Tag Archives: Apple iPod

About 2214 days ago Telecom and Wireless

The Brave New World of Telecom

Alexander Graham Bell wouldn’t even recognize business telephone service circa 2007. Not only do we have businesses substituting cell phones for wireline phones and opting to route phone calls over the Internet, but some of the newer offerings take telecom even a step further away from what the telephony pioneer originally envisioned. The year 2007 didn’t bring flying jet cars and instant transporters as science fiction predicted, but there have been developments in telecommunications that will impact fast-growing businesses for years to come. Some companies are completely doing away with the PBX closet and hiring companies to “host” their voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. The video phone did arrive this year, although as a phone that also plays downloaded videos not necessarily one that shows business partners in their suits and ties while discussing deals. Instead, Web conferencing took off, reducing the reliance on business trips and face-to-face meetings. More than large corporations, small and mid-size businesses are sometimes more likely to try some of the newer telecommunications options because they tend to be more nimble and open to change. “It’s less structured, so we have a lot of mobile people, people telecommuting, and more of a need for them to share information and work together,” says Gary Chen, small and medium business analyst for the Yankee Group, of Boston. Not only VoIP, but hosted at that The adoption rate of small and mid-size businesses switching to VoIP is not yet up to that of consumers. Some are still concerned about the stability and reliance of IP-based service. But the need to stretching often tight telecommunications budgets has made VoIP attractive and that is why a growing number are opting to switch to managed or hosted VoIP service. Whereas some early adopters of VoIP experienced issues with performance and call quality, hosted VoIP allows businesses to benefit from IP telephony features without the problems associated with managing an on-site IP PBX system. Many small and mid-size businesses don’t want the headaches associated with installing and configuring IP telephony hardware and doing the necessarily network upgrades to support such a system. That’s where hosted VoIP solutions come in. Service providers take care of management and support so small and mid-size businesses can benefit from VoIP without the upfront costs. “We do for phone systems what Salesforce.com does for their customer relationship management,” says Dan Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of M5 Networks, a New York City-based provider of hosted VoIP service. “Our clients just have phones. We take care of the rest.” The new-fangled video phone Merely a decade ago, forecasters predicted that telephony would be revolutionized by the advent of a video phone that would transmit pictures of people as they were speaking. Today, the closest the market has gotten to a video phone is the device used by correspondents in war-torn Iraq or Afghanistan who transmit sometimes grainy and slow-motion moving pictures of themselves narrating the action. For business use, what’s been more revolutionary has been the growing of Web conferencing tools that allow participants to speak over telephone lines while sharing presentations and/or white-board space to collaborate over hosted applications. The appeal of Web conferencing reflects several trends in the business marketplace. The number of telecommuters has been rising at small and mid-size businesses, in addition to larger enterprises. At the same time, some businesses are foregoing business travel in the face of increased security precautions and delays involved with flying. The broadband Internet revolution, meanwhile, has paved the way for Web conferencing tools. Chen says the best measurements are the popularity of Microsoft Live and the new Google Office. Geared towards small businesses, Microsoft Office Live integrates email, documents and website management into one portal. Meanwhile, the free Google Office has a robust document suite, with spreadsheets and word processors, channeled through the Internet to make sharing easier. “Online collaboration will be big,” Chen says. “A lot of people are headed in that direction.” As for the video phone, perhaps the closest we’ll get is in the form of the much-hyped iPhone, which was unveiled earlier this year and is due to be marketed this summer. Apple’s long-anticipated foray into the mobile phone market combines phone, Internet, email, and a large-screen video iPod into one hand-held device. A palm-sized laptop for the YouTube age, if you will.

