By Mike Meyer The social media revolution has taken Hawaii — and the rest of the world — by storm. As we all know, it's not just the kids who spend hours communicating with their friends.
By John Agsalud With the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers, businesses and government organizations are faced with a dilemma.
By Jay Fidell Last week ThinkTech and the Hawaii Venture Capital Association presented a program titled “The Press Weighs In on Rail,” with Mayor Peter Carlisle, then two panels of journalists.
By Mike Meyer Ever since Business Week published a landmark article in June 1975 titled "The Office of the Future," we were led to believe the dream of the paperless office was only a matter of time.
By John Agsalud Like any good netizen, if you live in Central Oahu and need a widget, what do you do? Of course, you crack open your favorite search engine, whether it be Google, Yahoo, Bing or, let's face it, Google, and run a quick search.
By Jay Fidell Our energy goals are commendable (the state hopes to get 40 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2030), but the real deadline will be determined by the cost of imported oil, now at $103 per barrel.
By Mike Meyer The growth of Hawaii's alternative energy sector over the last few years has been nothing short of spectacular.
By John Agsalud So-called viral videos have been around for nearly two decades now, but it seems as though such content has greatly increased in the past year. Many folks have tried to capitalize on viral videos, but there are very few examples of success.
By Jay Fidell To Mayor Peter Carlisle and all 2012 candidates for mayor: If you haven't noticed it, our congestion is getting worse. It's clogging up our highways and economy. Rail is not the answer. What are you doing to deal with the congestion?
Nowadays everyone, even grandma, logs onto YouTube. Not only does it convey popular culture (such as those too-cute cat videos), but it has increasingly become an important medium for businesses to deliver their messages.
By John Agsalud Years ago, we received a rather disturbing letter from a mainland-based employee working for one of Hawaii's most important and prominent companies.
By Jay Fidell Social networking has created groups on just about everything, so why not a tech Facebook group in Hawaii? It's therefore no surprise that the month-old Hawaii Innovation Alliance already has signed up more than 500 members.
By Mike Meyer Last year was all about social networking and cloud computing. And yes, that was the year you got your first iPad. Technology moves at lightning speed, and the landscape can change in a matter of months.
By John Agsalud Apple recently announced that the iPad3 will be released in March. As its moniker suggests, this is the third generation of the computer. To many this means the comfort level with the platform enables it to be used for critical business applications.
By Jay Fidell That we are an island state is perhaps our greatest strength. Islands, and island states, are fragile. By definition they're isolated and vulnerable and have to work harder to stay on the same page.
By Mike Meyer It's impossible to escape the influence of social media. As a more "mature" member of the tech community, I must admit it took me a few years to get with the program. I cubby-holed Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and the like incorrectly as something for kids.
By John Agsalud On Saturday the U.S. and other nations will recognize Data Privacy Day. This is a good opportunity to remember to keep your personal data safe and sound. While new scams seem to come out daily, we continue to be amazed by the number of folks who still fall for tricks that have been around for years.
By Jay Fidell Although photovoltaic provides only a small part of Hawaii's base load, it is going center stage for the 2012 Legislature. In popularity, PV is the leader of renewables, even though it's the least firm and most costly of the front-runners.
By Mike Meyer It's that time of year to wipe the slate clean. Instead of asking you to make promises that you can't keep, I'd like to suggest that you look at your home office and make a few investments in your security and productivity.
By John Agsalud Walk into any meeting with more than a couple of people nowadays and what do you see? That's right, electronic devices of every kind, laptops, tablets and smartphones. While this may seem foreign or even rude to old-school business folks, the fact of the matter is that this is now standard operating procedure.
By Jay Fidell At the hands of the Friends of Lanai, Lanai has been doing ritual seppuku. Now the word is that David Murdock, owner of Castle & Cooke, is putting Lanai up for sale. This is dire news for the people of Lanai.
By Mike Meyer For those who haven't been to Ala Moana Center or any other shopping meccas lately, be warned that it's pretty crazy out there in brick-and-mortar land.
