ARRC Technology, Author at ARRC

5 apps that are missing from your life… and your phone

Posted on January 18, 2017June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

It seems like a new app hits the market every other day, and it can be easy to feel inundated by the sheer number of apps for download. However, while finding a good app can feel a whole lot like finding a needle in a haystack, it can sometimes be worth the back-breaking, headache-inducing search to find it.

But luckily for you, that back-breaking, headache-inducing search has already been done for you. Here are 5 good apps to consider the next time you find yourself looking for an app.

Stringify

This app strings together all your “things” to help you better manage your life. With Stringify, you can create custom flows for you and your family that will initiate multiple actions at once. For example, when you wake up, you could say “Good Morning” to Alexa and that phrase would turn on the TV and turn up the temperature. But that’s not all you can do with Stringify. This app also works as an all-in-on smart thing remote. In other words, you could adjust the lights, track your fitness, and manage your Twitter feed from the Stringify app.

Filmborn

Interested in learning more about the differences in traditional film? Or maybe you’re just looking to improve the quality of your images? Either way, Filmborn, an old-school take on the modern photo app, can do both. Adjust your camera to take photos based on view, lens, and type of film, and as a result, you can become more familiar with classic film looks. Then, when you’re finished snapping, use advanced editing controls to create more professional photos.

Squeeze

Managing your finances can be very high on the list of things you don’t want to do. But thanks to Squeeze, tracking your bills and spending habits is much simpler than it ever has been. Connect your accounts and aesthetically-pleasing graphs will provide you with a quick visual of how much you’ve spent, where your money is going, and how you compare to previous months. Squeeze will even give you insights into how to save money, decrease your bills, and spend less.

Spark

Next to managing your finances, managing that inbox of yours is yet another thing that’s pretty high on the list of things you don’t want to do. However, Spark is an intelligent email app that changes the way you interact with your inbox. View all the most important emails at the top of your inbox, customize swiping functions to easily archive and delete emails, and quick-reply to incoming emails with one-tap responses.

Gboard

How many times have you found yourself in the middle of a text needing to Google something? When this happens, you have to jump from one app to another, and while this process isn’t difficult, it is annoying. Gboard is a keyboard app that makes this process a little less annoying. Benefit from all the traditional features of a modern keyboard app – like voice-to-text and glide typing – but receive the added benefit of integrated search capabilities. Hit the Google icon on the top right of the Gboard keyboard and search for information directly within your text message.

Which of these 6 bad online habits are you guilty of?

Posted on January 13, 2017June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

Bad habits come in all shapes and sizes, and they even come in the digital variety. And these digital bad habits are just like most bad habits – hard to break, expensive, and can potentially ruin your reputation.

But which online habits are the most damaging to pick up? Here are a few to watch out for.

Where is thy passcode, sir?

There are way too many people in this world who don’t lock their mobile devices. But it doesn’t make any sense. Is it really that difficult or time-consuming to type in a few numbers or swipe a simple pattern? And if it is, is dropping a passcode really worth losing data over?

If anyone snatches one of your devices, the only thing really protecting your data is a passcode. If you don’t have one, that person will have an all-access pass to everything inside it.

Put down the mouse and step away from the clicker.

The power of the almighty click… aimed in the right direction, a simple click has the power to destroy reputations and topple an entire business. Despite this, though, people are still as clicker-crazy as ever. They click on ads that are too good to be true, click on links that are clearly malicious, and click on anything that looks even remotely clickable. Knock it off, and direct your click with a little more caution.

You remember to recycle the 3 P’s: plastic, paper, & passwords.

A password is meant to be reused, right?

via GIPHY

That would be a ‘no.’ Passwords should not be reused, recycled, or anything else that beings with a re-. If someone gains access to one account, then they’ll gain access to all your accounts. And I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty terrible. So DON’T do it.

Every email deserves an opportunity to feel loved.

No. A big, fat, resounding, in-your-face, makes-you-feel-stupid, no. The inbox is one of the most widely-used avenues of attack, and the people behind these attacks are getting better and better at putting together emails that look and sound legitimate.

