The Guide to Music Streaming

Before our iPhones, there was iPod. It revolutionized the way we listen to music, and changed the music industry itself. Since then, music has become an ever-increasing part of our lives. With further technological evolutions, we can now stream music wirelessly using devices like Sonos and Bluetooth speakers (such as the Beats Pill).

An even bigger change now, though, is how we buy music. The days of paying .99 cents per song are waning. Services such as Spotify, Google Play and the newest Beats Music are the new way people get their music fix. By paying a subscription fee, usually as low as $10 per month, users can stream all the music they want, whenever they want. With so many options, though, how do you know which one is for you?

"[The record companies] won in court. Do you want to buy a Tower Records, Eduardo?" - Sean Parker (as played by Justin Timberlake) in The Social Network. 

Spotify (Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Ubuntu Touch, PC, Mac, Linux)
When Spotify started in 2008, it was initially available by invite-only. I was elated when I received my invitation back in 2009. Accounts were available for free, and allowed ad-supported playback on your computer. The basic premise was you could listen to any album by any artist, as well as curate specific playlists or even shuffle through genres, artists, etc. For $9.99/month, you could add offline downloaded playback and streaming on your mobile device. Though competitors from Google and Beats have arisen, Spotify is still my favorite.

Pandora Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Ubuntu Touch, Web)

Pandora is the original ubiquitous streaming service. This is the one that broke into the mainstream. Create a Pandora account, tell it what kind of music (specific artist, song, genre, etc) you want to listen to, and Pandora would immediately begin playing  a "station" of music that matched it. By employing the Music Genome Project, their playlists were smooth. My Matchbox Twenty station included Goo Goo Dolls, Vertical Horizon, Creed and U2 to name a few. Pandora is free, but ad-supported and you can't specify what song or full album you want to listen to. Just hit play and let it do its thing.

Google (Platforms: Android, PC, Web)
Last year, Google got into the streaming business with its Google Play offering. Available only on Android devices, this is basically Google's answer to Spotify. You can stream or download any album available in the Google Play store with a $9.99 subscription fee. iPhone with Google accounts are out of luck, though. However, iOS devices can take advantage of...


iTunes Radio (Platforms: iOS)

iTunes Radio is baked right into iOS 7, and is an iTunes-specific streaming service more akin to Pandora than Spotify. You specify what artist, genre you want, or the mood you are in, and iTunes Radio will begin playing a playlist that matches. It it culled and created from your purchase history from iTunes, so the artists you like are featured. Free of charge, with ads.

Beats Music (Platforms: iOS, Android)

Beats Music is the newest addition. The conceit of this streaming service is that the playlists are curated by music professionals. The service began as the project between Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor. As a user, you input your favorite artists, and Beats Music creates a playlist culled from your musical tastes. Its $15/month gives you access on several devices or for several family members.

OUTLIER: Songza

Songza is a bit different. It's a free app for iOS and Android. You can't specify what album or artist you want to listen to. You can't even curate your own playlists. Songza's playlist are offered as a music "concierge." You tell Songza what mood you're in or what you're currently doing, and you can choose a playlist that fits the mood. It's free, it's cool and it always offers something different depending on what you're doing.

Microsoft's New CEO: Initial Thoughts

Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

Back in August  , it was announced that Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft since 2000, would be stepping down, retiring, and the search for his replacement would be under way. Several names were bandied about, including Nokia head Stephen Elop. Even Jack Dorsey's (the guy behind Twitter) name was thrown into the ring. However, after six months, Microsoft found the heir to Ballmer's throne: Satya Nadella.

Satya Nadella wasn't one of the names often mentioned in the media as a possible replacement for Ballmer. Much of the talk from tech publications centered around the idea that the new head of Microsoft should come from outside the Redmond, Washington based company.

Nadella has been with Microsoft for over twenty years and before his appointment as CEO was head of the company's cloud services division.

The big thing about Satya Nadella's appointment is that it signals the end of an era: the age of the over-the-top, loud-mouthed tech founders is over. Humble and soft-spoken is the new it thing for tech companies. And for a Microsoft that has weathered Steve Ballmer's public tirades and Youtube-able moments, Nadella will prove to be a breath of fresh air.

However, will he be able to bring Microsoft back to the front of the pack in the tech world? The company has been leap-frogged by Apple, Google and even Amazon in the mobile and web services industries. Expect Microsoft to be more cohesive among its offerings, making convergence between phone, tablet and computer the norm.

Satya Nadella has a lot of work to do. But he's just the right person to get it done.

