USA Computer Services Blog

If you take a look around, it's a mystery that the human race is tied to their technology. Many of us use smartphones and tablets every day to get our work done, to communicate with friends and family, to feed us information, to help us be more efficient in everyday life, to aid us in our hobbies, and to entertain us. In their research, Gartner recently found that over 1.2 billion smart devices were purchased in 2013 alone, opening up new market opportunities for technology innovators to explore. XD Design is certainly rising to the occasion with an impressive line of solar-powered battery chargers.

Previously, we wrote the blog post, "The Digital Payment War, Round 1", where we looked at the differences between the old school PayPal and the new school Square Cash methods of digital payment. While we didn't officially declare a winner, Google Wallet and Coin are a couple more contenders to our "Best Online Digital Payment Method Ever in History" award.

With the introduction of Microsoft's Kinect and Apple's iPhone 5s, biometrics has exploded! Both of these tools are being utilized for security purposes to lock others out of your device and accounts. Biometrics for these devices are also being employed to grant you access to your technology. As biometrics becomes more popular, you are sure to see it used for your business in the not too distant future.

There's no denying that lawyers have a crucial role in western society. They are at the center of every trial, hearing, and financial exchange. Like any other business professional, lawyers tend to lean on technology to boost their effectiveness; both for their benefit and for their clients. They rely on mobile technology, hardware and software systems, and even cloud computing systems to better serve their clients. Can your practice benefit from the newest technology?

With all the recent buzz about wearable technology, biometrics, and smart appliances, it can be easy to forget about a much older technology that is still providing tremendous value. Bluetooth. Believe it or not, Bluetooth is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, having been invented by Ericsson in 1994.

It's no secret that employees love working from home. In fact, in a recent survey, 25% of employees admitted that they would accept a reduction in salary for the opportunity to work from home. This statistic may sound odd, but it makes perfect sense when you understand how much money working from home saves both employees and employers alike.

Awareness to business trends are important for any business owner. The savviest businessman finds a way to use the trending topics to improve their enterprise's operational efficiency. The trends of the past for small business computing seem to be focused on the establishment and practical use of technologies that are relatively new, but are in full practice in the business world. These technologies include the manufacturing and worldwide distribution of devices that enhance a user's connectivity by presenting powerful interfaces to take advantage of their incredible mobility.

Android vs. iOS, it's a battle of the brands that evokes passionate responses from both sides of the technology isle. In 2013, the battle intensified as Apple launched iOS7, and Android gained significant ground as the standard OS installed on a barrage of devices. As the dust settles from a competitive year we're left asking, "Who won?"

It's no secret that businesses often have limited space and resources. The problem is that you need your IT infrastructure in order to do business, and when you don't have a dedicated server room, you have to house your server in a common area. This presents an annoyance since a running server sounds like an air conditioning unit on full blast.

It's no secret that social media has become an integral part of any business' marketing strategy. Twitter, being one of the top social media outlets, should certainly not be avoided. There is much potential to be unlocked by your business by using Twitter.

Companies that are actively seeking growth would be well advised to have a backup plan in place in case of emergency. Businesses that don't have a solid continuity plan in place will seldom survive accidents and disasters. Without a business continuity plan, your company may be forced to operate without using computers. Could your company survive?

According to IDC, the fastest growing sector in the new cloud IT market is Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This consists of providing users virtual machines and other resources to manage tasks over the Internet, and it's scalable to the user's needs. Additional services offered over the cloud include firewalls, load balancers, IP addresses, virtual-machine disk image library, raw (block) and file-based storage, virtual local area networks (VLANs), and software bundles. With IaaS, the cost will reflect the resources allocated and consumed, making it an attractive option for businesses wanting to take advantage of these services without having to purchase and maintain their own IT infrastructure.

The Internet has become an extremely efficient shopping tool for consumers. Nearly all available products can be found quickly and easily online. Traditionally, when shoppers settle on what they'd like to purchase, they charge their credit cards, but a new school of digital payment has provided a more secure alternative. How will this affect your business?

Keeping your software up to date is one of the most important things you can do to secure your system and give your business the competitive edge. However, staying on top of these upgrades is a big maintenance job that's easy to neglect when things get busy. A system with neglected upgrades could spell trouble for your business.

The computer mouse is a great tool that has made our operating system navigation much easier. However, our dependence on the computer mouse has naturally led to an independence from its counterpart, the keyboard (aside from everyday word processing). Here are a few awesome functional keyboard shortcuts that everyone has forgotten about.

In Charles Dickens' tale, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge learned an important lesson that most of us already know. In order to get the best out of people, you need to give the best of yourself. For those of you who don't remember the 19th-century novella, Scrooge is a business owner who only cares about money and because of this, draws the disdain of his family and his extremely patient subordinate, Bob Cratchit. On Christmas eve, he's visited by three Christmas spirits, and as he gets a look at the reality of how his actions affect those around him, he wakes up on Christmas morning with a new perspective.

Some fashion of Microsoft's Windows series of operating systems are at the helm of roughly 90% of the world's PCs. Because of this, it's common knowledge that Microsoft will be ending support for the twelve-year-old Windows XP operating system on April 8, 2014. This "death date" has been publicized for years, but some businesses and end-users still rely on the OS.

At this point, mobile technology use is more than just another trend; it's ingrained into almost every facet of our culture. In fact, the majority of adults in the United States not only carry cell phones, but 56% of all American adults carry smartphones. If you haven't tapped into the potential of mobile marketing, your company is missing out!

Technology is moving forward at a blistering pace and it's changing the IT Industry in a big way. In order to stay competitive and profitable, your business needs to stay on top of the different technology trends. Here are five technology trends you need to be aware of that will shape 2014.

Spam in your email inbox is extremely annoying. Email spam is always an eyesore, and swallows up valuable time wasted on sifting through your inbox. Have you ever wondered how email spam got its name? You may be surprised to find the answer. Here's a hint: it has something to do with Vikings, a diner, canned meat, and a British comedy.