Geek Squad has a PC hospital
The News Review:
- Geek Squad has a PC hospital
- Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolutio…
- Remote support comes to consumers’ aid
- Fujitsu ScanSnap Wins ‘100 Best Products of 2007 Award’ From…
- Staples expands PC recycling program
- PC dealers strike against Microsoft in India
- Race Between ‘Mag’ And ‘World’ Heats Up.
Geek Squad has a PC hospital
News & bserver – May 21, 2007
The state offered tax benefits worth up to $9. Inside the facility’s sprawling repair room PC parts and precision tools are spread over rows of desks where hundreds of computer techs — Geek Squad’s “agents” — fix 2000 laptops a day. About 700000 PCs will be repaired at the facility this year Rodgers said. More complex repairsLaptops are the majority of PCs sold and the smaller and more advanced they get the more complicated the repair. Portable PCs endure more abuse than desktops getting dinged dropped and splashed with coffee. “They’re getting down to where you need watchmaker tools and very special expertise.
Priming the Pump: How TRS-80 Enthusiasts Helped Spark the PC Revolutio…
Basenotes – May 21, 2007
The technology that originated with these amazing microcomputer pioneers went on to change life in fundamental ways and their stories are the heart of this book. There were programmers who created fabulous games like Dancing Demon Microchess regon Trail and the Scott Adams Adventures; there were rivals who created five different Disk perating Systems for the TRS-80 and one man’s fight with Tandy over who owned the code; there were scam artists who offered products that were too good to be true and brilliant visionaries who were first with software features later “invented” by big companies with more money but not more talent. The authors relate how Don French a computer hobbyist who worked for Radio Shack at the time suggested to his bosses that they capitalize on the latest craze home-built computers. Radio Shack took a chance and hired young Steve Leininger away from Silicon Valley and told him to build a machine they could sell cheap. Working alone in an old saddle factory in Fort Worth he built the first TRS-80; its total development costs were less than $150000. He created a word processor Lazy Writer and working with his wife Theresa sold copies worldwide to enthusiastic fans who were eager to ditch their typewriters… ) This is not that book. What David and Theresa have done is write the Rest f The Story viewed through Tandy glasses and a very personal pair at that – a story of entrepreneurship early technology and background on most of the major individual contributors from the TRS-80 days whose history has been nothing short of opaque despite being quite possibly the world’s most popular home computer up until the introduction of the IBM PC in 1981. Here for the first time in print Steve Leininger (The TRS-80’s Steve Wozniak) and Randy Cook (its Gary Kildall) get their due. What you haven’t heard of these guys? Chuck Peddle (inventor of the Commodore 64) gets his due in Brian Bagnall’s book – and like Leininger and Cook the reason these guys aren’t household names is because their parent companies were rather faceless as opposed to being cults of personality emerging from a garage. Today only Apple is left among the original members of this garage cult and as the sole company remaining we should appreciate that there were once many voices equally fresh and innovative in their day. While writing the book was an 8-year labor of love for the authors reading the book is similar – it’s so “you are there” personal that it’s akin to reading Bill Bryson’s “Thunderbolt Kid” if Bill had become a TRS-80 programmer.
Remote support comes to consumers’ aid
zdnet.com – May 21, 2007
New direct-to-consumer services are letting technicians access and fix PCs remotely. Through these services–which are popping up on the Web and being offered by PC makers and retailers–technicians on the other end of the line can access a customer’s computer through a high-speed Internet connection and fix it themselves rather than walking a less tech-savvy customer through the often painful process. “Instead of reading arcane jargon (remote support) can just show me directly” said Downs Deering Dell’s director of consumer services delivery. “All our customers have another life outside wanting be a junior phone technician… 1 reason is we can’t be without our digital stuff. Fact is if your computer didn’t work (in the past) it wasn’t as big a deal as today when your computer has all your movies music (and it’s) how you connect with relatives friends how you shop how your pay your bills” Baker said. There’s clearly a need for professional PC problem solvers. But services like Geek Squad and Firedog can be pricey–up to $350 for complicated in-home repairs or installations–and require an ailing product to be dropped off in the store or a technician to be dispatched to a customer’s home. But while remote support for consumers decidedly has its benefits it’s not yet as sophisticated as similar services offered by many IT departments. Missing from remote support for consumers is something akin to what Intel’s vPro chip allows with its.
Fujitsu ScanSnap Wins ‘100 Best Products of 2007 Award’ From…
Free with registration – PR Newswire – AccessMyLibrary.com – May 21, 2007
(21-MAY-07) PR Newswire. a market leader in document imaging scanners and services today announced the Fujitsu ScanSnap(TM) S500 was ho.
Staples expands PC recycling program
Nashua Telegraph – May 21, 2007
and Canadian office products stores. Starting today desktop and laptop computers and monitors of any make will also be accepted at Staples’ customer service desks during store hours for a $10 fee for each large item. Staples has offered temporary computer drop-off programs at various locations in recent years – a step other retailers such as Staples rival ffice Depot Inc. Staples also has offered computer recycling on an ongoing basis in Seattle area stores for two years. The expanded program will make Staples the first national retailer to accept computers for recycling on a daily ongoing basis Buckley said. Peripherals such as keyboards mice and speakers will be free and televisions and floor-model copiers won’t be accepted… Staples has offered temporary computer drop-off programs at various locations in recent years – a step other retailers such as Staples rival ffice Depot Inc. Staples also has offered computer recycling on an ongoing basis in Seattle area stores for two years. The expanded program will make Staples the first national retailer to accept computers for recycling on a daily ongoing basis Buckley said. Peripherals such as keyboards mice and speakers will be free and televisions and floor-model copiers won’t be accepted. Comments from unverified accounts will be reviewed twice daily.
PC dealers strike against Microsoft in India
InfoWorld – May 21, 2007
“If Microsoft does not cooperate we will tell our dealers to migrate to Linux. Seven of the notices from Microsoft were served last year followed by a further six this year he said. PC vendors in India particularly those selling unbranded PCs are known to install Windows and other software for free on their computers at the request of customers. “We support the use of legal software but we cannot do anything if the customer does not want it because it is too costly” Randeri said. Besides the established PC dealers a number of “out-of-garage” operations exist in India that offer customers a full menu of pirated software. “Microsoft should bring down the price of its software and offer better support” Randeri said. In Surat a major city in Gujarat Microsoft does not have a support office he said and dealers there must support customers themselves.
Race Between ‘Mag’ And ‘World’ Heats Up.
Free with registration – Min's B to B – AccessMyLibrary.com – May 21, 2007
–>CPYRIGHT 2007 Access Intelligence LLC In its recent earnings statement and report from the first quarter Ziff Davis maintains that “PC Magazine continued to rank as the #1 personal computing magazine in the US based on ad pages. ” This is technically true. According to our count PC Mag edges out rival IDG’s PC World by 4. 71 pages through the first quarter. We say “technically true” because the competition has just gotten much tougher. 11% of its ad pages through the first quarter (against PC World’s loss of 7.
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