Call Center Gadgets

2011-06-27T07:45:00.001-07:00

Rugged Xperia Active from Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericson has recently revealed a new android smartphone that is not afraid of knocks and bumps and actually have a cool geeky design. This new smartphone, Sony Ericson Xperia Active is perfect for your super active lifestyles as it comes with a rugged exterior.

The Sony Ericson Xperia Active runs on Android 2.3 OS and features a compact form factor that shows close resemblance to some old school feature phones from the company.

This cool smartphone includes a 3-inch reality display that is scratch resistant and supports wet finger tracking (this feature will allow you to use the smartphone even if your hands are wet). Moreover, this device is dust proof and water resistant. It has a 1GHz processor, BRAVIA Engine (from Sony Mobile), a 5MP camera with 720p video recording capability, barometer, GPS, and compass. It also supports the ANT+ wireless protocol, which is useful for measuring heart and pulse rate directly through the smartphone.

The Xperia Active is also well integrated with Facebook and will allow you to share your fitness progress on Facebook with your friends. Of course, with Android as its OS, you’ll never be short of fascinating new apps and latest games.

2011-03-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Budget Nokia: what do you get in a $30 phone?

The 1616 is the cheapest brand-name phone we know of in Australia, and for some this will be reason enough to buy it, but we'd like to see a camera and web browser included.

Good: Solid old-school design • FM radio and flashlight • Good battery life
Bad: No camera • No web browser • Keypad will be tricky for those with enormous fingers

How much phone do you think you should get for AU$29? This is the question that has plagued us since we began our review of the Nokia 1616. For being the cheapest brand-name phone we know of in Australia, the Nokia 1616 deserves some kudos, but does this mean it's worth your money?

Design

More like a time machine than that envisioned by H.G. Wells, every time we pick up the Nokia 1616 it transports us back to the Halcyon days of the mid to late '90s. John Howard had just taken over as Prime Minister, people had grown bored of Pearl Jam and everyone carried a Nokia phone similar to the phone reviewed here.

The 1616 is like a phone teleported from that magical era: its stiff, hollow-feeling plastic body is fantastically lightweight though seemingly sturdy. Above a standard Nokia array of keypad and navigation controls you'll find a 1.8-inch colour display with a 128x160 resolution. This affords the home screen room to display the time, battery information and signal strength, but you can forget about fancy widgets displaying Facebook updates or anything of the like.

The keypad is reasonably well laid out, though there isn't that much definition between each of the numbers. Tapping out a quick SMS or punching in a phone number is fine, but expect the odd error if you have fingers larger than a primary school-aged kiddie. Strangely, the directional keypad under the screen doesn't have an "enter" button in the centre, instead you need to press the left-hand selection button to complete a menu selection. This makes for a minor quibble, but it had us scratching our heads nonetheless.

One interesting break from the absolute bare minimum is Nokia's inclusion of a torch at the top of the phone. The 1616 doesn't have a camera, so there is no camera flash — instead there is a dedicated lamp next to the 3.5mm headphone socket on the top of the phone. This light is quite bright too; good enough to find the keyhole when you stagger to the front door late at night at least.

Features and performance

For USD$29 there are a few modern mobile features you won't be surprised to find absent. There's the lack of a camera, mentioned previously, and the complete absence of anything related to web browsing. The 1616 is a 2G handset operating on the 850/900/1800/1900MHz frequencies, which means you shouldn't have any trouble sending SMS messages or making phone calls, but don't expect much more from this cheap and cheerful handset.

If you're only after a phone for calling and messaging, then the 1616 should fit the bill. Text and numbers appear quite large on the tiny screen, and composing text messages is a breeze if you're familiar with the Nokia flavour of predictive text.

Digging a bit deeper in the main menu of the 1616 you will come across a few neat bonuses. There's an FM radio, an alarm clock and a calculator, plus there's a range of very simple Java games that may pass the time on the train, though they certainly didn't grab our attention. This lack of features does have the double-edged advantage of extending the battery life to days and days between charges, and that's because the phone has so little to offer you won't waste battery fiddling with it all day as you might if it was an iPhone instead.

Overall

To answer the question posed in the opening paragraph, the amount of mobile phone you get for USD$29 isn't a great deal, but it does perform the basics admirably. There are a few neat bonuses beneath the basics, like the torch and some games, but we must admit to being a little surprised not to find even the simplest web browser for rudimentary Google searches. We're even more surprised that there isn't a camera of any description included as we think the tweens who end up with this handset would probably like to have even a very low resolution shooter. We've described this handset as costing AU$29 throughout this review, but we should point out that it is only available at this price when bought through either Crazy John's or Vodafone and it is locked to these networks.

2011-02-03T23:14:00.000-08:00

Turn a cheap Flashlight into a highpowered Flashlight with just a New Bulb

There comes a time when we all need a flashlight, but no one wants to plop down loads of cash for one. DIY fanatic Kip Kay shows you how to turn a dim, cheap, $10 flashlight into something worthy of $95. Sure, it won't feel like a $95 flashlight—it'll still feel like a cheap piece of plastic—but at least you'll be satisfied with its brightness. You'll need to do a bit more than just replace the bulb for this hack, since the new one will require bigger, 3V batteries—so make sure you have a drill on hand to get rid of the battery-holding ridges inside. Check out the video to see how it's done.

Facebook 'Instant personalization' launches: How to disable it, and why

2011-02-02T20:54:00.001-08:00

Facebook's 'instant personalization' feature is to be switched on today, allowing the walls between the social network and the world to be broken through for a seamless experience for all.

While many have not been able to access the instant personalisation feature yet, it turns on today. More worryingly, it is turned on by default so many will be entirely unaware the feature even exists.

However, this raises serious privacy concerns amongst the 500 million and growing population of the social network, with the potential for better targeted adverts and more of your data handed out to other websites. Information that is set or has been set to 'Everyone' may have already been copied elsewhere.

How it works

Provided you are logged into Facebook, certain websites like Pandora and Bing can 'personalise' their sites with data provided from your account. Any information which is set to 'Everyone', like your name or your birthday can be used to make the website appear more friendly and tuned in.

Only certain sites can access this, and permissions need to be granted to do this. However, to be on the safe side, it is better simply to turn it off completely.

How to turn it off

1. Log into Facebook. In the top right hand corner, click Account, and then Privacy Settings.

2. Under the heading Apps and websites, select Edit your settings.

3. Under the heading Instant personalization, select Edit settings. You may see a popup called 'Understanding instant personalization'. Just hit Close.

4. At the very bottom of the page, simply untick the box labeled Enable instant personalization on partner websites. This will instantly turn off partner websites accessing your data.

If, however, the option is greyed out but still ticked, this means that Facebook has not yet activated instant personalization just yet. It takes time. Check back in a few hours, or the next day.

2010-10-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Disinfect and Clean Your Gadgets the right way

Flu season is creeping its way toward us once again, and your gadgets are among the most germ-ridden objects in your house. Here's how to safely disinfect them.

First, if you're the only one using your gadgets, you're probably pretty safe from the spread of germs. But as soon as you start handing off your iPhone, iPad, laptop, video game controllers, cameras, and other tech to your ogling friends, germs (and illness) can start spreading quickly. Use alcohol or disinfectant (sparingly!)...

Most of your oft-touched tech, like your keyboard, mouse, laptop, and headphones, can usually be cleaned safely with simple alcohol or disinfecting spray. You probably don't want to go with pre-soaked wipes, here—instead, get a bottle of ethyl or isopropyl alcohol and put it on a soft cloth before wiping down your gear. The less moisture you expose your gear to, the better. ...but not necessarily on touchscreens...

The trickier matter is cleaning touchscreen devices like your tablet or smartphone. Apple doesn't recommend using anything with alcohol, ammonia, and other popular cleaners in it, though some quick googling reveals substantial anecdotal evidence that it won't noticeably harm your screen in small doses. However, if you don't feel comfortable taking that route, you have other choices.

...unless you've got a screen protector...

Your first option is to get a screen protector, like the popular Power Support anti-glare film or, my personal favorite, the ZAGG InvisibleSHIELD, and use the above alcohol/disinfectant method. Screen protectors cover up the supposedly delicate oleophobic screen coating on many devices, freeing you up to use pretty much any cleaning products you want. Again, just be very careful about getting your phone too wet—even if you don't damage anything, you could trip your gadget's moisture sensor and void your warranty.

...or use a gentler alternative...

If you're anti-screen protector, a few products on the market can disinfect your gadgets without eating away at the screen, like the recommended-by-Apple iKlenz spray or Monster CleanTouch. You'll have to shell out 20 bucks at an Apple Store or online (as opposed to stopping at the local Walgreen's for a bottle of alcohol), but it's probably the best way to go if you're particularly paranoid about adverse effects on your phone's screen.

...but don't forget to use a little common sense.

Lastly, and most importantly, is a little common sense: The best way to avoid illness is to wash your hands regularly, especially when you go around touching other people's stuff. It won't stop them from spreading germs to your iPad, necessarily, but the more we keep our germs to ourselves, the less we spread them to others.

2010-09-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Facebook Crashed

Early Friday morning in the Philippines, users who accessed Facebook got an error message indicating that the site "may be temporarily down" or "may have moved permanently to a new address."

"Service Unavailable - DNS failure ... The server is temporarily unable to service your request. Please try again later," read a message that greeted other users who tried to log in.

Facebook appeared back to normal as of 6 a.m. Friday (Manila time).

In its Twitter account, Facebook acknowledged the site may be "slow or unavailable" for some people "because of site issues."

"We're working to fix this quickly," it said.

But at 6 a.m., it said it "resolved the tech issues that caused the site to be unavailable to some people" and that "everyone should now have access."

Social-digital media news site Mashable.com quoted Facebook as saying the issue is with a "third-party networking provider."

"We are experiencing an issue with a third party networking provider that is causing problems for some people trying to connect to Facebook," Mashable quoted Facebook as saying.

"We are in contact with this provider in order to explore what can be done to resolve the issue. In the meantime, we are working on deploying changes to bypass the affected connections," Facebook administrators added.

2010-09-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Fisheye Macro Lenses For Mobiles

Camera phones have come a long way in terms of resolution, but the pocket-sized form factor doesn't leave all that much room for improvement when it comes to lenses. These add-on Fisheye and Macro/Wide Angle lenses inject a little versatility into the equation by transforming your standard flat phone photos into wide and up-close images. The diminutive lenses are designed to attach to any phone and promise a "sturdy, shake-free hold" using a magnetic ring with adhesive on one side that you stick around the existing lens (though we can see potential hiccups here if the surface around the lens on your particular phone isn't flat or is close to the edge). The wide-angle lens is bound to be useful for capturing large crowds, concerts and landscapes and will increase your view range by approximately 40 per cent. When the same lens is set as a macro, you can really create close-up shots. The shot distance of the macro lens is between 10-23 mm. The Fisheye lens creates curved edges with its 180 degree angle – so your images will look like you are peering through a fish bowl. The Fisheye, Macro/Wide Angle camera phone lenses are available at thekingmart.com and are priced between US$20-$40.

2010-09-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

New Nike+ GPS iPhone app for athletes

If you’re an athlete and a tech freak at the same time you must’ve heard or used Nike + iPod app that analyzes your physical performances during the workout. You’ll be pleased to know that Nike has announced a new app called Nike+ GPS that will do a similar job but with new features.

Unlike the Nike + iPod, this app doesn’t require separate Nike + iPod adapter, instead it will use Apple’s built-in accelerometer and GPS to analyze your running pace and distance. Besides that it measures your pace, distance and burned calories this app will also map your route on Google Maps and it will show on which specific parts of the route you ran slower or faster.

Interestingly about this app will give you voice feedback on how well are you doing and if you want to check how far you’ve come with your route you can check it with a single tap on the screen. Just like with Nike + iPod you can setup which songs will play during your route as well.

If you feel competitive, you’ll be pleased to know that this app allows you to upload your statistics to Nikeplus.com and challenge other runners. Through this site users can share their progress via Twitter and Facebook as well.

Nike + iPod requires iOS 3.1 or newer in order to work, it works with the iPod Touch and the iPad although without GPS tracking. Anyway, if you want to try this amazing app on your iPhone, you can download it from the App Store for just $1.99.

2010-03-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Playstation Move

Move over, Wii. The PlayStation Move ($TBA) is bringing motion-based gaming to the PS3, in full 1080p glory. The system will use a main motion controller, a "sub-controller," like a more advanced version of the Wii's nunchuk, and the Playstation Eye camera to offer precise detection of movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space, which should make for some really competitive games of Virtua Tennis.

As for the weird ball thing on the end of the main controller, it helps with motion tracking, lights up in different colors to notify you of stuff, and is made from some soft/squishy rubber material, which will hopefully result in less idiots chucking their controllers through the front of their flat screens.

2010-03-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

MySpace adds New Games Site

MySpace launched a new gaming experience at myspace.com/games today. The company says it empowers developers with new tools, analytics, and opportunities for driving usage and revenue.

"Gaming is core to the overall entertainment value of MySpace; we are replicating our success from MySpace Music for this next round of platform improvements," a representative for MySpace tells WebProNews. "Nearly a third of MySpace users engage daily in games and there are more than 28 million active app users on the site." She says the site "offers users discovery and sharing of games in a simpler and cleaner experience."

"Nearly one-third of MySpace users engage daily with games. We believe the new experience will empower even more of the MySpace audience to discover, share, and showcase games, which along with music and movies, are core to our content strategy," said MySpace Co-President Mike Jones. "We've been working with our developer partners to understand where they’d like to see MySpace go; based on that feedback we started rebuilding MySpace Games. These are the first steps in offering robust tools for developers to help their businesses thrive."

