Archive: August 2004

August 31, 2004

HP to Dell: Printers are not PCs

Dell is launching a new line of color laser printers in direct competition to HP. Can Dell do for printers...

August 31, 2004

Will your customers get your email newsletter?

Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo and several other companies are working (sometimes together and often times not) to create a system that...

August 31, 2004

eFax - does it get money from spammers?

I've had a free eFax account for some time, but on several occasions my account has been suspended by eFax...

August 31, 2004

Is Linux Really Free? Well

Linux has been touted as being a "free" operating system, and indeed it is. You can FREELY download a copy...

August 31, 2004

Book Review: Kitchen Table To the Conference Table: Family Business Communication

Joanna Sorocki, Editorial Assistant, Smallbiztechnology.com Working with any set of people day-in and day-out can be stressful. Office culture determines...

August 31, 2004

Verizon's Wireless Wonder

I have two cellular phones. One is serviced by Verizon and ons is serviced by Sprint. The Verizon service is...

August 31, 2004

Mobile Technology and Mobile Entrepreneurs

Inc Magazine has a very good story about how mobile entrepreneurs use their vehicles and technology to be efficient and...

August 31, 2004

The Cartel - Microsoft and your PC Vendor

Wonder how Microsoft and your PC Vendor work together to get you to upgrade your computer on a regular basis?...

August 31, 2004

Dell: Fewer price cuts bigger margins

Dell has constantly focused on giving customers the lowest price on technology and treating technology as a commodity. This focus...

August 31, 2004

Hotels and Technology are leading us

Pornography web sites had been the leading champions of online technology with e-commerce, pop-up advertising, security and etc. Hotels, apparently,...

August 31, 2004

Search your Windows Desktop - without Microsoft

As you get megabytes and megabytes of files on your computer, invariably you need help finding where things are. Even...

August 30, 2004

Smart Online gets more $$$

Smart Online, a vendor of Web-native business-critical applications for small businesses,announced on 26 August that it has closed on...

August 30, 2004

Sprint, SBC In Hotspot Roaming Deal

Internet Week writes Sprint and SBC Communications Friday announced a two-way roaming deal that will enable the customers of each...

August 30, 2004

Happy Birth Day Internet

The Internet is indeed a revolutionary evolution for businesses and for consumers. Without the Internet many companies, such as Amazon.com...

August 27, 2004

You can't believe everything you read about Linux

In the continuing debate between Linux and Microsoft (only one is a company - one is a product and MOVEMENT),...

August 27, 2004

Keeping your PC healthy and clean

From time to time you might find your computer running real slow. At times, defragmenting your hard disk, updating programs...

August 27, 2004

Are you and your computer efficient

Over the years I've used MANY shortcuts which enable me to use my computer faster and easier than many users....

August 26, 2004

e-Business Is Alive and Well (and quite important for SMBs)

There's many businesses that are NOT using computer based accounting systems to manage their finances. These businesses are LOSING money....

August 26, 2004

Your security holes could be inside and not out

While you should be very vigilant about protecting your company's data from outside security threats. It's also very important to...

August 25, 2004

When Windows Breaks - Call IBM

IBM is bent on putting value added features into its notebooks - something htat other vendors just can't match. Forbes...

August 25, 2004

Microsoft Small Business Channel Community

Microsoft has launched its, "Microsoft Small Business Channel Community". A web site chock full of information to help SMB consultants,...

August 24, 2004

Vonage gets some big deals

Vonage is really going strong with deals with Staples, Linksys and Netgear Staples Vonage, the leading broadband phone company, today...

August 24, 2004

Kurant and PayPal get together

PayPal is one of the easiest ways for a small business to get started with selling onlne. Kurant's StoreSense is...

August 24, 2004

EmergeCore's IT IN A BOX goes to Europe

EmergeCore's IT IN A BOX, is creating waves in the US, then in Kuwait (and I presume the Middle East)...

August 24, 2004

In Your Hotel: Wireless or Breakfast

I'm at an Econo Lodge Hotel in Pennsylvania. The fact that it had not iron, bugged my wife quite a...

August 24, 2004

Best Of The Best New Gadgets

Forbes puts together a list of cool and hopefully useful gadgets. We don't want to dabble in technology, we don't...

August 23, 2004

Travelers could soon report to work mid-flight

I guess there's now even more reasons to always be connected - in the air or on the ground. CNN...

