Author: Shy Mukerjee

Small Biz Tips from SmallBizTechnology

by Shy Mukerjee

We are pleased to work with Ramon Ray, CEO and editor of SmallBizTechnology.com, journalist, and technology evangelist, to bring you new Small Biz tips. Each week they’ll be sharing videos and articles featuring hot topics, products and trends in small business.

5 Tips to Help Prevent Your Company from Being Bashed on Twitter and Other Social Media

Just a few years ago, unhappy customers had two formal options: write a complaint letter/email, or ask to speak to a manager. Of course, this was in addition to personally telling all their friends about their experience. With social media, unhappy customers can now broadcast their complaints, not only to their friends, but to anyone who’s listening. In one way this is great for customer service advocates—the people now have a platform to expose bad companies. On the other hand, there are people who abuse these channels to tarnish good companies, hoping to be reimbursed with gift cards, upgrades and free goods. What are five things you can do to protect your business in social media? Read More

CONTEST: Win a Wireless Powermat charging station (with two receivers!)

by Shy Mukerjee

The response to our last contest was great, so we’re doing it again!  This time, we’re giving away a Wireless Powermat charging station and 2 charging receivers: one for iPhone 3G & one for Blackberry Bold.  Did you read Terrance’s post yesterday about Portable Power for your Mobile Devices? You don’t have to feel anxious about running out of battery power – just make sure you have some kind of system in place! This contest couldn’t be easier to enter.  For a chance to win a Wireless Powermat charging solution, we just need you to do two things:

1. Like our page on Facebook by clicking on the link, making sure you’re signed into Facebook, and then clicking the ‘Like’ button on that page.

2. Share a link to this contest on Facebook.  The easiest way to do this is to use the ‘Like’ button above the picture on this page or to visit this link and hit the ‘Share’ button.

That’s it!  The names of all qualified entrants will be put into a list at noon on Sunday, April 17th and one winner will be chosen by the random number generator over at Random.org. And don’t forget, if you want the latest updates on Small Business tech news, gadgets, and apps to follow us on twitter!

Choose a FREE Mobile Internet Solution on AT&T Premier

by Shy Mukerjee

Sure, Wi-Fi is great, but it isn’t everywhere. What if you need a guarantee that anywhere you go, you can get your computer online? The AT&T USBConnect Shockwave 4G connects to your laptop and allows you to work virtually anywhere.  Or, you can connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices with the AT&T Mobile Hotspot MiFi® 2372.

Both are FREE for a limited time:  Check it out!

(2-yr. agreem’t on min. $50/mo. DataConnect plan req’d. 4G in ltd. areas. Add’l restr. apply. This message brought to you by our sponsor, AT&T)

The E-Reader Explosion: Choosing the Right E-Reader

by Shy Mukerjee

Mario Armstrong appeared on the TODAY show this morning to help you decide which E-Reader is right for you. Mario takes a look at the Amazon Kindle, the Sony E-Reader, The Barnes and Noble Nook Color, and the Pandigital Novel Color Multimedia E-Reader. Take a look at the video below!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wednesday Small Biz Tips

by Shy Mukerjee

We are pleased to work with Ramon Ray, CEO and editor of SmallBizTechnology.com, journalist, and technology evangelist, to bring you our new Small Biz tips on Wednesdays. Each week we’ll be sharing videos and articles featuring hot topics, products and trends in small business.

More Battery Life In 7 Steps: Must Read For Road Warriors

I bought a Dell Vostro 130 last year and it’s a lovely machine. Only problem is that battery life is not that long. What you gain in lightness (it’s like 2 or 3 lbs) you lose in other things – like shorter battery life. I was helping a friend of mine with their new Toshiba Portege (not sure the model) and it’s battery life appears to be a little bit longer, but it’s a bit heaver as it has a built in CD-ROM/DVD drive. Sigh…what to do. Read more tips for extending your laptop’s battery life on SmallBizTechnology.com.

Dual Monitor For Client Meetings? Check Out This USB Mobile LCD Monitor

Notebooks are great. However, their small screens don’t always make it easy enough for you to share what you’re working on with a client, colleague or anyone else.

Toshiba’s got a $200 portable monitor that works with your notebook computer, as long as it runs Windows, via USB.

This is one of those little gadgets that are not for everyone, but I can guarantee that there is DEFINITELY a market of sales professionals, designers and others who want to show someone else what’s on their screen. See the USB Dual Monitor in action.

Missed Plaxo? It’s Back. This Time Focused on Your Address Book

I can’t remember when I started using Plaxo and I don’t remember when I stopped using it. But I know somewhere between Twitter, Facebook, Google and less use of Microsoft Outlook, my use (or even needed) of Plaxo become much less.

Earlier this month Plaxo announced that it’s “back” with a new vengeance. Read more about Plaxo on SmallBizTechnology.com.

Win a BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth Headset!

by Shy Mukerjee

Contests are going to become a regular feature here on Small Biz Go Mobile. After all, why shouldn’t we give something back to our readers? Mario has talked about the BlueAnt Q2 Bluetooth Headset before, and you can check him out on CNN talking about voice activation, driving safety, and the Q2 below.