2010-01-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

How To Decorate Your Office Space

Decorating your office involves more than mixing and matching stuffs to fit in with the desired look. While maintaining the style and vibe that you want others to perceive in your office décor, you have to set that professional tone and make it approachable enough for interested guests and future clients. (So you see, it is not just about putting this and that in their places just because you think they look good there.) Here are a few helpful tips on how to decorate you office while balancing a warm and productive environment:

Color Your World. Colors are important facets of the office. They not just add life to the workplace, but it has also been noted that color can be conducive to a person's psychology. Hence, try to choose the color that would best describe your business. Traditional institutions or businesses such as banking, hospitals, legal services, will be better off with the mix of neutral colors. If your business is involved with creatives, or the modern approaches, then try a more free-spirited look which will best fit the atmosphere of artists, designers, and the like. Do not be afraid to dabble loud colors with artwork every now and then. But whatever suits your company best, make sure that you choose the right kind of paint that is bound to last as well. (hint: green has been proven to be a healthy color that can reduce absenteeism, and is friendly to the eyes.)

Deck the Walls. Bare walls can either give the illusion of space, or the perception of being dull and very empty. This kind of vibe can affect the working mood of the employees, so give the walls a little touch of life. Hang some exquisite paintings or some motivational posters about life and work, photos of the staff or the company people, certificates---all of them. Just remember to match everything, from the frames to the mood of the ones that are to be displayed on the wall.

These are just few simple steps on how to decorate the office. Sometimes, we tend to splurge on lavish ergonomic office furnitures. While there is nothing wrong with this, it would not be so bad to mind the surroundings too.

2010-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Verizon lowering barrier to 3G data entry with higher prices

Verizon is looking to "simplify" its offerings by paring down its handset lineup and upping its data charges per megabyte. The company announced Friday that it would begin rolling out new service plans ahead of its 4G launch that were geared towards higher revenues, but also bringing in more customers. And, while that news may sound annoying to some of us data hogs, it will probably work for the wireless carrier.

First, the details: Verizon has introduced a new data tier at $9.99 per month with a 25MB cap—this is the cheapest data plan now offered by the company and by most US wireless carriers, and applies to all 3G devices. Why does this equate to "upping" the data charges? Because the company is ditching its $19.99 per month plan with a 75MB cap altogether—you must either go with the $9.99 plan for a third of the data or or the $29.99 smartphone plan that applies to WinMo, Android, or BlackBerry devices.

By lowering the entry cost for a data package, Verizon is making a grab at average customers who have been put off by high data prices in the past. These customers can then get hooked on data for the same price as a trip to McDonald's and then, like that trip to McDonald's, be lured into super sizing once the 4G/LTE network is up and running.

On top of the data plan restructuring is Verizon's plan to slim down its device lineup. Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told analysts on a conference call this morning that it is looking to take its 80 devices down to 50. (Really? Verizon offers eighty phones!?) The goal is to make the offerings easier to parse, both by customers and Verizon's sales team. In this sense, simplification is usually a good thing.

Verizon acknowledged that it's on the offensive with these moves in an attempt to bring in more customers, increase data penetration, get lower-end customers paying more, and increase revenue overall. (In addition to the data plan changes, the carrier also introduced a $69.99 unlimited nationwide talk plan, and an $89.99 unlimited talk and text plan.) To that end, it's likely to succeed—Verizon's network is already attractive to most mainstream customers, and a lower barrier to entry will net more customers who weren't previously interested in mobile data, even if the cost per meg is going up.

Petition to Oust Willie Revillame

2009-08-05T19:51:00.001-07:00

Oust Willie Revillame

I wish to share to you my dear readers what's been circuating around the internetz. This petition came from one of the yahoo groups that I a member of.I guess Willie Revillame wasn't thinking that he's show is the only access of other viewers of what was exactly happening in the other side of the metro. Anyways just read the rest of the post and be the judge to petition Willie Revillame or not.

First of all, I am really sorry to have this circulated as an off-topic post. Yet as a citizen of this beloved country, I believe I must exercise social responsibility at all times, and such social responsibility must also fill the dimension of television viewership. And online resources are, and have always been, my most convenient way of expressing my love for my country.

I believe I must exercise social responsibility at all times, and such social responsibility must also fill the dimension of television viewership. And online resources are, and have always been, my most convenient way of expressing my love for my country.

Second, I do not want to project myself as a pro-Cory person. I am not, at least not that much. But despite that, for the sake of social responsibility I believe that we must all pay the deepest form of respect to the person who ushered this era of liberty that we are enjoying right now. I did, yet I think Willie did not.

And finally, as a musician I firmly believe that entertainment and social responsibility must always go together. A person lacking the will to exercise social responsibility in the most sensitive and sensible manner has absolutely no right to be an entertainer. And that being said a person must face the consequences of his/her blatantly irresponsible acts, especially if done on national television.

The link below leads to an online petition to "oust" Willie Revillame. You can choose to sign or not to sign. The choice is yours, and rest assured that I will respect such choice.

http://www.petitiononline.com/badwilly/petition.html

Thank you for your time.

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." - Siddharta Gautama Buddha

2009-08-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

Is Nokia N97 worth it for its price?

The Nokia N97 is a feature-packed smartphone, that's for sure. For wireless connectivity, you have HSDPA, Wi-Fi Bluetooth stereo A2DP and Assisted-GPS for navigation. There's also a 3.5mm audio jack for plugging in your personal ear,buds and 32GB of onboard memory is plenty for most people.

Unfortunately, the plus points of the N97 are mostly on paper. In actual use, the interface of the S60 5th edition software is dated, inconsistent and pales in comparison to other snazzier touchscreen operating systems out there. To be fair, the S60 software is a very mature and capable operating system. But because of that, the interface is also shackled by legacy issues.

The flush keys on the keyboard are hard to type on. I suggest you try it out first to see if you can live with that before purchasing one. It also Comes With Music for music aficionados. This is Nokia's buffet-style music download service. There's also Ovi Store, which again unfortunately, doesn't have as many interesting apps compared with Apple's App Store.

2009-07-28T19:29:00.001-07:00

HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH YOUR OWN MONEY - MAKING NEWSLETTER

Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most competitive of all the different areas of mail order and direct marketing.

Five years ago, there were 1500 different newsletters in this country. Today there are well over 10,000, with new ones being started every day. It's also interesting to note that for every new one that's started, some disappear just as quickly as they are started - lack of operating capital and marketing know-how being the principal causes of failure.

To be successful with a newsletter, you have to specialize. Your best bet will be with new information on a subject not already covered by an established newsletter.

Regardless of the frustrations involved in launching your own newsletter, never forget this truth: There are people from all walks of life, in all parts of this country, many of them with no writing ability whatsoever, who are making incredible profits with simple two-, four-, and six-page newsletters!

Your first step should be to subscribe to as many different newsletters and mail order publications as you can afford. Analyze and study how the others are doing it. Attend as many workshops and seminars on your subject as possible. Learn from the pros. Learn how the successful newsletter publishers are doing it, and why they are making money. Adapt their success methods to your own newsletter, but determine to recognize where they are weak, and to make yours better in every way.

Plan your newsletter before launching it. Know the basic premise for its being, your editorial position, the layout, art work, type styles, subscription price, distribution methods, and every other detail necessary to make it look, sound and feel like the end result you have envisioned.

Lay out your start-up needs; detail the length of time it's going to take to become established, and what will be involved in becoming established. Set a date as a mile stone of accomplishment for each phase of your development: A date for breaking even, a date for attaining a certain paid subscription figure, and a monetary goal for each of your first five years in business. And all this must be done before publishing your first issue.

Most newsletter publishers do all the work themselves, and are impatient to get that first issue into print. As a result, they neglect to devote the proper amount of time to market research and distribution. Don't start your newsletter with out first having accomplished this task!

Market research is simply determining who the people are who will be interested in buying and reading your newsletter, and the kind of information these people want to see in your newsletter as a reason for continuing to buy it. You have to determine what it is they want from your newsletter.

Your market research must give you unbiased answers about your newsletter's capabilities of fulfilling your prospective buyer's need for information; how much he's willing to pay for it, and an overall profile of his status in life. The questions of why he needs your information, and how he'll use it should be answered. Make sure you have the answers to these questions, publish your newsletter as a vehicle of fulfillment to these needs, and you're on your way!

You're going to be in trouble unless your newsletter has a real point of difference that can be easily perceived by your prospective buyer. The design and graphics of your newsletter, plus what you say and how you say it, will help in giving your newsletter this vital difference.

Be sure your newsletter works with the personality you're trying to build for it. Make sure it reflects the wants of your subscribers. Include your advertising promise within the heading, on the title page, and in the same words your advertising uses. And above all else, don't skim on design or graphics!

The name of your newsletter should also help to set it apart from similar news letters, and spell out its advertising promise. A good name reinforces your advertising. Choose a name that defines the direction and scope of your newsletter.

Opportunity Knocking, Money Making Magic, Extra Income Tip Sheet, and Mail Order Up-Date are primate examples of this type of philosophy - as opposed to the Johnson Report, The Association Newsletter, or Club-house Confidential.

Try to make your newsletter's name memorable - one that flows automatically. Don't pick a name that's so vague it could apply to almost anything. The name should identify your newsletter and its subject quickly and positively.

Pricing your newsletter should be consistent with the image you're trying to build. If you're starting a "Me-too" newsletter, never price it above the competition. In most instances, the consumer associates higher prices with quality, so if you give your readers better quality information in an expensive looking package, don't hesitate to ask for a premium price. However, if your information is gathered from most of the other newsletters on the subject, you will do well to keep your prices in line with theirs.

One of the best selling points of a newsletter is in the degree of audience involvement - for instance, how much it talks about, and uses the names of its readers.

People like to see things written about themselves. They resort to all kinds of things to get their names in print, and they pay big money to read what's been written about them. You should understand this facet of human nature, and decide if and how you want to capitalize upon it - then plan your newsletter accordingly.

Almost as important as names in your newsletter are pictures. The readers will generally accept a newsletter faster if the publisher's picture is presented or included as a part of the newsletter. Whether you use pictures of the people, events, locations or products you write about is a policy decision; but the use of pictures will set your publication apart from the others and give it an individual image, which is precisely what you want.

The decision as to whether to carry paid advertising, and if so, how much, is another policy decision that should be made while your newsletter is still in the planning stages. Some purists feel that advertising corrupts the image of the newsletter and may influence editorial policy. Most people accept advertising as a part of everyday life, and don't care one way or the other.

Many newsletter publishers, faced with rising production costs and viewing advertising as a means of offsetting those costs, welcome paid advertising. Generally the advertisers see the newsletter as a vehicle to a captive audience, and well worth the cost.

The only problem with accepting advertising in your newsletter would appear to be that as your circulation grows, so will your number of advertisers, until you'll have to increase the size of your newsletter to accommodate the advertisers. At this point, the basic premise or philosophy of the newsletter often changes from news and practical information to one of an advertiser's showcase.

Promoting your newsletter, finding prospective buyers and converting these prospects into loyal subscribers, will be the most difficult task of your entire undertaking. It takes detailed planning, persistence and patience.

You'll need a sales letter. Check the sales letter you receive in the mail; analyze how these are written and pattern yours along the same lines. You'll find all of them - all those worthy of being called sales letters - following the same formula: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action on the part of the reader - AIDA.

Jump right in at the beginning and tell the reader how he's going to benefit from your newsletter, and then keep emphasizing right on through your "PS", the many and different benefits he'll gain from subscribing to your newsletter. Elaborate on your listing of benefits with examples of what you have, or you intend to include, in your newsletter.

Follow these examples with endorsements or testimonials from reviewers and satisfied subscribers. Make the recipient of your sales letter feel that you're offering him the answer to all his problems on the subject of your newsletter.

You have to make your prospect feel that "this is the insider's secret" to the success he wants. Present it to him as his own personal key to success, and then tell him how far behind his contemporaries he is going to be if he doesn't act upon your offer immediately.

Always include a "PS" in your sales letter. This should quickly restate to the reader that he can start enjoying the benefits of your newsletter by acting immediately, and very subtly suggesting that he may not get another chance to get the kind of "success help" you're offering him with this sales letter.

Don't worry about the length of your sales letter - most are four pages or more; however, it must flow logically and smoothly. Use short sentences, short paragraphs, indented paragraphs, and lost of sub-heads for the people who will be "scanning through" your sales letter.

In addition to the sales letter, your promotion package should include a return reply order card or coupon. This can be either a self-addressed business reply post card, or a separate coupon, in which case you'll have to include a self-addressed return reply envelope. In every mailing piece you send out, always include one or the other: either a self-addressed business reply postcard or a self-addressed return reply envelope for the recipient to use to send your order form and his remittance back to you.

Your best response will come from a business reply postcard on which you allow your prospect to charge the subscription to his credit card, request that you bill him, or send his payment with the subscription start order.

For make up of this subscription order card or coupon, simply start saving all the order cards and coupons you receive during the next month or so. Choose the one you like best, modify according to your needs, and have it typeset, pasted up and border fit.

Next, you'll need a Subscription Order Acknowledgment card or letter. This is simply a short note thanking your new subscriber for his order, and promising to keep him up-to-date with everything relating to the subject of your newsletter.

An acknowledgment letter, in an envelope, will cost more postage to mail than a simple postcard; however, when you send the letter you have to opportunity to enclose additional material. A circular listing other items available through you will produce additional orders.

Thus far, you've prepared the layout and copy for your newsletter. Go ahead and have a hundred copies printed, undated. You've written a sales letter and prepared a return reply subscription order card or coupon; go ahead and have a hundred of these printed, also undated, of course. You'll need letterhead mailing envelopes, and don't forget the return reply envelopes if you choose to use the coupons instead of the business reply postcard. Go ahead and have a thousand mailing envelopes printed. You also need subscription order acknowledgment cards or notes; have a hundred of these printed, and of course, don't forget the imprinted reply envelopes if you're going along with the idea of using a note instead of a postcard. This w ill be a basic supply for "testing" your materials so far.

Now you're ready for the big move - the Advertising Campaign.

