Archive: December 2003

December 31, 2003

Toshiba's PC business

My spin: I already posted something about Toshiba this week from another media source, but CNet's insight is always useful....

December 31, 2003

News Factor: Steelcase CIO John Dean: Making Smart Tech Investments

John Dean is vice president and chief information officer for Steelcase (NYSE: SCS), where he has global responsibility for...

December 31, 2003

Want a new, thin and light-weight laptop?

My spin: They are not going to be $999, like the heavier ones but with prices falling, across the board...

December 31, 2003

Fedex and Kinkos get married

My spin: Walk into just about any Kinkos location and you'd see a Federal Express counter. Well now FedEx is...

December 31, 2003

Email - it's the best thing out there.

My spin: Every online tool has its particular use and function. However, if there's one tool that I would not...

December 30, 2003

What's inside the mind of Microsoft Business Partners

My spin:Microsoft Business Partners, technology consultants shared their insights in a Microsoft-commissioned study released today by St. Paul, Minnesota-based SoftwareMinds....

December 30, 2003

Remember your BIOS. Well it might be "bye, bye" time.

My spin:When your PC "boots" up, it relys in the "Basic Input Output Sytem" to give it an initial start...

December 30, 2003

Mail Blocks CEO dies

My spin: MailBlocks makes a popular, challenge / response system, to get rid of spam. Basically - all email is...

December 30, 2003

Dial up competition eats into AOL

My spin:Listen, NO business should use AOL as their business account. Having bobsbakery@aol.com just does not look professional. Every business...

December 30, 2003

NETWORKING. Everyone wants to connect

My spin: Sure, there's millions of people who do not own a computer. Sure, there's millions who only own one...

December 30, 2003

Notebook prices are falling. Why?

My spin: If you are looking to buy a notebook computer - buy at will. Prices are going to keep...

December 30, 2003

Looking for leads. Skip the phone? Skip the lunches? Get online?

My spin: Traditional sales persons rely on the tried and true sales technique of word of mouth, lunches, coffees, frequent...

December 29, 2003

Everyone is NOT online.

My spin:So what does this tell us? While using online marketing is GREAT. If you want to reach a...

December 29, 2003

News Clip: Seattle Times: Unsolicited junk e-mail accounted for almost $20 billion in lost productivity over the past year,...

December 29, 2003

Blackmail in your office via your email box

News Clip: Reuters: Cyber blackmail artists are shaking down office workers, threatening to delete computer files or install pornographic...

December 29, 2003

Toshiba and PCs.

News Clip: Japan's Toshiba Corp, once the world's largest maker of notebook computers, is seen poised for major restructuring...

December 29, 2003

Going online. Such a pain.

My spin: Well I'm glad there's tools to ease the pain. I use Google's tool bar to block pop-ups and...

December 29, 2003

Do-it-all telecom providers should you buy from them?

My spin: While do it all telecom provides are all the rage and only going to increase, businesses should really...

December 29, 2003

MSMobiles.com: Microsoft Smartphone better than expected

My spin: This source might not be perfectly objective...however the "news" is of interest. News Clip: More and more articles...

December 29, 2003

Paid Search Engine Listings: Creating a New Economy

My spin: I've been using Google's Ad Sense for several months now and it's wonderful. It's obvious from my own...

December 26, 2003

Check your credit card AND YOUR PHONE BILL for fraudulent charges.

News Clip: Washington Post: When Candace Hadley got a telemarketing call from Mercury Internet Services, she didn't find the...

December 26, 2003

PowerPoint - is it a must.

My spin:Just about any presentation package will do fine for most basic presentations. However, as with Word, Excel and other...

December 26, 2003

Is Comdex Broken?

News Clip: eWeek: Comdex is broken. I suspect this happened because of a combination of changing ownership, lost vision, and...

December 24, 2003

Fortune Small Business: The Low-Tech Road Warrior

News Clip: Rick Horrow, president of Horrow Sports Ventures and author of When the Game Is on the Line,...

