Pixel Problems and How to Fix Them

Have you ever just been working away on your computer, but you realize something off about your computer screen? You notice a little dot on the display of your screen that looks like it shouldn’t be there. You can't help but stare at it for days on end and over time it starts to get on your nerves. There might be an issue with a pixel on your screen.

So what if you spot an odd pixel? Well this is a problem with the hardware that’s showcasing what we like to call, stuck and dead pixels. This can be incredibly annoying especially thinking about how long a repair or exchange might take. But wait one second! Before you run back to the store trying to return your item, you could in fact try and fix the pixel yourself.

Understanding How Pixels Work

Stuck pixels exhibit a mix of red, blue, and green colours which are dependent on the contents of your computer screen. There’s a number of reasons why a pixel might get stuck, this includes overuse of the screen or long bouts of intense colours on-screen.

You will realize when a pixel gets stuck because it’ll display one colour that may alter slightly while the pixels surrounding it function normally by changing colour. In regards to dead pixels, the pixel appears black and will never change colour. There’s a possibility that the pixel isn’t receiving power at all hence why they’re called “dead”.

Pixels aren’t supposed to get stuck or die over time, flaws in manufacturing are often the root cause of this issue. You might be able to fix the issue if it’s a coloured pixel, but if you see a black pixel, your chances are slim to none.

Here’s a few solutions that could help fix a stuck pixel!

Pixel Repair Methods

Firstly, by using full-screen mode on your computer, you can easily run your monitor across a variety of different colour palettes. This can be done through different standard colours, as well as black or white.

This method can help you identify dead or stuck pixels. The stuck pixel would constantly be asked to change colours, which could potentially result in it becoming unstuck. This method can help you identify dead or stuck pixels.

Let’s take a look at a few software programs that should do the trick.

1. JScreenFix – it’s a free, online app that can fix stuck pixels with no downloads required. At the bottom of the page, click the Launch JScreenFix button and follow the instructions. Most of the time, it’ll correct those annoying spots on your screen.

2. UndeadPixel (UDPixel)– it’s a tool on Windows with a built-in stuck pixel locator that cycles colours on your screen.

3. LCD – it’s a tool that you can access online, however, the website requires you to have Adobe Flash. You’ll have the capability to test your screen by going through all the colours. Click the ‘Fix My Screen’ button if you discover a stuck pixel.

If all these approaches don’t seem to work, at least you’ll be aware that it’s not a simple fix. Your screen may indeed need to be replaced. If you’re interested in learning more, ISU Corp is always ready to help, contact us today!

Security Breaches: How They Happen and How You Can Stop Them

One of your highest priorities for your business, regardless of the sector you’re in, should be security. The last thing you want is for your brand reputation to go down the drain due to a breach in security.

Not only will your client’s and potential client’s lose their trust in you, you will also suffer financial losses. This loss is not only the cost to repair the breach, but also loss of business overall. So, if your company operates in the B2B or B2C industries, pay close attention to your security systems and everything you would be held accountable for. 

Like most businesses, your company uses various software apps to conduct your day-to-day operations. To name a few: email, browsers, data analytics, and customer relationship management; which would inevitably cease to exist with a security breach.  

Are you certain that your security is top notch? Don’t let your business be vulnerable and susceptible to today’s breaches. 

Secure Your Information

Most people picture hackers who are specifically targeting their business and attacking each weak point they may have. Although this may be true (and certainly is in some cases), half of the security breaches that occur are due to software or human errors.

Companies like Facebook and Microsoft offer support through their bug bounty programs, which are essentially white hat hackers who find a corporation’s vulnerabilities and resolve the issue. These hackers are paid millions of dollars, enticing an exploitation system around software vulnerabilities.  

Common Vulnerabilities 

The Cloud:

• Using services like Microsoft Azure gives you more security for your information and a great infrastructure to protect your business. 

• However, make sure your cloud-based apps are set up by a professional in the right manner, because any little mistake is an easy-in for hackers.

On-Site: 

• Many businesses make the mistake of believing that having your data be kept internally will be the safest method. 

• Although this can work sometimes, you need to have the expertise and knowledge to sustain any challenges and build the proper firewalls, otherwise, your information is easily compromised. 

Standard Software:

• These consist of platforms like Microsoft SharePoint or Office 365, which is why many companies believe it’s a simple process to attain for their own information. This is not true! 