Start by placing a small classified ad in one of your local newspapers. You should place your ad in a weekend or Sunday paper that will reach as many people as possible, and of course, do everything you can to keep your costs as low as possible. How ever, do not skimp on your advertising budget. To be successful - to make as much money as possible with your idea - you'll need to reach as many people as you can afford, and as often as you can.

Over the years, we have launched several hundred advertising campaigns. We always ran new ads for a minimum of three issues and kept close tabs on the returns. So long as the returns kept coming in, we continued running that ad in that publication, while adding a new publication to test for results. To our way of thinking, this is the best way to go, regardless of the product, to successfully multiply your customer list.

Move slowly, start with a local, far-reaching and widely read paper, and with the prof its or returns from that ad, go to the regional magazines, or one of the smaller national magazines, and continue plowing your returns into more advertising in different publications. By taking your time, and building your acceptance in this manner, you won't lose too much if one of your ads should prove to be a dud. Stay with the advertising. Do not abandon it in favor of direct mail. We would not recommend direct mail until you are well established and your national classified advertising pro gram is bringing in a healthy profit for you.

Do not become overly ambitious and go out on a limb with expensive full-page advertising until you're very well established. When you do buy full page advertising, start with the smaller publications, and build from those results. Have patience; keep close tabs on your costs per subscriber, and build from the profits of your advertising. Always test the advertising medium you want to use with a classified ad, and if it pulls well for you, go on to a larger display type ad.

Classified advertising is the least expensive way to go, so long as you use the "inquiry method." You can easily and quickly build your subscriber list with this type of advertisement.

We would not recommend any attempts to sell subscriptions, or any product from classified ads, or even from small display ads. There just isn't enough space to describe the product adequately, and seeing the cost of your item, many possible subscribers will not bother to inquire for the full story.

When you do expand your efforts into direct mail, go straight to a national list broker. You can find their names and addresses in the yellow pages section of your local telephone directory. Show the list broker your product and your mailing piece, and explain what type people you want to reach, and allow them to help you.

Once you've decided on a list to use, go slowly. Start with a sampling of 5,000 names. If the returns are favorable, go for 10,000 names, and then 15,000 and so on through the entire list.

Never rent the entire list based upon the returns from your first couple of samplings. The variables are just too many, and too complicated, and too conducive to your losing your shirt when you "roll out an entire list" based upon returns from a controlled sampling.

There are a number of other methods for finding new subscribers, which we'll explore for you here, detailing the good and the bad as we have researched them.

One method is that of contracting with what is known as a "cash-field" agency. These are soliciting agencies who hire people to sell door-to-door and via the phone, almost always using a high pressure sales approach. The publisher usually makes only about 5% from each subscription sold by one of these agencies. That speaks for itself.

Then, there are several major catalog sales companies that sell subscriptions to school libraries, government agencies and large corporations. These people usually buy through these catalog sales companies rather than direct from the publisher. The publisher makes about 10% on each subscription sold for him by one of these agencies.

Co-op Mailings are generally piggy-back mailings of your subscription offer along with numerous other business offers in the same envelope. Smaller mail order entrepreneurs do this under the name of Big Mail Offers. Coming into vogue now are the Postcard Mailers. You submit your offer on a business reply postcard; the packager then prints and mails your postcard in a package with 40 or 50 similar postcards via third class mail to a mailing list that could number 100,000 or more. You pay a premium price for this type of mailing - usually $1000 to $1500 per mailing, but the returns are very good and you keep all the incoming money.

Another form of co-op mailing is where you supply a charge card company or department store with your subscription offer as a "statement mailing suffer." Your offer goes out with the monthly statements; new subscriptions are returned to the mailer and billed to the customer's charge card. The publisher usually makes about 50% on each subscription. This is one of the most lucrative, but expensive methods of bringing in new customers.

Direct mail agencies such as Publishers Clearing House can be a very lucrative source of new subscriptions, in that they mail out more than 60 million pieces of mail each year, all of which are built around an opportunity for the recipient to win a gigantic cash sweepstakes. The only problem with this type of subscription agency is the very low percentage of the total subscription price the publisher receives from these subscriptions, plus the fact that the publishers are required to charge a lower subscription rate than they normally charge.

There are also several agencies that offer Introductory, Sample Copy and Trial Subscription offers, such as Select Information Exchange and Publisher Exchange. With this kind of agency, details about your publication are listed along with similar publications, in full page ads inviting the readers to send $10 or $20 for trial subscription to those of his choice. The publishers received no money from these inquiries - only a list of names of people interested in receiving trial subscriptions. How the publisher follows up and is able to convert these into full term, and paying subscribers is entirely dependent upon his own efforts.

Most major newspapers will carry small, lightweight brochures or oversized reply cards as inserts in their Sunday papers. The publisher supplies the total number of inserts, pays the newspaper $20 per thousand for the number of newspapers he wants his order form carried in, and then retains all the money generated. But the high costs of printing the inserts, plus the $20 per thousand for distribution, make this an extremely costly method of obtaining new subscribers.

Schools, civic groups and other fund raising organizations work in about the same manner as the cash-field agencies. They supply the solicitor and the publisher gets 25% or less for each new subscription sold.

Attempting to sell subscriptions via radio or TV is very expensive and works better in generating sales at the newsstands than new subscriptions. PI (Per Inquiry) sales is a very popular way of getting radio or TV exposure and advertising for your newsletter or other publication, but again, the number of sales brought in by the broad cast media is very small when compared with the number of times the "invitation commercial" has to be "aired" to elicit a response.

A new idea beginning to surface on the cable TV scene is "Products Shows". This is the kind of show where the originator of the product or his representative appears on TV and gives a complete sales presentation lasting from five minutes to 15 minutes. Overall, these programs generally run between midnight and 2 AM, with the whole program a series of sales presentations for different products. They operate on the basis of the product owner paying a fee to appear and show his product, and also from an arrangement where the product owner pays a certain percentage from each sale generated from this exposure.

Newsletter publishers often run exchange publicity endorsement with non-competing publishers. Generally, these endorsements invite the reader of newsletter "A" to send for a sample copy of newsletter "B" for a look at what somebody else is going that might be of especial help, etc. This can be a very good source of new subscriptions, and certainly the least expensive.

Running ads in the Mail Order Ad Sheets is not very productive, either in terms of inquiries or sales. About the best thing that can be said of most of these ad sheets (and there seems to be a million of them with new ones cropping up faster than you can count them) is that your ad in several of them will let other people in on what you're doing. You will be able to keep track of a lot of the people trying to make a place for themselves in the mail order field.

Last, but not least, is the enlistment of your own subscribers to send you names of people they think might be interested in receiving a sample copy of your publication. Some publishers ask their readers to pass along these names out of loyalty, while others offer a monetary incentive or a special bonus for names of people sent in who be come subscribers.

By studying and understanding the information in this report, you should encounter fewer serious problems in launching your own successful specialized newsletter that will be the source of ongoing monetary rewards for you. However, there is an important point to remember about doing business by mail - particularly within the confines of selling information by mail - that is, Mail Order is ONLY another way of doing business. You have to learn all there is to know about this way o f doing business, and then keep on learning, changing, observing and adapting to stay on top.

The best way of learning about and keeping up with this field of endeavor is by buying and reading books by the people who have succeeded in making money via the mails; by subscribing to several of the better periodic journals and aids to people in mail order, and by joining some of the mail order trade associations for a free exchange of ideas, advice and help. with your subscription offer.

Verizon to cut 8,000 more jobs as profits slide

2009-07-28T05:12:00.001-07:00

US carrier Verizon is to slash a further 8,000 positions in the face of falling profits and pressures in the fixed line market.

On Monday the firm announced that net income for the second quarter fell 7.2 per cent to $3.16bn compared to $3.4bn in the same period last year. Operating revenues increased 11.3 per cent year on year to $26.86bn, compared to $24.1bn in the second quarter of 2008.

But John Killian, Verizon's CFO, said that further reductions in costs were needed on the wireline side over the next year or so. Despite reducing headcount by 8,000 over the last 12 months, and offsetting cuts in fixed with new hires in wireless, Killian warned that a further 8,000 jobs are set to be cut in the next 12 months. These cuts will be a mixture of employees and contractors and made over the second half of the year.

"We are also attacking all other cost categories, including network integration, travel, sourcing, rationalizing our real estate portfolio and all other areas," Killian said.

Like many of its peers, Verizon is feeling the pain in volume driven products, most notably voice on the fixed side, but is also seeing growth in broadband services such as internet and IPTV, marketed as FiOS by the firm. Verizon added 300,000 TV customers and 303,000 internet customers during the quarter, with FiOS revenues totalling more than $1.3bn, up 60.3 per cent compared with the second quarter last year. FiOS ARPU remains at more than $135 per month, the company said.

Wireless is doing better however, and currently makes up more than 57 per cent of Verizon's top line. Net adds in wireless totalled 1.1 million, and were essentially all postpaid, giving the company a total of 87.7 million customers, of which 91 per cent is postpaid.

Wireless data revenue growth was 33.2 per cent during the second quarter with non-messaging services up 44 per cent and messaging up 20 per cent. Data ARPU increased to just under $15.

The company said its goal is to have the recently announced Verizon Wireless mobile apps store up and running by the end of the year.

Will Draper, analyst at investment firm Execution Ltd, said: "Verizon Wireless is structurally advantaged in the US mobile market and will continue to capture market share whilst generating strong cash flow margins. In our opinion, Verizon Wireless is Vodafone's most important asset.

On our valuation of £51bn for Vodafone's 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless the business is worth…as much as the combined value of Vodafone's assets in Germany, UK, Spain and Italy."

Stop Facebook Ads from Using Your Photos

2009-07-26T15:06:00.001-07:00

If you'd rather not have Facebook's advertisers using photographs of YOU in their ads - TO YOUR FRIENDS, you'll want to rush over and change your privacy settings on Facebook ASAP!

Facebook buries several pages into their privacy settings the ability to turn off permission you grant to Facebook to allow their advertisers to take any photos you have uploaded. Here is the text from the settings page:

Facebook occasionally pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user's friends to create Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads make advertisements more interesting and more tailored to you and your friends. These respect all privacy rules. You may opt out of appearing in your friends' Facebook Ads below.

It is unpleasant to note that you are automatically OPTED-IN to this permission, and you must take action to opt-out.

Below is a step-by-step illustration so you can stop commercial interests from using you and/or your photographs in their advertisements:

Ways To Save Money

2009-07-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

Ways To Save Money on Buying Office Furniture

Small businesses and growing companies are aiming to save on money since their expansion would mean that their income will be cultivated for other uses. However, let us not forget that you can still save money and still be able to purchase some office furnitures. Here are a few helpful tips on how to do it:

Create a plan. Buying the right office chairs, office desks does not need to be done within a day's time. Even if it is on sale, do not rush to cash out and purchase these items. Spend a lot of time on planning instead. Assess what your office needs, and the spaces that are to be used.

Start shopping around. Start by checking out the advertisements published by local office furniture retailers. But do not just confine your choices with those, for there are other stores that sell furnitures with great value. Compare and contrast prices according to your budget and weigh every feature available.

Keep comfort in mind. When you planned this shopping beforehand, you should have taken into consideration the needs of the employees because they are the ones who will greatly suffer with all the wrong office furnitures. Ergo, it will help a lot to put yourself in their shoes while you shop. Make sure that you get highly ergonomic office furnitures that will not take too much space.

Ask colleagues for referrals. Ask some advice from your friends in the same local industry if they know a good office furniture retailer that could satisfy all your needs. Ask other customers if they were satisfied with the products.

Consider Shipping Costs. If you ordered these furnitures online, consider the delivery and shipping charges. Calculate this before you purchase so that you will not be shocked when the delivery arrives.

Look for refurbished office furniture. Refurbished furnitures have become reliable nowadays. Their quality is no longer being questioned since they are refurbished to fit in with your needs. This is almost like customization, so this can be a good way to save on money.

And lastly, ask for additional discounts. It will never hurt to ask fro discounts, it is not like you will haggle your way to getting 70 percent less---that is just too much. When you are buying large quantities of furnitures, it is most likely that they will give you discounts, so do not be afraid to ask.

Apple Blocks Palm Pre iTunes Syncing

2009-07-16T02:28:00.001-07:00

It has begun. With the release of iTunes 8.2.1 (via TiPb), gut46 tells us, Palm Pre syncing with iTunes is indeed kaput. At least on this Pre user's Mac, iTunes sync isn't working after the 8.2.1 update.* According to Apple's surprisingly forthcoming release notes:

iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple Devices.

We were wondering if this day would come after the back and forth between Apple and Palm on the issue. It's as-yet unclear exactly what method Apple is using to block Pre sync, but we suspect is wasn't easy. ...Which means we also suspect it might not be easy for Palm to turn it back on.

Well, webOS developers, a hard choice is in front of you. We already know you're awesome, now you just need to decide whether you direct your awesomeness at this cat-and-mouse game or focus on other things (like custom notification sounds).

For me, this news doesn't actually hit all that hard -- I already use doubleTwist for Palm Pre Media sync and recommend you do too until this issue gets sorted out. It may just be a long time, though. As noted in our comments - you also have the option of just not updating iTunes.

Update 1: plugging the Pre in does bring iTunes 8.2.1 to the front as though it wanted to work, but then iTunes simply doesn't show the Pre in the sidebar.

Update 2: Brent reminds us that Mac users may also want to check out The Missing Sync for Pre.

Students Build Hydrogen Vehicle That Gets 1,336 MPG

2009-07-14T21:32:00.001-07:00

Turkish students at Sakarya University have built a hydrogen car that gets 1,336 mpg. Well, sorta.

Called the SAHIMO, the vehicle's current range is about 353 miles on a quarter gallon of fuel (568 kilometers on 1 liter). It travels such an obscene distance with so little fuel due to the vehicle's uber-light weight: it weighs only 240 pounds (110 kilograms). The car's made up of 90-percent carbon fiber.

I assume the size and weight limit it to holding only a liter of fuel. I couldn't verify this as their site is in Turkish and mine is a little rusty.

