I spent about four hours today with AT&T working on a phone line for a client.  This was a traditional POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) line, which is what most of us had in our house before Vonage or digital phone.  This type of phone line is an old, but very dependable, technology... or so I thought.  After today I am convinced that anything analog needs to be phased out.  We had one line out of four that was down and it took the AT&T tech five hours to get this line back.  As it turns out the copper pair shorted out inside of a cable in a corner of the building.  He was able to move this to a different pair but not before a lot of work to figure out the problem.  There was not any programming involved but simply moving an analog line over to a different wire.

When he was finished I spent some time chatting with him and he mentioned that as a repair tech they spend most of their time on POTS lines.  He went on to say that they very rarely have a single problem like this with digital circuits such as T-1, ISDN, or PRI.  You could also bundle SIP trunks (Session Initiation Protocol: a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service) into this but AT&T does not typically sell SIP trunks.  The repair tech also stated that the new digital technologies are faster and more reliable for the end customer.  It would be nice if we could move away from POTS lines and start to move our telephony delivery into the digital age.

We have so many options for phone with VoIP or digital trunks.  If you would like to learn more about these we are always available to help you understand anything you may be unsure of.

If you frequently run multiple programs simultaneously your desktop can get extremely cluttered.  This can get annoying if you're working on one program and want to minimize all the other windows-- in previous versions of Windows you had to minimize them individually.

But thanks to Windows 7's "Shake" feature you can minimize every window except the one in which you are currently working in a single step.  Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to keep on your desktop.  While still holding the title bar, shake it quickly back and forth until all of the other windows minimize to the taskbar and then let it go.  To make the windows return, shake the title bar again.

You can accomplish the same thing by pressing the Windows logo key () + Home key combination; although doing so is not nearly as much fun.

How is it that when you get home, turn on your wireless laptop, and scan for networks you see every network in your neighborhood, yet you go to an airport and see just one of them?  What is it that you actually see anyways?  You see a network named "smith family" and one named "Jones."  They are called SSID; short for Set Service Identifier.  Basically it is the name of your network.

We know wireless has its limitations in range so how does it work that an entire airport has one SSID?  The term is called "clustering."  Wireless access points are spread out every so often and all chained together with clustering.  We are taking a group of wireless access points and grouping them together.  This allows for someone to stay connected no matter what side of the airport they are on or how far away they are going inside the facility.

Think about this the next time you are in a large environment and impress one of your friends by telling them you know about wireless clustering.  You might get called a tech nerd but if you are reading this blog you sort of are anyway, right?

When you need a really large window for viewing photos and videos don't just maximize it; go full screen!  This tip works great for viewing photos and videos at maximum size in Windows Explorer or Windows Media Player, utilizing screen space usually occupied by the header at the top of the screen and the taskbar at the bottom.  Here's how:

• Open any photo in Windows Explorer or open a photo or video clip in Windows Media Player. 
• In Windows 7 and Windows XP click the F11 key at the top of your keyboard.  The photo or video image enlarges to its maximum size and the title bar and taskbar are hidden.
• To undo full-screen mode and restore the window to its normal view, press the Esc (Escape) key at the top left corner of your keyboard.

Last year Thailand experienced the worst monsoon season in 50 years with hundreds of lives lost and over two thirds of the country swamped by the end of October.  The tragic images of flooded towns showed the extent of the immediate damage to the region but the long-term impact of that flooding will be felt for some time. 

One way in which the flooding has affected the rest of the world is in the supply of computer hard disk drives (HDDs).  Apart from being the second largest supplier of complete HDDs after China, Thailand also manufactures individual components which are used by HDD manufacturers in other parts of the world.  For example, there is Nidec, a Thai company that supplies more than 70 percent of all HDD motors worldwide.  All of the leading hard drive brands, including Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Samsung, use motors produced by Nidec.  Many of these companies were impacted by the floods and as a result, the global supply of HDDs slowed to a trickle.  Most of the affected manufacturers are only expecting to have their production rates back to normal by the end of the second quarter of this year, which is still a long time away.  Until then we face a severe shortage of HDDs around the world, which our office has actually experienced over the last few months.

At present, some HDD models and capacities are simply not available.  Those wanting to purchase HDDs will have to choose from a very limited range of drive capacities and at much higher prices than before; over double the usual price in many cases.  Prices are still climbing and that is expected to continue for a few more months. Of course there is little consumers can do about this but if you're planning to purchase any HDDs within the next few months, don't delay. 

Your options may become more limited in a few weeks and prices may climb higher.  There is one possible upside to all of this and that is the impact it will have on the adoption of Solid State Drive (SSD) technology.  Because SSDs don't have any moving components, the manufacturers have been able to continue production of SSDs while HDD production was hampered.  As the crisis continues, many consumers will be forced to purchase the more expensive SSD drives instead of traditional HDDs.  In fact, the effects of this are already being seen, with SSD manufacturers like Sandisk expecting higher profits on the back of rising SSD sales.  This accelerated adoption of SSD technology will help to make these units more affordable, and that is a good thing for all of us!