• This software must be configured properly, although it does not seem complex, simple mistakes can happen.

Custom Apps:

• Even when using standard software apps like the ones mentioned above, your business will most likely need to adjust a few things to align with your processes. 

• Customizations as such can cause holes and thus security breaches if not conducted by a professional developer. 

Procedures: 

• Even with technological advancements like AI, a lot of processes still have to be done by a human. Which is why, half of security breaches that happen are caused by human error. 

• This is why it is integral for your company to have clear and strict policies in place to avoid the risk of this happening.

Internet of Things (IoT):

• The concept of IoT is one that is both good and bad. It is most definitely an extension, a helping hand if you will. However, it is also a threat towards security, as it can be hacked just as any other technology. 

• If you’re incorporating IoT into your business, which most do as this can range from wifi routers to security cameras, be sure you have the proper security functions in place. 

Be Proactive Not Reactive! 

At the end of the day, no one wants their information to be compromised. Even if you think you have nothing worth hacking, there is always useful information: private client details, accounts, etc.

You need to be sure your company has the greatest security protection to prevent any type of breach. To do so, you need professionals for the installation and consultation process. 

ISU Corp is experienced and well-trusted as a software development partner. We can offer our expert advice on the best way to be proactive, so that when something does happen, you’re ready. 

Reach out today and be prepared for tomorrow! 

Top 14 Android Frameworks to Create Your Mobile App

Mobile applications are one of the binding forces that connect businesses with their customers on a more personal level. Thus, allowing the customer to feel as though they are appreciated and looked after. As such, the business builds a stronger brand and reputation. 

With constant advances occurring in today’s digital world, companies of all sizes are taking part in the development of apps, incorporating them into their marketing strategies, and engagement purposes. 

Most businesses prefer to customize their apps, and make them unique to their own products. Which is why many resort to building their apps on an Android operating system. Android has many varying features that give developers more options to customize, along with a large community that offers assistance and guidance. 

However, it’s not as simple as deciding you’re going to use an Android framework to customize your mobile application. App development is no easy task and there are so many options to choose from. But do not stress! We’re here to give you a list of the best 14 Android frameworks to work with: 

Game Development

1. Unity 

This is the best Android development framework when it comes to multi-platform 2D, 3D, virtual reality, and augmented reality-based games or experiences. There are both cost-free and premium varieties available to choose from. Developers are either able to develop with C# or UnityScript language (similar to JavaScript). 

Unity allows developers to export their games onto varying platforms such as iOS and Windows. As it is a physics engine, developers are able to control a range of features like momentum, light rendering, and graphic aspects. It also has a built-in editor which enables you to manage animations and edit any images. 

One of the biggest advantages of Unity is that it is fairly easy to use and allows developers to establish an outstanding platform that can form a great connection with your company’s consumers. 

High Performance Development 

2. Kotlin 

Kotlin is a modern programming language for Android, which incorporates resources from both functional and object-orientated programming. It runs on a Java Virtual Machine and as such, uses the same idea as Java coding language. 

Developing apps with Kotlin, you have the guarantee that they will be just as quick and efficient as ones that are created with Java. As of 2020, Kotlin is regarded as the 4th most preferred programming language. Platforms like Pinterest, Uber, and Twitter are migrating to Kotlin for their Android application development process. 

3. Corona SDK 

If you’re looking to create fast apps and games, this could be the platform for you! Corona SDK enables 10x faster development speeds than any other framework. This framework is completely free and available for both Windows and Mac OS X! 

It also integrates native UI support with a well-versed advertising platform and over 500 APIs. The API features are great for networking, design graphics, particle effects, widgets, and so much more! Corona SDK is easy to learn and gives you the ability to integrate into Android for the developers. 

4. Sencha Touch 

This is an enterprise-first platform that’s created for native mobile app development and is based on HTML5 and JavaScript, allowing for the creation of various Android apps. It comes ready with almost 50 built-in UI fundamentals and native themes, which helps developers to develop attentive and audience-grasping applications. 

Sencha Touch uses hardware acceleration tools in order for the apps to function with high performance. Some of the main pros include: compatibility, fast execution, and responsive touch features. When building an app with this framework, you’ll be creating an immersive platform for your users with smooth scrolling, fluid animations, and greatly adaptive features.

5. TheAppBuilder 

This framework uses HTML5 to support a code-less user interface. What does that mean? You don’t need to know how to code in order to create an app! It has an effective drag-and-drop framework that allows developers to create apps quickly and efficiently. 