August 23, 2004

Cisco, Microsoft step up small-business push

Cnet writes On Monday, Cisco announced a new software product that will link its voice over Internet protocol products with...

August 23, 2004

T-Mobile's Sidekick II Strikes a Functional Balance of Voice, Data Uses

Smartphones that blend a PDA and cellphones are useful tools - the trick is finding the one that is best...

August 23, 2004

Linux Desktop Needs PC Vendor Support

Linux is growing quite a bit on business servers, but on the desktops of users it's not prevailant at all....

August 23, 2004

IBM Targets Web Hosting as Key Growth Area

I guess this is one reason why GoDaddy.com, Yahoo, 1 and 1 and others are in the domain name game....

August 23, 2004

Gateway's PCs, Notebooks Available at MicroCenter

Gateway continues to evolve - thanks to its new eMachines management. Gateway today announced that its new line of...

August 20, 2004

The Age of the BlackBerry

I was in Manhattan (NYC) picking up a new pair of glasses today. My Palm Treo 600, on Sprint's network...

August 20, 2004

Prying Eyes : Protect Your Privacy From People Who Sell to You, Snoop on You, or Steal From You

I've been reading Eric Gertel's book, "Prying Eyes: Protect Your Privacy from People Who Sell to You, Snoop On...

August 20, 2004

Windows XP udpate could be harmful

Before updating your computers using the Windows XP Service Pack 2, make sure your entire computer is backed up. Although...

August 20, 2004

Online marketing from the WSJ

For the many of you who are just starting to get into online marketing, there's so much to learn. Traditional...

August 19, 2004

NetSuite's Zach Nelson: "We get most of our customers from [Intuit] QuickBooks"

VS NetSuite President Zach Nelson knows that Intuit is a formidable competitor, but knows where Intuit's Achilles heel is...

August 19, 2004

Protecting your company from "email violations"

What would you do if you came into work one day and found a group of your best customers...

August 19, 2004

E-mail viruses are getting smarter

The biggest ways that viruses are spread are via email. The best solution 1) be VERY careful what emails you...

August 19, 2004

Microsoft Office - Microsoft wants to do even more

Microsoft Office has a lock on the desktop productivity market. Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are all staples of business offices....

August 19, 2004

Add-On Toolkit For Outlook Cuts Clutter

With the flood of email and most of it being spam we get, tools to help manage email are...

August 19, 2004

Wal-Mart's $600 notebook computer

WAIT! I'm not suggesting that you run out a buy Wal-Mart's $600 notebook computer, but am I suggesting that...

August 18, 2004

Coming up soon - NetSuite's Zach Nelson on QuickBooks..

Why Intuit is leaving money on the table in the SMB market and will have a VERY hard time doing...

August 17, 2004

Snapper Mail and Data Viz's Documents to Go

I've been using Palm's Treo 600 on Sprint's Network (very good technical support on the phone). One of the most...

August 17, 2004

GoDaddy's Bob Parsons - We'll beat them on support

Yahoo announced plans to reduce the price of it's web hosting to $9.95 and expand the services it offers on...

August 17, 2004

Title: SMB Nation 2004 Technology Conference to feature Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 in Seattle in September!

The world's only conference dedicated to small and medium business (SMB) technology matters and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003...

August 17, 2004

Yahoo enters discount domain-name business

Well Yahoo, in direct challange to leaders GoDaddy.com and Verisign is going to launch a doman name business. GoDaddy.com, Verisign...

August 17, 2004

Treo 600 and Sprint PCs

There are new updates to my review log of theTreoo 600 and Sprint PCS Smartphone section....

August 17, 2004

Technology at the cash register helps small businesses succeed

Startup Journal had a story headlined A Small Store's Strategy For Raising Its Numbers. I was intending to read this...

August 17, 2004

Kim Komando's got it wrong

Most times Kim Komando is dead on accurate about her technology help. However in today's USA Today she writes A...

August 17, 2004

WiFi for WiFi-less PDA's

If you have a Zire 72 or Tungesten 3, you can buy a WiFi SD card from Palm that will...

August 16, 2004

PalmOne's outstanding technical support

PalmOne only provides free support for their PDA's for 90 days after the date of purchase. However they do...

August 16, 2004

Computer Ignorance Costs Money

Washington Post writer, Kathleen Day, recounts how her installing a broadband internet connection without a firewall caused serious headaches to...

August 16, 2004

Compusa + Gateway = Growing Success

+ Gateway's union with eMachines is apparently birthing some great "kids". The deal with BestBuy and now the deal...