December 24, 2003

My spin: I've just finished talking with Steven Aldrich, General Manager for QuickBooks and one of Intuit's chief strategists....

December 24, 2003

Smallbusinesscomputing: Local Advertising on the Net

News Clip: If you're a small business exclusively serving a local market, you probably think the Internet has little to...

December 24, 2003

PC World: It's Official: The Net Is Part of Life

News Clip: PC World: While the Internet's days of wild growth appear to be over, the majority of Americans accept...

December 23, 2003

Sage, parent company of BestSoftware is buying ACCPAC.

Best Software, Chief Executive Officer, Best Software and David M. Hood, President & CEO, ACCPAC International, Inc. VS Steve...

December 23, 2003

Throwing away business documents. Make sure you're not really giving them away.

My spin: I never really thought identify theft was a problem. However, I'm beginning to realize that there's many...

December 23, 2003

How can you get a jump online?

Shmuel Gniwisch, of the online retailer Ice.com, says that having Amazon.com in the business helps in getting shoppers to...

December 23, 2003

Sprint sell its hosting business. (I told you it would on 8 Sep 2003)

My spin: Those faithful readers of mine already knew that Sprint was considering the sale of its hosting business. Well,...

December 23, 2003

Linux competes with Microsoft. Microsoft studies Linux

My spin: The three dominant operating systems, with Microsoft Windows far ahead is Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux. Linux...

December 22, 2003

New email server

My spin:I'm not sure if this is indeed the "first". However, it's yet a new email server that you can...

December 22, 2003

A Small Maine Company Uses Open Source Software to Help Mom & Pop Businesses Sell Online

My spin: All the best to Blacksun. HOWEVER, there's several words in this press release, not just this one, but...

December 22, 2003

o Wireless and Motive to Simplify Carrier Provisioning of Bundled Wired-Wireless Broadband Services

News: Boingo Wireless and Motive announced today that they have agreed to jointly offer service-provisioning solutions that simplify the installation...

December 22, 2003

Don't want to deal with eBay? Want to sell on eBay? Let someone else do it for you.

Joshua MacAdam is the president of Auction Wagon, one business set up specifically to sell merchandise for its customers...

December 22, 2003

Experticty, owner of Gotomypc.com - is bought by Citrix

My spin: I doube this deal will affect any Gotomypc users, however, as Citrix is very much into the market...

December 19, 2003

You got a Palm, but want to get BlackBerry email...now you can

My spin:Research in Motion's BlackBerry is now teaming up with Palm to enable Palm devices to access BlackBerry mail. Excellent....

December 19, 2003

Hidden costs of owning a Mac

My spin:I've been a life long PC user and don't envy anyone using a Mac. But guess what, I know...

December 19, 2003

the FREE COMPUTER - it's back!! (from the Brits)

My spin: I thought companies would have learned by now, that there's no money to be made in FREE computers....

December 18, 2003

Wireless Email. It just may be a must for your business!

Smallbiztechnology.com article: Email is one of the most important applications a business professional can use. Increasingly, it's no longer, "I'm...

December 18, 2003

Helping Tech Advisors Help Accounts how Help their Clients work with technology

My spin: The circle and realms of influence in the life of smaller businesses is amazing. For example, many businesses...

December 18, 2003

Don't buy anything. Barter

My spin: Over the years, I've bartered for MANY things. Unlike the focus of the article below, about official...

December 17, 2003

So T-mobile roams with iPass and MCI choose Boingo

My spin: Just yesterday, T-mobile announced plans to join with iPass, now MCI is working with ipass competitor Boingo. What...

December 17, 2003

DigitalLife - Ziff Davis' new expo

My spin: I know your fee start screaming when you think of going to yet another exposition - at...

December 17, 2003

Mobile use is growing fast

My spin: Just today I was interviewing executives from Visto for an upcoming article. And their comments are right in...