By John Agsalud When evaluating someone to install their systems or develop software, organizations often wonder whether the prospective firm or individual is qualified to do the work. While not a universal solution, IT industry certifications are often a meaningful barometer.
By Jay Fidell The blockade at Kaunakakai is an outrage and should not be tolerated. On Nov. 26 a seagoing assemblage blocked a 145-foot tourist cruise boat from landing on Molokai, demanding that it stay away until "the community can hash out its concerns over the direction of the tourism industry."
By Mike Meyer One of the most common cliches heard (especially around the holidays) nowadays is "TMI," which of course means "too much information." In short, we're all overloaded.
By John Agsalud While computers have shown incredible progress in utility since inception, there is still a tremendous amount of potential to be realized.
By Jay Fidell Here's a story of perseverance, then of pure luck, told to us at the HVCA-ThinkTech Update on Agriculture on Oct. 27 and now being played on ThinkTech on OC16.
By Mike Meyer We've all seen them around town: groups of young people (or not so young people) in animated conversations at Starbucks, Coffee Talk or other caffeine-fueled gathering places. They are there for the Wi-Fi and the java, but often it's not just a social event. In the tech world it can be serious business.
By John Agsalud Information technology has always been a bastion for confusing buzzwords. Adding to the confusion, buzzwords often have multiple definitions or even change meaning over their lifetime. Of course, we're referring to the aptly named "cloud computing."
By Jay Fidell Local biofuel is the latest target in the war against renewables, and now the state Public Utilities Commission has issued a ruling based on its concern that biofuel will cost too much. Is that concern valid or shortsighted? Will it take us forward or back?
By Mike Meyer In our last column we looked at several new USB 3.0-ready external drives from Western Digital and Seagate. These are must-haves for home offices and small businesses that need to speedily back up reams of data. The caveat is that to get the most efficiency out of them, you'll need to plug in a USB 3.0 port on your desktop.
By John Agsalud Walk through any business or government agency and there is one thing you are guaranteed to see on at least one person's computer display. That's right, Facebook.
Sempra Generation has announced that it wants to build 300 megawatts of photovoltaic energy on Oahu, enough to rival Big Wind. Should we now run to that side of the boat? Is that the path we’re on? Is this the next step? Does anyone know where we’re going? Do you?
By Mike Meyer In a recent “Tech View” column, I suggested that readers with a small business or home office avail themselves of hard drives as an inexpensive data insurance policy. The same goes for the new crop of low-priced USB 3.0-ready external drives.
By John Agsalud Despite the incredible advances in technology, the methods by which systems are implemented have not changed. Although cloud computing is all the rage, certain processes still need to be followed to ensure a successful systems implementation.
By Jay Fidell Ten years after 9/11 is a time for introspection and rededication. Hawaii should do that, too, not only about 9/11 but about how we can get going on a clean energy economy for the future.
By Mike Meyer Cloud services are a much-discussed subject in technology and business circles. However, there's one question about the cloud service revolution that is often asked but rarely answered.
By John Agsalud Ever since computers were put into widespread use, many businesses and government agencies have put IT-related costs high on the list when looking to cut costs. This has been true whether the economy is booming or in recession. The fact of the matter, however, is that IT is the last area that should be cut and carefully thought-out expenditures will pay off.
By Jay Fidell The new Android phones are starting to eat Apple's lunch. Apple knew the Androids could go beyond iPhone, so no surprise. But with the iPhone 5 and some advanced Androids coming out in September, will Apple stay on top?
Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, famously said, "You can never be too rich or too thin.
By John Agsalud Walk into any office nowadays and what do you see? Or, more to the point, what don’t you see? Wires. Computers, printers, keyboards, mice, even display monitors are capable of operating wirelessly. Wireless technology has matured to the point of ubiquity, but that’s not to say it’s perfect. Several considerations should be explored when implementing wireless solutions.
By Jay Fidell The East-West Center is under attack, and there are those in Congress who would like to see it eliminated. Our delegation defends the center, but what will happen when our senior senator isn't there?