SupportSpace Corporate Blog

The Best Online Tech Support Services

Anyone who keeps up to date with PC Magazine will know that Michael Muchmore has been running a series for the last few weeks with reviews on online technical support services.

According to PC Magazine, SupportSpace stands out by giving customers the chance to read user feedback and see the expert’s past performance rating.

Muchmore goes on to say that there is “a thumbnail picture of each tech which lets you put a face to the name—something you can't do in any other support service I've tested”. He says “at support-specialist clearinghouse SupportSpace, you can find people offering their services for as little as $14.99 for a session that ends only when your difficulty is resolved. That service also shows you who are online and available immediately, so there's no hold time.”

He sums it up by saying “SupportSpace's marketplace approach makes tech support more affordable, and I love having the chance to see some background on the reps and being able to choose, as opposed to just getting stuck with the next cog in the wheel. It also means you can develop a relationship with someone whose skills you value”. All sessions also come with a money back guarantee, no questions asked.

By reading this article, you can also get an idea of Muchmore’s impressions on firedog, FixFlash.com, Geek Squad, HiWired, iYogi, and Support.com. So next time you need online tech support, come visit the professionals at http://www.supportspace.com/ and we’ll be happy to help.

SupportSpace hopes to do for tech support what Amazon.com did for books

Wow!! Compared with Amazon.com in our first year in business - it couldn't really get much better, could it?

Tom Spring of PC World has written an article posted in, amongst others, the Washington Post and says that he was more than happy with the service he received from SupportSpace. He says that there are hundreds of experts to choose from and that it can all be done from your desktop at home or the office. I found the selection of technicians impressive, and their ability to help me solve problems was excellent.

He found that the process was simple and easy to use and that he was offered a wide choice when it came to deciding on an expert to solve his case. You can choose according to area of expertise, customer ratings and price. There is a little icon on the expert profile page showing availability, so you are free to contact technicians who are online, therefore saving time.

We were happy to see that Tom managed to get his problem solved quickly and efficiently, saying "I asked a technician to help me correct a conflict between an older application and a DVD video encoder; my problem was solved, and all of the interaction happened via text chat". He also noted that payment is withheld until you are completely satisfied with the support session and that the site encourages users to post feedback and rate the technicians they use, while offering a money-back guarantee.

Tom also made a couple of interesting comments. Firstly, he says SupportSpace lacks the ability to save chat transcripts. We were happy to read this point as we have been working on exactly this idea recently and will be coming to you again soon with an update on how you can see a transcript of your session for future reference. Secondly, he wouldnt haveve liked the opportunity to contact his expert again by e-mail for follow-up questions after they've provided a fix. We are looking into how this can be achieved while maintaining a safe environment for both the customer and the expert alike.

Tom concludes, Overall, SupportSpace is a good option for anyone frustrated by traditional telephone tech support hassles, such as long hold times and dealing with multiple tech staffers to fix one problem.

Top 10 Gadgets of 2007

As we reach the end of yet another year, we have pulled together some interesting facts about our favorite gadgets of the last 12 months. Watch this space to see our predictions for 2008, coming soon!

1. 1. Apple iPhone

iPhone combines three amazing products - a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, etc - into one small, lightweight handheld device. This sees the beginning of an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone.

2. Nokia N95

With Carl Zeiss optics on the 5 Megapixel camera with DVD-like quality video, HSDPA, 3 times faster than 3G experience, and integrated GPS and Maps, there's no doubt that the Nokia N95 is one of the most feature-packed smart phones to date.

“Our Nokia Nseries family has expanded with added pizzazz and performance with the Nokia N95 8GB, a device as personal as it is powerful," said Jonas Geust, vice president, Multimedia, at Nokia. "We've reached a pinnacle with the Nokia N95 and now with the addition of one of the largest ever displays, built-in Assisted-GPS and improved battery power, the Nokia N95 8GB takes entertainment enjoyment to another level." 

3. Sony Handycam HDR-CX7

The camcorder has a 2.7 inch LCD screen which makes it easy to navigate menus and browse recorded content on the “film roll”. Recording takes advantage of a 3 megapixel sensor for HD video and the camera will take 6 megapixel still images.

Both pictures and recording use Sony’s SteadyShot feature to help with the unavoidable shaky video or blurry pictures when trying to get footage on the go. The sound won’t suffer with this, either.

4. Nintendo Wii

There seems to be no stopping the phenomenon that is Nintendo Wii. With sales increasing daily, supply is running short: “I couldn't find a single Wii system on the shelves-literally as I was walking into a Wal-Mart at 11 a.m., someone was walking out with the last one," said  Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, "Consumers are buying every game we can put into the system."

Unlike consoles with joysticks that players operate with their thumbs, the Wii responds to the user moving a wand-like wireless controller strapped to a wrist. Wii games including tennis and bowling appeal to children, parents, hardcore gamers and even senior citizens.

5. Xbox 360

Original Xbox® game support enables your Xbox 360™ video game console to play an array of games from your original Xbox video game console.

A list of games that are currently backward compatible is available here and we will continue to add support for additional games over time.

6. Garmin Nuvi 760

Garmin is one of the top portable GPS manufacturers in the World, and their newest GPS model, from the very popular "Nuvi" line, is the Garmin Nuvi 760. The Nuvi 760 sports a large 4.3 inch touch-screen display, pre-loaded maps, Bluetooth capability, Text to Speech (TTS), MP3 player, FM transmitter, picture viewer, and much more.

This GPS device was given the Editor's Choice Award by GPS Magazine. The Garmin Nuvi 760 is an excellent GPS device, but it does come with a pretty hefty price tag at about $800. I believe the Nuvi 760 is worth the high price tag, because it's the best portable GPS device out there right now.

7. iRiver Clix Media Player

The second generation iRiver Clix was released in 2007, and it offers up the same great 2.2 inch touch-screen display, 4 GB of flash memory, and can be used for playing music, videos, viewing photos, playing games, voice recording, and more.

That's quite a lot of capabilities for a device the size of a business card! And according to Cnet Reviews, this is one of the top all-round MP3 players ever.

8. SPH200W Wi-Fi Skype Phone

This cordless wi-fi phone comes with Skype software already built in, so you can log in to an existing account and start making cheap Internet calls immediately.

The phone will also work at most public hotspots, so if you have lots of friends overseas, you may not want to leave home without it.

9. Slingbox Solo

The newest version of the Slingbox from Sling Media is called the Slingbox Solo. This device allows you to watch TV, DVDs, Satellite, DVR, and other TV sources on your cell phone or laptop from anywhere in the World. This new device will even support HD content and what's great about it is that there are no monthly usage fees!

10. Toshiba HD-A2 DVD Player

The HD-A2 delivers the excellent picture, sound and interactivity features of HD DVD, and adds a new, sleek, compact chassis.

The combination of stellar high-definition picture quality up to 1080i, near high-definition picture-quality of up-converted standard DVDs output through HDMI, and leading edge audio (including Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus) provides a new level of Home Theater Experience.