December 17, 2003

When you go online...do you trust that web site?

My spin:Like you (well maybe I'm doing it more) I've been on thousands and thousands of web sites and purchased...

December 17, 2003

How to get "FREE" telephone calls

My spin:As voice over the Internet telephoning gets more popular, making phone calls will be so cheap, it'll appear to...

December 17, 2003

Stop pecking, bu type, on your phone

My spin:Are you tired of having to hit the buttons on your phone, so many times to type a "simple"...

December 17, 2003

My spin:For those of you aggressively using email as a marketing tool, even for those of you just doing simple...

December 17, 2003

Sortonce.com - is closing down (sort of)

Well my IMAP email provider, Sortonce, is shutting down. They might be doing something else, but it sure won't be...

December 16, 2003

You can roam with your cell and you can roam with your WiFi

My spin:Using your cell phone all over the country is a thoughtless process, due to the national networks of carriers...

December 16, 2003

Linux based Lindows, is a smal itch in Microsoft's back - for now.

My spin:The spunky startup Lindows continues to push out new versions of Lindows - with some interesting features and applications...

December 16, 2003

When the next release of Windows comes - what will you do?

My spin:Microsoft continues on the path for the next version of Windows, code named Longhorn. While there's so many that...

December 16, 2003

Wireless technology is easier to get than you think

My spin:Although the world of wireless and mobile computing may SOUND complicated. It's a maturing industry and there's enough companies...

December 15, 2003

Accessing the Internet from NYC Subways

My spin:Accessing the 'net from inside of a NYC subway car is not currently possible...until yesterday. News Clip: NY Times:...

December 15, 2003

Powerpoint: It makes speeches terrible

My spin:I've used Microsoft Power Point for my speeches over the past couple of years. I've also sat in on...

December 15, 2003

VOIP - it's coming to a neighborhood near you (it's probably already there)

My spin:If you have telephone service, provided by one of those new startups that give you service via the Internet,...

December 15, 2003

Do you use an old version of Windows?

My spin:Many businesses cling to the legacy versions of Windows - prior to XP and 2000 they bought several years...

December 12, 2003

When you visit CompUSA - get your software from an ATM machine.

My spin:Isn't it a pain to visit a comptuer retailer only to find that the software you want is out...

December 12, 2003

Document Management. Reduce your file cabinets and streamline your operations.

My spin:I don't know anything about Westbrook Technologies. But overall, the market for a document management solution is something that...

December 12, 2003

DSL/Cable or "high-speed" dial up.

My spin:Earthlink, PeoplePC and others are offering their dial-up users, hi-speed dial up access. Although not as fast nor as...

December 11, 2003

Can outsourcing work for your business?

My spin:Some businesses choose to do the bulk of their work "in-house", while others choose to outsource most, if not...

December 11, 2003

Spam - it's a pain and a war you cannot win. BUT here are some tips to lessen the evil

My spin:I get hundreds of spam message a day. My solution, I block all messages that are NOT in...

December 11, 2003

AT&T gets into the online phone calling business too.

My spin:See, I told you, this "phone call over the Internet thing" is only going to grow and grow. Smaller...

December 11, 2003

The role of the United Nations in technology

My spin:This news site is mainly focused on US news. However, we've got to remember that there's not just businesses...

December 11, 2003

Online advertising - it's going up, up, up

My spin:From my own experience, I KNOW that online advertising is increasing. 1) I'm getting an increasing number of queries...

December 11, 2003

Intel combines two unprofitable business uints - wireless and communications

My spin:Intel is a leader in wireless and mobile commnications chip making. However, being a leader does not mean you...

December 11, 2003

"FREE" online phone calls and conferencing

My spin:I know you guys have been inundated with "free" calls over the Internet pitches. For the most part, it's...

December 11, 2003

Microsoft stops Linux from moving on in Sweden

My spin:Microsoft, wants to make money just like every other business. Including , its muh smaller rival Lindows, which sells...

