Author: Mario Armstrong

PODCAST: Capture and stream videos in real time with the AT&T Video Capture mobile app

by Mario Armstrong

One thing that many small business owners overlook in promoting their businesses and communicating with employees is video. Yes, I know, the costs of video are often prohibitively high—that is, if you’re looking to shoot a professional commercial or similar video spot. But what if all you need is a good mobile video shot with your iPhone or Android smartphone? Small Biz Go Mobile sponsor AT&T provides a great app for free to its mobile consumers called AT&T Video Capture. Rather than having to upload, title & tag videos on a platform like YouTube, AT&T Video Capture lets you stream live and pre-recorded video straight to your employees and co-workers. Theres even a desktop version that lets you organize and archive those videos as well.

I can think of a ton of cool use cases for this technology. Field service technicians who are expected to solve problems in a single on-site visit, could use AT&T Video Capture to solicit advice and help from co-workers back in the office. Media broadcasters could use this to deliver the news live or report back to HQ with raw footage of an ongoing event. Want more ideas on how you can ramp up your business with AT&T Video Capture? Listen to my latest Small Biz Go Mobile podcast to hear all of my tips.

Malware Monday: Will a Virus Crash Your Computer?

by Mario Armstrong

On the TODAY show I take a look at the vicious DNS Changer malware which has been spreading recently. Are you infected? What do you need to do if you are? Check out the video above to learn more, and then hit the links below to see if you’re safe.

Here’s my complete guide to DNS Changer malware removal.

Here are the links I mention on TODAY:
– http://www.dns-ok.lu/ is the website where you can check to see if you’re infected.
– Kaspersky Labs TDSSKiller is a download that will scan your computer and fix the problem if detected.

Remove DNSChanger Malware – Easy steps to Remove Virus

by Mario Armstrong

By now you may have heard from friends, the media or the rumor mill that the Internet will be shutting down on July 9th. It’s actually NOT a true statement BUT there is a real threat. With this post, I’d like to get right to helping determine if you are infected and if so, steps to remove it! Quick background, the internet will NOT shutdown but there are several thousand computers that have been infected by a virus that may not be able to access websites come July 9th.

Steps to identify and remove the DNSChanger virus if necessary:

1. Using your web browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc..) goto: http://www.dns-ok.lu/ This will immediately let you know if your computer is infected or not. If you see green you are OK, if you see red, you’re infected.

2. If you are infected, then before doing anything else I suggest you backup of all of your important files

3. Now to remove the malware:

– For Windows computers goto: http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363 On this page you want to download the TDSSKiller.exe file on the infected computer and follow the instructions to install and then reboot.  

– For Apple computers goto this very detailed document: http://www.uc.edu/infosec/documents/Mac_OSX_Remediating_DNSchanger.pdf

4. Update your DNS settings using your ISP-provided automatic settings by choosing the “automatically” option (Windows) or deleting any DNS servers listed (MacOS).

– For WINDOWS: Detailed steps here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Change-TCP-IP-settings.

– For APPLE: http://www.uc.edu/infosec/documents/Mac_OSX_Remediating_DNSchanger.pdf

5. To be super safe, if you were infected you should also change passwords on any online accounts (the malware was known for doing more than just DNS re-routing, it could have captured other info)

If you want more detail, with images and steps you can also read this article: http://www.pcworld.com/article/255137/protect_yourself_from_dnschanger.html

Keep all of your travel needs in your pocket with these 3 apps!

by Mario Armstrong

HLN digital lifestyle expert® Mario Armstrong takes a look at three apps that can help you ‘live better now:’

  • Lemon – a digital wallet that organizes things like your loyalty cards, receipts and coupons to help you spend (and save!) more intelligently. For instance, Lemon lets you throw away those pesky receipts by taking photos of them, then using those pictures for tax purposes or just to track your spending.
  • TripIt – Keep all of your travel itineraries in one spot, from your hotel confirmations to your flight info. All you have to do is forward your confirmation emails over to TripIt and they automagically organize your details in their outstanding app for iPhone and Android! Then when you’re checking in you don’t have to search through your email or dig through a stack of papers—you can just pull out the app and then find your current trip!
  • Yelp – Online yelp works great, but when you’re on the go or in a city you don’t know too well the Yelp app uses your GPS location to find great places to eat or drink near you! An indispensable tool for the frequent traveler who wants more out of their meals than chain restaurant experiences.

PODCAST: Combine Siri with @Evernote and Max Out Your iPhone’s Capabilities

by Mario Armstrong

On today’s episode of the Small Biz Go Mobile podcast for AT&T, I teach you how to combine Apple’s digital assistant Siri with one of my favorite mobile apps, Evernote. I’m a serious Evernote user, but sometimes I don’t want to have to type out what I’m thinking, I just want to dictate it! So what I do is use Siri to take down my thoughts and automatically email them to my Evernote email address. Want to know how to set this up for yourself? Head on over to AT&T’s Small Business site and listen to my lastest podcast.

PODCAST: 2012 Small Biz Predictions

by Mario Armstrong

In the latest entry to my Small Biz Go Mobile podcast for AT&T, I make a few tech predictions for 2012 in small business. My #1 is that we’re going to see a ton more about the cloud. While I don’t like the term, cloud and data storage are taking over. Want to hear my full thoughts and predictions? You can listen to this podcast over on AT&T’s Small Business site.