August 14, 2004

30 Days: Palm Treo 600 and Sprint PCS

I'll be running a 30 day review of the Palm Treo 600 and Sprint PCS at http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/treo600sprintpcs.shtml...

August 13, 2004

Intranets.com - an ideal tool for SMBs

Intranets.com is one of those companies with a clean interface and a full suit of features for smaller businesses....

August 13, 2004

Broadband to the boonies has some new technical options

If you live out in "no man's land" getting high speed Internet access could be a problem. Well here's a...

August 13, 2004

Listen to Ramon on the Radio (again)

I'll be speaking with Dave Graveline on Sunday at 4:30pm EST on his weekly Sunday show "Into Tomorrow". This Sunday...

August 13, 2004

A Last Look at Web Destinations

NY Times writer PAMELA LiCALZI O'CONNELL wrote such a wonderful story on some of the interesting things one can find...

August 12, 2004

Covad starts selling VOIP

Yet another proof that VOIP is growing. Cnet writes Covad--one of the few start-ups to survive the telecom shakeout--on...

August 12, 2004

Copiers Need Security, Too

The humble copy machine. The advanced multi-function device. While we are all caught up securing our computer systems, what...

August 12, 2004

Product Review: Dell OptiPlex SX270

I really like Dell's desktop computers. It's not so much that the computers are nice, which they are, but...

August 12, 2004

AOL to sell cheap PCs to minorities, seniors

AOL like so many other companies, is trying to find a way to increase revenue. I really don't think this...

August 11, 2004

Email - it's useful but not everything

Often times I tend to use email TOO much. Part of the reason is, because with email you can read...

August 11, 2004

Tablet PC's? No - we'll take a notebook thank you

Tablet PCs are useful toosl for very specifialized uses and industries so it is no suprise that notebook sales...

August 11, 2004

WiFi - goes faster

WiFi has gone through several speed boosts due to smart engineers. The standard 801.11b is at 10mbps and used by...

August 10, 2004

Cebit (and expos) are they DEAD or ALIVE

At 5:00 on 6 August, Cebit-America's German owners pulled the plug and effectively shut down operations for Cebit America. I...

August 10, 2004

Verizon Warns Consumers: Beware of Online 'Phishing' Scam

Online scams are not new but are on the increase. The BEST way to keep yourself secure is to be...

August 10, 2004

Electronic Forms can increase efficiency

Electronic forms, whether in Word, Adobe Acrobat or in an online form can help reduce paper and improve information...

August 10, 2004

Protect your customer databases

Large retailers and small retailers must protect their customer databases. Not ONLY so the retailers are protected against theft but...

August 10, 2004

Mail merge helps you send custom letters, make labels

I've used mail merge for years. It can be a bit complicated to use at first, but once you get...

August 10, 2004

Are you email messages being blocked?

If you send out a lot of email on behalf of yourself or on behalf of clients, it might be...

August 10, 2004

File-sharers offer Windows update: DON'T TAKE IT

File sharing services that primarily share music files and computer programs are using their sharing services to distribute the latest...

August 10, 2004

Security roundup

Cnet gives a round up of recent security news and information....

August 9, 2004

GoDaddy's Bob Parsons...our advertising makes money for us

While many of his fellow online / dot-com executive colleagues spend their marketing dollars on "branding campaigns", Bob Parsons...

August 9, 2004

Local searches for the global Internet

We've been hearing quite a bit about the growth of local searches by search engines. For those searching, no longer...

August 9, 2004

Coming back from vacation to TONS of emails

It's a common problem of many of us who are on vacation and who regualarly get a lot of email....

August 9, 2004

Microsoft urging users to update with latest fixes

Microsoft has released the latest updated to Windows XP and it will be released to the general public in stages....

August 7, 2004

Need Affordable Hosting? Go Daddy

Go Daddy.com is more than affordable web hosting, and I'll have more about that later on. In the meantime, Smallbusinesscomputing.com...

August 7, 2004

Forbes: Rooting Out Spyware

I was attacked by Spyware a few weeks ago and had to reinstall the operating system to get rid of...

August 6, 2004

Web Conferencing - it should be a tool in your business

Several weeks after the New York Twin Towers attack, passengers had well founded fears about flying and many businesses increasingly...

August 6, 2004

Programming for $$$

eBay, Amazon.com and other large transaction portals are going the Microsoft route and enabling independent programmers to create tools that...

