The big difference between Android and the iOS is the fact that, on an Android device, you can play Flash videos. There are times however when this seeming advantage can be a disadvantage as Flash (such as Flash ads) can slow down your browsing experience or even crash your browser. There is a solution.

You can turn off Flash if you choose to. Simply go to your Browser's Settings by pressing on the Menu/Options button, then go to Advanced and change 'Enable plug-ins' setting from "Always on" to "On demand." Flash applications will now appear as an arrow that you must touch to start.

There are times when you may want to capture what is currently being shown on your iPad's screen. That’s easy to do on an iPad.

Simply press the Home button and then the Sleep/Wake button simultaneously. When you hear a click, the screenshot has been taken. You can then go to the photos gallery to see all of your captured screenshots.

In an effort to better serve our growing customer base, NDSE is expanding our staff and sporting brand new support vans. If you see our vans around town, click the QR code on the vehicles and send us a note! We continue to hire and add quality people to our team, and are currently searching for two qualified sales team members.

If you know of someone with B2B sales experience who’s interested in joining a great team, we’d love to meet them. Please send resumes to hr@ndse.net.

If you are a business owner, you’re probably aware that disasters can happen. Disasters can come in many forms. What happens if there’s an earthquake, flood, or other natural disaster that eradicates all of your data? What if a well-meaning employee accidently erases an essential file? What if you download a virus that destroys important documents? All of these what-ifs can have you dizzy and worried. That’s why it’s imperative that you establish a strong disaster recovery plan.

Decide What’s Important

The first step is to decide what data is vital to your organization. What data must be recovered quickly for your company to run? This will tell you what you should back up.

Make a Plan

The second step is deciding the steps that must be taken to get your company back on its feet as quickly as possible. Think about the worst possible scenario and the way to recover from that. Which systems have to be recovered first and what technology is going to be required to do this?

Know Your Workflows

I’m sure you have a general understanding of the way your organization is run, but knowing every single process is virtually impossible. That’s why you have employees. Have your employees document their workflows so that any team member can perform the duties in case of an emergency.

Decide Who is in Charge

Depending on the type of disaster you go through, your employees could panic.  Before this happens, choose one levelheaded person in the company to be “in charge” of the disaster recovery plan. They ought to know the plan as well as you do and possibly have helped you develop it. This will be the individual you turn to for execution of the plan, so that you can be the strong leader your employees need at a time like this.

People often think disasters can’t happen to them, but we never know what could happen in the future! So it’s important to have a plan in place just in case. This will help put you and your employees at ease.

What do you think of when you hear the name Segway? If you’re like many out there, “tech failure” comes to mind. Dean Kamen’s invention of the Segway PT scooter was expected to reinvent personal transportation. The Segway was meant to usher in a new era of errand running and puttering around town.

That vision hasn’t quite come to fruition and it’s pretty rare that you see someone utilizing a Segway. They’re still around and have recently observed their 10th anniversary. So while they may be known as a tech failure, they’re still alive and kicking.

How do they work though? Below we’ll examine the tech behind the Segway.

Powering the Segway

Electric motors fueled by phosphate-based lithium batteries power the Segway. The scooters are easily charged by simply plugging them into a standard electrical socket. Thanks to a combination of two computers, special software, tilt sensors, and five gyroscopic sensors the Segway stays upright and doesn’t tip over.

Making the Segway Move

The user plays the largest role in making the Segway move. By simply shifting your weight in the direction you want to go and moving the handlebars slightly, the Segway’s sensors acknowledge the change in balance point and react appropriately. The latest version of the Segway has a top speed of 12.5 MPH. For obvious reason, it functions best on flat surfaces.

Lowered Expectations

The device never did live up to its hype. Many technology experts predicted that the Segway PT would be a bigger deal than the Internet. As a result, when company officials unveiled the first Segway scooter in December of 2001 in Manhattan, expectations soared.

In the 10 years since its release, the Segway has not completely failed, but its strange overall look and goofy riding style has made it nearly impossible to achieve its expected level of success.