About 2365 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

Tech Tools You Can’t Live Without in 2007

Sometimes the simplest tools can make the biggest difference in how productive your business is.  Every year, I pick five software or hardware tools that promise to make the biggest bang for the smallest buck and recommend them to business owners. These are tools that you don’t have to be a geek to use. This year, however, I see so many fabulous technology tools — or technology-related tools — that I couldn’t limit my list to just five. This year’s list has 10. Here are my choices for the top 10 tech tools for 2007. iPod Shuffle – The newest iPod on the market is a tiny inch-and-a-half long gadget that clips on your clothes for convenience.  It has 1 GB of memory and stores up to 240 songs.  And it only costs $79.  Load it up with songs or business podcasts, and you’ll always be entertained and informed, whether on a plane, waiting in a doctor’s office, exercising — wherever.  My question is: why wouldn’t you get one? Laptop wheelie bag – I used to think nothing of lugging a seven-pound laptop plus a couple of pounds of cords and gear over my shoulder while traveling. No wonder I often had a stiff neck for days afterwards. Then one day a friend gave me a beautiful leather briefcase on wheels — and I was hooked.  If you do much traveling with your laptop, a wheelie bag means you arrive at your destination without feeling like you need a chiropractor. Bluetooth headset – If you watch much TV, you’ve probably seen the commercial with the guy who says, “Bluetooth!  What is Bluetooth?  I don’t know!” That’s how I felt for the longest time. But one day a colleague explained that Bluetooth simply let me have a wireless headset for my wireless phone.  I bought a Bluetooth headset recommended by my cell phone provider, and life has never been the same.  I can clip the headset on, walk into another room away from the phone and still continue my conversation.  Ah, liberation. Free Google account – Have you noticed the growing number of free tools available from Google these days? You can get everything from email (over 2.5 GB of storage) to spreadsheet software, to image editing software and much more.  Set up a Google account and access everything from one account.  A “must have.”  Kate Spade notecards – Today, 80 percent of my correspondence is electronic.  But to stand out in an electronic world, go counter-culture and send handwritten paper thank-you notes. Choose something stylish, modern and classy, like Kate Spade Classic cards. You will be memorable, I guarantee it. U.S.Postal Service website – And when you are sending those handwritten notecards, remember the dramatically improved U.S. Postal Service website.  You can calculate and purchase postage online; print mailing labels with postage; schedule a pickup of a package, and track delivery.  You can even create direct mail campaigns from start to finish, all from your computer.  You may never need to set foot inside a Post Office again. Accounting software – Statistics say that over 50 percent of small businesses do not have accounting software, but still use paper ledgers or spreadsheets. Accounting software tracks and organizes your finances; makes it much easier to get prepared for tax time, and lets you run sophisticated reports that help you stay on top of your business.  Without accounting software, I would not have half the reports and insight that I have currently — it would just be too labor intensive to run reports by hand.  Intuit’s Quicken and QuickBooks are popular and used by six million small businesses.  Microsoft is now offering its Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 as a free download. Virtual Switchboard – My business is a virtual one, in the sense that everyone who does work for the company does it from their own locations and my “headquarters” is really just the place where I happen to be working that day.  With an inexpensive, software-based virtual switchboard, we are able to have one business phone number for all of us, even though we are spread out over the country.  Customers and others can call one number to reach us all, and we can forward messages back and forth.  The price is right, too, at just a few hundred dollars a year. PayPal -- Millions of small businesses — including mine — would find business a lot more expensive and laborious without PayPal.  PayPal is the shopping cart that I use on my websites.  I use PayPal to make purchases, especially on eBay and other places where I may not feel comfortable giving out my credit card information.  I even use PayPal to do much of my invoicing, and receive payments from a number of customers.  It is now an essential part of my business processes. Smartphone – Smartphones combine the features of a wireless phone with a personal digital assistant (PDA).  You have more choice that ever and today’s smartphones are coming down in price.  Smartphones and similar devices are the best choice today if you want to send and receive email regularly from your phone. Technology is no longer only for the tech-savvy among us.  It is a necessary component of every small business today.  It saves money and time, and gives your business a competitive edge.  Embrace it and your business can move ahead farther and faster in 2007. Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.