So, no… not every email needs to be opened, read, or clicked on. You must remain suspicious of all emails, and think before you ever click or download anything contained inside an email.

Is there a limit to how many times someone can click Remind Me Later?

How many times have you received a prompt to update your PC or phone and clicked on the Remind Me Later option?

Actually… don’t answer that.

via GIPHY

Stop postponing updates. Just stop. You do it once, and you’ll probably do it again and again and again. And pretty soon, it’ll be 6 months later and you’ll still be clicking Remind Me Later.

Why yes, Mr. Stranger. Mi teléfono es su teléfono.

It’s probably not a good idea to let people use your devices for an extended period of time. Sure, your mom can send a text through your phone and your coworker can look something up on your laptop; however, it’s important to not let this get out of hand.

In other words, don’t do anything like let a stranger make a call on your phone or allow your friends to take your tablet out of town with them. It only takes a few seconds to swipe data off your devices, so be careful.

Prep your tech for the New Year with these 5 tips

Posted on January 6, 2017June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

It’s a New Year, so how about we get you ready for it? Starting with your technology.

Here are a few quick tips to get you and your tech up-to-speed for the coming year.

Clean out your inbox.

Whether it’s your personal inbox or your professional one, there’s no better time than the present to clean it out and get it organized. Go through all those emails that have been sitting in your inbox for months, and do whatever you need to do to check them off your to-do list. Set aside some time for later that can be dedicated to each email and get a handle over your inbox.

Also, take this opportunity to ensure your folders actually make sense. Do you still need them all? Are they labeled correctly and do they accomplish what you need them to accomplish?

And lastly, unsubscribe, unsubscribe, unsubscribe. For the next week or so, take any email you get that you no longer want to get and unsubscribe from it. Do this for just one week and it will have a significant impact on your productivity inside your inbox.

Go through all those photos.

It’s probably safe to assume that you have over a thousand photos stored on your phone. It’s pretty normal at this point. However, this can affect that whole having-storage-on-your-phone thing. This being said, take an hour or so to go through your photos. Delete all those repeat shots and keep only the best photos.

After you’ve done this, consider uploading your photos into the cloud and off of your phone. A good app to consider is Google Photos. You can organize your photos with ease, search by tags or dates, and benefit from unlimited storage.

Delete unused apps.

Did you download an app eight months ago, use it once, and then forget it ever existed? Most likely. And if you’re anything like everyone else, then you’ve done this multiple times, which means your phone is probably littered with a handful of unused apps. So… deal with it.

Take a few moments, swipe through each screen, and delete any app you haven’t used within the last month. And if there is an app on there that you feel you might use at some point in the future, delete it. When the time comes, you can download it again.

And then delete it again.

Change all your passwords.

Passwords. It’s time to change them. Odds are you haven’t done so in a while, and if you have, it was because you forgot your login credentials and the website made you do it. Because of this, there’s likely to be no consistent strategy to your online passwords.

Go through each of your accounts, update your information (like phone number and security questions), and change your passwords. If you can, create passphrases and include capital letters and characters.

Organize your digital filing system.

This one might take a little longer – depending on if you’re looking at your home PC or your work PC – but your files should all belong somewhere and your folders should all make sense to your personal productivity and daily workflow. So, your documents might be filed away in the appropriate places, but does this actually do anything for your productivity? If not, take the opportunity to adjust how you organize your files. Analyze and restructure.

Top 5 Android Apps of 2016

Posted on December 28, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

TheNextWeb, well-known for its tech reviews and online know-how, recently released a list of their top 40 Android Apps of 2016. We took a few minutes to go through the list and weed out our top 5 apps. Here they are in all their glory.

Google Allo

Texting with an Android device is considerably different than texting through the iPhone’s iMessage app. You can do a whole lot more with iMessage… like add stickers, play games, markup photos, and adjust the size and impact of your font. It’s fun. And now, thanks to google, Android users have similar texting capabilities. Google Allo provides you with smart replies based on your conversation; it lets you adjust your text, and it allows you to write or draw on a picture. You can add stickers, Google within a text message, and chat in Incognito Mode.