Linux: So Unsexy

The unsexy Linux mascot, Tux

Let's face it: Linux is not sexy. It's nerdy. Linux is almost synonymous with "nerd in the basement." To many people, the Linux operating system is the command line and all the "wget"s and "sudo fdisk -l"s. (I know what you're thinking, and if you've never looked at a Linux command line, those commands don't mean a thing.)

I've always been a fan of the Ubuntu "flavor" of Linux. There are several Linux operating systems, from OpenSUSE to Fedora, from Debian to Ubuntu. To me, however, Ubuntu has always been in the forefront of those, mainly due to the original tagline of the OS: "Linux for human beings." It was easy to get into, easy to install and the original desktop interface (which has since changed to the mobile-esque Unity interface) was pretty analogous to what I was used to with Windows XP.

I was looking at the Ubuntu website this last weekend and I noticed something:

There was no mention of Linux. Anywhere.

The world's leading Linux operating system does not (any longer) market itself as a Linux operating system. (New tagline: "The world's most popular free OS")

And it was then that I thought...Linux isn't sexy. Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, knows this. To catapult Ubuntu's popularity out of the Linux nerd-dom and into popular culture, it has shed the Linuxness to appeal to the masses, to the end-user.

As more and more people become disenchanted with Microsoft and the direction they've gone with Windows 8, the more Ubuntu hopes to draw those people in.  It has to be said; Ubuntu is much more user-friendly than Windows 8 -- but that's another discussion altogether.

Ubuntu One advertisement

See that image to the right? It's a banner ad from Ubuntu's website, advertising their Ubuntu One service. It's Ubuntu's version of iCloud. That image conveys a hipness, that Ubuntu is used by cool people. It doesn't scream "nerdy Linux." It calmly suggest "this isn't Linux. This is Ubuntu. And Ubuntu is cool."

Linux isn't sexy. Canonical knows Linux isn't sexy, so they are distancing their product, Ubuntu, from those un-sexy origins and marketing it as fun, hip and cool. (and did we mention free?)

As Don Draper would say:

"If you don't like what people are saying...change the conversation."

What the Geeks and Gurus WON'T Tell You

Guru Squad Guy

Computer service and computer repair is an incredibly competitive market. There are a ton of businesses in Amarillo that offer everything from simple desktop/laptop repair services to full-blown, full-service IT management for companies. And some operate differently from others. Let me explain.

Odds are, this has happened to you: Your computer starts acting strange, running slow. Maybe the dreaded blue screen of death. Or a virus. Or a hard drive failed, taking all your files with it.

You see, these things happen and it happens to everyone. The old way of taking care of these problems were to take your computer to the local Geek Patrol or the Guru Squad.

You know the drill:

1. Unplug all those wires from the back of your computer. 

2. Haul it across town to the Geeks. 

3. Leave it on their workbench while you wait for a week or so. 

4. When they finally get it done, they call you to come pick it back up. 

5. So you drive across town again and haul your computer back to your house or office. 

Then you try to remember where all those wires plugged into and pray that all your time and money weren’t wasted.

I’m going to tell you a secret: the Geeks and the Gurus, they want your computer on their workbench. Their business model depends on it. You see, they charge by the hour, just like us. But if they can work on say, six -- or even ten computers -- at once, then they are charging for that many hours of labor while only working one man hour.

At All Star Computer Service, we focus on one computer at a time, for several reasons. But it boils down to this: because that’s what you deserve. We understand that your computer is more than just a machine. For most small businesses, it’s their source of income. If the computer goes down, there goes your invoicing system. Your inventory manager. Your time clock. And if that computer goes down, you deserve a computer technician whose main focus is you. On getting your business back up and running. That’s what All Star Computer Service offers. Onsite service, focusing on one customer at a time.

Now there are times when a computer does have to go back to the workbench. Hard drive failure, disastrous virus infections and other dramatic computer issues do and will happen, but you can be rest assured that your computer won’t sit on our workbench for days -- or weeks -- at a time.

A few years ago, I was in a financial meeting for a company I worked for. And the owner of that company said to us that it was impossible to compete on both price and service. That you couldn’t choose both. We started All Star Computer Service to prove that wrong. We chose both. Our prices are competitive and our customer service is top-notch. In fact, in our first year of business, we were nominated for an Amarillo Globe-News Best of Amarillo customer service award. We were the only computer repair company nominated in any category. We believe that’s a testament to who we are and what we believe in. All Star Computer Service, YOUR technology MVP.

