Total Recall: Back Up Your Data to Protect Yourself

August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

Last week, former Gizmodo writer Mat Honan had everything stolen and wiped by hackers. Everything. They wiped all his devices (Macbook Air, iPad, iPhone) and had access to all his online accounts, including his Gmail and Twitter. You can read the entire story on Mat’s blog, but the key takeaway is that hackers used Apple tech support to gain access to his iCloud and take over his entire digital life.

So how do you keep yourself from being the victim of a hacking? To start, one method of backup is not enough, especially when that one method is in the cloud: it’s best to use an old-fashioned external hard drive backup too.

Mac users have it relatively easy, with the Time Machine backup utility designed by Apple for this exact purpose. Time Machine makes a copy of your hard drive, and then updates it as you make changes to your hard drive. Time Machine can be used with an external hard drive, or paired with Time Capsule, Apple’s external hard drive that doubles as a wireless device. Time Capsule comes with either 2 or 3 TB of storage, which should be enough storage for most users.

PC users will need to buy an external hard drive as well as one of the many backup softwares on the market. The good news is that a 2TB hard drive will only run you between $100-$200, and the backup utility Easeus-Todo is free as well as highly rated. Once you’ve downloaded and extracted Easeus, it’s simple to backup either all or part of your data, as well as schedule future backups so you’re always protected.

Once you have your data backed up on an external hard drive, it’s time to also make a copy in the cloud. From iCloud and Google Drive to Dropbox and Nexus, there are tons of backup options, which we will talk about in more detail later this week. For now, it’s enough to know that backing up — without the cloud — is still a must for the foreseeable future.

Productivity Tip: Avoid Distractions By Timing Yourself

August 3, 2012February 1, 2014 by Katherine Elsasser

Distractions are everywhere. But what if you only challenged yourself to pay attention for short, manageable bursts of time? Would you be more productive?

That’s the theory behind the Pomodoro Technique, which prescribes 25 minute burst of attention. That means you set a timer, and for 25 minutes you concentrate on just one activity, and don’t check email, Twitter, your eBay auctions, nothing. Just one task. And if you’re interrupted, you start the timer over. Just the threat of being forced to start over (and going an extra few minutes without Twitter) should be enough to scare some people into 25 minutes of attention.

After 25 minutes, you take a break of five minutes, give or take. Then after four Pomodoros, it’s time for a longer break. The idea is that consistent breaks in your attention saves your brain from burnout, and that setting small, manageable goals helps ward off the anxiety of the overwhelmingly long to-do list.

Frencesco Cirillo, Pomodoro creator, has made a basic introduction to the technique available as a free pdf on the website www.pomodorotechnique.com. There are also testimonials from other Pomodoro users, program updates, meetups for practitioners and even t-shirts for the true believers.

Cirillo recommends using a standard kitchen timer, but for the connected professional there are also digital and mobile alternatives. Pomodairo is a free Adobe Air app that lets you make intuitive to-do lists, a timer for pomodoros, and helps you keep track of your work (and any unanticipated interruptions). For just a timer, try www.tomato-timer.com, which works in the browser and doesn’t require a download, even on iPhone and Android.

For an app proper, iDevice users can try Pomodoro Time Management Light for free to see if they’re ready for the full version. The full version is only $1.99, so if you decide to upgrade it won’t be a huge pain point. Android users can try Pomodoro Tasks, available for free in the Google Play store.

If you’ve tried the Pomodoro technique before, fill us in on your experiences in the comments. We’re all looking for ways to be more productive – help us out!

Win a Duracell Powermat & 2 Tickets to Our Party in NYC

August 1, 2012August 1, 2012 by admin

That’s right, we’re making it easy to win a free Duracell Powermat 24-Hour Power System, so you’ll #neverbepowerless. Entering is simple: just like Mario’s page on Facebook and you’ll be entered to win.