The SAHMO won third most efficient vehicle in Europe's 26th Shell Eco Marathon. And their next goal is to conquer the inaugural 2009 Global Green Challengee–an evolution of the World Solar Challenge competition in Australia–this October. About twenty electric, hybrid, alternative fuel and low emission production and prototype vehicles will compete in the race.

Melemez, a fourth-year student in the engineering department at Sakarya University, says "We are hoping to raise our record from 568 kilometers on one liter of hydrogen up to a full 1,000 kilometers on one liter, and we believe we can do it."

A 3,000 kilometer trek across the Australian Outback on just 3 liters is quite ambitious but I really hope they can pull it off.

Sprint launching BlackBerry Tour on July 20th?

2009-06-28T19:40:00.001-07:00

When the teaser went up, we knew the hotly anticipated BlackBerry Tour for Sprint was right around the corner, but the only hint of a release date was "later this summer."

Lucky for us, the, um, insiders at Inside Sprint Now have clarified the vague window for all of us mere mortals. They confidently state that the Tour will be available on July 20th, just over a week after the purported release date on Big Red. This hasn't yet been confirmed by Sprint, but we're sure they want this baby out sooner rather than later, so quasi-mark your calendars, quasi-set your alarms, and get your $199.99 ready.

Acer introduces Aspire M5800 and M3800 desktops, H235H display

2009-06-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

Acer's been on a tear with the new gear lately, and while we're not going to say we're as hot for the new Aspire M5800 tower as we are for, say, the Timeline, it's still a pretty nice little machine -- you're looking at a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad with 8GB of RAM, 1.5GB GeForce GT230 graphics, a 740GB drive and HDMI out for $800. Not bad at all.

Little brothers Aspire M3800 and X3810 are far less interesting, with a 2.5GHz Pentium and integrated X4500 graphics for $450 in a tower or $529 in a low-profile case. Not exactly mindblowing, but you've still got HDMI out, so they could make for reasonably cheap HTPCs if you don't need much more than Flash support. Acer's also got a new display out, the 23-inch H235H, which offers 1080p resolution, 2ms response time, a 160-degree viewing angle, and 100,000:1 contrast ratio for $239.

2009-06-27T23:36:00.001-07:00

Your Guide to Wooden Office Furnitures

On the more technical aspect, here are the things that you need to know about wooden office furnitures: About the finish. The finish of a wooden office furniture has evolved and made fine with all the innovations in the office furniture today. The finishing process undergoes a lot of operations. After a piece has been sanded, a stain will be sprayed on or wiped on. Sometimes, the grain is “highlighted” using a steel wool. If the piece is traditional in design, some fly specking can be added using anything from a chain with bolts to a paintbrush dipped in the desired colored paint to give the piece an “aged” look. After which, a sanding sealer will be applied to prepare the piece for the final finishing steps. A final sanding coat will be done before applying the topmost coat. Lacquer is commonly used to top this off, giving the piece its finished appearance. So whether a piece is flat or buffed high, it is the lacquer that provides the water resistant and durable qualities that are most desired today. About engraving or printing. Other pieces of office furnitures may look like wood are not necessarily wood. But because of veneering, a method wherein the grain of wood can be replaced photographically. This image of the wood is then over to the flat panels to simulate a wood surface. There are two ways to tell if what you are looking at is an engraved or just a printed surface. If it is too perfect with no flaws of nature, then it is not real wood. This adopted process is done to provide the surface of the backs of cabinets where the manufacturers feel that they can save on expenses without being obvious. However, on less expensive furniture, engraving is obvious in all the parts of the furniture. Engraved surfaces have a catch: they are not repairable and the grain may come off due to some use of solvent. So, ask the sales representative before purchasing and consider only a small area to be engraved.

2009-05-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Choosing Panel Office Furnitures

The furnitures in the office are the most valuable things that the workforce rely on. After all, they spend at least eight hours for five days every week in their assigned workspace. Office Furnitures must be something where employees can sit on comfortably. Whether they are ergonomic office chairs or adjustable office desks for those who are required to stand up during their work, choosing office furnitures are not something that one should take for granted. This is why solutions have been created to make office furnitures affordable for everybody, for even if a company can not afford one, there will be a simple solution for that: Used Office Furnitures.

Office furniture systems today are commonly designed as panel-mounted: the panels are basically the support of the system. Other components such as the office desks and the file cabinets, are implemented directly onto the panels. This is different to freestanding office panel systems because these use separate panels that are placed around the furniture to have the effect of individual offices.

If one should choose the panel-based systems, it offers a greater design flexibility which can be enhanced to a taller height and give privacy to those who need a quiet and private workspace. These panel-based systems are usually equipped with internal power options. On the other hand, the freestanding systems can be easily installed and reconfigured. This has proven to be more convenient for growing firms that need to constantly rearrange their office or move into new locations.

How to choose which design to avail for your company?

First of all, you must be keen on the ideal set-up of the workspace. Whether the company requires traditional rows, or the “bullpen” style where workers have to share a bigger enclosed space, or in diagonal layouts. The power source is also a huge factor. Decide which areas need these circuits, because powered panels may cost more than the ones that does not. At the same time, it should still be accessible to outlets for the computers and other electrical devices.

And lastly, you should observe the durability of the make and the entirety of the system. While office panels may be designed to last for a year, it is still safe to check the warranty to be sure about the panel's expected life span. A key point here is also the reputation of the office furniture retailer, for they must be credible enough to provide the parts and needed service.

NOKIA AIDS Public Schools in Isabela FOR TEXT2TEACH PROGRAM

2009-04-27T00:19:00.001-07:00

Nokia, together with its partners Ayala Foundation, Globe Telecom, and SEAMEO-Innotech and the local government of Isabela led by Governor Padaca recently reached out to 20 public elementary schools in Isabela and provided them with highly interactive, easy-to-use multimedia packages through its Text2Teach program.

Text2Teach is a private sector-led program that utilizes mobile technology for education. Since 2003, over 700,000 students and 1,300 teachers in more than 200 schools all over the Philippines have benefited from this program. The province of Isabela is the first recipient of the project's second phase of implementation.

The program also includes elements such as lesson plans, teacher's guide books, and teacher training done by SEAMEO-Innotech with Ayala Foundation and DepEd to ensure the high quality and standard of using Text2Teach. Before it was to be implemented in Iligan, more than 120 school heads, teachers, and supervisors attended the training.

Higher Learning

Text2Teach has evolved from the original satellite based delivery to a full cellular platform using a 3G enabled device such as the Nokia N95 8GB for fast video downloading. The Nokia N95 8GB is equipped with an exclusive application called "Nokia Education Delivery" that allows the teacher to select from the available 387 topics from subjects like Math, Science, and English, download it, then store the data in the phone for future use. The video can be watched using the provided TV set connected to the mobile phone.

It is a highly effective visual aid for teachers and provides an opportunity to create a new, interactive, student-focused learning environment in the classroom. The lesson plans that come with the teachers' guides are fully integrated into the basic education curriculum and are created to meet local education guidelines and standards. Additional video materials that will be developed in the future can be accessed by the schools through their Nokia mobile phones using Globe's 3G services.

Helping hands

Each partner makes a contribution to the program. Nokia provides the private sector counterpart funds to implement the project in the country, Globe provides P150 monthly load allowance for one year to be used for helpdesk concerns and additional P1,000 load if there are new materials to be downloaded, while Ayala Foundation is the overall project manager.

The province of Isabela aims to boost the academic performance of its public elementary schools in terms of national achievement level. With Text2Teach in the picture, it is certain that this is not far from becoming reality.

Should Companies Restrict Employees Use of Facebook, Twitter?

2009-04-25T19:35:00.001-07:00

My answer, "it depends"

Is the employee gaining profitable relationships and making money for you and themselves on twit or face? If they are...leave 'em alone! It depends on the job. Is it a sales driven job where relationships are everything?? Leave 'em alone.

We have only yet begun to realize the tip of the iceberg, have not even reached the tipping point, of the amount of actual sales biz that is getting done on these sites. Talent, sales, recruiting. you name it.

So, take a step back and do you homework. If you understand the global implications, and local of these sites, you will quickly realize that an open mind can take your business to the next level. A closed mind, will shut your doors, as your competition utilizes this as "one tool" in an overall marketing campaign.

For me, the issue is "managing the use of the sites" as opposed to setting yourself up to look like an old codger that is waaaaay behind where business is headed. I just met with an industry colleague that I met on facebook. think about it.

Now follow me on TWEETER

Earn Some Cash while You Tweet

2009-04-24T23:54:00.001-07:00

twtAd is a relatively new site that pays you to tweet ads on Twitter. You need to have at least 25 followers to tweet the ads for twtAd. Yesterday it was 50 followers you needed but they have changed it to 25 to make it more accessible to everyone. Also you should only tweet the ads every couple days or not more than once a day to keep your Twitter account in good standing. You don't want to be accused of spamming. Although you can tweet the ads up to 3 times a day.

It's easy to tweet ads, you just find the one you'd like to tweet and click the link where it says "click here to tweet". You can also use more than one Twitter profile to publish ads through twtAd.

So far it looks like most twtAds pay $0.01 to $0.07 per ad clicked. Once you reach a balance of $20.00 you can request a payout. Payouts are made through PayPal. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can get one here, PayPal

2009-04-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

Above is Jaquet Droz's La Machine à Ecrire le Temps, a machine that has taken over ten years to build, and has thousands of moving parts. For those of you who speak French, you already know what it does. For everybody else, the machine does one thing, and one thing only: writes the time. That's it. When activated, the piece writes the time in hours and minutes, and then spits it out for you. And how much would you expect to pay for this marvel of technology?

It took nearly a decade to develop this masterpiece with more than 1,200 components, including 84 ball bearings, 50 cams and 9 belts. Jaquet Droz's "La Machine à Ecrire le Temps" (The Machine that Writes the Time) is an implausible horological machine that was showcased at Baselworld 2009. The La Machine à Ecrire le Temps is an upshot of manufacturer Jaquet Droz's eternal quest for excellence. The project was the brainchild of Manuel Emch, president and head of artistic creation at Montres Jaquet Droz. It was developed by the engineers and artisans at the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It's one of the most amazing horological sculptures to date that offers a perfect blend of tradition, kinetic art and high-tech horology. The awesome machine is placed in an elegant cage, with the aluminum fames fitted with a liquid crystal glass. So the possessors of the masterpiece can cover or unveil the whole movement to their liking. The mechanism gets activated with a simple touch and a stylus writes the time in hours and minutes.

At 400,000 Swiss francs (US $342,275), it's not cheap, but it's the ultimate luxury any passionate watch collector or horological machine lover would love to own.

2009-04-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

The Different Kinds of Office Desks

Office furnitures have been made available with different kinds to fit in with the different requirements of the people. Among the prominent things in an office is the office desk. The office desk should be ergonomic to let your hands have its rest while still being able to achieve the tasks that it needs to fulfill. At the same time, they should be sturdy enough too.

When looking for the right office desk to suit you, budget is of course always on the top of the thigns you should consider. Look for the good office desks that are more than its worth. It only takes time and patience but certainly, that desk will come to you. But just the same, it should not be mistaken that budget over quality works---because it does not. The table should be able to provide its ergonomic functions to the employee first and foremost, so look for one that fits in the budget.

Office desks have a wide range of variety for you to choose from. Then again, they also vary according to its purpose. Here are a few types of the office desks that you will encounter:

1- Managerial Desks: this desk, obviously, is for the manager. Their workplace should be different from the rest of the employees, not only because they have a bigger role to fill, but also because they have a different nature of work, able enough to hold everything that they need.
2- Executive Desks: similar to the managerial, the executive should also exude authority. While design may vary, the quality and ergonomics can not. It should be big enough to accommodate the tasks that the owner needs to organize.
3- Height Adjustable Desks: the capacity to adjust a table is very important because people vary, and so do their needs. This is helpful to those who need to stand while working, or sit down after a few hours of standing. This table should be sturdy enough though, otherwise it will be futile.

These are most of the commonly required office desks that you shall be able to encounter during your hunt. So be careful, because no matter how cool the design or style is, it should be comfortable primarily, to be worked on.

2009-04-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

Splurging on Office Furnitures

Splurging on office furnitures is not so bad, especially when the company can afford it. The idea is to create a sense of environment where one will want to stay in for a long time. Luxurious office furnishings need not be only for the bosses---it is healthy also for the regular employees to keep them energized for their work.

Say good-bye to those worn-out furnishings and get a new vibe by incorporating new ones that offer great style and comfort. The improvement of the furniture industry means that it is also able to create new designs that will bring new comfort than the old ones. They may be costly, but they are usually the most ergonomic ones---perfect for the modern-day worker. The employees may even boost their confidence in work because it may make them feel like they are being pampered, when in fact they are just being treated right.

However, just as the reception area serves as the army's front line, more attention should be emphasized in this area. After all, this is where the visitors will first make their impressions about the company, and where it is top priority to make everyone feel at ease. A cozy chair or two will not hurt the goal to bring life at the reception area.

Next room, the conference room. This place is where people will be gathering to discuss pertinent matters about the company. Either way, this room should have the right blend of furnitures---not too cozy for the people to fall asleep during a meeting and not too uncomfortable either. This should also have luxurious furnishings because guests will be making their decisions in this particular area.

Splurging on office furnitures is indeed a wonderful idea to toy with. But it is not so bad to make it happen either. With all of the innovations that has been going on, it is only normal to prioritize the office before, say, getting an new cellphone. After all, the office is where we spend most of our time, so make that time worth it.

2009-04-20T00:52:00.000-07:00

Finding the Right Computer Chair

The right computer chair requires a lot of thought and deliberation. Of course you do not want to compromise the style, size and the budget of the chair. The computer chair is a valuable office furniture---a piece of investment that you can make and get a lot in turn. It may be easy to find a comfortable chair for the house, but not so much for the office, all the more one that will work well with the desk.