But how do you enter? Simple, just do two things:

The contest ends at Noon EST on Monday, April 4th. Winners (and our next contest!) will be announced that afternoon on this site. So follow us, retweet, and check back to see if you won!

Mario Armstrong discusses Hands-Fre Bluetooth Technology and Driving Safety on CNN

BlackBerry PlayBook Adds Java and Android “app player,” but not in time for launch

by Shy Mukerjee

Although word leaked last month that BlackBerry had added the ability to run Android apps on their upcoming PlayBook tablet (previously: pricing, quick look), a press release from RIM yesterday gives more details about how this will work.  The PlayBook will have access to what RIM are calling “app players” to allow not just Android 2.3 but Java apps as well.  However, unlike we assumed, there won’t simply be an Android Market on the PlayBook, but the process sounds simple enough. According to RIM, developers will have to simply repackage and sign their apps, then submit them to BlackBerry App World.  Touting a “a high degree of API compatibility” between Android and BlackBerry, the process will hopefully be painless.

Not in Time for Launch

The PlayBook will be here on April 19th, but RIM notes in their press release that the app players won’t arrive until summer.  With their tablet Native Development Kit (NDK) forthcoming and still in alpha, how are developers supposed to have apps ready for launch?  BlackBerry is addressing this in several ways, announcing today that they’re adding C/C++ development to the NDK, allowing developers to leverage work already done in the language and easily port existing code to the platform.  As well, developers will have the option to bring Adobe Flash and AIR apps to the PlayBook, in addition to the HTML5 support via WebKit.

With the iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom already out, their app stores full thanks to a significant head start, how will the PlayBook compete? Will there be a significant number of apps available for the platform at launch, and will consumers be able to wait until summer for Android Apps to make their way to the device?  We’re still waiting with bated breath to find out how the BlackBerry PlayBook is going to shine amongst what we assume will be its core audience: business users. Having already announced that they’re bringing BlackBerry Messenger to Android and possibly iOS, it will be interesting to see what unique features the PlayBook will be bringing to market.

Small Biz Tips From SmallBizTechnology.com

by Shy Mukerjee

We are pleased to work with Ramon Ray, CEO and editor of SmallBizTechnology.com, journalist, and technology evangelist, to bring you our new Small Biz tips on Wednesdays. Each week we’ll be sharing videos and articles featuring hot topics, products and trends in small business.

Send A Text Message And Shut Down Your Stolen Computer: Intel’s Anti-Theft Tech 3.0

Stolen laptops are no joke – especially if you have sensitive data on it. Maybe photos that you don’t want into the “wrong hands”, maybe company contracts that competitors would surely want to see or maybe they’re financial records of clients that could harm your business if exposed to hackers.

Whatever information is on your notebook computer it’s important to encrypt your data and use strong password protection.

For a second layer of security, Intel has created an embedded 3G (yep – wireless communication) technology into the 2nd Generation of it’s vPro Processor that can remotely disable a computer and ensure that your data is protected and secure from hackers.

By sending an SMS (text) message to your laptop you can shut it down and find where it is through GPS coordinates. Read the full article here.

Photos and your business – A branding opportunity

Whenever there is a special event in our lives we take a lot of photos and it could be a powerful medium for you to spread the word about your brand. It’s going to be a Super Moon tonight (March 19th 2011) as I am starting this article . The moon will appear 14% larger and will be another 18 years before it happens again. Now my first instinct is – is my camera ready? Should I charge the battery and you may have by now realized I am a photo enthusiast with no professional training. All my training comes from the folks whose pictures I have taken ( maybe in the hope that I take better pictures of them) and from professionals like Kris Krug who gives me tips when I meet him at conferences. Learn more about branding opportunities here.

How Google’s Search Engine Changes Affect Your Rankings: Four Tips 4 U

What happens when Google alters their search ranking algorithms—which they do often—and you find your website and your business are now collateral damage under the sanitized term “metrics”?

This latest update, nicknamed the “Panda Update,” has turned much of the online marketing world on its collective ear. Sift through any number of professional blogging, traffic generation, and online marketing blogs, and most have at least one post mentioning the algorithm changes and what it means for everything from Page Rank to profits. Read the rest of this article at SmallBizTechnology.

SMALL BIZ TIPS FROM SMALLBIZTECHNOLOGY.COM

by Shy Mukerjee

We are pleased to work with Ramon Ray, CEO and editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, journalist, and technology evangelist, to bring you our new Small Biz tips on Wednesdays. Each week we’ll be sharing videos and articles featuring hot topics, products and trends in small business.

Real Estate Company Uses Mobile Technology to Attract Customers

A Boston real estate company is harnessing a type of mobile technology to make it easy for home buyers to access its properties’ MLS information on the spot. It’s called texting.
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, an independent real estate company with 200 agents, realized it needed to cater to the next generation of home buyers who are tech savvy, and who often prefer to do their own research before speaking with an agent. Read more…

Consumer Technology Can Help Your Business. Just Be Careful

This weekend, I’ve been at South by South West (SXSW) . The exhibits, as expected, showcased dozens of companies offering a variety of tools and services for location based mobile services, video, photo and more. Many of them were not specifically for the small business market. However, I believe that many of them can be good testing grounds to consider how you might leverage the technologies (such as mobile marketing) these new services represent, in your business. Read more…