With wireless phone competition at its strongest, att just took the lead with its newest $100 promotion.  The promotion asks for just $100 and you’ll be able to call domestically for unlimited minutes per month.  There is no roaming or out-of-area fees.  This is definitely are bargain for those chatter-boxes out there.  Keep in mind though this does not include data for blackberries, treos, and iPhones.  Data / e-mails / Internet plans are sold separately. 

Sprint has offered a $120/month plan that includes unlimited voice and data.  Cellular South  has been offering the same plan for $80.  Verizon has matched the same plan as ATT at $100/month.  Tmobile will be announcing a better unlimited plan soon also offering free text messaging and some data services.

This fierce competition is in the hopes to compete with voice over IP phone companies, such as Vonage and Comcast.  The wireless companies are hoping consumers will use their cell phones as their universal out-of-the-house and home phones.  We feel that the unlimited plans are good; however, they’ll need to kick in some data/e-mail services to make it even more appealing to the masses.  Most people who are talking a lot on their smartphones and handhelds also email a lot. 

This $100 rate is typically much more than people want to spend especially since the data service is typically $35 - 50/month.  Plus, many high-volume talkers don’t purchase many minutes since rollover minutes accumulate to the point where purchasing the higher plans are not necessary.  So, for these unlimited plans to do well, ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and Tmobile need to either decrease the $100 rate and/or kick in text messaging and data/email services for free.

Technology is becoming screaming fast in terms of new products and software.  Apple has put out Mac Air, Windows has released Vista.  Laptop hard drives may be purchased at 250GB and external hard drives may be bought up to 4-drives and up to 2TB (that’s 4 x 500GB).  It’s great that new products are being offered to consumers and at alarming productive rates.  This shows that technology is accomodating consumers’ needs.  For instance, larger hard drives are able to store users’ larger iTunes and picture collections.

But, are the new technologies stable?  Are these hard drives as stable as their predecessors (i.e. 40GB, 80gB, and 120gb hard drives)?  I’m sure you’ve had or heard of an older computer from the 90’s lasting for about 10 years time, and that was pretty normal.  Now, laptops are lasting 2-3 years before a part, most likely the hard drive, breaks down.  We believe that the technology is going at a rapid pace and, whether to fast or not, we’ve seen new computers and operating systems fail faster than a decade’s past.  We believe that more computers and hard drives have been produced to meet the higher demand of more computer users.  So, we feel it’s more of a numbers game in the end.  Hopefully, you will not be one of the unlucky few.  But, if your computer decides to crash, your friendly NYC computer support team is ready to get you back on track.

CompUSA is closing 126 of its stores due to financial woes.  Its parent company, US Commercial Corp SA de CV, reported a loss of 45.7 million during the third quarter of 2007.  This shutdown includes the store as well as the computer support division.

Is this good news or bad news for tech consumers?  Well, based on our customer feedback, we have found that many had the same sentiments: “It’s about time!”  Those who searched for laptops, digital cameras, or other computer equipment felt like the customer service was lacking in two areas: 1.  the wait was too long and 2. the advice was not clear in terms of whether the product proposed was tested or if they were just trying to make a sale.  In regard to their computer support, some users felt like their techs were not interviewed or screened thoroughly as shown by their inability to resolve issues as well as customer-service skills on-site.  That disappointment is probably due to the fact that CompUSA’s hiring process was not in-person or on the phone, but entirely by completing an application online that was 95% approved.

The pricing overall by consumers’ feedback was grossly high, and the warranty, when provided, took app. 2-3 weeks.  So, it is safe to assume CompUSA will not be missed.

“Blackberry blackout” has become the new theme for the Canadian Immigration Department.   What does this blackout mean?  In the hopes to create a better work and personal balance, it means the staff is prohibited from using their blackberry devices from 7PM - 7AM and on weekend and holidays.  It’s not that they’ve used their blackberries so much on their off time, it is just to provide good quality of life on the staff’s personal schedule.

Other government agencies and companies might follow the Canadian’s government’s lead.  It is very easy use handhelds, such as blackberries, all the time since it is part of our culture.  Text messaging, Internet access, and e-mailing is very accessible when having a handheld, but it might be a good idea to give it a rest when not working.  The only concern is how does Canada account for emergencies during non-working hours?

Microsoft has publicly announced its bid to acquire Yahoo for 44 Billion.  Microsoft’s desire to buy Yahoo is not new as it has been rejected a few times in the past by Yahoo.  The difference now is to compete against Google.  Google has grown so big and powerful by its technology and company acquisitions.  Microsoft and Yahoo have lost market leadership in the technology industry. 

By joining together, Microsoft and Yahoo will further propel their online advertising and search engine position.  They would take over the #2 spot for search engine placement and would be able to combine Microsoft’s Live campaign with Yahoo’s sponsor ads.  Individually, they do not come close to Google, but in partnership, there is a chance.  The question is:  Does Yahoo have enough energy and weapons left or is it going for the quick cash reward?  Time will tell.  And Google will continue to look over its shoulder.

