All of my tech life I have been a Microsoft guy.  I mean let's face it; they support about 91% of the world's desktop computer workspace.  All of my computers, and even phones, that I have purchased have been Microsoft products.  When I first bought a Smartphone it was a Palm 700W, meaning a Windows phone.  I have since had a Blackberry and a Droid and now I have moved to the iPhone... and if you know me or my history this should come as a surprise.

I was not unhappy with my Droid but it had a bug.  When the latest release, Gingerbread, came out it would not illuminate the built-in keyboard on a consistent basis.  I researched this extensively to find out it was a bug in the latest release.  Well this bug drove me crazy.  You can't exactly type a text or email at night if you can't see the keyboard.  Verizon gave me the option of replacing it and I moved over to the dark side, THE iPHONE.

I hated to do this because I love my Windows platform but I felt like a change needed to be made.  After all, Windows phones were not selling and Blackberry has basically died.  Most of my friends have iPhones, as does my family, but I still resisted until two weeks ago.  Right out of the box it was easier.  The argument from Droid geeks is that the Droid is so customizable.  Yes, this is true however you don't need to customize the iPhone.  Why install a new browser when the first one is so much better?  I don't need another email client, this one just works.

The iPhone 4S is a 3G phone and so was my Droid but the iPhone is much faster.  It is more responsive in every area.  I turned off airplane mode and right away it found new emails.  This was a painful process with the Droid.  What about the battery?  The iPhone kills the Droid and any Droid user will tell you that.  Over the Christmas holiday I hardly received any emails, texts, or phone calls.  I left the phone alone and it went for almost 4 days on standby.  Let's see a Droid do that.

For all of you Droid users, don't think about it just swap.  For the Blackberry guys, the browser alone is worth the move.  The only thing not so great is the maps.  The Droid phone is much better for maps, however that is a small price to pay.

I don't know what is next.  I don't expect an iMac on my desk anytime soon but the iPhone is great.

As we reflect back on the year of 2011 there are several momentous feats that were accomplished.  The war in Iraq ended, Osama bin Laden was killed, Occupy Wall Street made headlines around the world, the Japanese earthquake, and, while not nearly as important to most, let's not forget the Facebook "updates."  But what about the world of technology?  What strides, or flops, were introduced to the world?

In early 2011, the popularity of the tablet soared to where it is today.  With the introduction of the iPad2 on March 11, 2011, companies like Samsung, Motorola, Acer, and others scrambled to develop similar products.  Now, tablets are available in a variety of colors, sizes, and with different operating systems.  Most non-Apple tablets run on the Android operating system while some companies, like HP and Blackberry, tried their own.

Along the same lines in soaring popularity, the Android operating system has been taking over.  In 2011, the presence of the Android OS rose from 13% to 72% of the marketplace.  Most of this can be attributed to it being open source, unlike Apple which is proprietary and used solely on Apple products.  Android can be integrated on smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and even mobile media devices.

The introduction of streaming media is another leap forward in technology that came about in 2011.  Though Netflix has been streaming some movies and TV shows online since 2008, the competition just recently started taking aim.  Due to the vast availability of streaming media from your PC, TV, phone, or Apple products, Netflix lost 78% of its market share, stock worth, and customer base in a matter of months.  Now that you can download movies and TV shows from Hulu, Flickster, Amazon, and about 1000 other places, the need for DVD rentals through the mail has absolutely tanked.  Combine that with the introduction of Redbox and Netflix is on the verge of becoming another Blockbuster.

One of the greatest accomplishments for the field of technology in 2011 is the widespread introduction and availability of 4G.  4G is the new standard in wireless technology and mobile broadband.  Currently the use of LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a "beta" type of 4G, meaning it's not all the way up and running yet.  3G was nice when it came out, but 4G, WOW.  4G technology takes the 200kbits/s standard (or as slow as cold molasses) and multiplies it by 500, giving you amazing mobile speed.  In several areas around Charlotte I can get 35 Mbps download speeds.  That's 4 times faster that the cable internet speeds I pay Time Warner for at home.  With the introduction of faster speeds for downloads and uploads, the social network has been affected the most.  Status updates, picture uploads, games with friends... they're all in real time.  We can now update all of our "followers" as we actually partake in whatever event at the moment is "status update worthy."