Google Keep

Yes, it might be another app from Google, but it’s another great app. This note-taking, list-building, appointment-setting app is so ridiculously easy to use that you’d be silly not to give it a go. Add a single note, attach photos, or create a list. All items added to your Google Keep are highly reminiscent of sticky notes, and when you’re done with a note, swipe to archive or swipe to trash. Change the color of your sticky notes to keep things aesthetically pleasing and well organized.

Prisma

Prisma quickly became one of the most popular apps of the year. People everywhere were impressed with the stunning visual capabilities it possesses. Snap a photo or a selfie and apply your desired filter. But these filters aren’t the type you’ll find in Instagram or Snapchat… these filters are supposed to look more like art than anything. It’s the Van Gogh or Picasso version of your run-of-the-mill smartphone photo.

Shazam Lite

Sure, those apps that tell you the title of the song that’s currently playing are great. They save you from trying to decipher the lyrics and then searching for those lyrics in Google. But… that’s only if the app loads in time. In most cases, the app does not load in time; you get frustrated, and you’re still left wondering what the heck song you just listened to. Shazam Lite solves this problem. All it does is find the title of the song… which means there isn’t much to it. Open the app, and tap the Shazam icon to instantly identify the song playing.

Human

There are a million and one ways to track your fitness these days, but Human is an app that likes to think it’s taken a different approach to fitness-tracking. With this innovative app, your activity is tracked all day and its end goal is to get you to move for at least 30 minutes of every day. You can view your activity on a real-time map and compare yourself to other Human users in your city. Track your progress, view history, and keep tabs on how well you stack up to the competition around you.

6 tech resolutions your business should make for the New Year

Posted on December 27, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

As you and your coworkers move into the New Year, there are probably a million and one things on your list to-do, to-see, and to-think-about. But one thing your business should definitely shine a high beam on is technology.

Technology has the power to take your business to that next level. It can make your business look better, be better, and perform better. But where exactly should you start? It’s simple, really. Here are a few tech resolutions you should make for the New Year.

Be kind to your data.

When you lose your data, it isn’t fun. Imagine all that downtime you accumulate and all that money you have to spend trying to get it back… it’s no walk in the park, that’s for sure. So in the coming year, you should make it a top priority to back up all your data at all times. Use a professional-grade solution and partner with a quality IT company. This way, if something ever does happen to your data (like an extra-large soda from McDonalds or a fun string of Ransomware), it can all be recovered with ease in no time at all.

Keep your accounts secure.

Data breaches are happening all around us, and they aren’t going away anytime soon. So if you are going to make any tech resolutions for the New Year, then make it this one. Keep your accounts secure and private with rock-solid passwords and proper password hygiene. Never write your credentials down, change them regularly, and never get them out to anyone.

Use new technologies.

Don’t be afraid to use new technologies to help your business move ahead of the competition. Explore virtual reality, get into wearables, branch into smart gadgets, and consider a drone or two. It might sound crazy and off-the-wall to incorporate these technologies into your small to medium-sized business, but in all actuality, it’s really not. Consumers expect to see these technologies move into normal businesses. So do what you can to get there before your competition does.

Don’t forget those web apps.

Apps are here to help. They can do so much for you and your team… you just need to find the right ones to use. A good place to start is to determine what your team needs help with. Is it communication? Project management? Time management? Collaboration in general? Whatever it is, there’s this thing called Google. Google your need, and you’ll be greeted with article after review after blog on apps of all sizes and shapes. It’s basically magic.

Show your hardware some love.

The better your hardware performs, the better your business can perform. But, this will require some effort on your part. You’ll need to find a cost-efficient way to supply your hardware with routine maintenance and regular updates. Keep your hardware well-oiled and you’ll avoid downtime and preserve productivity.

Set boundaries.

