Want to get current location to work?

Here's how.

I've recently been plugging away at the contact section of the "soon to be launched" app for Our Daily Bread. By the way, they have some stellar cookies and baked goods! You should definitely check them out. At any rate, I wanted to share with some of you how to use Current Location in the Maps app for iOS. There is a very tedious way to go about it using the CoreLocation framework and CLLocationManager. However, if you just want the app to open up the maps app, and give directions to the user using their current location, it is very simple.

Take a look at my example below. 

Once you link your objects in Interface Builder to the button and it's event, you should receive the following screen (depending on your destination, of course). 

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Clean malware with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

"Is your computer infected with malware or Trojans and you aren’t sure how to clean them off your PC? If so, I have exactly what you need, it called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

We previously covered how to clean spyware from your computer with Spybot, but I have been able to remove some Trojans that Spybot would not detect. This is a relatively new tool, but I have found it to be extremely helpful.

Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from cnet.com

Once you have downloaded the application, go ahead and double click the installer to begin.

The Language setup window will appear. Select your language and click “OK”.

When the welcome screen opens, click the “Next” button to continue.

Next, you must choose to “accept the agreement” and click the “Next” button to move on.

On the information screen, click the “Next” button.

Leave the destination location the default location and click the “Next” button.

And leave the Start Menu Folder name the default, and click the “Next” button.

Choose if you want a desktop icon or a quick launch icon, and click the “Next” button.

Click the “Install” button to begin the install.

Leave both boxes checked and click the “Finish” button.

Now, Anti-Malware will open and update itself and the welcome screen will appear. You can choose to do a full scan or a quick scan. I recommend the full scan as it is the most thorough and really doesn’t take that long.

Choose your scan, click the scan button, and go grab a glass of sweet tea.

The scan will automatically remove any threats that it finds on your PC.

I hope you have great luck with this tool like I have."

This article comes from the Online IT Pro, Bo Bray.

Well, what is cloud computing?

For the sake of simplicity, "cloud computing, put broadly, is a term used to describe any service available on the internet." - Forbes.com 

What we do at Z5 is cloud computing. We develop apps that run on the cloud and house your data for you. This is huge from an economical, security, and efficiency perspective.

How can cloud computing save your business?

In cloud computing, the server environment "leverages pooled computing resources by way of virtualization. Cloud computing takes existing physical servers and creates virtualized servers to exist on top of them. The virtual serves leverage the computing power of the entire infrastructure without necessarily being dependent on any given hardware. This makes the servers more powerful and more reliable." - Forbes IT Article on Cloud Computing.

Whenever a business has physical servers in house, the potential disaster at hand could be monstrous. Not only that, all the hardware is eating up your electricity bill. "The cloud is used for offsite storage and backup and allows for an easier disaster recovery process. Whereas a physical server may be destroyed, the cloud server will still be intact."

A great thesis on Cloud Computing by Don Chambers with Rebus Technologies

Cloud computing uses a pay as you go business model that is far more economical than buying all of the hardware, software, electricity, and maintenance that is required to host your IT systems for your business. Contact us to see how we can get your business running in the cloud.

Apple iOS is the way to go for developers...

Simply because more Android phones are being shipped, doesn't make them the king of mobile. The Android experience, from what I've seen and heard, is not all that great. I'm not downing anyone who uses an Android device, but the overall experience is typically less appealing when compared to the king of mobile, iOS by Apple.

This post is in response to this Apple related article at Forbes.com and I wanted to give you 5 reasons why developers won't leave the iOS platform over the Android platform. The first will roll into the second, the second will roll into the 3rd and so on... 

1. User Interface
2. Consistency
3. User Experience
4. User Market
5. Profitability

1. User Interface - By default, and this may just be my preference, but the entire user interface for iOS devices is quite a bit more intuitive than Android. One feature is the simplistic nature of only having one button on the phone that can serve many different functions and really helps separate all Android devices that have several buttons on the device. Another would be multitasking and the new feature, Notification Center, for iOS. They work very well.

2. Consistency - The beauty behind iOS for developers is that you only have potentially two devices max to develop applications for. The iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad. Whereas on the Android platform, you have an array of different devices from different brands such as HTC, Samsung, & Motorola with different screen resolutions that causes cross-device compatibility issues. This really becomes a headache for most people developing mobile applications. So, for developers, consistency is huge!

