800 million Android smartphones, 300 million iPhones in active use by December 2013, study says
February 11th, 2013
Original Artcile Found Here: http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/06/800-million-android-smartphones-300-million-iphones-in-active-use-by-december-2013-study-says/
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
Posted in 
Microsoft working to unify further its Windows and Windows Phone platforms
February 10th, 2013
Original Article found here: http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-working-to-unify-further-its-windows-and-windows-phone-platforms-7000011070/
By Mary Jo Foley 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.
Schmidt to Sell Google Stake Worth $2.5 Billion
February 9th, 2013
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
Free Antivirus Software
October 27th, 2011
I recommend free versions of antivirus software to my residential clients. Free versions can prove just as powerful as the paid versions. I usually recommend FREE AVG. I have been using the free version of AVG for over 10 years and really like it’s protection. Lately, I have been testing out Microsoft’s free antivirus software called Microsoft Security Essentials. I have put this free version through the ringer and have come to really like it. Residential versions of Norton/Symantec and McAfee are, in my opinion, are junk. They consume high resources and are attacked more frequently. Not only are they troublesome to the home users, they cost a lot of money each year.
I want to give everyone a challenge. If you use Norton or McAfee on your home computer; uninstall it and try any one of the recommended antivirus programs. Let me know what your experience is like. I would like to think you will experience a smoother desktop environment, less problems with viruses, and more money in your wallet.
Here are are the FREE ANTI-VIRUS programs I recommend most:
MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS
FREE AVG
What free antivirus software do you like and recommend?
Win A Free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 From Android Police!
July 21st, 2011
If you are intersted in the Samsung Galaxy, here is a free one! The instructions are simple. Just jump on over to the Android Police and follow the instructions.
GoDaddy Promo Codes – July 2011
July 20th, 2011
iNFLUX PC is all about saving you money! We have our clients wallets in mind when we offer services. Here is the updated list of GoDaddy Promotional Codes for July 21, 2011. You can use these codes to save money on your hosting, domain fees, and other purchases from GoDaddy.com. Please let us know if any of these are no longer working and we will update the post. As of today all codes have been tested an verified. Keep in mind GoDaddy may automatically apply a code in which case multiple codes cannot be used. Enjoy!
| Avondale, Goodyear, Phoenix, Peoria, Arizona! | |
| Most Popular Codes: Great Deals from GoDaddy! | |
| cjc749chp | $7.49 .Com domain registration (not for Renewals) |
| cjc795dom | $7.95 .Com RENEWALS (Save more then 35%) |
| cjctld749 | $7.49 .Net .Org .Biz |
| cjcchp20 | Save 20% on ALL hosting plans |
| cjchost711 | DELUXE Web Hosting for the price of Economy! |
| cjc199HSTG | Web Hosting from just $1.99 per month for 3 months! Plus, GoDaddy now |
| cjcssl12t2 | Save more than 50% on SSL certificates /$12.99 SSL certification |
| Avondale Computer Repair | |
| General Codes: Save for ANY product on your order with these codes. | |
| cjconeoff | Save $1 on your order |
| cjcchp10 | Save 10% off your order -No minumum-Works for Renewals also |
| cjcchp30 | Save $5 off your order $30 or more-May work for Renewals also |
| cjcsave | Save $5 off your order $30 or more |
| cjcchp50 | Save $10 off your order $50 or more-may work for renewals also- |
| cjcsave10 | Save $10 off your order $50 or more |
| cjcchp75 | Save 15% off your order $75 or more–For renewals also- |
| gdz719a | Save 20% off your order $90 or more |
| gdz742a | Save 25% off your order $65 or more |
| gdz718a | Save 25% off your order |
| Goodyear Computer Repair | |
| More GoDaddy Promotional Codes | |
| gdz745a | Save 30% off .Com renewal and plus 50% off private registration |
| cjc749chp | $7.49 .Com domain registration (not for Renewals) |
| cjc749t2 | $7.49 .Com domain registrations |
| cjc349us | $3.49 .Us domain registrations |
| gdbb776 | Renew your .Mobi domains for $10.99-save over 40% and .Tv domains |
| fbresell30 | Save $30.00 off all Reseller Plans! |
| AUCTION12 | Godaddy Auction Discount-save more then 40% |
| Glendale Computer Repair | |
How to Fix the “Couldn’t Install on USB or SD Card” error message on Android
July 16th, 2011
Have you ever seen this message on your Android phone? I have been an avid user of Android since the very first Android Google Phone; the T-Mobile G1. I am now using the T-Mobile G2 which is really a HTC Desire Z and I love it. Now I have my eyes set on the G2x. I have never really experienced any problems with my phones until the other day. The market would show I have several updates that needed to be installed. I’d click the “Update All” icon and wait for them all to download. This is where I started noticing a problem. All the installations were for some reason unsuccessful. After clicking on the Installation was unsuccessful notification I would get an error message similar to the one here that said “Installation Error: Couldn’t install on USB storage or SD Card.” As you can imagine this to be super frustrating. What’s this? An Angry Birds update? Awesome! WHAT?!?! NOOOO! It’s not updating! I tried several basic troubleshooting steps like powering down the phone and powering it back on, mounting and unmounting the SD card, pulling the battery and SD card and replacing; nothing.
Here is a simple tutorial on how to fix the problem without losing any of your data. Although you will not lose your data it is always good practice to back it up before tampering with it. Please follow these instructions to get rid of this annoying Android caused Error Message. As far as I am aware all Android phones are prone to this message at one point or another. The problem appears to stem from a corrupt app installation and the temporary/cache file needs to be cleared.