While technology is great and all, it can do some damage to your productivity if you take it too far for too long. Encourage your coworkers to set boundaries with the technology they rely on to complete their everyday tasks. For example, ask them to take a 15-minute break outside every two hours or so. You could even promote the 20-20-20 rule… every 20 minutes, stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will help you and your coworkers protect your eyes from the damaging effects of staring at a screen all day.

3 job trends we’ll start to notice in 2017

Posted on December 15, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

Glassdoor is famous for providing job seekers and the actively employed with salary and company insights. Their hands-on, in-depth research makes it possible for people to negotiate pay, prep for interviews, and find new jobs.

But this company’s research doesn’t stop there. They take things a step further to uncover current and future economic trends. And very recently, they compiled a list of job trends to watch for in 2017 and the coming years.

Among these trends, technology was a reoccurring element, and as an IT company, you can probably imagine how this makes us feel. And giddy with excitement only grazes the surface.

As you head into the new year, here are a few trends we feel are important to keep in mind. And the fact that they have everything to do with technology has nothing to do with it…

Tech jobs are where it’s at.

Everyone is hiring people to fill tech roles. And this doesn’t just include actual tech companies. This covers everything from the medical field to the retail industry, as well as small- to medium-sized businesses off all shapes and colors.

Companies are beginning to realize that, to be relevant and modern, you need people who can help keep you relevant and modern. These people will need to know apps, mobile devices, software, gadgets, and data. Understanding how to integrate this level of technology into your day-to-day operations will become a crucial element of business.

Everyone will need to pair their skills with technology.

Plenty of people have been saying over the last decade or so that technology will result in massive job loss. Companies will design technology that has the ability to automate processes and this will result in the complete removal of the human element. However, this might not be entirely the case.

Glassdoor says “automation will change every job,” but not in the way you think it will. Automation won’t replace jobs on a massive scale; however, it will require people to learn new skills. Creativity, efficiency, processes, and productivity in general will only improve if people grow their skillsets and match these skills with current and future technologies.

Data science will matter to the HR world.

Everyone who’s anyone is soaking up the data. Why? Because it’s everywhere. And you literally can’t go anywhere without stepping in a pile of data. But according to Glassdoor, the HR world in particular is a little behind the data curve. But not for long.

In the coming years, we will begin to see recruiters and HR generalists employ data to help them widen the talent pool, place new hires strategically, and create a more positive workplace culture. These small changes will have large impacts on the overall flow of the business realm and lead to something bigger and better than we ever imagined.

6 ways to motivate your team to do better

Posted on December 13, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

How’s that team of yours looking? Not so hot? Like they all need to sit down and watch Remember the Titans together?

If that’s the case, we got you covered. Here are a few simple things you can do to easily motivate your staff.

Give them an incentive.

Not everyone is motivated by money. But then again, not everyone is motivated by a simple “please and thank you” either. However, if you want your team to be motivated to do more and to do it better, then you need to determine what would make them do this.

Your incentives might change from project to project and from department to department, but these incentives can remain relatively simple. You might be surprised to see just how much a little somethin’ somethin’ can alter your team’s collective mindset.

Offer a team lunch, half a day off, or a $20 gift card to the grocery store. These simple, inexpensive incentives can motivate your team to get things done quicker, to work together better, and to really get into what they’re doing.

Make it their project.

At the end of the day, a project is just a project. It’s a project for the company, not for the person or the team. But – and this is a big but – if you make it the team’s project, things might not be so “whatever happens happens.”

Give your team the ability to change things and alter the course of a project, and things will suddenly get personal for them. Your staff will feel like they have a real chance to make a difference in the company, and they should be motivated to do something great.

Expand their skillset.

Maybe they already have the mindset… they’re motivated and ready to go big. However, they’re lacking the proper skills to do anything with that mindset. So… give your team what it needs. Training. Knowledge. Insight.

Send your team to a conference, enroll them in an online course, or drop a few books off at their desks. Point them in the right direction, and let them go. They’ll come back with refined skills and even more motivation than they started off with.

Give a speech.

If all else fails, it’s time for a speech. Sit down, watch a few sports movies, and take detailed notes. If you decide to take this old-fashioned approach to motivating your team (and you do it in a genuine fashion), one thing will happen.