The best part? Get a friend to enter, and you’ll be in the running for 2 VIP tickets to our Power House Party at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in NYC on September 12th. You’ll join Mario to celebrate Socialcam users with over a million followers, and you’ll get to charge your phone right on the walls of Jay-Z’s new club!

The Duracell Powermat 24-Hour Charging System is one of the best ways to ensure your iPhone is never without a charge. It includes a wireless charging case for your iPhone, the Powermat you use to charge it on, and a backup battery to get an extra charge while you’re on the go.

Want one? Want to come to the party? Awesome. Enter the drawing, and maybe we’ll be seeing you in NYC this fall!

Connect America Fund Bringing Broadband to 400,000 Americans

August 1, 2012July 31, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

Broadband Availability Map — Map of US Broadband Access, from the FCC

For those of used to downloading apps in seconds or streaming video, it’s hard to imagine going back to the days of dial-up. But according to the FCC, nearly 19 million Americans currently lack access to broadband, meaning those people have access only to dial-up — or nothing at all.

Enter the FCC’s “Connect America Fund,” which announced last week that they will bring highspeed to nearly 400,000 residents within the next three years. This is part of a larger initiative to bring broadband to 7 million Americans in the next six years, an aggressive target set by the Obama administration as part of its commitment to universal broadband service.

The Connect America Fund is essentially a revamped version of something called the Universal Service Fund, which was tasked with bringing affordable nationwide telephone service to rural and high-cost areas. The USF will be phased out by 2018, as the FCC concentrates resources on broadband access through Connect America.

Given that more and more of purchasing, both of goods (Amazon) and services (Netflix) is moving online, broadband access has the potential to deliver new customers to thousands of businesses. And it also opens up the innovation economy, both in terms of education and entrepreneurship, to people previously excluded from our evolution to a connected, digital society.

PODCAST: Mobile Invoicing with FreshBooks

July 31, 2012July 31, 2012 by Mario Armstrong

On the latest Small Biz Go Mobile podcast I talk about invoicing product FreshBooks, specifically how you can leverage their mobile app to invoice while on-the-go. Running out of funds between pay periods can be devastating to the small business. What’s cool about FreshBooks is that you can quickly access your account from your Google Apps menu (i.e. your Gmail account) so you can track time and submit invoices without ever leaving your inbox. Add new clients, manage your time, and more. Want my full list of tips? Check out the podcast today!

Microsoft Surface (Running Windows 8) Coming October 26th

July 31, 2012July 30, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

It’s finally confirmed: Microsoft Surface, Microsoft’s groundbreaking entry to the personal computer/tablet market, will be available to users starting October 26, 2012, along with Windows 8, the latest incarnation of the Windows OS .

A long time in the making, Microsoft first debuted the Surface to the world just last month, but without a firm release date or a price tag attached. And while we still don’t know much a Surface will set you back, we do know a little of what you’ll get.

The most prominent (and innovative) feature of Microsoft Surface is its built-in keyboard that doubles as a cover to protect the machine’s screen, a clever innovation. Even with the cover, Surface is only 9.3mm thick (for comparison, that’s .2mm thinner than the latest iPad) but still manages to incorporate a full-size USB port and a Micro SD card. And while journalists haven’t been given Surfaces to review yet, we do know that they will be running Windows 8, which gives us a sense of the device’s interaction experience.

Why is Surface so noteworthy?

Well, if you’ve bought a PC lately, it was likely from Sony, HP, Dell, Acer or another manufacturer. It certainly wasn’t from Microsoft, and that’s because until now Microsoft has limited its forays into the hardware business to peripherals like keyboards and mice. The Surface tablet changes that, putting Microsoft into direct competition with its pals: the PC manufacturers.

Given its incredible portability, keyboard, and the fact that Windows is still the preferred OS for many business applications, Surface has the potential to be the first device to truly bridge the tablet/laptop divide. But only if the device — and Windows 8 — live up to their potential.

The new iPhone is coming September 12th, but will there be an iPad Mini?

