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DirectPointe Provides Expert Remote Computer Support to Home Users

Brad Baldwin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:49:26 +0000

DirectPointe, an award-winning managed service provider (MSP), has added a new home computer care service with its DirectPointe Home offering. Until now, computer service meant disassembly and transporting your computer into retail location where a “geek” would add your machine to a 10-day-wait queue. But DirectPoint Home changes the game with its remote expert support where users can get help 24×7x365, all without the hassle of disconnecting cords and cables.

DirectPointe Home provides three levels of service: PC Care, On-Demand and Total PC. PC Care is a preventative service that solves 80% of the most common computer problems by doing routine maintenance. On Demand provides fast support so that you can get your problem fixed now! Total PC is an unlimited package that provides everything a home computer user needs to have peace of mind when it comes to their computer, including virus protection, online security, data back-up and unlimited support.

Seth Bailey, VP of the Consumer Division at DirectPointe, talks to Brad Baldwin from Rocky Mountain Voices about the offering and the benefits for retiring baby boomers or parents hoping to find relief from their mal-ware downloading youngsters.

Tags: Brad Baldwin, DirectPointe Home, PC Maintenance, Remote Expert, RockyMountainVoices, Seth Bailey, support

Fueling the Desktop Revolution with VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

editor — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:44:30 +0000

Enterprise computing has come a long way from the days of centralized mainframes in the 1970’s to the fully distributed desktops and laptops we see today. With the workplace becoming more technologically diverse and increasingly mobile, desktop IT workload grows exponentially with each new user and configuration. Is there a solution that can give IT centralized control while still providing end users with a familiar interface? Yes there is - VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure allows you to centrally deliver virtual desktops from your secure datacenter to your end users. Virtual desktops look and behave like traditional PCs. Therefore, users can still customize their desktops, download additional applications without adding to the IT support queue. VMware virtualization helps you take back control of the desktop.

This podcast features VMware Desktop Specialist Todd Dayton in an interview that dives into the architecture behind VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, applicable use cases and tips on how to get started.

The Server Virtualization Blog has a great and concise explanation of the VM value proposition in a recent post by Bridget Botelho, including links to case studies.

Tags: enterprise computing, mobility, IT, VMware, virtualization, Virtual Desktop, data center

The Reboot: Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero III - Six Months Later

Rio Pesino — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:27:10 +0000

There’s no doubt Rock Band and Guitar Hero have changed the way videogames are played. The casual and hardcore gamer are paying big bucks for plastic guitars, drums, mics and downloadable content and both games have been hugely successful at retail since they were released late last year and the music industry has taken notice. Both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock were given rave reviews by game critics at the time they were launched to the masses, but how are they rated today? With the continued release of DLC and durability of the equipment, one question that comes to mind is which game reigns supreme now? In this episode of The Reboot, host Rio Pesino answers those questions and gives you his hands-on experience with both games…six months later.

Tags: Activision, EA, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Harmonix, Rio Pesino, Rock Band, The Reboot, DLC

DAZ 3D’s Digital Figures and Social Marketplace

Brad Baldwin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:12:19 +0000

DAZ Productions is a market leader in 3D graphics software and content creation. DAZ may be most well known for its “Victoria” line of articulated 3D figures and their popular and active Artzone.com community, a social marketplace for sharing art and exchanging ideas.

The DAZ Studio software — available as a free download, allows anyone to create their own 3D digital figures and content. The figures can be loaded into 3D posing and rendering applications to be posed or animated and then rendered. In addition, a wide variety of clothing, hair and other accessories are available for purchase which can be applied to the figures to achieve different looks.A variety of other support content is available from DAZ as well including such categories as vehicles, buildings, trees and plants, furniture, weapons, etc.

Christopher Creek, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, describes the business model to Brad Baldwin from Rocky Mountain Voices, and then persuades Baldwin to pose inside a laser scanner that creates a 3D wire-frame model of his own body in 17 seconds.