December 9, 2003

Private information exposed - for a short time - by accident

My spin:I feel sorry for the poor guy (or gal) who had the unfortunate mistake of leaving an important database...

December 9, 2003

Want to keep your Laptop computer? Chain it?

My spin:Computer thef its NOT going to go down. So what can you do to ensure your notebook computer is...

December 9, 2003

Data on your PDA - via Handango

My spin:Mobile data access is vitally important. I looked at Memoware.com's web site and there's a nice bit of useful...

December 9, 2003

Try out a mobile solution for free. If you like it buy it. If you don't send it back.

My spin: AirClic's got a pretty interesting proposal. One barrier to businesses not adopting new technology is the "fear" factor....

December 9, 2003

DEMO 2004 Sets the Tone for a New Year

Approximately 60 never-before- seen technology products and services will launch at DEMO 2004 this coming February. In its 14th year,...

December 9, 2003

Answer one question and you might win a free copy of my book "Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses" or $20...

December 9, 2003

Software - all in one or piece by piece

Developers of e-commerce offerings for small to mid-size businesses no longer can afford to rely on the virtues of a...

December 9, 2003

Online paid services - not worth it.

As previously reported, Yahoo Plus is an attempt by the company to bundle its many paid Web services into one...

December 9, 2003

Telephone calls over the Internet heating up

Time Warner Cable Inc. announced yesterday that it has turned to Sprint Corp. and WorldCom Inc. to jump-start a new...

December 9, 2003

Reading big documents on tiny screens - can Sharp do it?

Reuters: Consumer electronics maker Sharp Corp. said on Tuesday that it and Canadian software developer BitFlash had developed a type...

December 8, 2003

Yet Another reason to upgrade from Windows 98

Cnet: Microsoft will retire several of its products next week, including Windows 98 and SQL Server 7, to comply with...

December 8, 2003

SimpleTech, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEC) , a designer, manufacturer and marketer of custom and open- standard memory solutions based on Flash...

December 8, 2003

New NetSuite Customization Makes On-Line Applications as Customizable as Traditional Software

NetSuite, Inc., makers of Oracle(R) Small Business Suite, today announced new customization technology that makes its on-line applications as customizable...

December 8, 2003

Palo Alto Software Launches Its 2004 Business Plan Competition

Palo Alto Software today announced that its 2004 Business Plan Competition is now underway. This 4th annual contest is...

December 8, 2003

Documentum to Host Online Event On Scanning and Imaging

Documentum (NASDAQ:DCTM) , the leading provider of enterprise content management (ECM), today announced that it will host a free online...

December 8, 2003

Pumatech's Intellisync: goAnywhere Software Provides Real-Time Remote Access to Personal Computers

Pumatech, Inc. (NASDAQ:PUMA) , a leading provider of synchronization software and services, today announced the availability of its new Intellisync(R):...

December 8, 2003

eBook Retailers Report Over 1 Million Units Already Sold in '03

Retail eBook sales continued their strong growth into the third quarter of 2003 according to data released today by the...

December 8, 2003

CRM Growing Fast - But Companies Still Await Payback

Customer relationship management (CRM) solutions have delivered only modest gains in revenues despite millions of dollars of investment, according to...

December 8, 2003

New York Times: Need a computer consultant? Want to help the homeless?

Perry Vona works five days a week on a busy stretch of 43rd Street between Fifth Avenue and the...

December 8, 2003

News Factor: What To Look For in WLAN Switches

When you're shopping for wireless LAN switches, look for systems that offer integrated radio-frequency management, centralized configuration and the ability...

December 8, 2003

PC World: Is It Time for a Technology Comeback?

An improving U.S. economy and pent-up demand after years of austerity will combine to fuel IT spending growth in 2004,...

December 8, 2003

The Register: IBM draws first blood in SCO Linux battle

SCO has lost the first round in its legal battle to assert intellectual rights over Linux. A federal court ruled...