3. User Experience - One thing that I feel sets Apple's iOS apart from Google's Android is the user experience. I've heard too often people stating they will be using an Android phone and all of a sudden, it shuts down (and I'm not talking about 0% battery life). Now don't get my wrong, there are occasions where I know the iPhone to have a hiccup and have to reboot, but overall, the experience for people who switched from an Android to an iPhone have not looked back and love their iPhone. Conclusion: User experience is what sells, and ultimately gets you to the next point.

4. User Market - The user market for iOS devices is growing, and growing fast. Even though Android has a larger market presence in Q1 2012, "Apple’s iPhone devices held onto the top three spots in NPD’s overall handset ranking in the first quarter of this year." And this ranking, sadly to say for Android, will probably remain for a while.

5. Profitability - The App Store is a huge part of making it a success for developers. Developers submit their app, people (for whatever reason?) continue to buy apps. Not many apps are being sold on the Android platform. Why? Maybe because of the first three points I listed above, UI, consistency, and user experience.

And in response to memory management from the article on Forbes by Todd Warren, there is a solution for that: ARC - Automatic Reference Counting

More people have a
mobile phone than a toothbrush?

If this is true, some of us will be looking a little weird talking with no teeth one day.

But seriously, everyone has one! They are definitely the future PC if they aren't already.

I'm not sure of the statistic for businesses without a website but if you don't have one by now, GET ONE ALREADY! You are missing out on potential customers and profit potential. I'm not saying this so you just get a website to be up to date. It is essential in this day and age to connect and interact with people you wouldn't reach elsewhere. It allows people to connect with you and your brand whenever they wish, and not only that, where ever they wish! It should be part of your marketing strategy.

So why should you have a mobile app, too?

"Because every business should be thinking about building mobile applications today. It’s not a fad or a passing trend. It’s customer service." Everywhere you look these days, practically everyone has a smart phone and correct me if I'm wrong, their head is down and probably playing Angry Birds or Instagramming, or you name it! And pretty soon, don't be surprised if we're opening cars with our phones. A mobile app can play a large role in achieving that dream of yours. 

Get an app or website today!

If you're in the market to buy a new computer, wait! 

There is a very interesting article with more details from the Wall Street Journal by WALTER S. MOSSBERG

For Mac Users:

 For Windows Users

1. Windows 8
2. Touchscreen Laptops
3. Ivy Bridge

Is your PC not running as "fast" as you expected?

Typically, most Window users who come to me regarding their computer running slow have too many programs running on start up (i.e. whenever the computer is turned on...). Whenever you buy a new laptop or desktop from companies like Dell or HP, they have a lot of their own software installed by default, and these programs run everytime you turn on your PC. Overtime, as you buy new software, or install free software such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, your PC's start up menu becomes a beastly list of programs that you don't need to run whenever booting up. Not only does this take longer whenever logging into Windows the first time, it makes the entire experience a slower one.

NOTE: You will need to be logged in with an administrative account.

THE FIX:

For Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP:

 1. Hit the start menu button in the bottom left corner of the screen or hit the Window key on your keyboard.

       OR   

2. Type MSCONFIG and hit enter.

3. At the top of the pop up window, hit the Startup tab.

4. Uncheck any unwanted programs. This will not delete your program, but simply remove it from whenever your computer boots up.

5. Click Apply and OK. You will need to restart your PC. You should see the following prompt:

Once you have performed these actions, you should definitely see an improvement. If you still do not see an increase in your computer's speed, I recommend a hardware upgrade on your RAM (Random Access Memory).

NOTE: Please be careful and not remove any necessary system programs (e.g. System32 files). Peform these steps are your own risk. Z5 Concepts will not be held liable and is not responsible for the actions you take in following this tutorial.

I highly doubt it...

Here is the article: http://fxn.ws/vPhewX

Here are a few reasons why: 

1. Better app selection and quality. 
2. The touch controls are perfected.
3. Easy access to music & movies.
4. Robust update schedule for all phones & tablets.
5. iCloud automatic backup
6. The mail inbox is unified among all e-mail accounts.
7. The overall design is cleaner and consistent. (very intuitive)
8. See more here.