macintosh
Apple Previews Next Operating System for Mac - macOS Sierra
Apple has announced a name change for its Mac operating system that reflects more than just a change of moniker. macOS Sierra, previously known as OS X, is not only a move by the tech giant to unify operating system names across its product lines, but also introduces some of the functionality of iOS to the Mac.
Read More...Success Story: The Main Point moves to Mac
12/18/14 Filed in: Case Studies
The Main Point, a 30-year-old Pittsburgh consulting company, found itself solving everyone’s problems except its own. While successfully offering fresh finance and business strategies to family-owned small businesses, The Main Point team was struggling to move their IT operations from Windows to Mac. An environment of PCs running Windows was becoming ineffective at meeting client needs. The Main Point, with about 50 percent of its clients outside the Pittsburgh area, needed to switch to the Mac platform to keep pace.
The Challenge
After trying to transition from Windows to Mac and encountering one obstacle after another, The Main Point team needed outsourced help. They were searching for an IT support company that offered Apple product and macOS expertise, as well as a high level of client service. “We’re a small business and we rely on our information technology 1,000 percent,” explained Emily Melious, Managing Partner at The Main Point. “We don’t have an IT department and we can’t afford one. If we’re down, we’re down.” Melious needed to gain the benefit of IT capability and support but at a fraction of an in-house resource — a tall task. Read More...
Success Story: Scott Hare Law Office overrules IT Issues
09/29/14 Filed in: Case Studies
The Big Picture
Scott Hare Law Office in Pittsburgh is dedicated to the highest standard of service for its clients. In an effort to maintain high productivity levels among its staff yet increase the degree of security around client information, the firm wanted to switch to a Mac-dedicated IT landscape. Knowing the potential pitfalls of migrating to a new computing network environment, Scott Hare, the CEO and founder, sought to outsource the project. Read More...
Common Internet Scams
The internet is a powerful tool that has transformed and enriched our lives. With new ways to communicate, it’s good to be aware of potential danger that could cost you. Internet scams are nothing new, but with ever changing technology and smarter scammers, it’s becoming more difficult to tell when someone might be trying to pull a fast one. Below are some of the most common internet scams and ways to detect and avoid future threats.
Phishing is an email scam that uses well known companies to trick you into giving sensitive information. Here’s how it works: you get an email for a company, such as your bank, saying they need you to immediately sign into your account and provide a link for you to do so. Once you click on the link, you are taken to a website that looks like that of the trusted site. If you provide your login credentials, they are saved and used to access your account. If you receive an email requesting sensitive information, it is probably a phishing scam. Read More...
Phishing is an email scam that uses well known companies to trick you into giving sensitive information. Here’s how it works: you get an email for a company, such as your bank, saying they need you to immediately sign into your account and provide a link for you to do so. Once you click on the link, you are taken to a website that looks like that of the trusted site. If you provide your login credentials, they are saved and used to access your account. If you receive an email requesting sensitive information, it is probably a phishing scam. Read More...
Knock to Unlock - Knock iOS App
12/17/13 Filed in: iOS
Somedays it feels like all we do is type in passwords. We are always looking for ways to simplify our password situation without compromising on security. Introducing Knock, the new iPhone and computer application that offers an interesting solution.
With Knock unlocking your computer is as simple as physically knocking on the face of your iPhone. The computer will automatically pick up the iPhone signal when you are within range of your computer allowing it to unlock. When you and your phone walk away from your computer, the minute you get out of range, your computer locks itself, making sure you never forget again. What if you forget your phone? No problem, just type in your password the old fashioned way and if your phone gets lost or stolen all you have to do is disable the application on the computer. Knock uses bluetooth to connect with your computer without draining your battery. Read More...
With Knock unlocking your computer is as simple as physically knocking on the face of your iPhone. The computer will automatically pick up the iPhone signal when you are within range of your computer allowing it to unlock. When you and your phone walk away from your computer, the minute you get out of range, your computer locks itself, making sure you never forget again. What if you forget your phone? No problem, just type in your password the old fashioned way and if your phone gets lost or stolen all you have to do is disable the application on the computer. Knock uses bluetooth to connect with your computer without draining your battery. Read More...
CranstonIT on FaceBook
11/15/13 Filed in: General
Do you want to learn Apple insider tips and tricks? Would you like to be the first to know when the latest Apple gadget or gizmo is about to hit the shelves? Then like us on Facebook. We’ll keep you in the “know”.
It might be a secret iPhone swiping gesture, a tip on how to customize your iTunes music, or advice on how to extend the battery life of your device when you are on the go. We are actively using social networking as a tool to better connect with our clients. Here are some of our latest posts:
Plus, you’ll never miss one of the Cranston IT event giveaways including tickets to professional sporting events and, yes, zombie shooting. Here’s that October post:
Like us today Read More...
It might be a secret iPhone swiping gesture, a tip on how to customize your iTunes music, or advice on how to extend the battery life of your device when you are on the go. We are actively using social networking as a tool to better connect with our clients. Here are some of our latest posts:
- Mac Tip: When previewing an item in the Spotlight menu, hold Command-Option to show the path to the item, below the preview window.
- iPhone Tip: In Safari in iOS 7, swipe from the left or right edge of the screen to go back or forward a page
- iOS 7 Tip: To stop playing a song or podcast at a set time, open Clock, tap Timer, then tap “When Timer Ends” and choose "Stop Playing".
Plus, you’ll never miss one of the Cranston IT event giveaways including tickets to professional sporting events and, yes, zombie shooting. Here’s that October post:
- Win Free Tickets to Shoot Zombies: The only thing we like better than helping you with your computers is shooting Zombies. Since you've relied on us for your support needs, we'd like to give you the chance to scare yourself silly shooting Zombies (with paintball guns).
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Sluggish Mac? You May Need More RAM
02/26/13 Filed in: Hardware
What is RAM? Random Access Memory (RAM) is the storage space your computer uses to run its operating system and programs. Programs and files are stored on the hard drive when you’re not using them. When you launch a program or open a file, your computer loads it into RAM for quick and easy access. Read More...
Evernote: Remember Everything
01/16/13
New & Improved CRM Software for Business - Daylite 4
MarketCircle has unveiled a new version of Daylite, the CRM (Client Record Management) solution that small and medium sized businesses rely on to manage their customer information. Daylite has always been a very good product. The improvements to the new version, Daylite 4, are significant and in our opinion move this piece of CRM software into a “must own” category for companies that need to manage customers and sales processes. Read More...
Using Mountain Lion's Mail VIP Folders (Tutorial with Video)
Have a VIP in your life? With Apple’s newest operating system, Mountain Lion, you can automatically keep copies of that person’s messages in a SmartFolder in your Mail program. This will eliminate the need to search multiple folders for specific messages you may need in the future. It also eliminates the need to manually drag messages into folders. Read More...
Living with MacSpeech
We've had several clients contact us about MacSpeech - the leader in voice dictation software for the Mac. We decided to go ahead, purchase a copy of the software and see just how well it worked and how easy it was to use. Here is what we found.
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Eliminating the delay in Apple Mail when sending email using SSL
08/06/09 Filed in: Troubleshooting
Using SSL while sending and receiving mail from your mailserver is recommended. SSL is a type of encryption that makes your data unreadable to anyone that maybe eavesdropping on your data as it travels over the network between your computer and your mailserver. However, we've noticed with Apple Mail 3 ( Leopard ) a delay when sending out email to a mailserver using SSL. Read More...