Giving Windows the Boot: Why You Should Switch to Ubuntu!

In just a few months, support for Windows XP will come to an end. No more system updates means your Windows XP machine will be completely vulnerable to virus attacks and other types of malware. Unfortunately, switching from XP to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will more than likely require quite a bit of hardware overhaul. Because newer operating systems are more resource-intensive than old Windows XP, your eight year-old desktop more than likely doesn't have the processing power to run these more recent operating systems. 

And even if you can or do upgrade to Windows 8.1, the tile interface on the new Microsoft operating system has left many users confused and irritated.

So, what can you do with that old machine? Sure, you could donate it to a local nonprofit or let us recycle it for you. Or, you could eek out a little more life out of it by getting rid of Microsoft Windows all together and installing Linux.

What is Linux?

Linux is a computer operating system, much like Windows or Mac OS X. It has its own suite of tools and programs, most of which are free and open source. (All Star Computer Service is a contributor and developer for LibreOffice, a free office suite available for Linux computers.) Though there are several variants of Linux available, our favorite is Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a free operating system. Whereas it costs $119 for a license for Windows 8.1, you can download and install Ubuntu onto your computer absolutely free.

The good news? Ubuntu isn't anywhere near the resource hog as Windows or OSX, and the system can be installed on computers with older components.

What's the catch?
A lot of people will tell you that when you switch to a Linux OS from Windows, you'll have to replace all the applications you currently use. That's merely a half-truth, and I'll tell you why:

In the past, people relied a lot more on local applications (programs actually installed on the computer) to do most of their work. But now, many people simply use web apps to get work done. Facebook, email, even Quickbooks are all available online. The most popular third-party web browsers Firefox and Google Chrome are available for Linux. In fact, Firefox comes preloaded as the default internet browser in Ubuntu! LibreOffice, the default productivity suite in Ubuntu, is compatible with Microsoft Office and can read and write Office documents, Excel spreadsheets, even Powerpoint presentations. 

The Ubuntu desktop, with the Firefox web browser loaded.

As you can see, whereas it was once taboo to forego the walled garden of Microsoft Windows, open-source operating systems like Ubuntu are today a real, user-friendly alternative.

The kicker:
Want the best perk? Well hold on to your pants, because with Ubuntu you never have to worry about computer viruses. Never. Ever. Because most computer viruses and trojan horse malware are written for the Windows operating system, those files can't run on Linux. And, most of the programs that are available for Ubuntu are vetted through the Ubuntu Software Center, which is regularly checked and updated.

If you have further questions, or want to take the plunge into Ubuntu linux, contact us today. We'd love to help get you set up and extend the life of that old computer. 

How to Mess Up Your Computer: 5 Sure-Fire Ways to Get Viruses, Damage Your Hard Drive and Crash Your Computer

This post is going to be a little different than our last three. Think of this as "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," except instead of getting to make out with Matthew McConaughey in the end, you'll more than likely end up calling a computer technician (like us!) to fix your problem. We are going to lay out the 5 most sure-fire ways that you can mess up your computer, ranging from software and operating system crash to virus infections to hardware failure. Here is "How to Mess Up Your Computer in 5 Ways."

1. Never update your third-party software
I know, I know. Your computer is always popping up with some little window with a message saying something like "Update me! Update me!" And most of the time, you tell it to remind you later and forget about it until it pops up again. Why do these programs such as Adobe Reader and Java and Flash always demand to update?

Most of the time these updates are security updates. When a flaw or security hole is exploited by virus writers (you may recall the recent Java zero-day flaw in the news), the software company works hard and diligently to close that hole. Once the software is secured again, they release a patch or update for you to download to ensure your computer stays safe from those viruses. So, next time Adobe Reader or any other software asks to update, remember that it's generally a security update and it's best to run it to keep your computer safe.

2. Download media or copyrighted software illegally
Because of services like Netflix providing all the Breaking Bad and Mad Men episodes you can watch for pennies per day, and Pandora and Spotify streaming all your favorite music, the art of the illegal download is losing its appeal, but that doesn't mean it's gone completely nonexistent. Sites that offer illegal pirated media are havens for virus writers, because they can inject their virus's code into the file you're downloading. And once it's on your computer, it can wreck havoc. As tempting as it is knowing you can get the new Tired Pony album for free (if you know where to look), the risk definitely outweighs the reward -- and that's not even mentioning the legal troubles you can get into. Again, though it's not free, services like Amazon Prime and Netflix offer thousands of television shows and movies to instantly stream on any of your devices. And for the music buffs, Spotify has an incredibly vast catalog that you can stream to your phone or tablet for $9.99/month.

