Hippo Tech Solutions

I’ve tried editing the business info, but the edit doesn’t stick. This business has been closed for years. Don’t bother going.

We’ve been calling on James for years now and we’re so lucky to have him!
From any kind of computer glitch (mac and pc) to tv /​cable /​wii issues and set ups — he’s our ‘go to’. He’s good with dogs, cats and small humanoids.
James is polite and friendly and professional.
He is very knowledgeable and affordable. Super highly recommended!!!

James answered my phone call promptly and came out the next day. He reprogrammed my universal remote, fixed the juttering on the TV, and rebalanced my speaker system, all of which had been mis-​programmed by a previous technician. He also got my Netflix streaming going. He was very professional and easy to to work with, explained everything that he did, and was done in two hours. I would absolutely hire him again.

James was prompt, charged a fair price, was very pleasant to work with, and went above and beyond in creating a friendly system out of components from several previous fixes and lots of excessive wiring. We will certainly call him again when we want to upgrade. I recommend this company very highly.

Can’t comment on the guys service but the reason I am giving him a 1-​star rating is because I called and left 2 voice mails about getting my TV calibrated. Neither call was returned. I then sent an e-​mail and it took him a week to respond. Sorry but you need to make me feel like you want my business, not that I’m bothering you. I’ll definitely steer everyone I know away from this guy.
If you need your TV calibrated in the Bay Area try Ted at Optimum Sound and Vision instead.
Ted is much more responsive and not only calibrates your TV but will set up your audio as well. I’ve had 2 TV’s calibrated by Ted and have an appointment for him to do my new plasma in a couple of weeks. Ted will literally spend all day at your house to make sure he has everything right. He’s very thorough.

16 emails back and forth over the course of a week, and 40 minutes before he was supposed to do the job and 4 days before Christmas, he cancels. He could have told me the reason up front and none of this would have happened. I had even accommodated a late appt time of 7−9pm.
Perhaps he’s a nice guy but not detail oriented or able to communicate well. If you need anything from him I would make sure you talk on the phone.

Just spoke to James on the phone and despite the fact that he doesn’t do TV repairs he couldnt have been more courteous and willing to help!
He gave me a few recommendations on the issue and I’m looking forward to using them!
Thanks1

If you need help setting up your TV/​Stereo/​Game Console systems… look no further. We emailed James on Christmas Day after Santa brought us a Wii and PlayStation and we were getting a headache trying to figure out how to install with our current stereo system. James was there the next day setting it all up and helping with our new awesome universal remote system. Reliable, professional, courteous, reasonably priced. The total package.

James provides a great, affordable solution to home Audio/​Video entertainment installations. He works with you every step of the way, listening to your needs and answering your questions. The direct purchase of great equipment at Amazon prices assures you you are getting the best deal on equipment. He was always prompt both with the installation and answering follow up questions. His rates are very fair and he installed a whole house system that is easy to use and to understand.

I echo all the positive reviews below and feel very lucky I contacted Hippo Tech Solutions (James). If you are in this market for any technical need (and who doesn’t have those needs these days with the tsunami of devices, providers, etc), do not look any further, you have found the right place.
First of all, James is exceptionally good at what he does and his rates are beyond fair and you’ll wonder why anyone would pay far more to work with Best Buy, et al. (ie when we had issues with my cable provider that caused the session to stretch out well beyond the initial estimation, he charged a flat rate). From a technical perspective you are getting service and knowledge that far exceeded my expectations (ie «All services come with 30 day on-​site support and lifetime phone/​email support» — yes, lifetime phone/​email support!)
Secondly, James is extraordinarily courteous and professional — I don’t know when he sleeps! (i.e. emails were returned at all times of the day/​night). James helped me select exactly the right A/​V Receiver and Universal Remote for my new setup and we hadn’t even begun working yet. He confirmed the appointment via email with a full scope of the project, reconfirmed, etc. (this was in stark contrast to the initial firm we contacted). When the low-​quality Costco wall bracket for my flat-​screen turned out to be unsuitable, he was back within 30 minutes with a better, cheaper bracket. My high end speakers have never sounded better — he attached new wiring/​gold-​plated ends, no charge.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, when you procure a service like this, you are inviting someone into your home and you want to be circumspect. James is obviously a high-​quality, intelligent and very nice person who you will feel very comfortable having in your home.
If you just bought a new flat-​screen, are having trouble with your computer, or just need your own personal IT department look no further, you’ll be happy to give James business and after you work with him you’ll wish him every success

After some remodeling all my electronics were disconnected & past experience told me I needed to find someone who knew what he was doing to reconnect. I found James here on Unilocal & couldn’t be happier. My plasma TV pic never looked better & thanks to James’ recommendation (& programming) I now have universal remotes that do it all! James is great to work with, responds quickly & is worth every penny!!!

I was looking for someone to calibrate my Pioneer 6020 plasma TV. I found James on Craigslist. The communication with him was prompt and clear. He was able to schedule me on a short notice. When he arrived at my home, James quickly did his setup and you can tell he knew what he was doing. He took his time to explain what he was doing and also answered any questions I had. After a few hours, the color and picture of my tv was amazing. The color tones were more realistic and the overall pictures was greatly improved. Standard definition channels on my Directv looked much nicer that I actually enjoy watching those channles now. Blu-​ray is AWESOME!
So if you need someone for TV calibration, James is the man!

Ah James!!! What a great, nice, talented guy. It doesn’t get better than this for those of us technically challenged when it comes to computers and hooking up entertainment centers.
Forget Geeks-​R-​Us from Best Buy. The run around I got from their call center phone maze (three days in a row) drove me nuts.
James (Hippo Tech Solutions owner?) takes pride in what he does, charges reasonable rates, can respond in a reasonable amount of time and is an expert in his field.
He hooked up my relative’s wireless and entertainment center in one visit and made my life easier. I already have referred him to three people at work who want to save their Windows/​PC files to a Mac (he said it’s easy.)

Finding tech support is challenging these days. Everyone thinks they’ve got the answers; they jump on your computer, hit some keys and speak some gobbledygoop. Not only are your problems not fixed, you don’t have a clue how the system is now programmed.
I got so lucky in finding James at Hippo Tech Solutions. I was attempting to integrate multiple systems (from blackberry to google apps) and James made it happen seamlessly. Let me add that before I even confirmed working with James, he was on top of the issues, emailing me advice, texting me shortcuts.
My second job with James had to do with a messed up network. James came in, diagnosed the problem (s) and hooked up 3 computers on a new wifi system.
From problem solving to system building, check out the website… and even if it’s not listed, ask him if it’s something he can do… chances are, he didn’t list all his technical capacities. James is fluent with mac, pc, blackberries, networking and so much more. Like I said, I got lucky finding him; you won’t be sorry.