The Reboot: Capcom Digital Day

Rio Pesino — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:09 +0000

Downloadable games were the focus of Capcom’s Digital Day. During the press-only event, Capcom did not talk about Street Fighter IV or Resident Evil 5. Instead, the game developer showed off an updated version of and several other games that will soon be available on Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network. In this episode of The Reboot, host Rio Pesino gives you a preview of HD Remix and other gaming news for the week, including Super Smash Bros. Brawl Disc Issues, another Xbox 360 price drop and the results of a survey that says gaming is more popular than sex. In fact, in honor of that last item, we’ve put together a little treat for viewers, featuring some interesting moments from Dead or Alive, Rumble Roses, Ms. Pac Man and Dixie Kong….

This video is available on:
YouTube, Metacafe, Revver, DailyMotion, Blip.tv, Crackle, Sclipo, and Bittorrent

Tags: downloadable games, Capcom, Digital Day, Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5, Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, The Reboot, Rio Pesino, Super Smash Bros. Brawl Disc Issues, Xbox 360, Dead or Alive, Rumble Roses, Ms. Pac Man, Dixie Kong

Apple iTunes: Make Money by Losing Money

Jason Lopez — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 07:01:57 +0000

Recently, NPD Group reported that Apple’s iTunes store moved into the number two spot in 2007 for music retail sales in the U.S. (Wal-Mart remained at number one.) Selling music has been tough — ever since the RIAA took on Napster and Grokster, less downloaded music is being paid for, not more. Where does this leave Apple? In this podcast, PodTech’s Jason Lopez and Kevin Edwards discuss why Apple has been relatively comfortable in an industry where the profit margin appears to be razor thin.

Tags: Apple, download, iTunes, music, Jason Lopez, Kevin Edwards, NPD, Wal-Mart, Napster, Grokster, RIAA

How to: Quick and Easy Video for the iPhone, Apple TV and new iPods

Kevin Edwards — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:03:18 +0000

Ripping DVDs, transferring video from cameras, or converting downloaded videos from various sources for Apple products can be a difficult and time consuming process. Now with a software update for the Turbo.264 hardware-based video encoder from Elgato Systems, Macintosh users now have a definitive best and fastest way to encode video for all of Apple’s latest products.

This small device simply plugs into any Intel or PowerPC based Mac with a USB port (USB 2 is highly recommended). All of the heavy processing normally done by your computer is offloaded onto the Turbo.264 encoder, resulting in much faster encoding and freeing up your Mac for other tasks.

The older and slower your Mac, the more significant the speed increase will be with this device. We found the Turbo.264 encoded video up to 20 times faster on a G4, but even on higher end Intel based Macs, encoding times were drastically improved with the Turbo.264.

The Elgato Turbo.264 goes for about $90 on Amazon.com, making it a very inexpensive way to bring new life to an old Mac as a video encoding workstation.

The new software for the Turbo.264 couldn’t be any easier to use. As with the earlier software, it allows for batch processing, but more importantly, it provides support for custom data rates and other settings. It also includes simple selections for encoding video optimized for the Apple TV, iPhone, iPods, or the recently announced iPod Touch, iPod Classic and iPod Nano (also known as the iPod Nano Fatty.

While the included software is easy to use, the Turbo.264 comes with plug-ins for QuickTime that allow it to work with any application that uses QuickTime for export. This includes Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro, iMovie (including both HD and ‘08) and third party video apps such as Roxio Popcorn.

For an alternative to the Turbo.264 from Elgato, consider the VideoExpress from Miglia. The Miglia compares very well in terms of hardware and performance, but we find the software for the Turbo.264 to be much better due to the ability to easily customize the settings.

[9/12/2007 - update…]See also:
More Quick and Easy Methods for Video on Your iPhone, Apple TV or New iPod

Tags: Ripping DVD, Turbo.264, video encoder, Elgato Systems, Macintosh, Apple, Intel, PowerPC, USB, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, iPod Classic, iPod Nano, iPod Nano Fatty, QuickTime, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Roxio Popcorn, VideoExpress, Miglia

The Reboot/GDC 2008: Xbox Blogger Breakfast

Rio Pesino — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:04:12 +0000

The Gamerscore Blog hosted a Xbox blogger breakfast for the media and video game blogging community. The event gave a selected number of journalists and bloggers the chance to speak with Microsoft’s Chris Satchell, John Shappert and Aaron Greenberg. In this audio version of The Reboot, host Rio Pesino takes you to the breakfast table, where topics discussed included XNA, HD-DVD, Xbox 360 shortages and Xbox Live Downloadable Content.