Though these are just a few examples of how technology has changed in 2011, we can look back and be comforted in knowing that technology is ever-growing, ever-evolving, and making leaps and bounds for the human race every day.

From all of us at IRIS Solutions, we wish you and yours a happy and prosperous New Year!

Before the dawn of the Smartphone there were handheld and mobile GPS (Global Positioning System) devices.  Companies like Garmin and Tom-Tom thrived in the new market of location-based guidance services and although exciting in itself, that technology has grown to become much more than just turn-by-turn directions to your destination.

With the introduction of handheld devices like Blackberry, iPhone, and Android, companies took GPS to the next level.  Have you noticed when you are playing the newest episode of "Angry Birds" that every once in a while an ad will appear?  The advertisement may say "Starbucks Coffee, Buy One Get One Free", and you are sitting in a Starbucks.

Remember when you first powered on your new Smartphone?  There was a setup question that asked if you wanted to enable "location services." Well, by answering "yes", companies like Verizon, Google, RIM, Apple, and thousands more are able to see where you are every minute of the day.  It's true, Google actually knows that you are sitting in Starbucks at this very moment, either by GPS signal via 3G/4G, or by utilizing a site's Wi-Fi network.  In fact, over 28 percent of adults use location-based services every day.

Twelve percent of Smartphone owners use geo-social services (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn) so that their locations are automatically included in their posts on those services, and as many as 55 percent use their Smartphones for getting directions and recommendations based on current locations.  Want to know what great restaurants are nearby? What about the nearest movie theater and what they are showing?  Simply use any one of 12 million apps and you can see what points of interest are near you.  As the industry evolves, some apps even include coupon codes for sales that are going on at nearby retailers.

These location-based apps can also be used for other reasons aside from entertainment.  Just recently a local law enforcement agency was able to place a suspect on the scene of a homicide by his Smartphone.  Apparently his phone connected to a neighboring Wi-Fi network and posted his exact location.  There is no denying he was there, when technology says so.

All in all today's location services are evolving to make life much more convenient.  Just be mindful of what services you use.  You never know who's watching.

As laptop batteries age, the battery life declines and before you know it, you are unable to use your laptop at all without being tethered to your power cord that's plugged into the only available outlet in a dark corner of your den.  Purchasing a new battery is an option, but before spending the money, give these simple and easy tricks a try to help extend the use of your battery.

- Charge the laptop fully.  Use the laptop unplugged until the battery is almost completely drained and then charge the laptop again.

- It's also been said that a way to recover small amounts of battery life is to charge the laptop fully and let the battery drain completely.  Leave the laptop unplugged and drained for 4-5 hours and fully charge again.

As with anything you could think of, there is also an app that can help you determine the current state of your battery.  The app is called "BatteryBar" and it's available in the Mac App Store as well as the Android Market.  It can be useful in that it will show the battery capacity and the usage of the battery, along with the percent decline of the battery capacity, so you can easily monitor the current battery life.

If all else fails, consider purchasing a replacement battery for your laptop and give us a call.  We'll be glad to assist however we can.

The once beloved piece of technology, a frontier gadget, the all-anticipated iPad is starting to slow among American users.  With the availability of Android and HPOS based tablets at a cheaper price, the iPad will soon become as prevalent as a bag phone. 

The Android Market holds thousands of free apps, some of the exact same apps that are paid in iTunes, and has a much better user and graphical interface.  Sure you can stream movies on both and can use both as a bubble level, but the fact that Android is open source means you don't have to live with the bloat that Apple pushes and denies you the ability to weed out.  One of the most beneficial apps for the business user is Documents to Go.  This app allows you to view, create, edit, send, and receive documents in MS Office format.  In addition, this is a free app.