About 2365 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

An Entrepreneur’s Holiday Wish List

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One day I walked into Best Buy and members of the sales staff started throwing boxes of PDAs, digital cameras, iPods, cell phones and notebook computers at me. Each box was wrapped in a soft bubble that floated in the air. They had given me a huge net to catch all the gadgets and gizmos they were throwing at me. But then I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock blaring and realized I was only dreaming. Sigh. Sometimes I think about technology being a great gift for an entrepreneur, one that can help circumvent the hassles of running a business 24/7, starting out cash-poor, and often crisscrossing the country to meet clients, venture capitalists, and even to woo prospective employees. Certainly, this holiday season there are a number of hot items that may make a small businessperson’s dreams come true. Here are some of my picks for the entrepreneur’s holiday wish list. HP Photosmart A716 Compact Photo Printer Whoever said, “a picture is worth a thousand words” was a very wise person, but little did they know about HP’s new compact photo printer at the time. This little wonder helps you seal the deal with prospects or clarify problems with customers. Instead of looking at an e-mail or squinting at a screen, print a photograph of your new product, new hire or new design for your client — whenever you want. While your competitors are struggling with crude descriptions or waiting in line for photos to develop — you’ll be signing contracts in January 2007. Where to find it: HP.com Lenovo 3000 Series Notebook. Notebook computers are vital tools for mobile entrepreneurs. They need their offices to travel with them and often a reliable, feature rich, powerful but economical notebook is the perfect choice. I did an extensive search for a notebook and am perfectly happy with the Lenovo 3000 N100.  Costs range, of course, depending on the specific model you buy. If you are looking for a gift that has Bluetooth and WiFi, 4-in-1 card reader, plenty of USB ports and S-video, too, the Lenovo 3000 series is what you should consider. Where to find it: Lenovo.com 80 GB iPod — for business not pleasure Over the past several months, I’ve been using my Apple iPod and really like it to store my favorite music from today and yesteryear. Of course, Apple makes several versions of iPods and now is joined by Microsoft’s Zune and so many other brands in making portable “MP3” players. But guess what? iPod’s are not just for music but are perfect business tools to store data, educate yourself through podcasts and carry your own entertainment for when you travel on business. The 80 GB version can store up to 20,000 songs, 25,000 photos, or 100 hours of video — or any combination of each. Where to find it: iPod.com BlueTie hosted e-mail While just about everyone business has e-mail, I bet there’s at least one (if not more) business owners in your life whose business could use help in managing their e-mail. If they’re stuck using a free e-mail service, or find that their e-mail is always down, have them check out BlueTie. It’s a low-cost, hosted e-mail service that not only manages e-mail but does it quick and with powerful features. There’s even a free version. If you type in “dinner with Ramon, tomorrow,” it knows when tomorrow is, who Ramon is (if he’s in your address book) and that dinner is not at 3:00 p.m. but later. If you or someone you know lives or dies by e-mail, Bluetie just might be their life preserver. Where to find it: BlueTie.com Between my business card scanner, notebook computer, wireless broadband and all of my other gadgets, I’m ready for business this holiday season. But every entrepreneur — even me — can always use the next latest, greatest technology tool. Don’t have a GPS system? Maybe you’ll get one this holiday season. Ramon Ray is an author, speaker, technology writer and former small business technology consultant. He publishes Smallbiztechnology.com, a website that helps small and medium-sized businesses strategically use technology as a tool to grow their businesses.