Tags: Aaron Greenberg, Chris Satchell, Gamerscore Blog, HD-DVD, John Shappert, The Reboot, Xbox Blogger Breakfast, XNA

Is TV the New TV?

Jason Lopez — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:01:06 +0000

What would your response be to this scenario: you’re watching television and you forget that it’s being distributed to you on the Internet. Who won? TV or the Web? James McQuivey covers television and media technologies for Forrester Research. He spoke with PodTech’s Jason Lopez about the current state of affairs for this audio podcast.

Friday’s announcement from Yahoo! Video touted a “wider viewing experience,” in addition to more content, bigger files and more sharing opportunities. And then there are those who ask whether another user-generated video site is what we really need.

Then there’s Apple TV Take Two. Steve Jobs and Apple continue to suggest that integration, convergence and usability might help consumers make the switch from TV as they know it to greater reliance on broadband and computing for downloadable video (including movie rentals).

Regardless of where things will ultimately end up, TV set sales are still big business (you may have seen coverage recently suggesting that men would still make considerable sacrifices in order to get a 50-inch TV display. We might as well ask: what would you be willing to give up for a big TV?

Tags: television, Internet, James McQuivey, Yahoo! Video, user-generated, Apple TV, Take Two, Steve Jobs, convergence

Cymphonix Prioritizes Bandwidth for Web Content and Application Traffic

Brad Baldwin — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:31:09 +0000

When small and medium-sized businesses or K-12s want to manage how their Internet bandwidth is being used, they turn to Cymphonix. On average, 50% of any Internet connection is used for browsing–some critical and necessary, and some not. The other 50% of any Internet connection is used for Internet applications. Voice over IP (VoIP) and database backups are essential. However, other applications may be non-critical, like peer-to-peer, streaming media and music downloads. Cymphonix’s Network Composer is an inline network appliance that provides a secure web gateway to manage both browsing and IP application activity.

Brent Nixon, President of Cymphonix, shares an overview of the company and discusses some of the key issues IT managers are worried about, including the emergence of web apps that anticipate near unlimited bandwidth. Rather than pay for more bandwidth, Cymphonix lets IT managers see the top bandwidth users, top sites visited, and real-time data activity and manage and filter traffic through static and dynamic port filtering.

Tags: Bandwidth Management, Brent Nixon, Cymphonix, filtering, IP Traffic

F5: How to control highly variable CDN costs

Michael Johnson — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:04:26 +0000

Peak traffic can overload servers and cause bandwidth congestion, leaving web sites unavailable to users. Commercial Content Delivery Networks (CDN) improve performance, but costs are unpredictable, highly variable, and wreak havoc on budgets. In this podcast, Joe Hicks, F5 Networks Product Manager, explains how you can control and lower CDN service costs by reducing repeat downloads of content—even dynamic content—using Intelligent Browser Referencing.

Tags: F5, Joe Hicks, Web Acceleration, Web Accelerator, CDN

Left Arm

editor — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 01:35:58 +0000

This is a performance by Left Arm from the Show-Me Blowout. Left Arm also has a new record out which is available for free download here.

Tags: Left Arm, Show-Me Blowout

PowerShell Overview and Remote Update - Microsoft TechEd IT Forum 2007

Michael Cote — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:24:49 +0000

In the lobby of the Microsoft TechEd IT Forum in Barcelona I got the chance to catch up with Jeffrey Snover, Architect, Management Services Division. Jeffery gives us an overview of PowerShell and then we talk about Microsoft and other’s use of PowerShell since it’s release a year ago. As Jeffery tells us that PowerShell has been downloaded over one million times, and then we jump into a discussion of what companies and partners are doing with PowerShell, diving deep into MySpace’s use to automate their IT tasks. He also mentioned FullArmor who’s using PowerShell for it’s run-book automation offering.

