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GoldenRAM UpgradeDetect
I gave UpgradeDetect the old TTL test to see what it could do. After going to GoldenRAM's website I clicked and downloaded the .exe file. As I typically browse using Mozilla Firefox, I was prompted to fetch the downloadable file (Mac and Linux users will also be required to download this file). Microsoft Internet Explorer users will find that the browser-based version will run using an ActiveX script. (I also ran the IE browser version and it is virtually identical to the .exe). I activated the small, self-extracting .exe file and a few moments later was directed back to the GoldenRAM website. The evaluation summary listed my currently installed memory sizes, displayed my available hard drive space and assessed the virus vulnerability of my RAM. Below the Upgrade Summary were links to purchase the available hardware upgrades for my machine, simple and straightforward.
   I can see how this service could be quite handy for someone who hasn't done a system upgrade before. While the listed prices for some of the components weren't quite as cheap as the big resellers such as Newegg, they were cheaper or similar to prices listed at Best Buy or Circuit City. But for those of us in the nerd community, none of this is new. We've been upgrading our old kit for years. Even as I write this, I am using an ancient laptop that by most accounts shouldn't even be able to run Windows XP. Yet, here I am happily plugging away on my XP-powered laptop from the year 2000. While I can't tell you how well GoldenRAM's hardware upgrade store works (Brian and Kurtis are too cheap to spring for my upgrades), I can tell you that Chris assured me the folks at GoldenRAM work tirelessly to ensure your purchases will be compatible with your machine. Many hardware components are specially fitted with the accoutrements needed to match perfectly with your individual computer. But if you are an IT professional, UpgradeDetect might offer you something more than a few suggestions on which RAM to purchase. I grilled Chris on the differences between the individual and corporate versions of UpgradeDetect. While both versions are no cost, corporate users will find a host of useful features. Most notable is the ability to scan a bank of networked computers while users are clicking away at their cubicles, no interruptions in workflow will occur. IT Directors and Network Admins can set minimal standards for hardware scans and see which machines don't make the cut. Chris illustrated the usefulness of this feature by referring back to the Vista example. 'Imagine you are an IT Director tasked with making your office Windows Vista compatible', he said. Based on current Beta testing rumors, memory requirements of at least 1 GB, 128 MB of video RAM and power derived directly from nuclear fusion will be required to run Vista (one of those requirements is slightly exaggerated). (Ed: I hope it was the video RAM that's exaggerated; I loves me some nucular fusion.) As the Admin running the UpgradeDetect scan, you could review which computers on your network won't be able to handle the Vista upgrade. Additionally, each computer's system ID is recorded and tagged to the Upgrade Summary making it easier to search out deficient machines and get them up to snuff. Once ordered, the parts would ship with the system ID right on the box for easy designation and simple installation. UpgradeDetect could also be run from an e-mail link for computers not connected to the company network, eliminating the need for VPNs and the reliance on non-IT staff to assess their own hardware. But the Vista model is hardly the only scenario GoldenRAM is counting on to send customers their way. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will also figure heavily into the upgrade market as consumers scramble to stay current with electronic trends. By now you are probably thinking what I was thinking: Surely large companies like Google, Microsoft and Best Buy would jump at the chance to implement this technology. When I asked Chris who he was going to approach first, his answer surprised me. Rather than quickly sell the UpgradeDetect software directly to the big corporations, GoldenRAM has implemented their own version of a distribution network intended to draw on the mass of IT professionals already in the workplace. After acquiring Techies.com, a now defunct database of IT professionals similar to Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com, GoldenRAM hopes to employ a unique referral-based system to direct large and small corporate traffic to their site by enabling anyone, and I do mean anyone, to become an UpgradeDetect 'Technology Advisor.' The database of 950,000 Techies.com registered service technicians will serve as a launching pad. Technology Advisors who enroll will be given a free website which they can use to refer customers to the UpgradeDetect service. Technology Advisors will receive a percentage of the total sale of upgrade hardware their referral customers make. A system of installation technicians will also be implemented so those users who purchase upgrades can request installation by regional technicians (although hardware does ship with DIY installation instructions). As such, Chris hopes to make a name for the service and get the big companies to come to GoldenRAM once the need is realized. Upon hearing about the regional technicians idea, Best Buy's Geek Squad service jumped into my mind. I asked Zomaya if we could expect to see the Geek Squad implementing UpgradeDetect as part of their routine. Again I was surprised and entertained by his answer. "We want to put them out of business... they are running on a failed business model." To the point, but not without a measure of truth. The system of employing 'geeks' making computer house calls is a clever idea, but requires a fleet of VWs and service people to drive them. GoldenRAM's system of do-it-yourself upgrade examination and regional technicians is faster and more cost effective, by Zomaya's calculations. Regional technicians would work on a bid system. When a customer requests a home installation, a message (in the form of a page or e-mail) would be sent out to the technicians with a price for the job. The first tech to respond gets the job. GoldenRAM will be officially announcing their referral-based Technology Advisor program within the next few days, probably by the time this article goes live. It will be an interesting experiment to watch unfold, especially since Chris informed me that they have a goal of recruiting 50,000 Technology Advisors within the next 12 months. I will admit, at first I felt that the idea had a bit of an Amway feel to it... but maybe that isn't necessarily a bad thing. As somewhat of a field technician in my own right, I am familiar with the confusion generated when home users try to upgrade their aging systems. I often help friends and family upgrade their current computers while trying to save them a few bucks in the process. GoldenRAM's UpgradeDetect might make that process easier not just for small-time users, but large companies as well. Keep your eye out for GoldenRAM. Their new release could be just the thing to guide those technophobic home users out there towards the path of DIY upgrading. Although, I am more impressed with the possibilities the UpgradeDetect service could offer to the IT departments of larger corporations. Also, keep an eye out for their Technology Advisor kick-off in the very near future. We would like to extend a big thanks to Chris Zomaya for taking the time to speak with me about GoldenRAM's UpgradeDetect release. I would also like to thank Betsy Scherzer of RMS Public Relations for helping to set up the interview.
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