SiteVision News & Tips: iOS Gains Market Share, Internet Taxes Soon?

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iOS Now Gets 58% Share of the Mobile Enterprise Market

Although Apple’s operating system has increased share, according to Citrix (who aggregated data from its customers), there are some caveats.  Where business is communicating with consumers directly, such as in retail, IOS has maintained, even increased, its lead overall.  On the other hand, where there are mobile workforces in the field such as in transportation and utilities, Android is the preferred OS.  Plus, Android is the fastest growing platform in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  Windows mobile OS is sadly insignificant except in Europe, Middle East and Africa, where it shows a 21% market share.  You can read more of this interesting report here with at-a-glance graphic comparisons of various OS market attributes.
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Will Apple Up Its Game with Apple iPhone 5S (uh, 6)?

With some pretty slick handsets already out there by Samsung, Sony, HTC and Google, will Apple reevaluate its game plan?  Rumors abound.  Many suggest we’ll see an iPhone 5s in the June, July time frame, and an iPhone6 later on.  Will we see a faster processor, better camera and new software (perhaps the iOS7 update)?  Is a fingerprint reader in the mix, or NFC? Will we see a plethora of color options?  A special “Home” button?   Personally, and as a new Nexus4  owner, I’m thinking Apple may be getting a little long in the tooth, especially at Apple price points.  So will they concentrate on a lower cost unit to appeal to both the Euro, Asia markets?  Or will they tempt us with a truly noteworthy model that both surprises and pleases? Here are some links from the rumor mill:  TechRadar  GottaBMobile  IBTimes
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Buh-Bye Google Reader!

Uh-Oh.  In a roar heard round the world, RSS Google Reader users begged, pleaded with and cursed those at Google who decided to kill it.  One publication showed the familiar RSS button on the face of a tombstone.  And dead it is, apparently, as of July 1st.  So what’s next?  One app, Feedly, apparently picked up some 500,000 converts practically overnight, so to speak.  So if you like to get tailored news feeds whether for technology, personal or enterprise purposes, it’s time to look elsewhere. Cnet has some suggestions, as does The Verge and Forbes – all good starting points to strike out on your own.
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Congress Considering Legislation To Force Sales Tax Payment Online

Brick and Mortar retailers like Walmart, Best Buy and others want it to level the playing field.  Online sellers like eBay, and online catalog companies don’t.  In the recent non-binding  budget vote, the Senate approved a proposal to authorize states to collect sales tax on Internet and catalog transactions between their residents and out-of-state retailers. Presently, state tax authority over retail transactions extends only to retailers with a physical presence in the jurisdiction.  Sure to be hugely controversial,  here are a few articles worth reviewing whether you have a dog in the fight, just regularly purchase online, or are a smaller online seller.  The Tax Foundation  Business Week TechCrunch
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August News & Tips: iPhone Apps Snatching Data,Win8, Yahoo Hack & More

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According to WebPro news, about 20% of your iPhone apps are accessing your personal data without ever asking, and of 65,000 apps 41% can track your location data without your consent. According to Apple, nothing will change until iOS 6 is released. WebProNews

 

Windows 8 – IT Professionals Not Feeling the Love?

According to a Gartner analyst, Windows 8 isn’t even on the IT radar. The more likely upgrade path? Enterprise will probably go straight from Windows 7 to Windows 9. Among the reasons: lackluster desktop handling, and fear of being burned by technical and performance problems. TechRepublic

Has Your Yahoo Password Been Hacked?

About 450,000 passwords have been hacked and now posted online. Is yours among them? Tech Republic says you can check at Sucuri Malware Labs. Just type in your email address and search. And, because there may be other unannounced hacks, it’s definitely time to change your passwords for, say, Gmail or other important sites you use. SiteVision earlier published, “Was Your Password Hacked Today?” (Go here) It’s definitely worth a second look. After all, is it really worth compromising your Identity, your bank account, or other financial information? Also See TechRepublic

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
Name: Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association Hospital Alerting and Status System (VHASS)

Type: Hosting & Development

About: The Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association’s (VHHA) Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is a pivotal tool of its Virginia-wide Hospital Alerting and Status System (VHASS). VHASS was created to enhance the distribution of critical emergency management information needed by Virginia hospitals and healthcare providers. Likewise, the system is designed to provide Virginia residents with superior interoperability of communication and response efforts during a time of crisis.

SiteVision has closely assisted in the development of the web browser based system, and has created a hosting solution that duplicates the entire application and data infrastructure at a geographically separate data center. The sites and databases are continuously synchronized and replicated to be up and running in a matter of minutes were there to be a critical outage. The VHASS browser based application allows all Virginia members to maintain and update emergency status information in real time and as required.

The system is a statewide cooperative effort that includes Virginia hospital members, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. It is a members only website.
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August Maintenance

Maintenance for August will be:
Tuesday August 21st
@ 5:00pm.
If you experience any problems, please don’t hesitate to
contact us.

 

 

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