Finally, because I’m always asked about it, Jeffery tells us about the remote capabilities in PowerShell. While it’s not released yet, the current PowerShell CTP (an “alpha” of the next version, essentially) contains a multitude of remote options.

Tags: Microsoft, TechEd, FullArmor, PowerShell

National University of Singapore: A Business Value Analysis

editor — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:23:29 +0000

Alchemy Solutions Group Sr. Business Analyst, Greg Malacane, provides an overview of a Business Value Analysis Study on the National University of Singapore. The study details business value discovered during an overhaul of the NUS email environment. To download the BVA study in its entirety, visit go.symantec.com/nusbva.

Tags: Alchemy Solutions Group, Greg Malacane, Business Value Analysis, National University of Singapore, NUS, BVA

Avinti iSolation Server Prevents Malware

Brad Baldwin — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:00:12 +0000

Malware delivered through links in email is working. Unfortunately, those organizations that don’t have a strategy to prevent this attack stand to suffer significant financial loss, and perhaps worse, their reputation.

Avinti provides a solution that processes email through a gateway on the edge of the network. Unlike other solutions that rely on knowing about a specific message or a hash of an attachment, the Avinti solution determines if a message is a threat by taking action and following the link, inside it’s own iSolation Server. Problems are detected and prevented in real-time.

William Kilmer, CEO of Avinti, introduces the Avinti solution to Brad Baldwin. Kilmer also talks about a version of the solution, NEWT (Neutralize Email Web Threats), offered as a free download from the Avinti Web site. test.

Tags: Malware, Avinti, iSolation Server, William Kilmer, Brad Baldwin

Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 12: Staged Attacks

editor — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:19:46 +0000

This Symantec Security Response podcast is an analysis of staged attacks found in the latest Internet Security Threat Report Volume XII. The goal of this podcast is to alert listeners to emerging threats and trends that Symantec has identified in the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume XII. Click here to download the entire report.

Tags: Symantec Security Response, Internet Security Threat Report

Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 12: Future Watch - Virtual Worlds

editor — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:10:35 +0000

This Symantec Security Response podcast is an analysis of future threat trends found in the latest Internet Security Threat Report Volume XII. The goal of this podcast is to alert listeners to emerging threats and trends that Symantec expects to develop over the next twelve to twenty-four months. Click here to download the entire report.

Tags: Symantec Security Response, Internet Security Threat Report

Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 12: Key Findings

editor — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:00:40 +0000

This Symantec Security Response podcast is a summary of the key findings found in the latest Internet Security Threat Report Volume XII. The goal of this podcast is to alert readers to the latest threats and trends that Symantec has observed for the period January 1 - June 30, 2007. Click here to download the entire report.

Tags: Internet Security Threat Report

Procedo: A Business Value Analysis

editor — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:00:09 +0000

When a major North American financial institution sought assistance in transforming its email environment, Procedo was chosen to lead the design and implementation of a solution based on Symantec Enterprise Vault, including the following agents and options: Discovery Accelerator, Compliance Accelerator, Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Archiving, and Microsoft Exchange Journaling. A Business Value Analysis by The Alchemy Solutions Group showed that Procedo was able to provide significant business value using Symantec products and services. Results totaled US $26 million in the areas of e-discovery, IT productivity, cost avoidance, and storage and handling costs. To download the study in it’s entireity, visit: http://go.symantec.com/procedo.

Tags: Procedo, Symantec Enterprise Vault

Support.com: Help is only a download away

editor — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 01:43:43 +0000

The most common word in the vocabulary of a PC user is HELP! But where do you turn? One option for Windows users is Support.com, a company that can take remote control of your PC to help resolve problems. For details, Larry Magid spoke with Support.com’s chief marketing officer, Anthony Rodio.