Your team will know you care.

Back off.

Very rarely does any human on this earth like to be micromanaged. It’s not fun, and it usually ends poorly. If you notice that yourself or any other managers within your company are micromanaging your staff unjustifiably, then you need to nip that in the bud. And quickly.

Back off from your team when they’re working on a project. You hired them for a reason, right? So let them do what they think is best. Handing over the reins and trusting in their abilities is enough motivation for any team.

Join in on the fun.

Whether you’re the CEO or a department manager, the average team likes to know that you aren’t afraid to get your hands dirty. If an executive or supervisor gets involved and joins in on a project (without micromanaging or taking over completely), it’s exciting.

Every now and then, take the opportunity to participate in something your team is working on. And keep in mind, you don’t have to be involved throughout the life of a project to participate. All it takes is sitting in on a group discussion or offering up your assistance for an hour or two. A little effort goes a long way.

Canva, design made simple.

Posted on December 2, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

What’s really neat about the rise of technology and the internet, in general, is that we’re given access to a variety of tools. These tools make it possible for people to do things they don’t necessarily have the skillset to do.

For example, there are SEO tools that help you compose effective meta descriptions and keywords. And there are social media tools that help you analyze data and manage mentions. So even if you aren’t a web developer or copywriter, you can still have an SEO strategy that’s on point. And even if you don’t have the skills to analyze all the data that comes from LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, you can still be at the top of your social media game.

And now, thanks to Canva, we have a pretty solid tool that helps you create beautiful, share-worthy designs.

Create a Canva account, login, and you’ll have the option to decide what type of design you’re looking for. Need to share something on social media? Maybe you want to build an infographic? Or perhaps an email header? Whatever it is, Canva probably has an option for it.

Once you select a design option, you can scroll through thousands of available layouts. Here’s an example of what type of layouts you might come across.

All layouts are entirely customizable. You can change the font style, size, and color; you can transform circles into squares or take them out altogether, and you can switch out any photos or illustrations found within the layout.

Unfortunately, not every option found within Canva is free. Of course, you have the option to pay for a Canva membership, and at that point, you’ll have free reign of their features. But if that doesn’t seem like a viable route for you, then you can also pay as you go. For example, when you’re browsing through the available elements, some will have a price listed next to it. If you want to use it, you can simply add it to your masterpiece and then pay for it when you’re ready to download your design.

As you can see above, most of their elements are free to use (and the ones that aren’t are pretty cheap), So you should be able to get by just fine without paying for anything. Where it does get sort of tricky though, is when you get to the layouts.

If you want to use a paid layout, the pricing will differ based on how many times you plan to use it. For example, the layout picked below costs one dollar to use once. To use it multiple times, you’ll be charged $10, and to use it for an extended period, it’ll cost you $100.

However, when you consider how much a license to Shutterstock would cost you and how much it would cost to hire on a graphic designer, the price to design with Canva doesn’t seem too bad. Not even a little bit.

6 things the Amazon Echo can do for you

Posted on November 22, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

As I mentioned earlier, Christmas is fast approaching. And because of this, we’re all gearing up to buy lots and lots of random thangs for all those random people on your shopping list. For many of us, however, we’ll turn to the ever popular Amazon for assistance.

This year, Amazon is heavily pushing its Alexa-enabled smart devices – the Amazon Echo and the Echo Dot. The Echo Dot is simply a miniature version of the Amazon Echo and comes to the public at a reasonable price of $49.99. So, I don’t know about all of you guys, but nearly every person on my Christmas list this year will be getting a Dot… whether they like it or not. And it’s probably safe to assume that a lot of other people out there have the same idea as I do.

Why? Because it makes sense and allows you to avoid the Target parking lot.

So, this being said, I thought it’d be a pretty good idea to provide all you people out there with a list of things those Alex-enabled devices are capable of.

Play stuff.

