Author: Damian

If you like tech, we advise you buy now before the escalation of the trade wars.

1. Most tech these days is made by multinational companies.
2. Most manufacturers, like apple use Qualcomm and Foxconn boards and or chips Made in China.  China could also refer to Taiwan due to recognition of sovereignty issues as well, learn about that by looking up Republic of China.
3. Small devices like speakers, smart watches, and others are most affected due to number of components and origin of them.
4. While we don’t sell small devices yet, we sell the big an custom stuff to go with it.
5. We are a local firm, and thus unaffected by sweeping tariffs for the most part.

When there’s a tech trade war, retreat to the position of strength, aka, the small, local firm.  Book our remote support while the sale lasts, and if you have a promo code for our PC Games or software, please redeem it soon!

1. As is the case with many software firms, some companies make operating systems.
2. Google makes Android, and has required that device makers who use android pre-install 11 applications.
3. This makes it so over 1 billion devices ship with Google software like Gmail, and put’s device makers software on the back burner.
4. Google can use these 11 pre-installed applications to advance it’s search engine, the main business and driver of ad revenue.
5. It has an unpredictable effect on you, especially if you don’t live in the European Union.

This happened to Microsoft before in the European Union, and big tech firms have big lawyer think tanks.  You needn’t worry about your Android device going kaput, because Microsoft survived a similar case too.  Share prices of google may fall, and handset prices on the used market will remain acceptable.  Tech changes and depreciates, and we inform you of the best course and work something flexible out for you.

Here at Bendy Computers, we sell Desktops, software, service, and more.

However, some people like video-games, and some people prefer PC games.

We recommend PC for the following reasons as opposed to buying an updated Xbox one console from Microsoft.

1. A 1 Terabyte Xbox One bundle costs around $300.
2. You will need a TV to go with that, and the Xbox One REQUIRES HDMI, and a PC does not.  The cost of a 4K Resolution TV is around $400 and that would be one less than 60 inches.
3. You will get one controller, one game, and no java, no legacy compatable web browser, no keyboard, and need xbox live every month.
4. You can’t use an Xbox One and TV to work.
5. Price: At Least $700

 

1. A desktop machine with a monitor and accessories can cost the same depending on choice of hardware, which we allow.
2. A desktop machine will also run games and productivity software.
3. A desktop machine can run a business.
4. A desktop machine can be upgraded over time or repaired more easily than an Xbox One.
5. Price: Flexible.

Imagine a baby monitor in the 1990’s.  It was no more than a simple walkie talkie.  A refrigerator from the same era didn’t dispense filtered water or ice in most homes.  Cars had tape decks, and cellphones were for the rich and very basic, insecure, and a luxury.

This term is best used as a pseudonym for home automation, since that is the main application of it on the consumer market.

Lights can be turned on and off remotely, doors locked and unlocked, climate control managed, and your baby can be watched from the internet somewhat securely.  Other home automation projects can include refrigerators with touch screens, and the humble dishwasher.

But notice how I said the baby can be watched somewhat securely.  The underlying systems in place to send information can be haphazard, as the internet was built on trust, and in the modern world, people online can commit crimes from miles away.  This wasn’t a consideration when Tim Burns Lee made the first web browser and server.  He and other tech pioneers consider profits over security every time, and thus the market isn’t ready for Alexa.

Most households are still in pain from the Great Recession, and wage growth remains stagnant even for the college educated.  Household debt is high to maintain consumer spending, and most smartphones are bought on installment plans.  No such credit is available for an Alexa, and people are wary of being recorded at all times by massive data-centers.

When it’s possible for a nefarious individual to breach the security on an internet connected refrigerator and kill the compressor remotely, I prefer an old fashioned on with just white bread in it, not WiFi.  If a crook could send a text to a smart dishwasher and cause it to flood my kitchen, I wouldn’t be happy and neither would the homeowners insurance company be happy with that claim.

So, if you know someone who is handy with micro-controllers or embedded systems, do this.  Allow them to build a custom solution for you that has the code written to run it made with security front and center, not Christmas ship date.

These systems are complex and somewhat pricey, also not off the rack entirely.  They are also time consuming to develop and market.  However, this is one area I personally have experience in through my education since 2010.  I have used 3d printers, BASIC Stamps, and Java based robotics platforms in the past.  The sensors and actuators that can be hooked up to such devices are numerous and well documented, and regular progress reports on software development will be submitted per any agreement between you and us.

 

ZTE, a Chinese tech firm making smart phones among other things; ceased major operations after a ban was ordered in April.

The ban was against United States suppliers doing business with ZTE, essentially crippling the firm.

The Commerce Department removed the ban shortly after ZTE deposited $400 million in a U.S. bank escrow account as part of a settlement reached. The settlement also included a $1 billion penalty that ZTE paid.

“ZTE should be put out of business. There is no ‘deal’ with a state-directed company that the Chinese government and Communist Party uses to spy and steal from us where Americans come out winning,”  Marco Rubio said in a statement.

A photograph circulating among employees at the firm around midnight showed managers each giving a thumbs-up to the news, which was flashed on a screen at the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The lesson here is a trade war can brick your devices, and that sometimes smartphone makers spy on you with backdoor access codes and devices.  The internet and, “The Cloud” can’t be trusted sometimes.  It’s up to everyone to protect their own data with common sense when companies put shareholders and politics first.

What a web designer does:

• Plans site design and general layout.
• Installs all the needed software, helps buy domains, and locates a good web hosting environment.
• Sometimes updates the content, answers phone calls, and may work remotely or on a job-site as needed.
• Sends invoices.
• Eats cold pizza at his or her desk.

What a web designer doesn’t do:

• Work for free.
• Turn down a fair offer.
• Host your site in a mop closet for dirt cheap.
• Shut down sites for no reason at all.
• Give you a dishonest opinion on your color scheme or fonts.  Some fonts should never be used.

Bendy Computers is committed to a better computing experience.  We are well trained and flexible on many things.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and some things we can and cannot do on your behalf by law.  Every client here is special, so let us work with you and negotiate on your behalf to get you the best price for a domain, hosting, and web design.  Remember, websites are a bill like anything else.

“Disruption” is a term used in the technology world to describe alleged good.

Estimates show that within the next few years, the Earth will launch more satellites into space than have been launched before. This is a disruption in the best sense; however, there’s a serious problem: Space Law.

Commonly referred to as The Outer Space Treaty, the agreement dictates that each nation be responsible for all and any of the space activities originating from their nation — whether they’re conducted by citizens, companies or the government itself. Each must also maintain full jurisdiction and control over all space objects originating from their country.

This treaty was negotiated, signed, and drafted in 1967… before the first man set foot on the moon.

OK, so the U.S. government is responsible for it’s stuff in space, and anything a us company or citizen does in space.

Needless to say, the current system is a mess of red, white, and blue tape.  Maybe some caution tape and warranty void stickers too.

Satellites are too much paperwork.  Do your paperwork , and we’ll do ours to ensure you’re happy with your blog articles and computing experience.  Maybe a tuneup or a whole new system to do it would be a good start?

VPN stands for Virtual private network.  Using one can help by:

1. Creating a tunnel for your private information to go through online.
2. This secure tunnel uses encryption to make sure that your personal business is protected over any network you don’t own or manage.
3. You don’t own or manage the internet, so you can’t always trust things you see on it.
4. Using a vpn is like driving through a tunnel under the harbor, instead of trying to drive your car across it.
5. Using a vpn isn’t free, and some vpn resellers can be shady.

Even though it isn’t straightforward, just use common sense and you will be ok online for the most part.

Sometimes when something is free, the product is actually you and your personal business.  So be careful.