On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, many of our beloved websites took to the net in protest.  Several websites shutdown, or "blacked" themselves out to show their opposition for the proposed PIPA (Protect IP Act) and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) bills.  These bills are intended to take aim at copyright infringement and internet piracy, though many against these bills say they will dissolve personal expression on the internet and leave too much control in the hands of our government.  While the bills have not yet been voted on they are facing support and opposition from all sides, making it a hot topic in the coming weeks.  We won't get into any of our political beliefs, but here are a few major websites that participated in the protest:

• Wikipedia, the internet's largest open-source collection of information, shut down completely for over 24 hours
• Craiglist's landing page showed a petition that portrayed strong opposition for the proposed PIPA and SOPA bills
• Google blacked out its own logo to show support for the opposition
• Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter also aired its concerns regarding SOPA yesterday, although they declined to take part in the blackouts
• According to Twitter, there were over 30 million Tweets regarding the PIPA and SOPA bills

Were you affected or inconvenienced by any of these websites? Let us know!

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!

Researches and students at Columbia University have found a loophole that allows hackers to access your office printers.  They can steal information, wreak havoc on your system, or literally cause it to self-destruct.  By accessing the remote firmware update features, researches were able to remotely access a printer, snag a Social Security Number and Credit Card number, and flood the printer with commands causing it to overheat, melt, or potentially catch fire.  HP's pre-2009 LaserJet models are the printers that are affected.  The loophole basically exists because these model printers run automatic remote firmware updates and they don't require digital signature from the manufacturer.  A hacker can see your printer requesting the update over the network, then build a malicious program that will be installed on the printer as if it were a legitimate firmware.  Once that's done, a hacker can then swipe very important, confidential, and highly sensitive information in a matter of seconds.  HP is now scrambling to fix the issue, but in the meantime, make sure your firewall and AV are up to date and running properly.  Printers that are designed for home use are not affected by this, nor are the models purchased from 2010 on.  However, some devices such as home routers, VOIP devices, and ISP cable and DSL modems could be.  Don't worry, this message won't litereally self-destruct.

I recently returned from my now annual trip to Las Vegas and I have to say I was more in-tune with the various technologies this trip over the last one.  In a city that is famous for its over the top, self-indulgent atmosphere, it should come as no surprise that the technology that makes Vegas run has to be just as ostentatious.

We stayed at the relatively new Aria Resort & Casino, which had only been open for a couple of months the last time we were in Vegas.  I was so intrigued by the design and atmosphere the first time I saw it that we decided to stay there for our recent trip.  The technology that is throughout Aria is pretty impressive and a lot of thought was put into the design and functionality to make it a very energy efficient facility as well.  Walking into our suite for the first time all of the curtains opened automatically, the lights turned on, the televisions and stereo system turned on, and the temperature was regulated throughout, which is standard for every room and not just the suites.  Upon leaving, everything that turned on when entering the room turns off to conserve energy.  It's pretty neat to think that a room is able to sense when a person is present to know when to activate and deactivate the technology.  There was also a master control display in each bedroom and the living area that could be programmed to engage any of the technologies at any give time.  One way we made use of this was for the curtains to open at a certain time in the morning rather than to be awoken by an annoying alarm clock.  I could really go on about how neat everything was but I'll spare you the time and encourage you to check it out yourself.

Obviously security in the casino is a major point of concern, not just at Aria, but at all of the casinos.  It's hard to even fathom that every single move that is made on a casino floor is being closely monitored by someone who has more than likely known every game you've played, how much you bet each time, and any idiosyncrasies you have, all thanks to technology.  With advancements in technology, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) sensors have been added to the betting chips.  These monitor your playing habits to help prevent people from counting cards and other illegal activities, but also assist in determining the type of player you are for compensation purposes.  There are so many other measures that have been implemented in casinos to keep the playing safe and fun and most of them aren't known to anyone outside of the small circle of people involved with these things, though I can guarantee they use technology in some way.

A blog about Las Vegas technology would not be complete without at least a mention of entertainment.  People from all over the world come not just to gamble, but to attend some of the most outrageous shows and spectacles ever created.  During our trip we saw the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show (my second time, a must see) and Elton John's new show, The Million Dollar Piano (hands down the best concert I've ever been to).  Now compared to the other show offerings on the strip these two were pretty tame, but even so, what the people involved with the shows are able to visualize and carry through is very impressive.  The special effects and overall performance of the Beatles show is enough to have your mouth hanging open for most of the show in awe.  Not to mention, the piano used in Elton John's performance was literally a million dollar piano due to the LED display on the side and unparalleled components inside; enough for it to take longer to build the piano than the Coliseum at Caesar's Palace where the show took place.  Any other show you'd check out in Vegas would have just as many, if not more, special effects to make the show better than the one next door or down the strip.  After all, they do need a reason to keep people coming back time after time and advancements in technology and the implementation of new ideas are certainly getting the job done.

Again, I could go on forever but the fact is, Las Vegas is so overwhelming that I could not touch on a fraction of what there is to offer and why technology has played a role in each attraction because I still haven't seen a lot of it myself.  If you get the chance to go, try to look past the sequins and feathers for a little while and really pay attention to the detail and advanced technology that is present and every-changing to become the latest and greatest.  I think you'll realize Vegas would not be nearly as interesting or exciting without it.