About 2365 days ago Mobility Tips and Tricks

Maximizing Your Cell Phone Battery Life

The idea that mainstream technology is built to eventually malfunction may be less of a conspiracy theory and more grounded in fact than we realize. This is for a couple reasons. First, making long-lasting equipment is expensive. Second, companies want you to come back and upgrade your equipment periodically. For cell phones, the life span seems to be about two years. The main threat against cell phone durability isn’t the memory card that holds the address book, nor the fancy screen that shows the numbers. The problem is: battery life. After a year or two of reliability, older phones may last a day on one charge, if not just a few hours. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take to extend battery life: Bad habit #1 – Charging Every Day It’s a habit, especially for travelers: Get into the hotel room, search for the nearest available outlet and plug up all rechargeable electronics before settling in. Unfortunately, according to a T-Mobile spokesman, this very practice can drain life from your cell phone battery. Cell phones, iPods and other rechargeable electronics have so-called battery memory. When first bought, your cell phone is prepped to charge fully each time you plug it into an outlet. Repeatedly charging your phone when it has, say, half power actually lowers the capacity of the battery. It gets used to holding a half charge. Solution: Charge every other day. The average cell phone charge last about three days. Unless you’re a risk taker, it’s probably not a good idea to wait until the third day (after all, this isn’t an exact science). A more realistic goal is to plug in your phone every other day. Not only will this improve long-term battery life, but it also keeps you untethered for half of the week. Bad habit #2 — Keeping Your Cell Phone in Extreme Temperatures Most people don’t have business in Antarctica or the Sahara, but leaving the phone in a hot summer car or a cold office will hurt battery life, too. “A common mistake made by cellular phone users is to leave their battery pack in their vehicle during the heat of day,” Motorola warns. “A car’s internal temperature can exceed 80 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of a dashboard with direct exposure to the sun can exceed 120 degrees Celsius.” Solution: If it must be stored, keep it away from sunlight during summer. In winter, keep that phone well-covered or close to a warm body. Bad habit #3 — Being Disconnected While Indoors Twenty years ago, having a cordless phone at home was a luxury, but now it is standard. As such, we aren’t used to having a wire keeping us in place – even if we’re talking on a cell phone five feet away from the outlet. The constant depleting and recharging will wear out batteries no matter what precautions are taken, so it’s essential to use your cell phone’s battery power only when necessary. If you’re stationary and by an outlet, plug in the phone. The cell’s power will then be taken from the outlet, not from your battery. Solution: Charge while talking.  Bad habit #4 — Keeping the Cell on 24/7 The beauty of cell phones is that, dead zones notwithstanding, we can be reached at any time. We tend to leave them on all day and all night, and complain when they break down from exhaustion. What people don’t realize is that cell phones, like computers and other technological gadgets, need a little rest. Downtime allows your phone to cool down, while turning on the phone anew will refocus its coordinates (which may help you get better reception). Solution: Turn it off. Shut it down periodically, ideally at least once daily. Fives minutes will do.

About 2395 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

Seeing the iPod as a Security Threat

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With close to 60 million iPods sold since they were first introduced by Apple in late 2001, these trendy portable media players have become more than just the must-have gadget of our time — they’ve evolved into an undisputed cultural icon. But they are also potentially dangerous to networks; iPods connected to the Internet can transmit viruses, and they can also be used to store a lot of data — including company data. Is the iPod a threat Preston Gralla, author of How the Internet Works and How Personal and Internet Security Works, says a technique called “Pod slurping” refers to someone who uses their iPod to download data from a PC to their portable device. “This means that employees could walk out the door with literally thousands of sensitive files and data,” says Gralla. On the flipside, an employee could cause considerable damage to a computer or network — deliberately or unknowingly — by copying files from an iPod to a PC. “Someone could upload infected files from their iPod to a corporate network, bypassing the corporate firewall that normally blocks incoming files and connections,” explains Gralla. “What people don’t realize is that the iPod is in essence a powerful computer, with significant amounts of storage. It’s also hack-able, so that someone can use it for more than just listening to music or playing videos.” Michael Gartenberg, research director of client access and technologies at JupiterMedia, a Darien, Conn.-based tech research firm, believes the iPod is no more a security threat than any other form of removable media. These days, the office is rife with portable consumer devices, such as laptops, USB thumb-sticks, and other gadgets that can serve as a way to transmit computer viruses and swipe confidential company data. “Sure, iPods can store a lot of information, but they’re no more of a risk than a floppy disk was 15 years ago,” says Gartenberg. What to do Business owners concerned about their employees in this regard may consider locking down all connected devices, including USB drives, iPods, or any other external memory solutions. “Companies can block these devices by installing software that will allow a network administrator lock access to USB and FireWire ports,” says Gralla. “In this way, iPods would be locked out of a network.” Or you can take it one step further. You could ban iPods altogether. “Of course, doing that may alienate employees,” Gralla says, “and it would be extremely difficult to enforce the ban.” But perhaps a better way to solve the problem of data theft than to ban employees’ personal devices, offers Gralla, is to store and encrypt sensitive data on protected servers.

About 2426 days ago Telecom and Wireless

What is Wi-Fi?