December 6, 2003

AWED (American Women Economic Development Organization) seminar

Last Tuesday, I had the privilege of sitting on a technology panel and co-facilitating a technology planning session at AWED....

December 5, 2003

Forbes: HP Chief Warns Against Unbridled Tech Spending

Add Carly Fiorina, chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, to the growing list of those who say that it's not always wise...

December 4, 2003

Pay for computing like you pay for Gas

From Cnet: Hewlett-Packard announced several new hardware and software products Thursday that expand the utility computing idea for servers and...

December 4, 2003

The Association of Professional Office Managers Announces Office-Aide(TM) v1.0 - Software for Office Managers

New Office Management Software Helps Office Managers Keep Track of Equipment Assigned to Each Employee And Define and Track Required...

December 4, 2003

Hotmail gets better - but it's still not for businesses (nor is AOL)

Record Numbers of Consumers Are Reaching for MSN Hotmail And MSN Messenger As New Version of Hotmail Debuts New...

December 4, 2003

Spreadsheets are Spread Too Thin

FileMaker Launches Website that Helps Microsoft Excel Users to Convert Spreadsheets into Easier-To-Use Solutions For the millions of number-crunching Microsoft...

December 4, 2003

Northern Light(R) to Introduce New Online Business Research Tool for Enterprise Customers

Northern Light's Business Research Library combines the Business Web(TM) with a comprehensive periodical database, organized by industry Northern Light Group,...

December 4, 2003

IDC Finds Messaging Application Vendors Need to Change Their Messages to Position Themselves for Success

After cooling off in 2002-2003, worldwide messaging applications market revenue is expected to more than double to nearly $2.4 billion...

December 4, 2003

Global Crossing's Point-to-Point iVideoconferencing Offer Increases Cost Savings and Service Quality

Global Crossing today introduced an innovative videoconferencing offer that, for the first time, makes operator-assisted videoconferences with superior image quality...

December 4, 2003

PC World: Your Next OS: Windows 2006?

The next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, is still in the early stages of its journey to the retail corral,...

December 4, 2003

NY Times: Checking Your Bill for a New Charge Called 'Oops'

EVERY few years, economists identify another mutant variation of inflation to keep them awake at night. In the 1980's,...

December 4, 2003

News Factor: Is Network Computing Dead?

If network computing is to survive, it must adapt to the needs of an increasingly mobile workforce and reinvent itself...

December 4, 2003

NY Times: Backing Up Files Shifts to Automatic When a Server Moves In

Devices that can back up data on a PC range from the humble, increasingly rare diskette to high-capacity DVD recorders....

December 3, 2003

Reuters: PluggedIn: SmartPhones May Someday Threaten Laptops

Psst... How about a souped-up handheld computer cell-phone combination that not only boasts a camera, surfs the Web, does e-mail,...

December 3, 2003

NY Times: The Search for the Perfect Gift Grows at Small Online Stores

When someone types "Christmas light sets" into the Web search engine Google, the second listing, after a government recall notice,...

December 3, 2003

NewsFactor: Firewall Market Expected To Soar

Though firewalls are standard in the enterprise, the capabilities of firewall technology are expected to significantly evolve over the next...

December 3, 2003

ZDNet: My top mobile-tech gift ideas

David Coursey, Executive Editor, AnchorDesk: Most of the really cool presents I'd like to put under someone's Christmas tree...

December 3, 2003

All-In-One Solution Provides Continuous Protection, Remote Access And Secure File Sharing of Personal Computing Digital Content

Mirra, Inc. (formerly Ispiri, Inc.), today announced the immediate availability of the Mirra Personal Server solution, the first truly personal...

December 3, 2003

Lindows.com Releases the First Linux-Based Operating System for Laptops, Available Now

Lindows.com today launched LindowsOS Laptop Edition, the first Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for laptops. LindowsOS Laptop Edition includes...