The trendy iPhones are being unlocked left and right.  What does unlocked mean?  It means being able to use the iPhone with any phone carrier (i.e. Tmobile, Verizon, Sprint) and within any international market.  Currently, the iPhone is being offered solely through ATT and within the United States.  So, it is not officially authorized or set up for non-ATT or overseas markets.  However, where there is a will, there’s a way!  Many programmers or determined phone users have unlocked many phones.

Apple has reportedly sold 3.7 million iPhones at the end of 2007.  However, only 2 million units have been activated through ATT.  That leave 1.7 million iPhones missing!  This discrepancy has certainly affected Apple’s stock price, bringing it down 34% since the beginning of the year. 

Insiders say that up to 1 million phones have been unlocked, especially in nations like China where Apple has yet to put a footprint.  These unlockers need to know about basic engineering and skilled enough to know which chips are connected to the phone carriers’ satellites.  Is this illegal?  Not really.  As long as ATT is the only subscriber for iPhones, then hackers are allowed to use the phone with other carriers.  This is because Apple has treaded the shallow waters by creating a quasi-monopoly with ATT, but has stated it is providing iPhones via ATT first, and then will open up channels to other phone carriers.  Since the FCC is not so thrilled about this alignment, they are not going to be aggressively pursuiting iPhone hackers.

Furthermore, it may be argued that Apple is the overall winner here.  Apple is being hyped up internationally where it hasn’t put an effort into a iPhone presence.  Also, there is a buzz here in the US by this underground unlocked craze.  Once again, Apple is the rebel and gossip of the computer gadget industry.

In the last couple of months, ATT has had many issues with identity theft.  Typically, the thief would call up on behalf of another company, have ATT ship a phone, and then start running up a nice tab.  The interesting thing is that the phone is not usually sent to the thief directly.  The phone is usually sent to the company who is being exploited.  Then, the thief just uses an existing cell phone to correlate the phone number to.  It is very easy to associate a phone number with a cell phone.  You can just call up ATT or sometimes go online if all the info is handy. 

How to prevent cell phone identity theft?

Set up a password with your mobile phone provider.  This will ensure just you or anyone who you gave the password to will be able to order or make changes to your account and orders.  This is the #1 way you can prevent others from racking up phones, minutes, and time on your dime.

IPTV is an alternate way to receive cable channels. It uses the Internet as its method, like voice over IP, to distribute TV channels. This is a very new way to watch TV versus the traditional TimeWarner cable, RCN, or satellite services. You can watch TV from your computer with this method. Bill Gates was happy to relay at his annual conference that 1 million commercial customers are now enjoying Microsoft’s IPTV, or Internet TV.

This technology has been out for a little over a decade, and is now gaining steam with bundled Internet services, such as phone, TV, and Internet service. As the Internet becomes more important in our lives, IPTV will have more of an impact. Further, traditional cable TV is struggling to have all channels in high-definition format while IPTV is equipped to handle the demands of high definition content. Also, IPTV will allow for sharing files, music, and pictures to your computer. So, this technology will start to have more of a need for those home users who are entertainment and file-share driven.

Of course, in order for the IPTV to also be successful, the Internet must be stable. If the Internet is down, the TV would go down too. So, people buying this technology should ensure their Internet is first reliable.

Microsoft’s next Server operating system, Windows Server 2008, is expected to be released in the next 2 - 6 months after being delayed last year.  This is Microsoft’s upgrade from the Windows Server 2003 Editions.  Is this new edition necessary for your computer office network?

Not necessarily.  If you currently have a mostly Windows XP Professional environment, then the Server 08 is not needed.  However, if the majority of workstations are Windows Vista Business or Ultimate, then the 2008 version is tailored for this environment and should be implemented.  The 2008 version is compatible with Windows workstations and may be set up for Mac sharing as well; however, it has gone a step ahead to ensure Vista workstation networking and sharing is seamless.  Currently, Microsoft 2003 doesn’t offer easy networking for Vista and XP workstations, and expert technicians plus third-party software is sometimes needed.

Here are the benefits of going with Windows Server 2008:

• Easier networking
• Advanced security
• Stable remote application access
• Extra monitoring tools
• Good redundancy and communication with multiple servers

Although we have beta tested this new server operating system, it is still too early to comment on how it will affect different server and networking environments.

Wishing you and yours a very happy and healthy Happy New Year.  Here’s wishing that your desktops, laptops, servers, and network equipment last long and prosper.  May your computer hardware crashes only happen within the hardware warranty.  May your blue screens and slow processing be at an absolute minimum.  And may your computers help foster your business needs and personal entertainment. 

We appreciate your continued business and attention, and will look to further support your computer needs with our full dedication and support in 2008.  A special thanks to those who read and support our blog, and for making it one of the top computer blogs in 2007.