Computer chairs are made available at almost any office furniture retailer. It is not so hard to find anymore, especially if you know the ergonomic comfort that you are looking for. But more importantly, the best ergonomic computer chair will help prevent many health hazards such as pain in the back, neck strain, and even in the hands.

The best office chair should have the right height, so consider the adjustable ones. This also goes with the computer chairs. If the chair is solely for your use, make sure that it will fit your body perfectly to enhance comfort. The best computer chair should be able to exude flexibility when it comes to varying work styles, so before buying one, go ahead and sit on it first.

Also, you will know that you have found the “right chair” if once you sit on it, its ergonomic features will immediately take effect on your comfort. The office chair ensures productivity of a worker, so it should not be ignored that the computer chair also needs these demanding requirements.

Your local furniture store will surely have a variety of computer chairs for you to choose from. But it also would not hurt to make a trip to other furniture stores to check if they may have other designs that your local store is not offering. Remember that the best buy is to get more out of its worth. You may have a limited budget but buying the chair that is worth more than the price is truly for keeps.

2009-04-19T00:44:00.000-07:00

Good-priced Office Furniture, Good Service-I

Office and even in small businesses require the essentials of high-quality office furnitures, as this has been known to provide productivity and comfort for the worker. Today's leading designers and office furniture dealers have provided different type of services either through the Internet, while still being able to give the conventional customer service that one can rely on. Establishing a physical showroom gives a larger presence, and these dealers manage to acquire the people's trust than the small time ones who can not offer a showroom.

A study has shown that over 100,000 Americans suffer spinal and muscular injuries due to the health-hazard office environments that they go to for eight hours everyday. This means that the ergonomic office furniture really does a lot for the employees. Office chairs, office desks, and other accessories that are able to provide all the necessary comfort and support that the body needs while working also gives a huge boost on the worker's productivity. Just as well, thousands of children were said to acquire musculo-skeletal injuries ever year due to the amount of time that they spend in bad office chairs with the wrong height and distance from the computer monitor while using it. These injuries will get more serious as they age.

The Internet has opened a lot of doors for office furniture dealers who want to expand their clientèle. This allows them to eliminate all the unnecessary hassles of stocking inventory and site maintenance. However, while the concept of an online shop is easy, it would also mean that other people can do it too. Hence, a wider arena of competitors.

In North Carolina, furniture dealers have become experts in office furniture retail because they willingly bear the extra cost of maintaining a showroom and physical presence. While it may be easy to pose a discount on the Internet, a mere photograph of the office furniture piece will not really assure the customer of its comfort. This is why the traditional way still persists, it is because customer satisfaction is still prime when one is able to test its physical features, or spot the damages of the product. One can not always have it all---the best furniture and the best customer service, but the industry is getting there.

2009-04-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

The Style and Ergonomics of Office Furnitures

Entering the corporate world means that you are venturing into a new world. It will be intimidating at first because it seems uptight, very professional, and as if the employees were really meant to be sitting on those office chairs all day. But believe it or not, this “illusion” is one of the products of the office furnitures that are being used. Office desks, office chairs, filing shelves and cupboards up to all the electrical equipment being used in the room---they all add up to conjure the image of the ultimate workplace. Just as well, it may or may not create a sense of productivity, a sense of feeling that one would want to work in a place like this.

Thus, it should be noted that office furnitures should not be taken for granted. They play key roles in the productivity of an employee, and they make up the entirety of the day's work. From work organization to the proper sitting position, office furnitures do a lot for the workers. For instance, since we are already in the age of the computer technology, most people will be working with computers. Their office desk should be capable to hold the PC while managing to give the ergonomic features to let the elbows rest comfortably while typing. The office chairs should also attain the level of the desk, and should provide support for eight hours a day.

Aside from these, space is a very important element to consider. This do not only apply to office furnitures, but even for home furnitures too. The mark of a good furniture is that it should be able to consume minimum space, yet at the same time being able to give the worker the feeling of totality. As if everything that he would need is within reach. Most modern office furnitures are amply designed to achieve this. They look attractive enough to one's aesthetic standards, but at the same time they also provide great comfort. This allows the worker to feel free to move while confined in his own workspace.

Office furnitures today have become completely stylish in the sense that it caters to the utilization of the owner. What is great about it is that designers are now offering customization of desired furnitures. This is a very smart move as it will enhance the worker's comfort and accurately fit in to his space.

Conventional office furnitures and modern ones are always easy to find for those who seek comfort and style in the office. Although the designs may have evolved as time passes, they all boil down to what they are made of: ergonomics.

2009-04-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

How to organize your own home office-I

Today's modern world has seen the evolution of technology. And with it, came the wonderful and very practical solution of being able to bring your work to your home. Gone are the days when taking your work home is a sign of being a diagnosed workaholic. Today, it is commonly done because it is most convenient. However, this also means that you have to find your own workspace in your home---whether it be an apartment, condo, or a house---the key here is to find a space where you can be efficient and less distracted.

With this trend, a lot of office furniture experts have encouraged home workers by showing that with the right combination of stylish and functional pieces, your home office can easily look just as great. All you have to do is to find an area in your house which you can easily transform into the ideal workspace.

According to an interior designer in Grayslake, there are actually a lot of ways to personalize your space. By adding some color and personal hodgepodge, your small budget will able to wonders. “You don’t have to have a home office that’s custom-built with a lot of wood cabinets,” she said.

The first thing to do would be to assess the ideal location to put your home office in. if you do not have spare rooms to convert into your office, maybe there are areas in your dining or living room where activity rate is low. A bright tip that the interior designer has pointed out is the magic of Armoire-style cabinets. She said that they are capable of concealing a computer and keyboard in a room that doubles as living spaces and offices. Just remember that these areas should have access to power outlets and phone lines, or at least the ability to have those installed.

Whatever happens, do not put your home office in the busiest part of the house. The goal is to “carve a niche in a room that is not very much used”. Office furniture retailers have been supportive with this trend, as they continually innovate the designs of their office chairs and office desks to suit the home worker. So do not fear, it is all a matter of a little organization.

2009-04-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

Comfort and Style in the Office Courtesy of the Office Chair

Imagine this: A big time client is about to seal the deal with your company. Everybody is prepared with the pitch, the presentation, even with the right blend of coffee suited for the client. However, as the client steps into the room, shakes your team's hands and sits on the office chair---the client's expression suddenly changes. And you might wonder, could it be the chairs? Actually, it could be.

Modern days have called the workforce to a strict confinement to their workspaces. In a time where most of the employees are seeing their offices as their second home, they need a seat where they could sit on for as long as eight hours. This makes the office chair a significant element of everyday work.

The importance of office chairs or even office desks says a lot about the company. It leaves either a lasting positive impression on prospective clients, or a negative memory. In a way, these office furnitures tell what to expect about the company's ideals and philosophy---and how they go about it. Because in reality, even the most minute detail can make or break the deal.

Office furniture need not be expensive and extravagant, and they do not have to be changed every year. They can be simple, highly ergonomic, yet affordable for getting its worth. It is always the comfort that should not be compromised. For instance, when choosing the right office chairs, it should be given that a person could last sitting on it for eight hours everyday. Comfort does a lot to a person's productivity, so it is vital that they feel at ease to let their efficiency gain power. Next, these chairs must also exude a touch of style and sophistication. Appearance may say a lot, for if a chair looks old and beat, who would want to sit on that?

The office chair does a lot to the company---it might be ridiculous but it always boils down to the littlest things. And in this case, a chair is not a little thing to be ignored. It may cause hassle in finding the right office chairs, but it will leave a good mark on the company.

2009-03-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

The Governor's New Office Table

The inmates and staffer of the Westville Correctional Facility created an impressive handicraft of a 16-foot-long office conference table which shows the outline of Indiana state, complete with its 92 counties. The tabletop also includes a 3-foot-diameter glass topped image of medallions of the state's seal, and the image of the state flag.

This impressive piece of office furniture, which was built in a prison carpentry shop, was a fusion of different wood types but it managed to execute a unified look.

The table is now proudly showcased at Indiana Governor Mitch Daniel's office, where he flaunted the handiwork of the inmates a week after it was delivered in late June. The Governor even gamely posed for photos beside the new office table with the officials from the Indiana Department of Correction.

The table was a request by the Department of Correction's Commissioner J. David Donahue. A Westville staffer led eight inmates who have reportedly worked on the table for an estimated 2,000 hours.

“When Dave told me he would have a new table made for the office, I wouldn't have dreamed it could be something like this,” Gov. Daniels said. “It's the most beautiful piece of furniture I've ever seen, and the craftsmanship is second to none.”

According to the officials, the cherry, oak, tulip poplar, walnut, white pine and spalted maple trees all came from the grounds of the medium-security prison which was located at 30 miles west of South Bend. The table was designed by Alex McEarthon, a carpenter who has been serving the prison system for about 14 years already.

At the rate of popularity that this beautiful table is going, the Westville Correctional might just be the newest office furniture maker in town. The idea to commission the inmates to explore their craft in grandiose table or even in practical office furniture-types will give them another chance to pick their life up where they last left it.

2009-03-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

Comfort and Style in the Office Courtesy of the Office Chair

2009-03-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

Home Office, My sweet Home

The number of Americans working at home has reportedly reached a million. Due to this pressing growth, makers of furniture have become experts with their concepts in designing office desks, office chairs, and storage solution to fit the clientèle's demands into their homes. For after all, whatever art movement one wants to incorporate in his home office should be provided by the designers with their flexible concepts.

If Bruce Wayne managed to access his “home office” by flipping back a hinged head of a bronze Shakespeare bust to reveal a switch---which would of course make the bookcase slide open to unveil the Bat Cave---modern home workspaces need not to be secretive and overly creative that it has to be isolated from the rest of the house. Today, technology is able to bind us. It is not only the answer to speed up work, but it also blurred the lines between private life and work. This is the primary reason why people want to work from their homes, so it is the designers' task to make this happen.

This is not too hard to accomplish. Imagine that a full-sized desk, credenza, and filing cabinet can now be ideal for a laptop corner in the family room. The right office desk could be tucked by a window or behind a sofa, serving its function while still maintaining the look of the family space. Another trend suggests that a mini-kitchen should be placed into the home office. This keeps the work while managing to get a bite or two.

However, if one does not want to be reminded of work while spending quality time with the family, there are home office furnitures that could be hidden after work---some that could be flipped, folded, and then compacted back behind its paneled doors.

So much has to be considered when it comes to designing a home office. Important elements such as the proper lighting, to the most ergonomic furnishings, to how should one focus on his interaction with his working environment. It is advised to create functional solutions for the work needs while maintaining a balance of style.

2009-03-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Nokia N85, a good value for your money!

The screen on the N85 measures 2.6-inch and sports a resolution of 240×320, which is more than enough. This particular handset garnered numerous news posts when it went on sale here in the Manila, well not really sale but available. Although it doesn’t still stand up to the quality of the iPhone screen, it can still hold its own, especially when reviewing photos and recorded movies.

N85 is a slider phone, not a fliptop. But, it’s a little unusual in that it slides one way to expose the keypad and the other way to expose the media keys for accessing the phone’s music menu. When slid into the ‘media mode’ the screen automatically switches to landscape mode and the main nav button serves as the track forward/back and play button. Which brings me to my next point: The N85 include a real 3.5mm headphone jack. Having a 3.5mm input is a good point specially when you want a better headset, you can change the headphone jack into a better one.

Movies or pics, the N85 captures quality images. Sure, like most cameras phones it’s not great in low light scenarios but thanks to the LED flash it gives a boost to dim photos. At 5 megapixels your images and movies (640×480) will look as good as some of today’s stand alone cameras.

As for avid Mac users out there, for some reason I couldn’t get the N85 to show up in my iSync menu. So all I can say is that you’ve been warned. Sure, some trouble shooting might resolved the issue, but the point here is that this thing won’t just sync out of the box. Just wanna share that as well.

As for memory, the phone comes with an 8GB microSD card. This was more than suitable for me but you can upgrade if you’re looking to add your expansive music collection. As with most microSD card slots it was a bit complicated when you want to take out the card.

As for those who got cars FM transmitters, the Nokia N85 includes its very own. You can adjust the frequency, turn it on, you’ve got music streaming from your phone to your car’s stereo system. I know, the sound quality won’t exactly be top notch, but for some quick tunes and one less trip to Best Buy who can complain.

Getting online with the N85 can be achieved via 3G/EDGE or WiFi and setting up the wireless was super simple thanks to the WLAN Wizard. Surprisingly, it include a full HTML browser, which admittedly is a bit of a surprise given the small screen. Fortunately, the OS, Symbian S60, pops up a little screen when you start to move the mouse around allowing you to navigate the page from afar. In the end, I found the browser was only suitable for checking websites at a glance and really isn’t designed as a Web friendly device.

Battery life of the N85 is outstanding. I tested out the standby time, which means absolutely no use, and the handset lasted a few days short of 2 weeks. Plus the OLED screen makes the phone even more efficient when it is being used. When really using the phone I could get 4-5 days in between charges, but keep in mind your battery experiences may vary depending on signal reception and type of use.

Built-in to the handset is an accelerometer, but you wouldn’t know it at first glance. Factor settings set it to off, but that can be quickly over ridden by navigating to Tools>Settings>General>Sensor Settings. For the most part the accelerometer was very speedy to react but on occasion had a tendency to be a little over sensitive, ultimately changing the screen from portrait to landscape mode when not truly warranted. Another interesting feature, which also is turned off by default, is the Navigation Wheel. It can be turned to ‘on’, which essentially turns the circumference of the main joystick button into a navigation button. I didn’t extensively test out the option since it proved more annoying than useful. I suppose those used to a Blackberry experience might find it useful or just complete off setting.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the Nokia N85. I’ll be honest, it’s been many years since I’ve really used one but now I understand why they’re the number one handset maker in the world. The build of the N85 is very solid. At times the buttons on the phone proved a bit cumbersome and for anyone coming from a Blackberry or iPhone, or any handset with a touchscreen and full QWERTY keypad will find adjusting to the new layout challenging. The payoff of course is in the optics, small footprint.