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Wireless Internet access has a variety of uses for small and mid-size businesses. Sometimes, it’s a way of attracting customers, as many coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants, and even doctor’s offices have offered free access as an additional benefit. Other types of firms may opt to use wireless Internet internally so that employees can access the corporate local area network from wherever they are in the building. Either way, if businesses are talking about wireless Internet access, chances are they’re talking about Wi-Fi — pronounced “why-fy” and short for “wireless fidelity.” Originally developed for mobile computer users, Wi-Fi has become the networking standard of choice for small businesses and home offices because it offers broadband-speed access without cables. Uses for Wi-Fi, which also is known by its technical standard name of 802.11, are expanding rapidly. So far it’s being used for Internet-based telephony and  connectivity between electronic devices such as digital cameras and TVs; a new type of WiFi is even being developed to knit moving cars together into rolling information networks. How Wi-Fi works Most references to 802.11 or Wi-Fi are about “hotspots,” public locations where laptops and handheld computers can pick up a radio signal to connect to the Internet. Hotspots center around “access points,” routers that connect to the Internet via an Ethernet cable and then serve up a wireless signal containing the broadband feed. Hotspots can cover anything from one room to several square miles, depending on the number of access points and the type of equipment being used. Some hotspots are actually “wireless mesh networks,” a series of host access points, or nodes, working together to provide seamless coverage throughout a region. This is generally how municipal wireless networks provide city-wide wireless Internet access. Most laptops manufactured today come with Wi-Fi cards already built in. Once the laptop’s Wi-Fi capability is turned on, software usually can detect an access point’s SSID — or “service set identifier” — automatically, allowing the laptop to connect to the signal without the user having to intervene. Security concerns for small business Security-conscious users should think twice about how and when to use such automated connections. Computers attached to such public networks can be easy prey for hackers. In addition, a laptop that allows peer-to-peer connectivity, a type of connection in which devices use Wi-Fi to communicate with one another, essentially invites other nearby laptop users to poke around inside a neighbor’s machine. ”It is important for small businesses to adequately protect the data residing on their PCs while using Wi-Fi, in the event that their system is hacked, lost, or stolen,” warns Howard DuLany, manager of wireless marketing at laptop maker Lenovo. While today’s Wi-Fi specifications offer some security, hard drive encryption and biometric tools such as fingerprint readers help to ensure proprietary data is not stolen and unauthorized access to documents is restricted. “These tools may seem like science-fiction,” DuLany says, “but are now incredibly common and can be purchased with your PC or as an option at minimal additional cost.” Wi-Fi is expected to expand rapidly over the next few years as manufacturers begin releasing mobile phones that work on both traditional cellular networks and by accessing Wi-Fi hotspots. In-Stat, a Scottsdale, Ariz., research firm, forecasts that more than 200 million Wi-Fi-enabled mobile handsets will have shipped by 2010. In addition, ABI Research of New York reports that Wi-Fi is becoming a key enabler for the delivery and redistribution of entertainment content, which is used in some types of businesses. ABI analysts forecast that the total number of Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronics devices will grow from 40 million shipped in 2006 to 249 million in 2011. “From the enormous interest in online gaming to the rapid emergence of new Internet distribution channels for top-tier movie and TV content, the need for connectivity in mainstream consumer electronics is growing rapidly,” says ABI research director Michael Wolf. That impacts businesses more and more because these consumer electronic devices — iPods, cell phones, laptops, etc. — are increasingly making their way into the business environment.