July 30, 2012July 30, 2012 by Shy Mukerjee

Apple news and rumor site iMore is reporting that the date has been set—Apple will be unveiling the next iPhone and possibly a 7″ iPad Mini on September 12th. This date is somewhat ahead of last year’s October 4th iPhone 4S announcement, indicating that Apple may have worked quicker this year than they did previously to ready the next iPhone.

Japanese repair shop iLab came in with a huge exclusive over the weekend, showing off the first images of a fully assembled iPhone 5 (or as Apple will likely call it, “the new iPhone”). Based on the reports we’ve heard from around the Internet, we can only assume that this is the new form factor. Notable features include a taller, 4″ screen and a new, smaller dock connector.

As for the other big rumor, a 7.85″ iPad Mini seems likely to be released on September 12th as well. With the wild success of Google’s Nexus 7″ tablet (the 16GB model is completely sold out right now) it seems very likely that we’ll finally see a smaller, cheaper and more affordable iPad, possibly in the $250-300 range. While I’d be shocked if it’s as cheap as the Nexus (which starts at a possibly-price-subsidized-by-Google low, low $200), a cheaper and smaller iPad would definitely be the deciding factor that gets a lot of people into the tablet game. And while the Nexus 7 might be impressive, nobody’s counting Apple out. After all, with more than 250,000 apps specifically designed for the tablet, Apple’s iPad has a huge leg up on the competition. Still, Apple does have competition in the 7″ tablet space and if any company is ready to make a dent in Apple’s dominance on tablets, Google seems ready to make that move.

Union Square Ventures’ Fred Wilson and Etsy’s Chad Dickerson on Company Culture & Hiring

July 30, 2012July 30, 2012 by Katherine Elsasser

Fred Wilson is one of the most important Venture Capitalists investing in new technology startups and small businesses today. He’s been around for a long time, has seen a couple of booms (and busts) and has advised companies big and small on how to grow and succeed.

Fred’s kind enough to share his wisdom on his must-read blog, AVC.com, and even goes so far as to ask other tech-industry superstars to contribute their industry expertise. We especially love Fred’s series “MBA Mondays,” where he provides thoughtful expert commentary on a very specific business issue, from how to analyze financial statements to how to finance your startup.

You can see all of Fred’s MBA Monday posts here, and even download each post for your Kindle or as a pdf for further consideration. We can’t recommend them enough.

We were especially moved to share by today’s guest post from Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson. It’s a refreshing look at how to recruit for an organization regardless of size. He writes about communicating the spirit of an organization’s values, especially when it comes to recruiting, but also about how an organization’s culture motivates employees. His conclusion?

“When it comes to recruiting and culture, a leader is mostly responsible for tending to the spirit of the organization, and for making whatever adjustments need to be made to keep that spirit strong and powerful. In the end, that spirit matters more than anything.”

Definitely interesting food for thought. Read Chad’s entire post over at AVC.com.

Samsung Galaxy S III Now Available in Red—Check it Out!

July 27, 2012August 10, 2012 by Shy Mukerjee

Want a great smartphone to take advantage of blazing LTE speeds (now in 51 markets!) but can’t wait to find out if Apple’s next iPhone will be able to connect to the network? The Samsung Galaxy S III on AT&T is a great choice. And with AT&T, you can exclusively order the phone in Garnet Red (seen to the right). And just like the white and blue models, the red Galaxy S III is available for just $199 with a 2-year contract.

If you’re still on the fence about the S III, then you might enjoy our preview video where we look at some of its top features. And we don’t even cover everything in that video! There’s a bunch more photo modes (take pictures while video records, for one) as well as NFC technology built into the phone, so you’re getting a lot with a phone that’s available today. Well, Sunday, technically.

What do you think? Is a red Galaxy S III enough to get you to embrace Android? If not, what killer feature does Android lack that’s holding you back? Let us know in the comments!

Mario Armstrong

TV Host and Motivator for the Modern World

Category: Small Biz Go Mobile