form factor,” the job posting noted.

Currently, Microsoft does not allow Windows Phone apps to be sold in the Windows Store without modification. There are more than 150,000 Windows Phone apps in the Windows Phone Store at present. Microsoft officials have not said officially how many Windows apps are in the Windows Store, but it’s believed to be considerably fewer (in spite of accidental executive promises to the contrary).

Microsoft officials have insisted there is a considerable amount of code reuse possible for developers who’ve built for Windows Phone and want to move their apps to Windows 8/Windows RT — and vice versa. Some developers have said they’ve found this to be true; others claim there’s more work to be done than they expected in moving from one platform to the other.

According to Microsoft officials, the developer platform for Windows Phone 8, which are powered by ARM processors, and Windows RT — the version of Windows that runs on ARM processors — is “similar.” But it’s not exactly the same. The two operating systems (Windows Phone and Windows 8/Windows RT) “do not have unified runtimes and application programming interfaces exposed,”officials acknowledged last year.

The move to get both sets of apps to run interchangeably on the two platforms fits in with Microsoft’s overarching goal to bring together the Windows 8/Windows RT and Windows Phone code bases and developer platforms. Microsoft made progress toward this goal in 2012, but for now, the Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone platforms are not identical. The Windows Phone 8 operating system does include the Windows NT core, however.

I’d think Windows Blue, the wave of next-generation Windows and Windows Phone platform releases, may be key to the move toward a common Windows Phone and Windows 8/Windows RT Store experience. According to sources, Microsoft will be making some changes at the API and kernel level to Windows as part of the Blue release, which may arrive as soon as this summer/fall, if the rumors are right.

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Schmidt to Sell Google Stake Worth $2.5 Billion

Please find original Article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324590904578292541060345994.html

By SCOTT THURM

Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt plans to sell stock valued at $2.5 billion over the next year as part of a trading plan that will cut his stake in the Internet firm by more than 40%.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company said in a regulatory filing on Friday that Mr. Schmidt plans to sell 3.2 million shares of stock over the next year. Mr. Schmidt owned 7.6 million shares of Google as of Dec. 31, according to the filing. At Friday’s closing price of $785.37, the shares being sold would have a value of $2.5 billion.

ReutersGoogle Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt plans to sell 40% of his holdings in the firm over the next year.

Google added Mr. Schmidt is selling the shares “as part of his long-term strategy for individual asset diversification and liquidity.”

“This is a routine diversification of assets and Eric remains completely committed to Google,” a Google spokeswoman said in an email.

The 57-year-old Mr. Schmidt, who joined Google as chief executive in 2001 from Novell Inc., used a similar plan to sell roughly 1.8 million Google shares, valued at $1.2 billion, over the past year, according to InsiderInsights.com. If he completes the newly planned sales, Mr. Schmidt will have reduced his stake in Google by more than half over two years.

Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. MarketWatch’s Rex Crum looks at stocks Mr. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and insiders within the company have bought over the past 90 days. (Photo: AP/Getty Images)

In a recent report, investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. published a list of the stocks with the greatest upside potential. MarketWatch’s Laura Mandaro discusses what stocks made it on the list. (Photo: AP)

If he sells the shares, Mr. Schmidt would still own 1.3% of Google, down from 2.3% as of Dec. 31, 2012. He would control 5% of Google’s voting power, since some of his shares have additional voting power.

Before last year, Mr. Schmidt rarely sold any of his Google shares. From 2008 through 2010, he didn’t sell any.

Forbes magazine in September ranked Mr. Schmidt the 45th-richest American, with a net worth of $7.5 billion. He stepped down as CEO in April 2011 and became Google’s executive chairman.

Google shares have risen 29% over the past year, giving the company a market value of $259 billion.

Mr. Schmidt has written a book, “The New Digital Age,” which is to be published by Random House in April. In January, he traveled to North Korea, where, he later said, he urged leaders of the isolated country to open Internet access to boost the economy.

Write to Scott Thurm at scott.thurm@wsj.com