At the end of the day, these particular smart gadgets are all about the music. The sound quality is superb, and you can even provide Alexa with audible commands when the music is at full blast and you’re halfway across the room. And asking Alexa to play music is incredibly simple. Tell her to play a specific artist or a pre-built playlist on your Spotify. Ask her to turn up the volume, switch to the next song, or add a track to your library. You can even play music by genre or ask Alexa to turn the music off in one hour.

Track stuff.

With an Echo or Echo Dot, tracking time is almost too easy. Set a timer, turn on an alarm, ask what the time is, or figure out what day it is. And language is definitely not a barrier here, which means you can provide Alexa with commands in a variety of ways. “Alexa, set an alarm for 8 AM.” Or, “Alexa, wake me up at 8 AM”. Or, “Alexa, wake me up in 7 hours.” She understands it all.

Check stuff.

The time isn’t the only thing you care about. You want to know the weather, the news, and the results of the game last night. And with Alexa, this is all possible. Ask Alexa if it will rain today, what the weather will be like this weekend, what the latest news is, and how the game turned out last night.

Order stuff.

Run out of toilet paper? Alexa can reorder that for you. Looking to catch an Uber? Alexa can call one for you. Thinking about pizza for dinner tonight? Alexa has you covered.

Control stuff.

Sooooo… these devices are pretty darn awesome. Why? Well, because not only can they track all that stuff we’ve already hit on, but with the help of Alexa, they can also control all those smart gadgets in your home. From Philips Hue and Wink to SmartThings and Belkin WeMo, Alexa can work with them all. Turn on your lights, adjust the temperature of your home, or lock your front door. All it takes is a simple command.

Hear stuff.

Not in the mood for music? Well, that’s entirely okay. Alexa can read you a story. You can ask her to pause, reread a section, or stop reading after an hour has gone by. You finally have someone willing to read you a bedtime story again.

5 weird gifts for all those weirdos on your Christmas list

Posted on November 18, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

We all have those people on our Christmas lists. Those people who aren’t normal. Those people who never like anything you get them because they’re just too darn weird or way too eccentric. But at the same time, you can’t not get these people a gift. At the end of the day, you still sort of like these people. They’re your friends, your family members, your loved ones… a gift is simply a requirement.

So I’m here to help you step up your game. It is possible to find these people a great gadget that’s just as eccentric as they are. You just have to do a little research. But before you go and do that, take a look below. You might find the gift you’ve been searching for.

A Hair Dryer

This one isn’t cheap. In fact, you should really, really love the lady you get this for. But if you’ve gotten your wife, girlfriend, or mother every appliance, necklace, and gift card out there, then this Dyson designed hairy dryer might be the way to go. Coming in at $399.99 (gulp), the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is engineered much like their vacuums are – expertly and intelligently. This bad boy will never damage your hair, never leave your hand in pain, and dry your hair quicker than the Sahara can in the middle of the summer.

A Candle

Just as people love that new car smell, people love that New Mac smell. Is it weird? Most definitely. Are we going to question it any further? Not a chance. If there’s someone in your life who loves their Mac a little more than they should, then this candle should find its way into a gift bag somewhere. But then again, this candle isn’t a great idea for Mac lovers alone. Any tech, nerd, or geek out there would get a kick out of it.

A Pet Camera

There are Mac lovers and then there are animal lovers. Both equally as weird. And both equally hard to shop for. But this gadget might change things for you. Say hello to the Petcube Camera. And yes… it does exactly what you think it does. Set it up, and you’ll have the ability to watch, talk to, and play with your furry little creature. Watch a livestream of your pet directly from your phone and use a built-in laser toy to play with your animal. Will the animal be completely and utterly confused? Probably. But will the pet lover in your life be absolutely filled with joy? Yes. Yes, they will be.

A Football

Is there a smart version of everything out there? Of course, there is… like the Wilson X, a smart football that will make the perfect gift for any son, husband, or brother out there. This football connects to your phone to deliver play-by-play statistics, like how far you throw, what your spin rate is, and how efficient your spiral is. And how exactly does it do all that? With a teeny, tiny, undetectable chip.