2009-02-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

Lenovo Constant Connect lets ThinkPads Instantly and Automatically Sync Emails With Blackberry Phones

Thanks to a new technology called Lenovo Constant Connect, Lenovo laptops will be able to sync enterprise-based emails with Blackberry phones at all times, even while the laptop is powered off.

By the power of Bluetooth, any enterprise based email will automatically be sent from your BlackBerry to your ThinkPad once configured. You won't have to initiate the transfer in anyway. Lenovo Constant Connect is set to release in Q2 2009, but it's still unclear which email apps will support the service and uncertain whether it will work with current/previous-gen ThinkPads.

LENOVO THINKPAD LAPTOP COMPUTERS TO GAIN NEW LEVEL OF INTEGRATION WITH BLACKBERRY SMARTPHONES

Research Triangle Park, NC and Waterloo, ON – February 16, 2009 – Lenovo and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced that the two companies will work together to promote new Lenovo mobile solutions that will help on-the-go business users enhance their mobile computing and communications experience through tighter integration between Lenovo ThinkPad laptop computers and BlackBerry® smartphones.

Leveraging Lenovo's extensive global R&D capabilities and engineering prowess in laptop computers together with RIM's expertise in smartphones and wireless solutions, Lenovo plans to develop and deliver a range of industry-leading solutions and technologies that can help professionals conduct business more effectively on the go.

Lenovo Constant Connect, the first solution developed by Lenovo, will leverage the strengths of the BlackBerry® solution and Lenovo ThinkPad laptops to deliver an unparalleled user experience for flexible, real-time access to enterprise-based email. Lenovo Constant Connect will allow enterprise email received on a user's BlackBerry smartphone to be automatically synchronized via Bluetooth® onto the user's ThinkPad laptop – even if the ThinkPad laptop is off – without the user having to take any additional steps.

This level of integration and availability dramatically improves access to email on the Lenovo ThinkPad laptop from wherever a BlackBerry smartphone can access a connection. In addition to greater flexibility and convenience, it can also reduce the need to use the laptop with fee-based Wi-Fi® networks. Lenovo Constant Connect is expected to be available from Lenovo and its business partners in the second quarter of 2009 in the U.S, and to be rolled out in markets around the world later in 2009.

"With more and more mobile professionals relying on both their BlackBerry smartphone and ThinkPad laptop PC, we view better integration between the two devices as a necessity. Today's announcement is the first step in combining these best-in-class solutions to deliver a more useful and powerful mobile work experience," said Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing.

"Lenovo is adding significant value for our mutual customers by developing tighter and more seamless integration between Lenovo ThinkPad laptops and BlackBerry smartphones," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "By leveraging the industry-leading, push-based connectivity of the BlackBerry solution, Lenovo Constant Connect will simplify email synchronization on the laptop and provide mobile professionals with greater flexibility to manage their email on the move."

2009-02-17T07:07:00.000-08:00

HTC Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 Feature Bigger Screens, Better Battery Life

HTC's Touch Diamond, and its QWERTY'd doppelganger the Touch Pro, have formally passed into their second generation, with bigger screens, higher (WVGA) resolution, better battery life, and deeper interface changes.

These handsets have always represented something of a standard to which WinMo phones are measured, and the tastefully restyled new versions, boldly called the Diamond2 and Pro2, play on their predecessors' strengths.

The Diamond2 gets a screen upgrade, from 2.8in to 3.2in, with an accompanying resolution boost from VGA (480x640) to WVGA (480x800). The lauded TouchFlo 3D alternative interface now reaches a bit deeper into Windows Mobile 6.1, making a few more functions touch-friendly, but stopping short of a total overhaul. The most interesting new interface feature is the "Single Contact View", which consolidates your complete history of communication (texts, calls, emails) for a given contact into a single screen. A SD card expansion slot replaces the old model's fixed internal memory, which results in greater flexibility but severely diminished memory size on delivery (gone is the 4GB internal memory, replaced with the wimpy 512MB ROM) and a new 5-megapixel autofocus camera.

The Pro2 is treated to most of the same upgrades. Its screen stretches to a full 3.6 inches, which is just .2 inches smaller than the monstrous TouchHD. It gets a louder speakerphone system and less-pixely camera than the Diamond2, but retains the larger battery and slide-out QWERTY keyboard that originally distinguished its dad from the Diamond.

Battery life is apparently boosted by 50% on the Diamond2 and "improved" on the Pro2, a change which is more than welcome, as this is one of the areas where the original Diamond/Pro fell down. Other, less immediately interesting new features include "HTC Push Internet", which is essentially pre-loads parts of your favorite webpages, and the inauspiciously-named "Straight Talk", which allows for easy transitions between text or email communications and regular or group phone calls, letting you immediately initiate a conference call with, say, the recipients of an email thread.

A few things don't sit will here—mainly the lack of internal memory and lost touchwheel—but anyone who has used the TouchHD knows that the enhanced resolution is a welcome change. And not to repeat an all-too-obvious grievance, but HTC fans have long said that the Diamond and Pro should have been the company's Android handsets from the get-go, so it's hard to avoid being slightly disappointed by Windows Mobile 6.1, again.

HTC hasn't announced pricing yet, but should hit European and Asian markets by early Q2, with early H2 availability worldwide.

2009-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ipod Touch on Thick as Thieves

I was watching the latest movie featuring Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas, Thick as Thieves. As the movie goes, they used this handy gadget IPOD Touch to spy on their next "prospect project".

Here are some snapshot of the movie. I know you wouldnt like me spoiling the rest of the movie. I just want to share it to you readers.

And I wonder what type application could do this. Hmmm makes me think...really?

2009-02-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson Unveils Latest 8MP, 12MP Handset

Sony Ericsson launches latest 8MP, 12MP handset in market with including excellent features this is the amazing design of latest handset with attractive color it has excellent sound you can easily use this handset it is best for calling anywhere it has amazing quality of features.

I have a great passion of handsets this Sony Ericsson is really an excellent quality of amazing handset it has 8.1-megapixel loaded with Cyber-shot features, a video recorder and picture blogging, auto-focus, image stabilization, a 16x digital zoom, face detection a flash. It has W995 kickstand for video watching. It has also including some advance features such as PC syncing, a speakerphone, stereo Bluetooth, a voice recorder, gaming and direct access to YouTube, FM radio, phone as modem capability, messaging and email.

It has also including 12 megapixel cameras (no CyberShot) with Xenon flash, DLNA-compatible WiFi and GPS receivers.

Sony Ericsson is such a great company that offers excellent quality of finest features many of the further handsets are available in market but this new Sony Ericsson is best to others the color and design of this handset is so attractive and stylish. So what you think about this amazing handset it’s a great offer hurry-up!

2009-02-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

Mario Brothers Mushroom USB Massager

Shoulders or body parts feel tired due to always working with computer? Don’t worry. Mini Mushroom USB Massager will help to get rid of your tired and stress. This is a regular scenario for us Call Center Agents, now here comes a very innovative and techy solution for our aching pains. The Mario Brothers Mushroom USB Massager!

Product Specifications

Mini mushroom design
Massage your tired body parts
Helps to release stress and get rid of the tired
On / Off knob
Powered by USB
Or powered by 3pcs AA batteries (Not included)
Size: 85*85*70mm
Weight: 110g

The Mini Mushroom USB Massager is available Cherry red, Pink, Purple, Blue or Green and the product is yours for $14 from the gadget4all.com website.

2009-02-13T00:33:00.000-08:00

Lego teams up with Alcatel to release LEGOPHONE

Earlier this year Lego and Digital Blue announced combined efforts that would yield a variety of Lego-centric electronics aimed at kids. Slated to be released by this Summer, the announcement included details on a digital camera, a walkie talkie and an MP3 player - nothing too crazy. These functional toys would appear as though they had been built from lego bricks and would all fall into an affordable $20 - $60 price range. Cool. An anonymous tipster may have just shined some light on a yet-to-be-announced element of this partnership however, that might bump the endeavor’s interest-factor from a 1.1 to an even 2.

As you can see from the image above, Alcatel is apparently jumping into the mix and the trio is planning to make their best effort at putting cell phones in the hands of children at an even more inappropriately young age. Woo! From the looks of things, the Lego phone will consist of a base structure containing the body and display of the handset, while a series of modular attachments can be snapped on - likely just for color variation as opposed to changing the functionality of the handset to some extent. Little else is know at this point but we’ll be sure to update you as soon as possible so you don’t lose too much sleep over it. Hit the jump for a bigger shot showing off more modular pieces.

2009-02-12T00:37:00.000-08:00

Mozilla releases Fennec Firefox Mobile

Ask, and ask, and ask….and ye shall receive. Mozilla has finally unleashed a functional “Milestone Release” version of its Fennec mobile Firefox browser. Available immediately for anyone with an HTC Touch Pro. The release version is limited in several ways, most notably without support for soft keyboards, automatic version updating, and plugins, but everything else should work more or less as promised.

This is exciting news for anyone that has been eagerly anticipating Mozilla’s official move into the mobile space, and hopefully marks the beginning of significant product development for something that will hopefully do to Pocket Internet Explorer/Opera Mini what the desktop version of Firefox has done to its Internet Explorer equivalent, i.e. render it obsolete. Anyone interested in taking the release for a test drive should hit the Read link for access to the CAB file, though we definitely recommend making a complete backup of your handset before proceeding too eagerly.

Anyways, read all the documentation here.

2009-02-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Nokia 5800 XPRESS MUSIC Nam revealed details

Nokia fans in the US are most definitely used to waiting. First it was the long wait for Nokia to begin offering its Symbian handsets more widely in the US which then lead to the wait for a wider variety of S60 devices packing 850/1900 MHz WCDMA compatibility. While each of those issues have been addressed to some extent, there’s still the ever-present wait for NAM counterparts of handsets that have been available elsewhere for months. Enter the 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia’s first touch-enabled S60 5th Edition handset. Released months ago in some regions, it looks like North American Nokians will finally be able to get their mitts on the 5800 XpressMusic circa February 26th, a Thursday.

This is apparently the date the handset will become available to US retailers however, so we wouldn’t expect units to actually be fulfilled for at least a few days thereafter. As for pricing, MSRP is set at $399 which has ballooned slightly from the ~$360 at which the handset was announced. All the same, Nokians looking to get their touch on will still be likely to jump on the 5800 especially considering a new round of rumors that suggest a delayed N97 release.

2009-02-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Facebook now part of OpenID board

Social networking giant Facebook has announced that they are now joining the OpenID board.

OpenID is already supported by several other industry giants including MySpace, Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, and IBM.

Mike Schroepfer, Facebook’s director of engineering spoke about this new development: “It is our hope that we can take the success of Facebook Connect and work together with the community to build easy-to-use, safe, open and secure distributed identity frameworks for use across the Web.”

Facebook Connect is designed to make it easier for users to supply their personal information to web services on the web securely.

Luke Shepard, a member of Facebook’s Platform and Connect teams would now become a new member of the eight-member OpenID board.

David Recordon of SixApart and Chris Messina of Vidoop spoke about Facebook’s decision to join them: “Given the popularity and positive user experience of Facebook Connect, we look forward to Facebook working within the community to improve OpenID’s usability and reach.”

Chris Messina, David Recordon, Facebook, facebook connect, Google, IBM, Luke Shepard, Microsoft, Mike Schroepfer, MySpace, OpenID, SixApart, Social Networking, Vidoop, Yahoo

2008-11-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

Nokia E63

The Nokia E63 has a beautiful deep colored shell and is very good with emailing if you need to and it has so many great features on it, it’s just like bringing your Pc with you, so you never have to miss your office if you just simply can’t be there. The E63 focus is to maintain your professional business and your more private matters in life, by allowing you to participate in your social life and browse your more private emails and now you have access anywhere to do this.

The E63 also has really neat Wi Fi Connectivity to keep you in touch in public or private places, and mail for Exchange support will keep you updated technically and even chatting with your buddies at the office. There are speed dial types of features so you won’t have to fumble through numbers trying to call and for such a small device you get access to 1GB file Storage. Now this phone is really a great buy.

2008-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Call Center and Beyond

The call center industry is dominating the world of the business process outsourcing (BPO) in which the Philippines is considered as the home for largest contact centers in the world.

Beyond this booming industry is a promising future for Filipinos being in the Third World country. The gift of call center is a blessing for Filipino people because the country is being looked up as leader in the outsourcing. This is true, several surveys have been done before why the Philippines is considered as location for outsourcing. The surveys led by the private sectors revealed that the country significantly compete in off-shoring industry. It is a window of hope to young Filipino workers, who directly employed in this industry even they are undergraduate.

Beyond call center promotes huge revenue advantage. In the Philippines, it was reported by the country’s Chief Executive that the earnings in the outsourcing dramatically increase this year. In return, the national government continue to strengthen their partnership among contact center executives. Proving their support of being friendly to the investors are proof why these giant contact centers want to stay up and running in the Philippines.

Beyond call center promotes a realistic preparation in the future of the Philippines. It is now known in the business world that can never be ignored. The presence of call center lessen the unemployment rate of the country. Since there’s no problem in getting job in outsourcing, Filipino workers can easily grasp the lifestyle in call centers. Filipinos are competent and can talk with passion and accent with their American clients. Their trainings are wonderful and considered as extensive.

Beyond call center is a reflection of having a stable industry, which will continue in the next following years. The target of the government will soon achieve because many call center companies are now entering in the country’s business circle. Large and small contact centers enjoy the privilege given to them by the government. No need to worry about security because they are safe and being prioritized all the time. The country’s finest policemen continue to conduct surveillance in any of the financial districts in metro Manila. call center companies are considered as vital installation, since many of them occupying the skyscrapers, the government always monitor them in a case to case basis.