About 2426 days ago E-Commerce

How eBay Works

When eBay was first founded in 1995, it quickly earned a reputation as an online global yard sale. It was where Internet users could find everything from a vintage Fantastic Four comic book ($1,500) to matchbook covers featuring nine different U.S. Presidents ($14.99) to a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich that someone claimed looked like the Virgin Mary (it actually sold for $28,000). But, more recently, eBay has also become known as a small business Mecca. It’s where start-up companies, home-based businesses and physical stores can market their goods or services online to some of the 213 million registered eBay users worldwide — 90 million in the United States alone. That’s a lot of potential customers. But before a business person gets started selling on eBay, they first have to understand how eBay works. How eBay works eBay is the pre-eminent online auction website. It’s where customers can search for a specific floral pattern of Laura Ashley queen-sized sheets or browse through categories such as Home & Garden, Toys & Hobbies, Jewelry & Watches, or Collectibles. Customers submit electronic bids for items they want, after reviewing the details such as payment options and shipping charges. Once a customer places a bid, they have entered into a contract to buy the item if they win the auction. Some auctions have “Buy It Now” options that allow customers to instantly agree to purchase the item for an agreed upon price. eBay also offers scores of fixed-price items from “stores” that people and companies have established on eBay that make shopping there similar to buying on other ecommerce sites. One of the best ways to understand how eBay works is to register as a customer, which will enable you to buy, bid or sell within a matter of minutes. That’s the advice for would-be sellers from Jim “Griff” Griffith, author of The Official eBay Bible and dean of eBay University, an eBay-sponsored series of courses to help newcomers sell and buy. “You don’t want to sell on eBay until you’ve bought on eBay,” Griffith says. “It’s important to understand how it works from the buyer’s perspective first.” How to get started as a seller Set-up a seller’s account. This will include payment information so that eBay can collect its fees once you start selling. There are a variety of fee structures, which have recently changed. Read the fine print carefully on this one. If you’re operating on a thin profit margin, you could end up losing money if you’re not careful. Think it through. It’s easy to lose money and time, lots of time, if you’re not organized. Think out all the costs and steps it takes to make a sale. Factor in your fees to eBay, PayPal, credit card companies and, most importantly, shipping costs. Michael Miller, author of some half a dozen books on eBay, advises using Priority Mail’s flat-rate shipping. “The eBay shipping calculator is very reliable too,” says Miller. Don’t invest in large amounts of inventory. Not everything sells on eBay. In fact, the sell-through rate is only 50 percent. The worst thing you can do is buy inventory with credit cards and get stuck, not only with a garage full of basketballs, but high interest rates on your investment. PayPal is your best friend. It’s also the payment method of choice for most eBay users, since eBay owns the company. Once a buyer or seller sets up an account with their banking information (you can use your credit card or debit/credit directly from a bank account), PayPal enables immediate, secure financial transactions. With PayPal, you always get paid before you ship out the order without any worries of bounced checks or declined credit cards later. What you need to know about the average eBay customer eBay experts have reached a lot of conclusions about who shops at online auctions. It’s useful to pay attention to some of the basics about the eBay customer before trying to make a business out of selling online. eBay shoppers have notoriously short attention spans. “They just want facts and to see a picture,” says Debbie Levitt, president of AsWas, a certified eBay developer, which offers storefront design and marketing services for eBay businesses.  80 percent of all sales on eBay come from search results. That’s another good reason to pay close attention to how you design your product listings. Don’t make the most popular rookie mistake: misspellings. They can’t find your Hummel collection in the search engine, if you spell it “Hummer.” They’re not just shopping for a good product. They’re shopping for a good seller, too. If four sellers are offering the same iPod accessory, the buyer is going to pick the one with the best customer feedback score. You’ll find those scores on the right side of the screen under “Meet the Seller,” when you click on the product. Buyers read these religiously. If you’re planning to set up a business on eBay, the advice to start small is universal. With over $40 billion dollars in gross sales annually and over 100 million products listed for sale or auction at any given time, eBay is a very large pool. You’ll want to enter it one toe at a time to prevent drowning.