3. Visit illicit websites
This goes hand-in-hand with the point above. File-sharing websites, torrent websites and websites that offer, ummm...illicit material are breeding grounds for people who write viruses to infect your computer. The best rule of thumb is this: if you know it's a bad deal, then it probably is a bad deal. Stick with the above-the-surface content on the web and you'll (generally) be pretty safe.

4. Throw your computer on the ground
Want to really damage that sucker? Spike it to the ground! Shock and g-forces are the absolute worst thing for hard drives. In fact, a fall of just a few inches may be all the shock a spinning hard drive can take as the heads the read the data are very delicate. A hard drive is kind of like a record player, in that the discs inside spin while a laser reads the data from an arm that scans back and forth. If the head touches the disc, though, it's bad news and generally means permanent damage.

5. Never blow it out
Computer hardware is like a magnet to dust particles that build up on and around the components, causing the fans to not be able to ventilate the system properly. One of the parts of All Star Computer Service's Monthly Maintenance service is taking the computer components out and removing the built-up dust that gets in the computer. Without doing this, the computer may overheat or cause other hardware failure, including the power supply or even the hard drive.

Computer Virus 101

COMPUTER VIRUS 101

A screenshot of the FBI Virus, a common ransomware virus.

One of the most prevalent issues we face in the computer service world is the dreaded computer
virus.

So, in the following paragraphs, we will go over where they come from, how to help keep your protected from them, and what to do if your system gets infected by a virus.


1. Where do computer viruses come from? And how did my computer get infected?
Computer viruses aren't like biological viruses, which evolve and develop naturally in the wild. A computer virus is developed by a black-hat software developer (read: bad guy) and is released out into the world wide web. These programmers release these viruses in order to: 1. gain remote access to your computer and computer's files, or; 2. get you to pay the virus-creator via some kind of online payment system (which then gives them access to your credit card information), or; 3. simple bragging rights. Most viruses, like the FBI Virus and the Systems Tools virus are general variants of a money-making scheme, which (in some cases) helps to fund organized crime.

So, these viruses are released "into the wild," using exploits in either the operating system (think Windows) or third-party software (like Java, Flash and other applications). And what happens is that the virus can get attached to the code of a website or into a malicious file attachment from an email, and all of a sudden, it installs itself onto your computer. These virus writers are pretty smart at what they do and have all the tools necessary to infect your system!

2. How can I keep my computer protected from viruses? 
Everyone should have some form of Antivirus protection installed on their computer. We prefer Microsoft Security Essentials, which is a free antivirus program offered from Microsoft. Unfortunately, though, there is no way to stay 100% protected when using a Windows PC. Even Mac computers can get viruses too, despite what many people believe. Here is the basic breakdown of how computer viruses and antivirus programs compete:

Computer viruses come in many different variants, and can do everything from lock your computer down (which is annoying) to stealing your data (which is scary!)

Though it looks legitimate, the AV7 virus hijacks your computer.

- A new virus is released into the wild.

- After the virus is detected, antivirus companies create a patch, which is then downloaded as an update to your antivirus definitions.

- Virus-writer creates a new virus, or modifies the original one, and releases it to the Internet.

As you can see, it's a cycle. If you're one of the unlucky ones who gets the virus before a patch is released, your computer will become infected.

Your antivirus program will keep you protected from all the current viruses they have definitions for, but you also should take steps to make sure your computer is at its best to resist viruses. The best thing to do is to run your updates. Windows updates, as well as updates to third-party software like Java, Flash and Adobe Reader, are released constantly and are usually security updates. So keep those programs updated! You should also manually run a virus scan using your antivirus program. This way you can ensure that your system is safe.

3. What do I do if I get infected?
If your computer gets a virus, the best thing to do is to turn it off immediately. As stated earlier, some of these viruses' intent is to take your information (including passwords to email, facebook, etc.). It's also important to make sure that the virus can't change the registry of the operating system, which could make your computer completely unusable, needing a wipe of the hard drive. So, turn it off and call a professional (in this case, All Star Computer Service) so that we can remove the virus securely without any damage to your personal data/files. Sometimes a virus removal can take up to 14 working hours! But, that's necessary when ensuring that your computer is fixed as well as security holes are plugged against future attack. Though we can't guarantee that you won't be infected again, we can help make your computer more secure by closing some of the backdoor entry points into your system.