August 6, 2004

Mobile Diva, Eileen shares her experiences with mobile technology

Eileen "Turtle" Parzek, Owner, SOHO It Goes! explained that she was tired of having to lug a heavy laptop...

August 6, 2004

Windows Update - do you use it?

Windows Update is a program that automatically downloads and installs updates to your Windows programs. Some people don't want it...

August 6, 2004

Networking your office: Comprehensive guides form Cisco

Cisco Press has published two useful books about networking your office. I'm sure for many of you networking is basic...

August 5, 2004

Strom's Web Maxims

Since taking on this new job with CMP's Electronics Group last month, I have been having a blast examining...

August 5, 2004

The addictive Hiptop/Sidekick improves with redesign

USA Today writes Every time I've had my hands on a Hiptop wireless device from Danger Inc., I've been...

August 5, 2004

Microsoft's Personal Firewall - should you dump the one you have?

In the next update to Windows XP, Service Pack 2, Microsoft will be including a personal firewall. If you...

August 5, 2004

Wi-Fi phones make a splash

If you've been using a regularl cell phone and find yourself out of range at times or paying a...

August 5, 2004

FREE virus protection - should you pay for the subscription

Symantec, McAfee and I guess others sell subscriptions to their anti-virus products. These subscriptions enable you to regularly update...

August 5, 2004

HP puts Linux on a notebook

This should come as no surprise - but HP has launched its first "Linux" notebook computer. Techtree.com writes "Today's...

August 4, 2004

AOL's spam eraser

Spanm is a huge problem - especially for AOL's millions of users. Knowing this, AOL bought spam company MailBlocks which...

August 4, 2004

Yahoo: Trying to Be a Local Hero

Search Engines are the most popular way of finding information on the Internet. Most of the information has no geographic...

August 4, 2004

Cheap Software for Novice SMBs

Smallbusinesscomputing.com writes Filling a niche for the smallest of small businesses, MySoftware's offers entry-level programs that can help you manage...

August 4, 2004

The-IT-Resource.com - reinventing the wheel

I got an email from "The-IT-Resource.com" asking me to submit smallbiztechnology.com for inclusion in its directory. The site, right now,...

August 4, 2004

Avery introduces a personal label printer

I thought Dymo had a lock on the personal label printing market but now Avery, the leading maker of labels,...

August 3, 2004

Craigslist to charge for job ads in N.Y., L.A

I've used Craig's list on several occassions for classified ads and like it a lot. CNN writes : If you...

August 3, 2004

Bloomba - an alternative email program

Bloomba is an alternative email program to Eudor (which I use) and Outlook. I've tried it out and didn't like...

August 3, 2004

Form Factor - what you need to know about how your technology looks and feels

Computer World offers a good look at how important "form factor" is to the technology we buy. If you...

August 3, 2004

Mobile communication explosion

More and more the line between phones, PDAs and computers are blurring. Cingular Wireless announced the launch of two new...

August 3, 2004

CMP Media's TECHXNY - New York's Technology Week - Adds 'Why eBay?' Program

eBay can be a powerful money maker for those who know how to leverage it CMP Media's New York's Technology...

August 3, 2004

Product Review: Sony X505 Ultra-Portable Computer

I'm a big fan of IBM ThinkPads and am using one now. However, for my next notebook, I'm going to...

August 3, 2004

VOIP: It's not as stable as POTS

Voice Over the Internet Telepnhony is growing, but companies using it should have backup solutions in place and know that...

August 3, 2004

Voice over the Internet? A hacker's paradise

While VOIP is very nice for businesses, it's also very nice for hackers. The NY Times writes ost new technology...

August 3, 2004

Cebit America 2005 - Cancelled

Well another exhibit shuts down. You know, I think the problem with "exhibits" is not the exhibits but the overhead....

August 1, 2004

It's BlackBerry Season, but Maybe Not for Long

Blackberry's (and now Treo 600's) are what every hip executive and executive look a-like use. However, there's new hardware...

August 1, 2004

Blogging - the "media" have it all wrong

There's so muh being written about blogging but many of those writing about it have got it all wrong....

August 1, 2004

News Factor writes Purchasing a computer for business use can be a daunting task. With a plethora of components,...

August 1, 2004

Gateway stores closing - in comes Best Buy

Altought Gateway is closing its retail stores, it's not out of the retail channel. When Gateway first started its...