A Bike Navigator

It seems like riding bikes is the cool thing to do now. All hipsters everywhere are turning towards super slim bikes with no brakes. While I don’t get it, they seem to love it. This being said, you should turn your attention towards Smarthalo. This smart gadget attaches to the top of your bike and connects to your smartphone. Tell the app where you need to go and the gadget will provide you with turn-by-turn, color-coded directions on how to get there and will even supply you with thorough biking stats after the ride. Know how long it took you to get there, how far you traveled, how many calories burned, and what your average speed was. Any hipster anywhere would love it.

October… What a Month!

Posted on November 7, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

October was a month full of activities and giving back which gave ARRC Technology the opportunity to interact with local businesses, the community, and some amazing organizations.

October 1st, 2016 – Wine, Women, & Shoes benefitting CASA of Kern County

On October 1^stARRC Technology was a proud sponsor of Wine, Women, & Shoes benefitting CASA of Kern County. CASA provides volunteer-based advocates for abused and neglected children going through the court system that speak up and fight for the best interest of the child.

October 15th, 2016 – National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Kern County’s 2016 NAMIWalks

On Saturday, October 15^th ARRC Technology was a part the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Kern County’s 2016 NAMIWalks. One of NAMI’s main focus is to break the stigma that surrounds mental illness. They offer support groups for individuals that have been diagnosed with a mental illness and for their family members. Often times an individual cannot bear the weight that their mental illness causes them so they take their own life; NAMI offers support for the family members they leave behind with their Survivors Support group. They also work closely with the police departments to train officers on how to recognize and handle a situation involving an individual suffering from a mental illness.

October 27th, 2016 – Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Business Expo

On October 27^th ARRC Technology had an exhibitor booth at the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce Business Expo. It was a great night of meeting and interacting with local businesses and members of the community.

October 29^th – Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County’s (ADAKC’s) annual Clay Shoot Tournament

Congratulations to Marisol Cruz from American Business Machines! She won the drawing for our Halloween Party Basket at the Business Expo.

On October 29^th ARRC Technology donated an HP Elite Tablet to be auctioned off at the Alzheimer’s Disease Association of Kern County’s (ADAKC’s) annual Clay Shoot Tournament.

Thank you to everyone that placed a bid at the auction and congratulations to the winner!

A flying camera and solar-powered smart lights make up this home security system

Posted on November 3, 2016June 25, 2025 by ARRC Technology

Home security is a huge concern for basically anyone with a pulse. No one wants to face an intruder and most anyone will do whatever it takes to avoid that frightening possibility. But thankfully, technology is making it a little easier to both manage and build up your home security.

Smart locks, doorbells, cameras, and alarm systems give you the ability to see things in a more controlled setting. Know who’s at the door before you get up and figure out why your dog is barking without walking outside. Technology makes securing your home simpler, safer, and more user-friendly. And now, Sunflower Labs has decided to take this a step further.

Although you can only reserve their product at this point, there are more than a few reasons you should consider bolstering your home security with the Sunflower Home Awareness System.

Solar Powered

Part of the Sunflower Lab security system consists of motion-activated smart lights. These lights look like your run-of-the-mill garden lights, but they’re completely solar and turn on when they detect motion. You can even apply designer light themes to change the mood of your environment. So say you’re having a backyard party, you can lower the brightness and opt for warmer lighting.

Alerts

When your lights do detect motion, you’ll receive a notification on your phone. This notification will let you know where the motion was detected and ask if you’d like to check it out.

Live Video

If you want to check out a notification, then you can through a live video feed. However, this close-up shot won’t come from the lights themselves; it’ll come from a connected flying camera. Tap the option to check out the motion, and your camera will fly to the area in question. You can see who’s there or what’s going on with nothing but your phone. No need to guess where it came from or to take a late-night stroll in a dark backyard. The Sunflower system has you covered.

Easy to Install

The Sunflower Home Awareness System is incredibly simple to install. Stick the lights into the ground, download the app, and then, at this point, it’s just a matter of connecting your camera and lights to the app. It’s as simple as that.