Advice for those of you with Blackberries and/or Apples…
February 1, 2011 by Byron Williams · Leave a Comment
Google: Under New Management
January 27, 2011 by Matthew Lindahl · Leave a Comment
Sergey Brin and Larry Page together founded the behemoth we all know as Google back in 1997. After pressure from Venture Capitalists years ago, Eric Schmidt was named CEO as a move to bring leadership to the vast company. Fast forward to today.
Even though Google had the largest Q4 profits of their 12-year history this past quarter, they have decided to bring one of the founders back into the CEO role. Eric Schmidt will still continue to play a key role at Google as the Executive Chairman, but Larry Page, 37, will be returning to his throne.
This change in structuring won’t take effect until April of 2011, with Larry Page wanting to return to the startup-business mentality. I’m sure he will hit the ground running, and we as bystanders can only dream about what new, great, and useful things will come out of the walls of Google, Inc., with Larry Page at the helm.
Time to take your website on the road?
January 25, 2011 by Scott Kerr · Leave a Comment
Believe it or not I still, on rare occasions, find myself having conversations with people who don’t see a great need for their business to have a website. An even tougher sell, but an increasingly important one, is whether or not to create a mobile-specific version of an existing website. It’s estimated that smartphones will eclipse feature phones by the end of 2011, and that mobile internet traffic will surpass that of desktops within 5 years. These projections don’t necessarily make building a separate smartphone-enhanced website requisite, but it does warrant giving the prospect careful consideration.
5 tips for keeping your smartphone secure.
January 20, 2011 by Jamie Stanislav · Leave a Comment
Source link
1. Set a password.
Setting a strong password on your phone will keep thieves, borrowers, and anyone not approved to use your phone from accessing your personal information. A good default time for allowing the screen to auto-lock is around 5 minutes of inactivity.
2. Download updates for your phone.
You’re probably used to seeing the occasional update message. Updating your phone when prompted will keep security flaws patched and keep your system as current as possible.
The story behind Bubble Ball
January 18, 2011 by Jamie Stanislav · Leave a Comment
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubble-ball/id412089940?mt=8
At Greystone, we often talk about the ways in which technology amazes us. But what about the potential that technology brings for those looking to harness it?
I’ve recently been inspired by 14 yr old Robert Nay. Nay had an idea for a smart-phone app: Bubble Ball. He went to his local library, checked out a book on developing apps, found a free physics engine online and put his imagination to work. Now the internet is buzzing about how one teenager, with very little experience, was able to create a free game that has now generated more downloads than the popular Angry Birds app, a game that had previously been a top download in the Apple store.
While there are many ways young entreprenuers can find ways to excel and succeed, I’m astounded to think that we live in an age of technology that allows a 14 year old kid with an imagination to create a chart-topping program with zero start-up costs and a potential for incredibly large return in his future.
Where is your inspiration coming from today?
Greystone is hiring!
January 13, 2011 by Byron Williams · 2 Comments
We’re hiring. Do you know of the perfect person?
To see the job posting, visit this link.
Verizon finally lands the iPhone
January 11, 2011 by Jamie Stanislav · 1 Comment
After numerous leaks over the last month and speculation for the last few years, Verizon has finally been announced as an official carrier of the iPhone. While many have been waiting for this moment, it remains to be seen whether this is a beneficial move for both Verizon and new iPhone users. Due to Verizon’s current 3G network (4G is still being built), AT&T’s contract set up and future Apple product releases, there are several factors that may hinder Verizon from making as big of a splash as critics first predicted. For more in depth analysis, read the following article from YahooNews. Will you consider switching to Verizon now that they carry the iPhone?
The Wonderful World of 3D
January 6, 2011 by David Brown · Leave a Comment
It’s almost impossible to see a movie in theaters now without having the option of seeing it in 3D. Over that past few years, 3D technology has forced its way into theaters and living rooms all over the country and has become very popular with audiences. The biggest complaint with 3D technology is the bulky glasses. With the home theater systems the glasses are not only required but they tend to be quite expensive.
Mind Games
January 4, 2011 by Matt Larson · Leave a Comment
Ever since I was little I’ve had some sort of controller in my hand. I remember spending days with a neighbor of mine that owned an Atari 2600 VCS, the fourth video game console to hit the market since the brown box was first invented in 1967. After proving to my parents that I could take care of my things (by cleaning my bedroom every day for a month), they agreed to buy me a Nintendo. I spent hours on that thing, pushing the same six buttons over and over again. Video games have come a long way since I was a kid. Now, most controllers overwhelm me. I can hardly keep up when I play my little brothers.
But my latest findings in the gaming industry might finally give me a fighting chance. While everyone else is interested in the xbox’s kinect or playstation’s move, I am hung up on this bit of technology. Here’s a short clip of what I believe is an up and coming gaming company. Basically, these guys are creating games that you control with your brain, software that is driven by emotions, essentially turning your mind into the controller. The possibilities are endless and I am excited to keep tabs on this company as they grow. You can visit their site here to explore the technology behind the company.
Digital Age, Digital Identity: All there for companies to share
December 30, 2010 by Nate Traiser · Leave a Comment
Photo Credit - http://www.newmediamusings.com/2006/08/online_privacy_.html
We all know about Facebook and their public struggles about sharing your private information. Unfortunately, they aren’t the only company under the spotlight. Popular sites like Pandora, Yelp, Netflix, and every Angry Birds are dealing with the same issues.
If you are the proud owner of a DROID or iPhone, odds are you are installing a number of apps on your phone. Have you ever stopped to think about the messages on the installer pop ups? If you stop to read it before installing, you’ll see that many apps require access to personal information such as age and sex or location. These apps routinely send the information to marketing companies that use it to compile profiles on phone users, which in turn, results in you receiving service (music, information or entertainment) for free.
This concern relates to the last few blogs we’ve posted regarding passwords. I know that managing all of your passwords is tough and can be a huge pain. My method to keep things as simple as possible goes a little something like this:
- Give social sites and online resources their own password.
- Financial sites get a separate password, generally one that is more than 15 characters (a short phrase).
- Finally, personal email accounts and company accounts should be designated their own password.
This seems like a lot right? Well look at this way, if your Facebook were to be hacked, would you feel comfortable if they were potentially able access to your back account as well, just because you use the same password for all of your online accounts? For instance, you remember that Gawker.com was recently hacked. They produce a number of other sites such as LifeHacker.com. You can link your Facebook account to this site for ease of login. Now, because of poor security, hackers now they have the Facebook information for all of Lifehacker’s users. By grouping my sites with coordinated passwords, I only have to update a few sites in the case of an insecurity rather than changing all of my accounts.
Remember folks, all the convenience of the digital age is great but if you aren’t careful your iLife can become very difficult when things go wrong!