Beyond call center is a strong nation. If the government is considered as investment hub, no wonder that this is a country which practices standard politicking. The Philippines is among of them. Though political bickering is almost happening elsewhere. But when it comes to the public interest, the politicians from the local and national unite each other to promote peace and nationwide camaraderie. No call center companies will stay in the country if political noise is unresolved. With the present situation right now, it is with great respect and desire that contact center locators will remain operational in the Philippines.

Call center and beyond is now the pride of every Filipino. Working closely with the government will provide a better chain of command between the business partners, the lawmakers and the workers. The Philippines will continue to raise up the flag that call center is a dominant industry in the country today.

2008-10-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Wooden USB

The designer flash drive is usually overlooked as a status symbol, but not anymore. Whip out a one of a kind state of the art wookden beauty at your next cocktail party, and prepare to bask in the envious OOOHs and AHHHs of your friends and acuaitances.

Made by quirky Netherlands design company Oooms, each USB memory stick is arafted from an actual branch, handpicked from sylvan forests,. That means no two pieces look quite a likfe - some have knots or squiggly marks left by worms.

The drices are avaiable in 512, 1GB, and 2GB sizes. Its a steal for a piece of art, coz price is kinda steep.

But the sight of a protruding twig on you notebook is priceless.

2008-10-15T06:18:00.001-07:00

Foreign call centers may be required to declare themselves

A House bill would compel workers answering or initiating a business call to disclose their location.

A bill requiring “anyone answering or initiating a call at a center used by a U.S. business to disclose location” is currently under consideration in the US Congress. In short, if this becomes law, we’ll probably see employees at local centers say “My name is Juan dela Cruz, and I’m from the Philippines” at beginning of each call.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jason Altmire, a democrat from Pennsylvania, also wants it to apply to call centers based in the US. “It may make a difference for people in deciding who they will do business with” he said.

My source from the local call center industry (actually, a friend who used to work for eTelecare) said that she was not allowed to reveal her location unless asked directly by the customer.

So, if the Call Center Consumer’s Right to Know Act becomes law, how will it affect the growing call center industry in the Philippines? Personally, I think more “customer service associates” in the here will find out just what jingoism is, even if they’re part of the outsourcing process that lets Americans enjoy lower prices.

Would using wording like “Hi, I’m Juan dela Cruz, from the beautiful country of the Philippines!” work? Probably not.

2008-10-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ways to Improve Customer Service

How well do you look after your customers? Most companies probably think they do a good job, but the addition of technology into large, national call centers has caused many organizations to focus on technology solutions as opposed to people solutions.

1. If your call center uses a feature where a customer can leave a number where they can be reached by the next available customer service representative, turn it off and hire more customer service representatives.
2. A call center manager must rely on technology to track important statistics like the amount of time a customer waits on hold. Any time greater than one minute should be considered to be inadequate. By monitoring these statistics, priority can be given to improving staffing levels.
3. If your first point of contact with your customer is having a recorded message telling them how important their call is, you may want to look at changing the message. If their call was important, it would be immediately answered by a real person - not a computer.
4. If your marketing team suggests that a marketing campaign should be created around a “focus” or “commitment” to customer service, laugh at them and tell them they should take the marketing money allocated for that campaign and spend it on actually improving customer service.
5. Here’s a great idea. If your company sends invoices or bills to your customers, reduce the amount of calls to the call center by simplifying the bills. Bills that are too confusing are a leading cause of calls into a busy call center.
6. Make your executives and managers spend a day in the seat of a customer service representative. Give them a good idea of the challenges that are faced by your front-line workers.

2008-10-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Measuring ROI on a Call Center Investment

Traditional ROI calculations use the level of profit generated by an asset divided by the value of the asset and expressed as a percentage. That’s fine but when we seek to ascribe a value to non-profit generating assets we need to look at ways in which we can quantify the value that the call center is contributing to overall business operations.

Call center data management and manipulation has lent itself particularly well to KPI metric and Balanced Scorecard methodology. KPI/Balanced Scorecard techniques are a mainstay of the management of any call center and using the metrics that are being produced from these management information tools allows to start calculating an approximation for ROI.

If we move away from the idea of profit centers that need to be maximized and cost centers that need to be cut so logically increasing profit, we can start thinking of the different business components as contributing value.

What is the value that we can ascribe to a call center it doesn’t create anything?

First, lets look at a revised ROI calculation, we can pretty easily work out a cost for the call center which is going to be used in the ROI calculation if we use that as asset value of the ROI number crunching.

Second, if we look at the relative contribution of call center activities we can start ascribing a value based on the effect on our financial and management accounting information. Linking information from customer service feedback and focus groups will allow us to develop an idea of the impact on repeat business for instance. Repeat business is something that our accounting and CRM system will be monitoring so we can get a value for that. The customer survey and feedback groups will also give an indication as to how important our customer service is in winning repeat business orders and that will in turn allow us to infer a value for that proportion of repeat business that is attributable to the call center efforts.

We are now close to being able to perform an ROI calculation in that we have determined a value that is created for the expense of our customer service efforts made by the call center.

Using such attributable value calculations for ROI is not flawless but it does provide a valuable tool for tracking the value of a non-revenue division that is being contributed to overall business success. Tracking ROI of this nature over time, as long as the calculation is made on a consistent basis will help indicate and highlight the relative success of initiatives and investment in the call center.

Calculating an overall ROI can be done by a broader attribution of value that is created by the call center and the total expense that is incurred by it. Used alone such an ROI calculation is not going to be of much help but the use of the incremental ROI that can be calculated for discrete costs and further investment in the call center is very useful for helping to justify whether incremental investment should be made or not.

2008-10-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

What Is Contact Center Outsourcing?
Is It Something That You Should Know About

The last time that you purchased something, did you happen to see on the bottom of the label an 800 number that you can call to find out information about the product or other products or services that the company offered? Or the last time that you traveled and had a question regarding the tickets that you had purchased, were you referred to and given a number to call? These places that companies now have you call with questions regarding their products or services are called “contact centers.”

Contact Centers Are Important

Running a business such as an airline or drug company has its own problems, without having to constantly deal with customers or clients that have questions or problems. Also, when these customers and clients do have their issues it is imperative that they be solved as expediently as possible, so all parties involved are happy. Managing a contact center is a major undertaking, because if it isn’t done right a business will lose customers and money.

Contact Center Outsourcing Services Are Experts at Customer Relations

This is why more and more businesses are turning to contact center outsourcing as a solution to this issue. By using a contact center outsourcing service, business managers are then freed up to focus on actually running the business. Also, the business benefits by having a company handle this area of customer relations and service that specializes in it.

Cost Savings for the Business

A contact center outsourcing business is able to help the businesses that they serve to cut costs at the same time, which allows them to be more competitive. This is because, when a call is placed to a contact center outsourcing business it can all be handled over seas or by cheap labor subcontracted by a states prison industries in the U.S.

2008-09-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

12-year-old Revolutionizes the Solar Cell

I got this article while reading Yahoo News,written by Chris Radcliff.

William Yuan, a seventh-grader from Portland, OR, developed a three-dimensional solar cell that absorbs UV as well as visible light. The combination of the two might greatly improve cell efficiency. William's project earned him a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Library of Congress to accept the award, which is usually given out for research at the graduate level.

“Current solar cells are flat and can only absorb visible light,” he said. “I came up with an innovative solar cell that absorbs both visible and UV light. My project focused on finding the optimum solar cell to further increase the light absorption and efficiency and design a nanotube for light-electricity conversion efficiency.”

You know, that's just what I was thinking when I was 12, but my idea didn't quite work. Well, it was just a paper towel roll with "Solar Rays" written on the side in Sharpie, and I tried to use it to melt G.I. Joe figures. But still. Well done, William!

2008-09-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Modular Office Furniture for You and Me

Part-II

Here is a simple rundown on the basic things that you should consider when it comes to choosing modular office furniture:

After learning about the two different types of modular office furniture, it is now time for your to look at how flexible they are. Consider circumstances such as, will you be able to bring them along with you when you move? Or can they easily be arranged in cubes or the traditional bullpen style? If these are your main concerns, then check with your local office furniture retailer to see if they are indeed flexible enough for the requirements of your workspace.

Aside from the element of flexibility, durability comes in your considerations more than ever. While your company probably will want a new set of modular office furniture after two years or so, it is still right to invest in good modular office furniture that can see through the company's changes. Check the warranty offers of your dealer as well, most especially the service that they will give, and the easy availability of its parts.

Basically, the most common cubicle sizes range from 6'x6', 6'x8', and 8'x8'. These sizes are good enough to allow ample breathing room for the employee, and probably even a computer or two, wide space for writing, and perhaps even a single chair for visitors. They are known as the 2'x4' call center workstation, or the 12'x12' manager's cube which is the biggest standard size.

Lastly, aside from the size itself, you will also have to consider the height of the walls. Remember that they are partly for the privacy of the employee as well do be conscious about this critical element. Heights can range from 34” to 85”, and this is highly relative to how the employees are comfortable working. Many people like to have that ability to stand up and chat with their co-workers, but enjoy their privacy when they are seated. 54” walls are a good height for interaction, while 67” to 72” create more privacy. Take note though, that too much privacy may also take away the natural lighting conditions if the workspace, or it can also breed a relaxed workstation that may lead to laziness. 42” walls are the ideal of all since it makes it easier for the employees to work while still being able to maintain their own privacy.

2008-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

10 Things you may not know about BLUETOOTH

BlueTooth is 10 years old

I am not kidding. It was back in 1998 that this wireless method was conceived by European telecommunications giant Ericsson. Ericsson along with four other companies selected the name Bluetooth and formed the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) to develop the technology. Now it is the most widely used short-range wireless technology.

Billions are sold

THERE ARE MORE BLUETOOTH RADIOS ON THE PLANET THAN ANY OTHER

Cambridge Silicon Radio — the leading Bluetooth chip supplier — shipped over 600 million chips in 2007 and is expected to ship about a billion more this year. That’s just one supplier. The total number of chips buried in other products is well over several billion. The reason for such high volume is that the number one use of Bluetooth is to implement the wireless headset in cell phones. That means two Bluetooth chips for each: one in the handset and the other in the ear piece. Most cell phones have this feature today. And since cell phones sell in the one billion per year range, you can see how Bluetooth got to be number one. There are dozens of other uses, as well. ABI Research — a market information company — predicts that about 2.4 billion Bluetooth-enabled products will ship in 2013.

2008-09-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

“World’s smallest”
Bluetooth headset released

A Bluetooth headset weighing less than 6 grams (.21 ounces) and measuring l.3 inches long and .63 inches wide was released by INVISIO, who claims that the G5 is the “world’s smallest Bluetooth headset.” The headset provides up to 4 hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time and comes with a “Protective Charging case” that charges the headset each time it is placed in the case. When used with this portable rechargeable charger, INVISIO states that the G5 provides up 20 hours of talk time and 30 days of standby time.

INVISIO G-5 Specifications

Talk Time

Up to 4 hours / 20 hours with Protective Charging Case
Standby time

Up to 150 hours / 30 days with Protective Charging Case
Weight

6 grams
Dimension

3.3x1.6 cm (1.3x0.63 in)
Bluetooth® Profiles

Headset and Hands-free
User Interface

3-Button
Wearing Style

In-ear with Soft Spring™

2008-09-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

Chrome is Not a Windows-Killer

I’ve been reading all sorts of starry eyed accounts as to how the new browser from Google dubbed Chrome is going to kill Windows. As someone who is absolutely dazzled by Chrome, I’m here to tell you that it isn’t the case. Certainly, we may be looking at one of the best browsers to date, particularly for the Windows platform. It’s sleek not just in appearance, but load times and memory usage.

That said, it’s just plain impossible for it to be an operating system, and it’s a pretty big stretch to say that it’s anything close to replacing the desktop.

That hasn’t stopped a number of pundits from proclaiming it to be the first nail in the coffin for Microsoft’s dominance of the desktop. One of my favorite foils, Drama 2.0, is actually in agreement with me on this issue as he calls out Henry Blodgett on an article which appeared on Yahoo Finance that makes a number of statements only a financial analyst with a smattering of technology know-how could make.

In the article, Henry states that “the need for Windows and other operating systems is declining,” and calls Chrome “an operating system for cloud computing.”

When I read that, I was just as bewildered at Blodgett’s qualifications as Drama. If you don’t have a good understanding of what technology is about, and how an operational personal computing device is put together on the hardware and software level, then everything Blodgett says makes sense. It’s no secret that Google, at least in some ways, has its sites set on Microsoft. The apps they provide, the search business, their advertising plays and now the browser all are direct, one-to-one affronts on Microsoft.

But to say to finance folks (and Web 2.0 pundits who lack the technical chops to know the difference) that this is a play to displace Microsoft with cloud computing shows an ignorance not just the underlying tech but also the history of long term Microsoft strategy.

Bill Gates was Talking About This Almost 20 Years Ago It’s as if Blodgett has completely forgotten that Bill Gates had this same idea a decade ago, and that Internet Explorer was supposed to lead into this world of client/server computing in which the boundaries between the desktop and the “wide area network” were indistinguishable. He started down that path in 1993, in which he gave his blessing to client/server computing.

It’s understandable to have missed that, but to have forgotten completely about Microsoft’s thin-client play with WebTV is just a bit of funny. The way that the product faded to black after it’s acquisition for nearly half a billion was nothing short of noteworthy to anyone worth his salt in tech.

Since Blodgett failed to remember these launches, it’s not surprising that he fails to connect the dots between WebTV’s failure and the XBox’s success in further blurring the lines between the network and computing, what’s local and what’s remote.

Simply put, Microsoft is several iterations ahead of whatever “cloud is the computer” strategy Google is working on, Google is still the underdog, and they aren’t coming close to threatening them yet.

Is This Semantics or Fundamental Strategy Difference? At first read, it’s easy to play off this rebuttal as me playing semantics. Obviously, the need for an OS is never going to decrease. The operating system is the software that lets your monitor talk to your processor and your hard drive Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive and your keyboard and all those otherwise useless hunks of plastic and metal you’re reading this from.