If you own an Android phone, you can use it as a substitute for an external drive or a USB key. You can load files into your phone simply by plugging it in to a PC with a USB cable, then tapping on “Mount” when you are prompted by the system.

This mounts the internal storage of the device as an external drive relative to the PC, and you can easily drag and drop files or create folders on the device as you see fit. Of course, it is recommended you do this on the SDCard that likely came with the device, or one that you buy for your phone.

While the massive flooding in Thailand ravaged hundreds of thousands worth of property and infrastructure, it also has had an adverse effect on worldwide hard drive production. Since the majority of the world’s hard drive factories are located in Thailand, hard drives will be in short supply in the coming months.

In the same way the massive earthquake and tsunami damaged Japan's electronics industry, the flood crisis in Thailand is causing concern for companies that require hard drives for production.

The majority of the world's hard drives are produced in factories located in Thailand, where the flood crisis has put a damper on many industries, hard drive producers included.

According to reports, the shortage is already driving hard drive costs up and may just be the beginning of that trend. As companies like Hewlett Packard respond to the situation, the outlook remains unclear. PC sales could be affected well into 2012 and beyond. With flooding still an issue for some producers the shortage could expand.

As of now, there is still no concrete solution in sight for the problem with the supply of hard drives in the world, and while reconstruction efforts in Thailand are ongoing, getting the hard drive industry on its feet will take a while. As for the effects on the computing world as a whole, PC prices will likely rise as pre-flood inventories are sold out and replacement stock is delayed.

The effect of social networks on the way companies approach their business is undeniable. Some even go a step further, creating their own internal social networks to help enhance communications within their own organizations. However, for it to function best, the proper policies that govern its use should be developed.

With the waves created by social networking in how companies do business nowadays, many have also utilized the same principle to develop internal social networks to enhance their in-house communications as well. However, the use of this new medium of communication also requires that companies develop new policies to cover its use.

One concern that may leave you apprehensive about creating an internal social network might be the fear that it could be abused by employees. However, reports have shown that introducing an in-house social network has produced generally positive results.

As long as company policies regarding the use of internal social networks are developed and implemented properly, employees will view such a network as an extension of the workplace, and will try to put their best foot forward. Such policies must specifically tackle the use of the internal social network, and many experts recommend revising existing company rules that govern the use of email, IT resources, and even external social networks. To be on the safe side, it's a good idea to consult with a lawyer to avoid any legal problems with the policy in the future.

Who's going to be in charge? Your managers, of course. Since the social network will be for company use, it follows that department heads should be given administrative duties and permissions which they will use for moderating communications and discussions in and pertaining do their respective sections.

While an internal social network can do wonders for your in-house communications, good policies and rules pertaining to its use will be what keep it working like a well-oiled machine.

Passwords are an integral part of securing both IT systems and online accounts. In order to keep your system and information safe, it is important to take the time to create strong passwords that hackers and online thieves won't easily figure out.

If you think using 'password' as your password is no big deal, then it's time to rethink.

Security experts have recently compiled a list of the worst passwords users can choose, and 'password' is at the very top of the list. Weak passwords make your information more vulnerable simply because hackers can guess them. It may be easier to pick a password that you don't have to think about, but it's a choice that you may come to regret.

To help you avoid common password choice mistakes that users make, management application provider SplashData has compiled a list of the 25 worst passwords to use:

1. password
2. 123456
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passw0rd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football

Make a smart password choice Experts advise using a combination of letters and numbers when creating your passwords, and to avoid things that anyone might be able to guess, such as birthdays and anniversary dates. Passwords with eight characters or more are safer and it's best to use different passwords for different accounts and websites. Use a password manager to help you keep track of all of your passwords if you're finding it difficult to remember them all..

No matter how sophisticated your security system is, a weak password gives hackers and online thieves an advantage. Helping all the users in your organization understand the importance of password strength will help you secure the IT systems in your organization.

If you're interested in learning more, please contact us so we can develop a comprehensive and custom security blueprint that meets your specific needs.

Reference: Worst Internet Passwords