It comes ready with content updates, push notifications, feedback and polls. Once your app is created, you’re able to submit it directly to the Google Play store to increase your businesses reach with a diverse group of consumers. One of the greatest features of TheAppBuilder is the generation of analytical reports, so you’re easily able to find any complications and solve them!

6. SproutCore

This is an open-source JavaScript framework that is fantastic for developing REALLY FAST apps with all sorts of features! SproutCore is an HTML5 platform (designed by Apple), which utilizes a MVC design. This enables for high performance and comparability for your application. 

It comes equipped with a complete set of tools that are needed to develop a desktop application, this includes: UI components, routing, testing and deployment resources. With over 50,000 tools, this framework has worked its way up to the top for Android app development. 

Native App Development 

7. React Native 

This is a strong open-source framework that gives support for various development tools and their IDEs. Many well-known companies use React Native to develop their apps, such as: Walmart, Instagram, and Tesla. 

A great feature is that most of their APIs are cross-platform, meaning developers can program their code just once and run it wherever. This ultimately improves the speed and saves the company money! 

As with most frameworks, React Native has building blocks for its development process. Developers are able to integrate updated files whilst keeping the current state of the app. 

8. Xamarin 

This framework (owned by Microsoft), is equipped with a state-of-the-art toolset, which allows developers to create native apps for various mobile platforms on a C# coding language. As it is owned by Microsoft, it uses their cloud testing abilities to test the apps built on multiple devices. 

The code-sharing features of Xamarin is one of the leading factors, as it reduces time and the amount of issues run into during the development process. 

9. Appcelerator Titanium 

Similarly to others, this is an open-source platform for developing native apps with (and there’s no catch here): a single JavaScript code! It’s quite liked as it allows for the development of multi-platform apps which use approximately 60%-90% of the already written code. 

Appcelerator Titanium makes use of hardware features such as OS-centric controls, Android menu options, and platform notifications. Some other great features incorporated into this framework are: application monitoring, automated testing, and performance regulation. 

Hybrid App Development 

10. Ionic 

This is a completely free framework that is approved by MIT and enables developers to create advanced hybrid apps with the use of CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript. It is popular due to its cross-platform abilities and the capability to incorporate AngularJS. 

Ionic hosts a command-line interface which integrates features such as logging, emulators, and live reload. Also, it has the ability to migrate to various services like Instagram and Google Play! 

11. Flutter 

This framework is created by Google and is a multi-platform mobile SDK which can be used to develop your very own mobile applications. However, it works slightly different from most Android frameworks. 

Flutter utilizes a cross-platform process and uses the Dart coding language. Flutter though, is definitely one of the best choices for hybrid app development. 

The greatest advantages: 

• Quick rendering 

• Screen reader 

• Cross-platform 

• Hot reload 

• Fast development 

• Open-source and free 

• Themes for both iOS and Android 

12. Cordova 

Cordova, like other frameworks, is an open source platform that developers can use to create multi-platform accessible applications with a single code base such as Appcelerator Titanium. It operates based on standard web technologies; CSS3, JavaScript, and HTML5. It is a medium between mobile and web applications. 

Although Cordova is mainly designed to develop online apps, it is able to offer support for offline situations, which makes it ideal for the development of desktop applications.

13. PhoneGap 

This is an open-source framework which is supported by both Adobe and Apache. It enables developers to create apps using CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript. It allows developers to simultaneously view the changes during the development process. 

It is most often used for developing hybrid apps, and is able to perform highly along with the freedom aspect, which means developers can work without hardware restrictions. 

14. NativeScript 

Another top framework for hybrid application development is a free open-source platform, which allows developers to build apps using TypeScript, Vue, or Angular. The great thing about this framework is the ability to reuse plugins from those directly in the projects, which is a huge plus for developers. 

NativeScript is especially great for experienced developers in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML to create highly advanced apps. One of the greatest advantages being: UIs with the platform’s engine in order to receive results in native-like UIs and performance capabilities. As such, guaranteed success! 

14 Frameworks and Still Unclear on Which to Choose?  

Choosing the right Android framework is no easy task, especially if you’re not an experienced developer. Each business has different needs which would correspond differently to each framework. At ISU Corp we’re able to assess everything together and help you make the right choice. 

Interested? Contact us today!