Bloatware is not only annoying, but it can also be threatening to your device?s wellbeing. For instance, Lenovo?s pre-installed Superfish software on PCs caused quite the security scare several months back. Furthermore, bloatware can take up space on your device and affect the amount of data you can store on it. In order to get the most out of your Android smartphone, you want to remove as many junk apps as you can. Of course, you should always approach this kind of project with caution. You don?t want to accidentally get rid of a core function of your device and render it inert. There are several ways to remove or hide bloatware from your device. TechRepublic suggests five apps to do so. Some require that your device is rooted (i.e. you have Superuser control over your phone?s core files and OS), while some simply hide the bloatware from you. TechRepublic?s Top Anti-Bloatware Apps NoBloat Free: This app allows you to view bloatware on your device, and completely remove it. All you have to do is locate it under the System apps listing, tap it, and then select what you want to do with it from the listed options. System App Remover: As explained by TechRepublic, System App Remover ?is a free bloatware removal tool (with ads) that makes removing system apps and bloatware go much faster. Simply open the app, grant root access, check off all the apps you want to remove, and tap the uninstall button.? Root App Deleter: Here?s yet another app that can delete your bloatware from your phone. However, unlike the others, you can choose to either hide it or delete it completely. Hiding it doesn?t clear up any space, so you can go that route if you don?t want to risk deleting something important. Disable Bloatware: If you don?t want to remove bloatware completely, you can choose to hide it with Disable Bloatware. As a non-rooted application, you can take advantage of it even if your phone isn?t rooted. This hides your bloatware so it doesn?t distract you, but it doesn?t free up any space on your device. System Apps: This is Android?s built-in application hiding function. With it, you don?t have to download an app to hide your bloatware. As previously mentioned, this doesn?t free up any space on your device, but it does prevent your bloatware from being a nuisance. If you want to optimize your mobile devices for productivity and efficiency, but don?t want to risk your device?s integrity, you can give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800. We?ll help you clean up your devices so that they?re nothing but productivity machines.

That?s right; not only is remote technology great for diagnosing problems with your technology, but it can also be of great assistance when diagnosing problems with your health. UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurance providers in the United States, supports what WIRED magazine calls ?telemedicine;? a video visit from a doctor who offers consultation services rather than an in-person appointment. As reported by WIRED: United says it will cover virtual doctor visits offered through NowClinic, Doctor on Demand, and American Well. These platforms connect patients with thousands of doctors?albeit not the patient?s usual doctor?via video chat. These consultations typically cost $40 to $50 a pop, but now that United is covering these visits, members will only have to pay their usual co-pay, making virtual medicine much more affordable for more people. For now, these virtual visits will be available only to UnitedHealth?s self-funded customers, but the feature will expand to most members by next year. In other words, remote technology is helping people stay healthier at a more affordable rate. You can hardly argue with that logic, especially considering the fact that this event has been foreseen for quite some time. With remote technology becoming more important to all sectors and industries, it was only a matter of time before it became a reliable manner of performing ?self-diagnosis,? so to speak; and trust us, it?s a much more reliable manner of diagnosis than performing Google searches of your symptoms. In addition to remote technology being a great new tool that doctors can take advantage of, it?s also a fantastic way to keep your technology up to date and running smoothly. When a managed IT company like White Mountain IT Services offers remote monitoring and maintenance, it?s exactly what it sounds like. With the power of remote technology, we have the ability to monitor your network for threats or suspicious activity. This, compounded with a comprehensive security solution, is designed to detect and eliminate threats to your network?s continuity before irreversible damage occurs. Furthermore, remote technology maintenance and management allows White Mountain IT Services to remotely patch and maintain your business?s servers and workstations without an on-site visit. We understand that you want to save money, and by avoiding on-site visits as often as possible, you accrue less overall expenses. In fact, most software issues can be resolved easily through off-site remote maintenance. Of course, there are some hardware problems that probably can?t be resolved remotely, but you get the point. If it can be resolved remotely, we want to save you money by avoiding on-site visits as much as possible. It?s not that we don?t want to visit your office and check up on your technology from time to time. It?s that we want to make sure you get the most value you can out of our services. That?s what White Mountain IT Services is all about. Give us a call at (603) 889-0800 to learn more about our remote technology solutions.

Dave Merkel, senior vice president and CTO of security agency FireEye, tells Aimee Chanthadavong of ZDNet that organizations are spending more on technology to protect against hacking, but are still behind: ?… one of the reasons behind this is because online attacks are often misunderstood as a technology problem, when it’s not. In turn, organizations look in the wrong places for solutions.? Naturally, security solutions are only as effective as the techs who integrate them. Are they configured properly, and are they continuously being updated with the latest threat definitions? Are your systems up to date, and have the latest vulnerability patches been applied? These are all the responsibility of the technician, and if these routine maintenances aren?t performed, even the latest security protocol can?t help you. In other words, technology alone isn?t going to be the solution to your hacking woes. Even with maximum security, hacks are still going to happen, because there are people behind the attacks designing it. Ultimately, it takes the knowledge of people to fight against the knowledge of criminals. It takes skilled IT technicians who know their way around common problems to mitigate the damage done, or prevent security breaches altogether. To this end, White Mountain IT Services can help your business achieve maximum security by equipping it with professional IT technicians, as well as the technology and security practices required to keep your business safe. We work tirelessly, monitoring your network for suspicious signs and threats so you don?t have to. We take preventative measures to keep your business functioning with minimal incident. One solution used to optimize security is a Unified Threat Management (UTM) solution. This is a comprehensive security solution designed to provide your business?s network with the power to avoid discrepancies and data breaches as often as possible. With a UTM, you get an enterprise-level firewall and antivirus solution, coupled with spam blocking to keep dangerous messages from reaching your inbox, and content filtering to protect from dangerous online threats. With both the knowledge and technology to fight against threats, hackers won?t stand a chance. Let White Mountain IT Services help you today by calling (603) 889-0800.