Android tablets are far more customizable to the user's needs and budget.  Apple has a tendency to tell you what you will have, not what you can get.  In addition, the IOS is not enterprise friendly and many companies are foregoing the gadgets for the latest and greatest Android tablet.

Another problem is compatibility.  Apple has a monopoly on transferability of files and syncing with your PC.  If you don't hold your original iTunes account on the PC you're connecting to, all is lost.  Android is as simple as plug and play.  With the use of the removable and expandable SD cards, the Android owner can take his/her files with them and not have to drag the whole pad around town for it to get scratched up, broken, or possibly stolen,

Want more options?  You can achieve this with the Android but not the iPad.  The Androids come in 5", 7", 8", or 10"+ sided tablets.  Overall, Apple created a market for items when there was not a market for them.  Apple owns the digital music market with the iPod and they revolutionized the smart phone market with the iPhone.  When they came out with the iPad they created yet another item without a market and made millions.  The iPad is a great gadget but IMHO the Android tablet gives you many more options.

The tech blogs are booming with news and insights about the upcoming Windows 8 release and all of the new features it will have.  Like many people, we are used to the idea of an app.  Apps are everywhere.  There's an app for this, an app for that, and now Microsoft Windows 8 has an app store, dubbed the Windows Store.  It will apparently offer consumers a variety of free and paid apps for PCs that they can download much in the same way the Apple users can download apps from the Mac App Store. Reports of a Windows app store have long been floating about, suggesting that such a show could allow Microsoft to mimic the success that Apple and Android have achieved with their own app stores. 

Another new feature in the Windows 8 release is a Cloud Synchronization Tool.  The feature would let users sync files and folders from their local PCs with a cloud-based service. 

Yet another new feature, and the most exciting next to the app store, would allow users to carry Windows 8 with them on a USB drive.  This portable workspace, or "Windows on a Stick" option, would allow people to load a bootable copy of Windows 8 from a USB device and implement all of the features and functions.  This particular feature will most likely be geared toward business users who could take their corporate version of Windows 8 with them from the office to work at home. 

With new features and tools like these Windows 8 is sure to become the latest and greatest... at least until Apple releases the next OS.

I know the latest craze is tablet devices.  I won't call them PCs because they don't have personal computer programs and access.  These devices, either Android based, Blackberry based, or the most popular iPad, are all tablets.  The tablet craze is in full force and they make browsing the internet and other things very easy and neat.

Being a tech means being a gadget guy so I was interested in these.  I do not have one and the main reason is why do I want one?  Why do I want to spend between $400 and $600 on a tablet?  This is the question I posed for myself and never really found a good reason to get one.  Sure they are cool when you want to get on the internet quickly, play a cool game, or watch a movie, but what else?  I have a laptop that can do all of that and so much more.

With this being said, I was still interested so I asked two friends what they thought.  Both of them purchased iPads within a week of each other and they were full of stories every morning of what they did.  They did this and that last night and then swapped geek talk for a few minutes until they got through that morning's iPad cram session.  After a few weeks this stopped and I asked, "what is it good for?"  The response was short and interesting: "Nothing I could not do without or on another device."

The point was they could do what they needed on their laptop or smartphone, such as a Droid, iPhone, and possibly Blackberry.  It was eye-opening to hear them say that they really only used it when they needed quick access to internet or wanted something small while traveling. 

For those of you with $600 burning a hole in your pocket, go buy a share of Google stock and sit back and watch the money grow.  Otherwise, buy of of these Android tablets so I can watch my money grow.

FINALLY DID IT! I am ditching the Blackberry for a Droid.  I thought about an iPhone but if you read this blog from IRIS Solutions and you know anything about our shop, we make a living supporting Microsoft-based products so why would I buy something from the enemy?  I went ahead and got the Droid Pro.  I am not ready to give up my keyboard yet so I decided the Droid Pro was best.  At the time of drafting this blog post (Saturday afternoon) I am 29 hours into it and I do like some features but so far I would take the Blackberry to battle and leave the Droid.  I am a heavy email and phone user and I don't really need all of that other stuff, or so I thought. 

