technology

News

County’s Mobile and Email Success Spurs Plan for More Tech Improvements in 2016

By Jennifer Currier

According to the county’s Digital Communications Manager Jennifer Smith, 37 percent of site traffic is from mobile devices, up from 25 percent before the upgrade. Mobile phones account for 30 percent of site traffic, with the remaining 7 percent attributed to tablets.

“When we first redesigned the site our goal was to make it mobile-friendly,” Smith said. “Having mobile use increase from about a quarter to more than a third is huge, and the importance of being mobile-friendly is more critical than ever.”

Go to County’s Mobile and Email Success Spurs Plan for More Tech Improvements in 2016 Read more
Sponsored

Sea Change in Credit Card Liability Coming for Small Business

EMV chip-and-sign reduces the amount of account information compromised from insecure credit card terminals.  It also prevents a malicious party from easily stealing customers’ card swipe data to create counterfeit copies.

The EMV chip is visible on most newer cards as a small gold-colored square (see the above right graphic).  The primary goal of EMV chip technology is to reduce fraud and improve credit card security.  EMV is an industry acronym that stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa.

Go to Sea Change in Credit Card Liability Coming for Small Business Read more
Schools

School Board Funds Teacher Training for iPad, Laptop Initiative

By Heather Mongilio

The funding was approved after an amendment to stop it failed one to four.

The professional development will help teachers be able to better incorporate digital tools, such as laptops or iPads, in lesson plans. It is part of the Arlington Public Schools’ digital learning initiative, which has the goal of equipping children in second to eighth grades with an iPad and high school students with Macbook Airs.

Go to School Board Funds Teacher Training for iPad, Laptop Initiative Read more
Sponsored

Why the Cloud Isn’t the Answer to All Your Technology Needs

In the last few years there has been an increasing hype regarding cloud-based offerings. From outsourcing the office file or mail server to powering entire complex web sites, collaboration and outsourcing of voice over IP as well as CRM.  The cloud is also touted as a solution for off-site backup services. The term cloud has come to mean just about anything not on your local network. The broadening definition combined with the reduction of reliability, security and accountability is a troubling trend, though.

What is a cloud?

Go to Why the Cloud Isn’t the Answer to All Your Technology Needs Read more
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

FIFA Movie Shown in Arlington — Arlington is home to one of ten theaters nationwide that showed a biopic about Sepp Blatter, the embattled president of FIFA who last week announced that he would be stepping down from the international soccer organization. The AMC Loews Shirlington 7 grossed $161 from “United Passions” as of Friday. Nationwide the film, which cost FIFA at least $25 million to produce, grossed only $607. [Washington Post]

Crystal City Hosts Car ‘Micro-Factory’ — Crystal City is currently home to the Local Motors Mobifactory, a car factory in a shipping container. The “micro-factory” uses 3D printing technology to produce prototype vehicles. The micro-factory plans to remain at 1900 Crystal Drive for the rest of the summer. A grand opening is planned for Thursday. [Tech.co]

Go to Morning Notes Read more
Sponsored

Ten Tips for Keeping Your Small Business IT Safe, Secure and Effective

Businesses rely on information technology to improve productivity, share information and reduce the time it takes to communicate.

Despite how important information technology is to their success many small businesses tend to manage it poorly. For the most part this has to do with the depth of expertise and investment of time that is necessary to ensure that software, hardware, networks and telephony are maintained to promote maximum stability and security.

Go to Ten Tips for Keeping Your Small Business IT Safe, Secure and Effective Read more
Around Town

Yelp CEO’s Tech Career Started With Bike Rides to Ballston Mall

By ARLnow.com

Stoppelman grew up in Arlington, near Military Road. He attended Taylor Elementary in the 1980s and swam on the Donaldson Run swim team. Though Stoppelman and his family later moved to Great Falls, where he attended Langley High School, it was those early days in Arlington that set him on the path to Silicon Valley stardom.

“I used to ride my bike to Ballston mall to buy video games… they had one of those little video game stores,” he told ARLnow.com in a phone interview. “I was always interested in technology and computers. It probably started early with my love of video games and fascination with how you build them and the machines they run on.”

Go to Yelp CEO’s Tech Career Started With Bike Rides to Ballston Mall Read more
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

More Details in Aurora Highlands Slaying — Investigators have sent hairs found in the hands of murder victim Bonnie Black to a lab for DNA testing. Police have also thoroughly searched the house of Black’s estranged husband, confiscating items like a Swiss Army knife, computers and a hair brush. [Washington Post]

DCA Terminal Proposal Unveiled — Officials have unveiled a $800 million plan to build a new commuter aircraft terminal at Reagan National Airport. The terminal would be built to the north of the existing terminals, replacing a headquarters building and a hangar. Currently, 5,000 commuter jet passengers a day use a single gate and are bussed to their planes. [InsideNova]

Go to Morning Notes Read more
Schools

School Board Pushes Ahead with Student Device Initiative

By Ethan Rothstein

School Board member Barbara Kanninen, serving the first year of her term, proposed pausing what’s called the “1:1 Initiative” during the School Board’s budget deliberations last week. Her motion failed, 2-3, with Vice Chair Emma Violand-Sanchez voting in favor.

The initiative has already provided second- and sixth-graders with iPads and freshmen with MacBook Airs. Next year, devices will again be provided to students in those grades.

Go to School Board Pushes Ahead with Student Device Initiative Read more
Around Town

Rosslyn ‘Shark Tank’ Startup Teams with Arlington Libraries

By Ethan Rothstein
Felix Brandon Lloyd of Zoobean, alongside co-founder Jordan Lloyd Bookey (file photo)

ZooBean, based in Rosslyn’s ÜberOffices, has launched Beanstack with the library. The program takes the preferences of each child — “like ninjas, princess or even math and science,” the app’s promotional video explains — and the child’s reading level, and an Arlington librarian recommends books in the catalog that apply.

Each book recommendation also comes with a brief learning tip, ZooBean co-founder Felix Lloyd told ARLnow.com. This could be culling a few vocabulary words from the book to review.

Go to Rosslyn ‘Shark Tank’ Startup Teams with Arlington Libraries Read more
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Tech Leaders Want to Save Artisphere — Some 100 tech leaders and supporters have signed a petition asking Arlington County to reconsider closing Artisphere. Numerous tech-related events have been held at Artisphere in the past couple of years and the petition’s organizer says it’s a “unique” venue that has attracts tech networking events and conferences. [Technical.ly DC]

Memorial Bridge Lane Closures — Two center lanes of the Arlington Memorial Bridge will be closed nightly from April 20 through May 8. The lane closure, slated to be in place between 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., is for a “geotechnical inspection” of the bridge, according to the National Park Service.

Go to Morning Notes Read more
News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Wounded Marine’s Golf Clubs Stolen — Retired Marine Lt. Col. Justin Constantine had a couple of his beloved, custom-made golf clubs stolen from Arlington’s Army Navy Country Club after accidentally leaving them at the driving range. Constantine was shot in the face by a sniper in Iraq in 2006. So far, one of the clubs has been returned while two remain missing. [Marine Corps Times]

Video: iPads in Use at APS — Arlington Public Schools has posted a new “#digitalAPS” video that shows iPads in use in a middle school science class. [Arlington Public Schools]

Go to Morning Notes Read more
View More Stories