About 2456 days ago E-Commerce

How PayPal Works for Businesses

As with many Web-based businesses, Wi-Gear Inc., a company that sells iPod accessories, wants to ensure the shopping process is a simple one for its customers. “But setting up a traditional merchant service from a credit card company can be a pain,” concedes Mark Pundsack, Wi-Gear’s president and CEO. Instead, the San Francisco-based company opted for a merchant account with PayPal, the world’s largest online payment service, boasting more than 114 million accounts globally. “It was easy to sign up, activation is nearly instantaneous and the rates through PayPal are better than we can get through a traditional merchant services account,” explains Pundsack. “Plus, there are still customers out there that don’t like to give their credit card information to merchants over the Web so having PayPal payments makes them feel more secure.” Consider PayPal an online wallet that lets your customers buy products or even e-mail funds from one person (or business) to another. The following is everything you need to know about PayPal and how you can use it in your business. Who Founded in December, 1998, but acquired by eBay in October, 2002, PayPal has become a global leader in online payment solutions, available in 55 markets and in seven currencies: U.S. dollars, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, euros, pounds sterling, Japanese yen and Chinese RMB. Consistently ranked the No. 1 personal finance site on the Web (Nielsen//NetRatings), the San Jose, Calif.-based company processes billions of dollars in online payments for retailers, online businesses and eBay sellers (90 percent of eBay sellers offer PayPal as a purchase option). PayPal revenues for Q2 2006 were $339 million, up 39 percent year-over-year. What The PayPal service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards. Customers set up a free PayPal account on the Net, adds funds to the account from a credit card or bank account, and then begin shopping online or e-mailing cash. Using PayPal on the Net is like reaching into your wallet at a store: you can decide then and there to use cash (use your existing PayPal balance); you can use a debit card; write a check (linking PayPal to your bank account); or you can use a credit card (linking PayPal to your Visa or MasterCard). Why Small-to-mid-sized Web merchants will tell you it can be costly and time-consuming to offer credit card payments to online customers. And if you have an unproven (or worse, a bad) credit history, it may be like pulling teeth to secure a merchant credit card account. This is where PayPal comes in. It allows merchants of any size to accept payments from customers in a safe and secure way (PayPal’s loss rate due to fraud is a tiny 0.27 percent). Unveiled in the spring of 2006, PayPal Mobile even lets customers shop using a cell phone, text-message cash from one PayPal account to another, or make a donation to a charitable cause. How Depending on the size of your business, merchants can review the different types of accounts at PayPal merchants. But the easiest way to get on board is the Website Payments Standard, which simply involves signing up for a PayPal Business Account, verifying your information, and then adding a little payment button on your site (check out the online demos and tutorials). Customers could be buying products or services on your Web page the same day. And when you get funds from a customer it’s as good as cash right away, so you can leave it in your PayPal account, buy something with it, transfer it into your offline bank account, invest in the PayPal Money Market Fund (the company claims it offers some of the best yields in the country), or even sign up for a plastic PayPal debit card to use offline at brick and mortar stores (and get one percent cash back). How much? PayPal is free to buyers. Merchants, however, pay a small fee to use the service. Transaction fees depend on monthly volume. PayPal charges 2.9 percent + $0.30 USD for PayPal payments between $0 and $3000; 2.5 percent + $0.30 USD for $3001 and $10,000; 2.2 percent + $0.30 USD for $10,001 to $100,000; and 1.9 percent + $0.30 USD for $100,001 and higher (visit PayPal.com/fees for more info). The transaction fee comes off right away, so when a merchant receives $100, they really get $97.50 (at 2.2 percent + $0.30 USD). Unlike credit card merchant accounts, PayPal does not charge a set-up fee, gateway fee or any monthly fees.

About 2456 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

What’s the Right Cell Phone for You?