Tags: Larry Magid, Anthony Rodio

LunchMeet: Podcast Ad Insertion with Kiptronic

Eddie Codel — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:09:35 +0000

Kiptronic is a platform that gives podcasters, videobloggers and advertisers a way to dynamically insert ads into any downloadable media. Kiptronic works with most major media hosting platforms and a whole range of big brand advertisers. I sat down with Jonathan Cobb, Kiptronic’s founder and chief technology officer, at his downtown San Francisco office to get the scoop and a demo of the platform.

Tags: Kiptronic, podcasters, videobloggers, Jonathan Cobb

NetBackup 6.5 White Paper Preview

editor — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:02:54 +0000

This podcast provides a preview of the Symantec white paper titled, The Veritas NetBackup Platform: Delivering Next-Generation Protection and an Introduction to Veritas NetBackup 6.5. To download the white paper in its entirety, visit www.symantec.com/netbackup.

Tags: Symantec, white paper

LunchMeet: ToneThis Gets Your Media on Your Cell Phone

Eddie Codel — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:00:28 +0000

There are many different mobile phones out there and almost all of them support some sort of interesting media capabilites. Rather than spending a couple bucks downloading a ringtone or wallpaper image from your cellular provider, you can use ToneThis to do it for free and with your own media. Raj Singh, a founder of ToneThis, tells and shows me what 400,000 users already know.

Tags: ToneThis, Raj Singh

Freshtopia.net - Holy Mole with Faux Frijoles

Oscar Grimm — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:12:14 +0000

Today’s recipe is absolutely divine! We’re making Mexican mole fresh-style! In this rich yet nutritious sauce, the delicious heat of chilies and the rich flavor of chocolate caper across the palate. Treat yourself to a dish that’s fit for Aztec royalty, and so sexy, you won’t believe that it was invented by nuns! Whatever its origin, be sure to give this delicious, raw vegan twist on a perennial favorite a try.

This post is sponsored by Audible.com, click here for free download and 14-day trial.

Holy Mole with Faux Frijoles Serves 2-4 Mole sauce

1C fresh tomato

1/3C olive oil

1/4C onion

1/4C raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/4C raw almonds

1 clove garlic

3 large dates

3-4 sun-dried tomato pieces

1 small dried pepper or ground chili powder to taste

1T raw cocoa powder, or carob if ya like

2t fresh oregano

1t ground cinnamon

1/2t ground cloves

Smoked salt and black pepper
Faux Frijoles

1C sunflower seeds

1C zucchini, diced

1/4C red bell pepper, diced

1/4C sweet onion, diced

1t cumin

Salt and black pepper

Cherry tomatoes and fresh oregano for garnish

Soak dates, sun-dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds and dried pepper if using, in about 1 1/2C warm water for at least 1 hour. De-stem and remove seeds from dried pepper. Reserve soak water and add all mole ingredients to blender and blend well, adding soak water as necessary to thin. Mix drained sunflower seeds with diced veggies and seasonings. Top with sauce and garnish with tomatoes and oregano.

Tags: Mexican, mole, Aztec, Audible.com, Holy Mole, Faux Frijoles, olive oil

Jamison Young on How Musicians Can Benefit From Creative Commons

Kiruba Shankar — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:59:10 +0000

Jamison Young is a full-time artist who has refused to sign up with big record labels. Instead, he believes in giving away his music for free using Creative Commons, and that has surprisingly helped him sell more records. Now, this may sound contradictory but Jamison says that by giving away your music for free downloads, it vastly increases the number of people who listen to your music and they in turn refer to their friends. This spreads word about the album and quite a few of them buy the album off the store shelves. This is actually a good technique to give a fighting chance against the most established artists.

Jamison has written, sung, produced and marketed his own album, called Shifting Sands of the Blue Car, the music for which is freely available for download on his website and at MySpace.

Jamison is an Australian now living Europe. Over the past year, he has performed in Australia, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Thailand, Switzerland and the U.S.

Jamison launched a new project called Hungry Artists Feed Hungry People, with portion of the sales proceeds going to help poor people in third world countries.

Tags: Jamison Young, record labels, Creative Commons, Shifting Sands of the Blue Car, Hungry Artists Feed Hungry People