December 3, 2003

Sprint and Audiovox Offer Combination Video and Camera Phone

Lights, camera, action... the newest handset announced today by Sprint (NYSE:FON) (NYSE:PCS) and Audiovox Communications Corporation, a subsidiary of Audiovox...

December 3, 2003

ArticSoft Offers Free High-End File Encryption To Non-Profit Healthcare Companies

Leading information security provider ArticSoft today introduced an innovative charities program designed to give non-profit healthcare companies free access to...

December 3, 2003

Boingo Wireless Partners With Concourse Communications for Wi-Fi Access At Five Major Airports

Boingo Wireless, Inc. announced today an agreement with Concourse Communications Group to add all of Concourse's Wi-Fi hot spot locations...

December 3, 2003

CMP Media Launches Custom Mobilized Software Site in Association with Intel Corporation

CMP Media today announced a new online destination for developers of mobile applications -- Mobilized Software.com. The online community is...

December 3, 2003

Sprint Adds Major U.S. Airports to Growing List of PCS Wi-Fi Access Hot Spot Locations Through Roaming Agreement With Concourse

Being productive while spending time in airports is becoming easier for frequent air travelers with access to high-speed Wi-Fi...

December 3, 2003

NumberCruncher Releases Two New QuickBooks(R) Add-Ons for Inventory and Order Management

NumberCruncher today announced the release of two new QuickBooks(R) add-ons for inventory and order management. NumberCruncher Sales Orders(TM) designed for...

December 3, 2003

National GetThere Survey Identifies Ten Most Cost-Effective U.S. 'Meeting' Locations

GetThere, the leading provider of online corporate travel reservation systems, serving more than 1000 companies, including over half the Fortune...

December 3, 2003

DSL Market Shifts Into High Gear

Worldwide DSLAM equipment revenue is up 14% in the third quarter at $872 million, and DSL CPE revenue is up...

December 2, 2003

Cnet: 3Com reconnects with big business

3Com is once again selling networking equipment to large businesses, a market it abandoned in 2000. The networking gear maker...

December 2, 2003

NY Times: Neat Thieves Are Zeroing In on Laptops

ATLANTA, Nov. 28 (AP) ó A man walked into an Atlanta office, made chitchat with two workers and sat down...

December 2, 2003

News Factor: Hidden Costs of Owning Your PC

Imagine shopping for a personal computer in a showroom that displayed a PC's true cost. That is -- not...

December 2, 2003

News Factor: IBM To Sell Industry-Specific Software

IBM (NYSE: IBM) says that next year it will start selling software based on the needs of specific industries. The...

December 2, 2003

ChinaDaily: Dell cancels Indian tech support

After an onslaught of complaints, computer maker Dell Inc. has stopped using a technical support center in India to handle...

December 2, 2003

NY Times: Marketers Adjust as Spam Clogs the Arteries of E-Commerce

AFTER two decades in the garment business in New York, Allan Levy started an Internet company. His first idea -...

December 2, 2003

ZD Net: Linux tablet PC breaks $1,000 barrier

A small PC maker and a Linux distributor have teamed up to offer a tablet-style PC for $999, hundreds of...

December 1, 2003

Join Ramon Ray, Editor, Smallbiztechnology.com at Women in Business 2004

Women in Business 2004 - Linking Technology to Business Growth Tuesday, December 2nd, 2003 8:30am - 1:00pm The McGraw-Hill Building...

December 1, 2003

NY Times: Beware the Worm in Your Handset

TOKYO, Nov. 27 - As more consumers begin surfing the Web and sending e-mail messages on cellphone and hand-held devices,...

December 1, 2003

Washington Post: Finding the Missing Piece in Corporate Security Puzzle

Corporations are spending millions on advanced technologies to protect important computer networks, but assessing the effectiveness of those safeguards can...

December 1, 2003

USA Today: Chipmaker plans wireless push onto desktops

SAN FRANCISCO ó Intel is building into a forthcoming microchip an ability to let desktop computers act as a hub...