SnapHawk Blog

Do “123456”, “abc123”, and “Qwerty” look familiar to you? That’s probably because they are some of the most popular passwords around. If you’re like most people, then these examples or some variation of them may have been one of passwords at some point. Because we’re living in the age of awesome, but sometimes frustrating technology, a lot of our personal data is stored on the Internet, which makes us all potentially vulnerable if personal data were to fall into the wrong hands.

With all the recent hackings in the news, it’s imperative that you secure your personal and business accounts to the fullest extent. We here at SnapHawk always try to inspire tech awesomeness and marketing savvy so the following are some helpful tips that should amp up your security and let you continue managing your Internet marketing campaign, business, and overall lifestyle smoothly.

The other day I wrote a blog post about tablets that are currently on the market. In the post I noted that the information presented was accurate as of August 18th, 2011 (the day the blog was published) and also mentioned that it’s always good to double check which make and model you are looking at when buying a technological device. Just seconds after I published this post—and as proof of the fact that technology changes faster than most people can keep track of — news broke that the HP Touchpad (one of the tablets compared in the blog) is being discontinued. 

Lately there has been some serious buzz about tablets and it seems like a new one gets released every day. Since it feels like every tech company in the world is creating their own version of the tablet, there must be something that makes these devices so popular. I am on a mission to find the best features the tablet has to offer – and what differentiates some of the many versions out there.

First off, what are some of the features of a tablet that make them so popular?

Technology has changed the way we read, communicate, and even think so it’s no surprise that it has also changed the way we listen. From record players to cassettes to CDs to MP3s, music is always evolving. Our own tech hawk, Jim, has demonstrated this progression by creating a music compilation site, Box of Cassettes, which blends retro tech and images with current digital realms. When you enter the Website, you will see a message that indicates how many cassettes are in the box. The visuals include a creative mash-up of ripped labels and broken cassette cases complete with awesome music driven by cutting-edge computer programing. Today, music is provided by online streaming and here are some popular services and useful links.

Pandora - allows you to create stations based on a song, artist, or genre and suggests songs similar to your taste.

Grooveshark - similar to Pandora, this site recommends music through Grooveshark radio. It also lets you search for a specific song and play it instantly.

With technology directing our everyday lives, the development of e-readers has revolutionized the way we read. Now, people have instant access to millions of books, newspapers, and magazines at a lower price than traditional printed materials. There are also many resources where you can access and download free books, such as Internet Archive, Open Library, Project Gutenberg, and Many Books.

Which One to Choose

While there are many e-readers available, the Amazon Kindle 3 and Barnes & Noble Nook are two of the most popular models. For those of you avid readers that are ready to follow the trend and purchase an e-reader, but are unsure about whether you want the Kindle 3 or Nook, here’s a little comparison.

Internet users in pursuit of the latest breaking news or their favorite TV shows are rarely distracted by small advertisements on the side of the screen.  They are focused on their final web destination, and it is difficult to tempt them to stray from that path for more than a few moments.

That is why start-up Adkeeper has created software that allows users to store ads they find interesting and view them at a more convenient time.

Americans have long feared excessive government interference in personal matters, as is evidenced by the cultural phenomenon created by the Big Brother character portrayed in George Orwell’s 1984.  Paranoia has died down since the book’s World War II era publication, despite the fact that technology makes it easier than ever for anyone – not just the government – to keep a watchful eye on personal activities.

For years, tracing cookies have tracked the way users browse websites and have used that data to tailor content and advertisements to individual interests.  And now the mobile marketplace is opening new doors for companies looking to appeal directly to an individual customer.

Location-based advertising, LBA, traces a consumer’s location through his cell phone.  The company may then send an advertisement, via text message or mobile web, to the consumer based on his proximity to the business location.

Late last month, Mozilla revealed a new interface feature for Firefox called “Tab Sets” (formerly called “Tab Candy”)  that is poised to revolutionize and organize the way you browse the Web.  Tab Sets allow users to organize their tabs into separate spaces, or sets, and gives a full window view of their layout.  This new feature will be available within Firefox 4 Beta 4, to be released on August 23.  With Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome 6 set to be released soon, this feature could set Firefox apart from the competition.

Over the past few days, I have had the chance to play around and experiment with Tab Sets.  So far, my impression has been overwhelmingly positive. I have been known to have up to 30 tabs open at one time in the same window.  Some might call me a tab addict.  I often google something, open search results in new tabs, browse a little, and then think of something else to google.  Often I am hesitant to close a tab because I’m not sure if I’ll need to come back to it.  The result is a bunch of tabs crammed on the small strip at the top of the browser.  With Tab Sets, I don’t have to worry about the number of pages I have open, because I can now organize the tabs into separate sets.

In the past year or so, the world of gadgets, devices and consumer technology products has expanded and astonished shoppers around the world. Time and time again we learn that technology keeps advancing faster and doing more exciting things than ever.  Here’s a quick look at the coolest, most revolutionary products to hit the market in recent memory:

Smartphones that are even smarter. We all know it: smartphones have been on the market for a while now.  But there’s no doubt their presence is growing, and they’re getting more advanced every day.  Touch screens are becoming the norm, and there are over 70,000 “apps” available in the Android Market and 200,000 available in Apple’s App Store which can do pretty much anything you could want or imagine (within reason).  Now that 23% of all mobile subscribers have a smartphone, people are using these devices more and more for Internet searching and browsing.  And even though Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android are getting most of the buzz, RIM’s BlackBerry is still the U.S. market leader.  The growth of the market size and fierce competition leave us with no doubt that smartphones will be hot gadgets for a long time.

By now, you must have heard the latest research against technology. The pundits are predicting that social media will degrade the value of traditional ways of socialization; the more we connect virtually, the less we connect inter personally. Educators are struggling to engage students who, more than ever before, require instant gratifications due to short attention spans. Twitter, Facebook and email remain primary ways to connect with our friends and loved ones. We can tell everyone what we are up to in 140 characters, we can tell hundreds of people where we went and share photos with a few clicks. People can know our world and track our lives without ever picking up the phone and calling us.

These sociological trends have trickled into the way we do internet business. Search Engine Marketing, one of the most effective forms of advertising, easily falls into this trap. Many agencies apply a 'one size fits all' approach to numerous clients in the hopes of expanding their business quickly. There is greater distance between clients and their Search Engine Marketing agencies. Also, the time to listen and empathize with clients, to understand their customers and growing pains has decreased...