Defining Virtual RealityThere are many ways to explain virtual reality, and this is further augmented by science-fiction?s portrayal of the concept in popular culture and media. Virtual reality doesn?t involve some huge process of shifting your body into a virtual space, or disconnecting your consciousness from your body. All it really means is that you?re tricking your body into thinking that it?s somewhere (or something) that it?s not; i.e, using sensory stimulation to trick the mind. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, virtual reality is: […] an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one’s actions partially determine what happens in the environment. Here are four of the most well known virtual reality products that are available or about to be released to the consumer market. Oculus RiftManufactured by Oculus VR, which was acquired by Facebook?s Mark Zuckerberg for two billion dollars earlier in 2015, the Oculus Rift comes with a lot of hype. The Oculus Rift is a headset with a heads-up display and headphones that allow for both sight and sound stimulation. A consumer version of the Oculus Rift is scheduled to be released sometime in 2015, but this will probably be used mostly by gamers, leaving it with little-to-no practical business use. Google CardboardGoogle Cardboard allows you to turn your smartphone into a virtual reality headset just by using cardboard. With Google?s cardboard blueprints, you can cut and fold cardboard into the base. While Cardboard is a neat, thrifty way to get a feel for what?s to come, the VR content available is limited to a handful of games and short movies. Google GlassAnother of Google?s takes on reality augmentation is Google Glass, a pair of glasses that doubles as a smartphone. The main draw of this product was the hands-free smart features it took advantage of, including Internet browsing, simple voice commands, a photo and video camera, and a touchpad on the rim of the glasses. It?s fully compatible with Google applications like Gmail, Google+, Google Maps, and more. Besides looking out-of-place when worn, there are a number of reasons why Google Glass didn?t take off in the consumer sector. The two primary reasons were its outrageous price, and the concern over privacy. With a price tag of $1,500, it was difficult to justify purchasing the headset. According to Forbes magazine, the parts and assembly for Google Glass should have easily cost less than $80. The camera disguised as a pair of high-tech glasses didn?t help, either, putting Google Glass at odds with privacy advocates worldwide; especially in businesses where there?s a greater priority on data privacy. This concern earned Google Glass wearers the infamous title of ?Glassholes.? Microsoft HoloLensMicrosoft revealed this year that they?re working on a slick new device called the HoloLens; expected to arrive shortly after the arrival of Windows 10 later this month. The HoloLens uses holograms to augment one?s surroundings with virtual elements. Unlike the previous examples, Microsoft Hololens presents a unique business advantage. The possibilities are expansive. According to Microsoft?s official HoloLens site page, it?s expected to make leaps and bounds in the construction industry, space exploration, education, and more. However, whether or not the HoloLens will prove to be an efficient use of augmented reality is yet […]

Text ModeSometimes it?s difficult to browse the Internet with the plethora of images, videos, and other distractions across every web page you visit. This is especially true when you need to use it for work purposes, like researching a particular topic in your industry. This is where the text-only mode in the Text Mode extension for Google Chrome comes into play. It blocks out pictures and images so all you see is the text on the page, making it a valuable tool when you need to concentrate. In fact, you?ll notice that the page loads faster than ever before thanks to it not needing to load images and all of that other stuff that could bog down the page. AdBlockHave you ever been frustrated with online ads? These get in the way of browsing videos on YouTube, and can even pop up when you least expect it while navigating a news site. AdBlock does exactly what its name implies, removing ads from both web pages and YouTube videos. This allows for seamless productivity without ads knocking on your door every given second. LightshotDid you know that your Windows PC has the ability to take screenshots by using the PrtScn key? Lightshot takes it a step further by allowing you to crop the area of the screen which you want to take a screenshot of. Furthermore, you can write text on it, draw lines or shapes, and even point at specific parts of the selection with ease. Once your screenshot looks to your liking, you can either upload it to the Internet, or you can save it locally on your PC. This makes troubleshooting PC troubles much easier, since you can provide a visual representation of what?s going on to your IT support team. Google CastIf you haven?t heard of Google?s Chromecast in the past, it?s a device that plugs into your television?s HDMi port and allows you to send content from your browser to the device. This effectively allows you to share content to your TV screen, be it the office conference room or your home?s living room. Google Cast is an application which easily allows you to broadcast your browser screen to your television screen. It works with several entertainment applications like YouTube and Netflix, as well as Google Docs, making it an ideal tool for both collaboration and fun. What are some of your favorite Google Chrome extensions? Let us know in the comments.