- Plug the phone into your computer via USB cable.
- Tap the “Turn on USB Storage” on your device.
- Copy the contents of your SD Card / “Removable Disk” to a safe place on your computer. *If you do not have a current backup of your data.
- Find and Open the .android_secure folder on your Android’s SD Card.
- Find the file named smdl2tmp1.asec and rename it to smdl2tmp1.asec_backup.
- Tap the “Turn off USB Storage” button on your phone.
- Unplug your phone, power it off, and power it back on.
Dell Inspiron 1440 Resurrection
May 26th, 2011
Dell and HP are some of our favorite laptops to work on because of how easy the systems are to repair and their customer service is awesome! If you can get past the language barrier that is. Plus their support sites have just about every piece of information and software readily available for download. We worked on this Dell Inspiron 1440 which would not boot. Have you ever seen a computer boot up to a white blinking cursor? Nasty stuff right? No safe mode, no command prompt, no system restore, nothing.
First thing we think about is the data sitting on the drive and whether or not it is recoverable. Fortunately, we were able to back up all of the data sitting on the drive. The backup took nearly 15 hours combined. The drive was near death and the read / write speeds were terrible. We were finally able to backup the clients movies, music, pictures, documents, and everything else important. We performed the backup by pulling out the Western Digital hard drive and plugging it into a USB to IDE / SATA adapter. This tool is so important and makes life much easier when trying to get at information sitting on a drive. Simply plug in the old hard drive to the device, plug the device into a known working computer and within seconds you will have full access to the drive and can copy the files. Once you have the files in a safe spot you can play around with the old drive all you want. Ideally, everyone should already have a backup of their data but they don’t.
The problem we have seen recently with repairing newer laptops and desktops is the manufacturers not providing restorations discs for the computers. Manufacturers are putting the restoration software on secondary partitions on the drives which is fine until the drive completely fails; then what? Users rarely use the Restoration Disc creator software to burn the media onto disc before computers dies. If you are in need of restoration discs try calling your computer manufacturer to get a hold of them. In most cases the registered user can call up the manufacturer and demand they mail them a copy of the restoration discs free of charge. We called Dell and ask them to provide the discs but they needed us to provide the registered owners name, mailing address and phone number. This laptop has swapped hands a couple times but we were able to eventually track down all of the required information and one business day later we had the software in hand from Dell.
We ran several hard drive diagnostic tools and were not able to save the drive itself. Fortunately, hard drives are reasonably priced and it’s always cheaper to buy a new drive than to have the old drive physically repaired. We replaced the dead drive with a brand new one, restored the operating system (Windows 7), and restored the previously backed up personal files. The laptop is now ready to be returned to the owner. We are sure they will be happy with the system; it is better than new now!
Hot Probook 6555b
May 25th, 2011
Hot, Hot, Hot. A client’s HP Probook 6555b loaded with a 2.8GHz AMD Phenom II X2 N620 Dual-Core Mobile processor was shutting down while playing World of Warcraft. Actually, it didn’t really matter which game was being played. If the laptop was doing anything intense the machine would heat up and after time instantly power off. The experience was exactly like holding down the power button for 5 seconds; instant off. Ouch! What a pain it caused if right in the middle of something important and not being able to save first.
We used Core Temp to figure out what was happening. This is a free application which allows us to monitor the heat changes of a processor. We found the processor was spiking to almost 99° Celsius. OK, all you math wizards out there… what does this convert to Fahrenheit? That’s right 210°! Now that is HOT! Typically a laptop processor should remain somewhere between 50-65° C which is 122-149° F doing absolutely nothing. The temperatures may spike to 75° C maximum while working out.
Laptops as well as desktops have safety features built in which prevent the melting of your CPU. Many times the setting can be found in the BIOS. In this scenario the BIOS prevented the laptop CPU from failing due to intense heat by powering off the computer. We were able to determine the issue after pulling apart the system. Turns out the CPU/GPU Fan was not spinning fast enough. Once we replaced the fan we started seeing normal temperatures like those in the picture to the right. Usually failing fans give off hints like changes in noise. The pitches in the fan get high and low or even make grinding sounds bu this time everything sounded normal.
Keeping your PC free from dust and air cooled will help prolong the life of your processor. Fortunately the fan replacement cost was minimal in comparrison to a new processor or motherboard.
What’s the temperature of your PC?
Play Angry Birds from PC
May 24th, 2011
Who doesn’t like Angry Birds? Well besides Green Pig, Mustache Pig, King Pig, and Helmet Pig? Angry Birds first came out on the iPhone and now is available on the Android Market. There are some hilarious Angry Birds YouTube videos to get you in the spirit, so go find them. In case you have lived in a cave since 2009, Angry Birds is a puzzle game that is super fun, funny, and addicting. Just load your extra grumpy bird into a massive sling shot and shoot it at those dang pigs hiding out in all sorts of structures. The more death and damage you do, the higher your score; the higher your score, the more stars you receive. Of course with more stars brings more bragging rights and valuable street credibility. Now there is a way to play the game from your very own laptop or desktop. No need to go out and buy an expensive smart phone and data plan just to start playing, so get started!
While Angry Birds is nothing new, now you can play it from your computer with Google Chrome! Go download Google Chrome Web Browser. Google Chrome is a much better alternative to Internet Explorer anyway and not just because of Angry Birds! Go play Angry Birds now!
Oh and don’t forget to download your Angry Birds Chrome Theme!