This morning (again, Saturday drafting) I had to drive a loaner car to a high school graduation and I needed to know how to get there.  I pulled out the Droid and got navigation going and it took me right there.  Have you ever tried this on a Blackberry?  Maybe if I were riding a horse the Blackberry could keep up, but typically Blackberry data is horrible. 

I did find myself playing with the phone all day but I still need to get used to some things. One big problem is dialing.  On the Blackberry I start typing from the main screen and it automatically pulls up contacts and starts scrolling.  On the Droid this same thing brings me to a Google search page.  This may be a good thing but when I needed the number for the local pizza delivery place this was annoying. 

Maybe I will feel different after a few days but right now I'm still carrying both of them.

Just like ever other piece of popular up-and-coming technology, Google's Android Market has been infected with several malicious pieces of software.  By downloading apps from the market and from other sources, you may be exposing your phones and all of your data to would-be hackers. 

The new threat is DroidDreamLight.  DDL is a code that imbeds itself into the Android OS and collects and sends data to remote servers.  Your location, contacts, phone calls, text messages, and even your mobile browsing history, could be broadcast to hackers worldwide. Google announced over the weekend that 34 new apps that were added to the market had been infected with this Trojan.  Lookout Mobile Security and AVG discovered the code and alerted Google to take down the apps immediately, but  given the popularity of the market, the apps were downloaded by some 34,000 users in a matter of seconds before Google was able to pull them.

Just like standard PC and Apple user guidelines, always be cautious of what you're downloading.  Using a mobile security application, like Lookout Mobile, that scans applications as they are downloading to ensure they are safe to be installed.  No one wants their hundreds of contacts broadcast over the net to anyone who wants them.  Be on the lookout for suspicious SMS activity.  For example, if you see that your phone sent a text to a random number and you didn't send it, you may have malware.  Also be mindful of the permissions the application requests when it's installed.  If a game is asking for access to your contact list and your location, a red flag should be going up.

Just like other methods of information security, be vigilant, use common sense, and you should be safe.

Blackberry once owned the smartphone world.  Long before Android and iPhone it was either Windows-based phones or Blackberry.  It was widely accepted that Blackberry was the best.  I have one and still like the phone.  It is an email machine and it works.  Nothing fancy about it, no glamour, no touch screen, but email and phone just flat out works.

These were my thoughts until last week when we took my son to the Verizon store to get his phone for his birthday.  While I was there I was looking at all of the new Android phones and the iPhones.  These new phones do so much.  All of the applications, internet browsers, ease of use, and then there in the corner collecting dust, is the Blackberry.

I have had a Blackberry for four years now and I see that nothing has changed on the phones in four years.  At one time RIM was lightyears ahead as they were the only ones doing mobile email on devices.  They were the first to offer a wireless sync for more than email.  They still have either POP, BIS, or BES synchronization.  All of this technology with the world's brightest engineers and they make a relic phone that has not changed in four years.  Hold on, let me take that back.  I did move from a Curve to a Bold and now there is a Poker game in the games section.  How awesome!!  I don't have to use the antiquated Blackberry App world (wonder where they came up with that name. Thanks, Steve Jobs.) to download some app to only ask me twelves times to allow it.  That is all I have found that changes on the phone.  That, and a battery that dies faster.

I for one love the BES experience.  With my new phone I was able to do an enterprise sync and pull all of my ring tones and settings in.  I love it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking RIM's unbelievable service and engineering, but the phone is just old.  With nothing changing in several years and all the latest phones having faster access, and even 4G access, I'm ready to swap.  I did go to the Blackberry website to pick my next model only to find out I am on the latest model.

Blackberry, you are losing me.  I am an avid phone user with heavy email.  I am an IT nerd and love technology and you are losing me.  I an the guy you wanted to keep.  I am the guy you wanted in your corner because I offer opinions on everything technology.

My next blog will not be about which phone to pick, but why this Droid or iPhone is so awesome.  Thanks, Blackberry.  You made my choice much easier now.