MP3 capabilities. Fancy cameras. Bluetooth connections. The more advanced cell phones get, the more purchasing one feels as arduous as deciding on a new computer. The same principles are involved in both. But there are several basic questions that will make buying a new mobile phone easier. “If you are someone who needs persistent access to multiple modes of communication, then consider battery life, network speed, and the feature set,” says Kurt Collins, a mobile technology analyst. The total number of cellular connections in the world has reached 2.5 billion, passing the 2 billion mark just a year ago, according to Wireless Intelligence, a global mobile tracking venture sponsored in part by the GSM Association, which represents dealers of GSM mobile phones in more than 200 different countries. Cell connections are on track to surpass the 3 billion mark by the end of 2007, the organization says. A growing number of cell phones contain features that resemble their PCs’ most valuable offerings — e-mail, a keyboard, and Web browsing. Others contain entertainment applications — for example, a digital music player or a camera. While these features are great for consumers, the first thing a business owner has to decide is what features make the best sense for you, your business and/or your employees. Here are some key features to look for and business questions to consider: Bluetooth capabilities: A wireless system, Bluetooth is the new way advanced cell phones can communicate with other phones and even your office computer. But there are security vulnerabilities associated with the Bluetooth technology that could leave your company’s confidential information vulnerable. Keyboard: Typing cryptic love notes out on the cell phone’s traditional number-oriented alphabet pad is fine. But that won’t cut it for company e-mails, particularly those to clients or customers. Look for a device with a full QWERTY (or standard) keyboard. Some new phones have a QWERTY keyboard in a hidden compartment, on the number pad or as a larger attachment that you can use for lengthier correspondence. >E-mail: It’s not quite standard yet, but many cell phones now can connect you to popular e-mail services like Yahoo!, AOL and Hotmail. That could mean your small business could utilize one of these e-mail accounts. But if you are a larger firm with many employees, you need to consider whether you want your employees sending personal e-mail from these accounts while on your dime. Instant Messaging (IM): Many cell phones have IM options or other real-time text messaging now, too. Many companies use this type of instant chat to conduct business and foster communication between employees. If your firm doesn’t do business over IM, or it you want to better track what your employees are sending, then avoid this feature if you can. Battery power: The general laptop rule applies here: the more applications you have running on a phone, the faster the battery gets drained. If your business needs two to three days service with no recharging, consider purchasing a simpler phone. Camera: Photo capabilities are almost a cell phone standard now. But the average resolution is 1 mega pixel — three times weaker than the average digital camera. Unless you don’t mind blurry shots for your website or presentations, it may be better to get a real camera. MP3 player: Recent devices from Motorola and Verizon have headphone jacks and enough memory to hold music. The challenge comes in storage and delivery. The capacity is, at best, a handful of songs, well below even the smallest iPod, the Shuffle. A bigger issue comes when purchasing music from the phone company. Their selection pales in comparison to the Apple Music Store or the new MTV Urge catalog. This may be a great perk for an entrepreneur or trusted employee who travels. But having an MP3 player in a cell phone may lead to abuse on company time. Multi-band: If you’re doing major international travel, it is worth investing in a “multi-band” phone. Multi-band means that it will be compatible with phone systems throughout the world. The more bands the phone understands, the higher the chances of you getting a clear cell call when your business trip includes stops in both Paris and India. Compare carriers: Your business may have the “best” phone, but that doesn’t matter if your employees have proper coverage to make phone calls. Metropolitan areas usually have great coverage, including in subway systems, but in the suburbs or the country service can be spotty. Advises Collins: “If you do a lot of… outdoor activities or live in a rural neighborhood in which you want a phone, keep in mind network coverage.”

About 2456 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

How to Make Your Cell Battery Last Longer

You’re familiar with the scenario: You’ve been traveling all day, from one airport to another to a conference room here and a car service there. The whole way, you’ve been fielding calls from the home office and sending back requests for data you need on this important client call. But before you know it, you’re out of juice: All that time, you never had a chance to plug in and recharge your cell phone, and now you’re stuck. Here are a few simple tips for extending your cell phone battery over the long haul, so that when you do recharge — it lasts. Tip: Charge Up Less Often It’s a habit, especially for travelers: Get into the hotel room, search for the nearest available outlet and plug up all rechargeable electronics before settling in. Unfortunately, according to a T-Mobile spokesman, this very practice can drain life from your cell phone battery. Cell phones, iPods, and other rechargeable electronics have so-called battery memory. When first bought, your cell phone is prepped to charge fully each time you plug it into an outlet. Repeatedly charging your phone when it has, say, half power actually lowers the capacity of the battery. It gets used to holding only half a charge. Solution: Charge every other day. The average cell phone charge lasts about three days. Unless you’re a risk taker, it’s probably not a good idea to wait until the third day (after all, this isn’t an exact science). A more realistic goal is to plug in your phone every other day. Tip: Monitor Cell Phone Temperature Most people don’t have business in Antarctica or the Sahara, but leaving the phone in a hot summer car or a cold office will hurt battery life, too. “A common mistake made by cellular phone users is to leave their battery pack in their vehicle during the heat of day,” Motorola warns. Solution: If it must be stored, keep it away from sunlight during summer. In winter, keep the phone well-covered in a case or your bag. Tip: Turn Your Phone Off at Night The beauty of cell phones is that, dead zones notwithstanding, we can be reached at any time. We tend to leave them on all day and all night, and complain when they break down from exhaustion. What people don’t realize is that cell phones, like computers and other technological gadgets, need a little rest. Downtime allows your phone to cool down, while turning on the phone anew will refocus its coordinates (which may help you get better reception). Solution: Turn it off. Shut it down periodically, ideally at least once daily. Fives minutes will do. At the very least, when you go to bed at night — let your phone get a little rest, too.