What most of these pundits actually mean to say is that Chrome is going to replace the desktop, and the overall Google strategy is to develop a robust and responsive browsing environment suitable for replacing the traditional desktop with.

This, too, is myopia induced analysis, though. Blodgett and other bloggers are completely forgetting the Android initiative when they go down this hypothetical road. Almost everyone who’s brought up this idea that the “browser is the desktop” has implied or explicitly said that we’ll see Chrome start showing up on PCs, Macs, phones and palmtops.

The reasoning is that it’s based on Open Source codebase, and can easily be integrated into a wide number of hardware platforms as the desktop of choice. To do so, at least from a developer standpoint, is akin to buying a thousand umbrellas to replace your leaky roof. It simply wasn’t designed to reside on an environment other than the typical desktop you see on Windows, Linux and Mac environments. Android is the initiative where they adapt the Webkit codebase for mobile applications (and even then, there’s an OS and Desktop layer aside from the browser). Chrome only exists within desktop environments (not instead of desktop environments).

So What’s So Exciting About Chrome?

On the surface, it’s exciting because Chrome is a great browser, hands down. It beats the pants off any other browser I’ve tried, and I’ve tried them all. I hate bloated software, so my life is generally accompanied by a dull roar of misery since I’m for the moment stuck with Windows Vista Windows XP Era Ends . I’ve always wondered why it’s still called software advancement when despite consistent stark upticks in hardware capabilities, our software runs slower and slower with each iteration.

Call me crazy, but I’ve always valued efficiency. That’s what Chrome has done for the browser - it’s given users a capable and efficient alternative to the bloated options that they currently have. It’s (unfortunately) a revolutionary concept.

Beyond that, it is a potential paradigm shift in the way we look at applications, too. The ability to send a shortcut to the desktop that represents a link to a web based application? Well, that’s finally putting equal footing to web apps with desktop based applications. It is truly the fulfillment of Gate’s murky rumblings circa “The Road Ahead” of ‘a point where you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the desktop and the Internet.’

But make no mistake: this isn’t a desktop replacement - only a desktop incursion. There’s a huge difference.

2008-08-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

Amilo Mini Ui 3520, Fujitsu’s Netbook Entry

Looks like all those ultra portable but fully-functional laptops have a new name: netbook. More importantly, it seems that Fujitsu has joined the netbook game, with the introduction of the Amilo Mini Ui 3250:

For 399 euros, you get: a netbook with an 8.9’’ 1024 x 600 Display, running on the Intel Atom Processor N270 (1,6 GHz). 1GB of DDR2 667 RAM will probably be enough to make the preinstalled XP Home run smoothly, while a 60 or 80GB hard disk (3600 and 4200 rpm respectively), plus WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB 2.0 will keep you connected.

An ExpressCard slot, VGA out, an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam and a built-in microphone round up the full computing experience. All that in a package weighing less than 1kg.

2008-08-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

The Review of
Sony Ericsson C902

The Sony Ericsson C902 is a great little camera phone that includes a 5 megapixel camera with face-detection auto focus and an LED flash. The camera controls are easy to use, a bonus for those who are new to camera phone technology. The Sony C902 also includes a music player, FM radio, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth and plenty of memory to handle all of its spectacular features. This super slim and stylish phone is available in either black or red.

This phone is the first entry on the scene from Sony Ericsson's new range of phones. The "C" models are the new range of Cyber-Shot phones, formerly the "K' series, and the Sony C902 replaces the K850i. In the physical sense, the Sony C902 is a return to the best Sony Ericsson style with a classic handset but slim styling. The keypad on this phone is designed to allow fast texting and includes a 5-way navigation pad.

The screen isn't quite as big as on the K850s, but this is because Sony has added touch-sensitive shortcuts to activate the camera as well as to allow switching between still and video and changing camera settings. The shortcuts on the Sony C902 provide an excellent solution to the problem of navigating on a camera phone by giving users more control than most other camera phones do. In spite of the reduction of the screen, the resolution remains the same as previous Cyber-Shots models.

The camera on the Sony Ericsson C902 is located underneath a small sliding cover-when you slide the cover open, the phone becomes a camera. One of the great features of this phone is the built in BestPic features which allows you to take nine photos in a second and choose the one you wish to keep. Another great feature of the Sony C902 is its ability to detect how the phone is being held so that it can automatically rotate your pictures into the portrait or landscape mode.

If you have used the K850i, you will note that the Sony C902 used an LED flash rather than a Xenon flash. Though ordinarily the Xenon flash is more powerful, the LED flash used on the camera for the C902 is more powerful than a standard LED flash. Keep in mind that Sony Ericsson changed the type of flash because they were having problems with the Xenon flash, so they made a decision based upon providing the best product for their customers.

If you're looking for a high quality camera phone with video capabilities as well as one with music capabilities and bluetooth enablement, you will be quite happy with the Sony Ericsson C902 camera phone. With capabilities that match the best in the industry, you can be certain that your C902 will give you everything you want in a camera phone and more. With a camera comprised of five megapixels, you can be certain you have plenty of memory for your photos when you need them and lack a stand alone digital camera.

2008-08-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

The O2 and the Blackberry - Enhancing the Healthy Technological Competition

The question: 'O2 Mobile Phones vs Blackberry Mobile phones' is very good and also very interesting. Both the O2 brand of phones and the blackberry brand of phones are very good. They both have products which are quite advanced in terms of technology. Both of them have many features available in them. However they too have a lot of differences.

The brands differ in terms of features and facilities. The two brands have a different image altogether owning to their difference in features. They delight the users in a variety of ways.

Let us take the example of the O2 XDA Argon and the Blackberry Pearl 8110. These two phones have interesting disparities in terms of memory. The O2 has 256 mega bytes of ROM and 64 mega bytes of RAM. The blackberry has 64 mega bytes of flash memory. With both having a microSD (Trans flash) memory card and 4 hours of talk time, they differ in terms of standby time with the O2 having 200 hours of standby time and the blackberry having 360 hours of standby time. A user can connect to the Internet by WAP 2.0 and HTML through the O2 Argon and through RIM wireless modem and HTML through the Blackberry Pearl. Then this brand of the O2 mobile phones has a Tri-band technology with GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900. The Blackberry on the other hand has a quad band technology with GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900. The two phones are also magnificent in terms of connectivity. The O2 XDA Argon has Bluetooth, USB,GPRS, Wi-Fi and Infra-red, while the blackberry has Bluetooth, USB,GPRS and EDGE.

These basic features of these two phones show that when it comes to O2 Mobile Phones vs Blackberry Mobile phones both of them have different and extremely interesting features. The same goes with most of the other brands of O2 mobile phones and Blackberry mobile phones. Let the phrase- O2 Mobile Phones vs Blackberry Mobile phones- assume another evidence trough another comparison of two other brands of the O2 mobile phones and the Blackberry. Let these two brands be the O2 XDA Orbit and the Blackberry curve 8300. These two phones are still another marvellous examples of advanced technology and facilities.

The O2 XDA Orbit has 128 mega bytes RAM and 256 mega bytes ROM. There is also a microSD (Trans flash) memory card. The Blackberry curve 8300 on the other hand has 64 mega bytes Flash memory. It also has the microSD memory card option. In terms of standby time the Blackberry curve 8300 has 408 hours of standby time while the O2 XDA Orbit has 450 hours of standby time. A user can browse the internet through the O2 XDA Orbit by the WAP 2.0 XHTML browser and the HTML browser. He can connect to the internet when he is using the Blackberry curve 8300 by using the embedded RIM wireless modem and the HTML browser. Then both the phones very good in terms of connectivity. The Blackberry curve 8300 has Bluetooth, USB,GPRS and EDGE and the O2 XDA Orbit has Bluetooth with A2DP, USB,GPRS, EDGE, 3G with HSDPA and Wi-Fi. Then both the phones also have many options for worldwide roaming. The O2 XDA Orbit has the quad band technology and provides the user with the option of switching networks between HSDPA, GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900. The blackberry Curve 8330 also follows the quad band technology and has the networks- GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900. Both of them have wonderful cameras with many features. The O2 XDA Orbit has a 3 mega pixels camera and the Blackberry curve 8300 has a 2 mega pixels camera.

These two fantastic brands thus answer the question: O2 Mobile Phones vs Blackberry Mobile phones. The O2 mobile phones are very good and the Blackberry phones are also very good. They only differ in terms of the variety of features in these two brands.

Andrena Markley is the webmaster of onlinemobilephoneshop.co.uk and deals in latest mobile phones. For latest information on O2 Phones, BlackBerry Phones and Cheap Pay As You Go Phones.

2008-08-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

MONO AURAL HEADSET

I'm wondering how good is a Monaural Noise-Canceling Headset?

We are using The Plantronics H91N Encore Monaural Noise-Canceling Headset and most of us complain.Not just because we do not have our own unit,not even muffins to change,but it feels unbalanced.

They say that this is with a Single earpiece headband style, Noise-canceling microphone, Adjustable,with Soft ear cushions for all day comfort but unhygieneic for agents sharing what's available in the pod, then it's Flexible boom plus with Tone control.

Is my Center missing the benefits and requirements from the agent's end?

It seems my NEW Center thinks of how good we may sound to the caller but not how comfortable we physically feel while on the call.

Or maybe the center's not investing into that because after all, we get paid higher than the rest of the TSRs and so we must go, buy and provide our personal "muffins" as you may.

Talk about that huh!

RESPONSIBILITY and SELF RELIANCE is what I am paid to do.

2008-08-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Call Centers using Sulit.com.ph and pinoyexchange.com for recruitment?!

For those who'd be interested to apply, send your applications directly to the HR of the company. As for those who'd be sending out their resumes to those who posts their job openings online, you're missing a lot.

Don't you know that once you get hired by this companies, the one who passed your resume gets a BIG PERCENTAGE or some referral bonus!?Just make a deal or have a pact taht you get your piece of share too

So it's up to you. If I were you, I'd befriend the post-er get to know him if its really legit, and if he really works for that company.Get his employee ID and tell the recruitment team how to hunt your new friend ASAP. Then ask if he gets the bonus once you get hired, if there is ask for your right!!

So don't just dive in! I'm only featuring this because you may find it useful dear readers. But always use common sense to avoid getting scammed! If you’re not sure, it never hurts to ask for further details and clarification.

Also, once you send out information thru your resumes you might get spam mails on your emails and other stuff delivered straight to your doorstep. So better think twice!

2008-07-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm back
being A Technical Support Representative!

It's always the same thing and education... Inside the customer's premise ,you need to have a Modem,PC with a NIC,filters and the cables.

Outside the DEMARC marked by the NID,that's where the copper wires go to the Central Office. The different thing about the account which I support now is that inside their Central Office,they not only have a DSLAM nor the Router but they have the MPS/Ldap and Radius.

Plus,this DSL account also does not want to exhaust a 16k ft distance from CO of one's location,rather,MAXIMIZE's a 14k loop length requirement. Maybe that's why it's on top.They delivering "world class service' With this "Baby bell" buying the "Mama Bell",add an alliance with Yahoo!,subscribers are really having the best quality where their bucks go.

One can choose from a basic,pro,extra and elite packages with the Yahoo!All in One security Suite. This software is available and has an Address Guard and Spamguard feature no other online DSL providers can beat! To know more about it,research on help.att.sbcglobal.net

But still,I miss my old account!or just it's bitter memories....

2008-07-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Iphone 2.0 UNLOCKED

It has not even been officially released yet, and the iPhone 2.0 OS already has been unlocked. In contrast, the original iPhone OS took hackers a couple of months to unlock. But this time they got a head start. Gizmodo reports the iPhone Dev Team has been working on jailbreaking the phone since the beta version went out with the iPhone SDK.

But does it really matter? While it’s exciting that the new OS is unlocked and unauthorized apps can be added, it’s not as useful as when the original version was jailbroken. That’s because there’s this little thing called the App Store, along with the new phone’s tighter bundling with an AT&T contract no matter where you purchase it, and because the phone will soon be available in most countries.

But if you enjoy the sheer sport of watching people hack Steve Jobs’ precious creation, keep an eye on the iPhone Dev Team’s site for the release of their tool. It reportedly will be released “soon.”

Unfortunately iPhone 2.0 wont be released here up until next moth. But still I can't wait to grab one. Would there be anyone willing to sponsor and give me one as a gift?

Iphone 2.0

2008-04-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

DSL ONLINE:easy connection,route and slow throughput and Pay your subscription promptly! Do you honestly know how you get connected to the internet? Pay your subscription on time! Wel aside from that,you see,nowadays we have lots of players to give their so called fast internet connection:Smart and Globe for Broadband and for the classic Dial up:ISP bonanza,and other Prepai Internet cards.For those copper wires or what is known as the "lines"(DSL) you have PLDT's myDSL or Bayantel's DSL.Name it,their sign up booths are like monggo sprouts everywhere. For instance,in the United States they have one of the many service providers topping it all.They Outsource in our country while bombarding their Filipino Technical Support Representatives with lots of metrics to maintain:excellent customer Service,how customers can be Promoters and what else can they say after the call,and of course, Customer satisfaction. Oh not to forget, that their subscriber must at least do not call within 7 days for the same issue or problem.What company would that be?I guess my lips are sealed for now... Going back for the first of this series,when one can not connect to the internet,one would call the Online service Provider.Mind you,every type of service has a different Tech Support Number.But the point is that,Americans want technical support but guess what's their number one expectation?Most of them long to speak with an English Speaking cum technically trained Computer Engineer for their Internet access technical support over the phone.Or perhaps a magician would be better! But first and foremost, please remember that the service will not work without having the following : (Example 1:for a simple PC on A DSL connection) 1.your service provider and a qualified line (meaning you are A-OK from the signal and distance based on your house and the ISPs Central office) 2.your computer hard wired to the modem 3.a modem 4.RJ 11 5.Rj 45 6.microfilters (when dsl connection shares the phone line for s a phone unit too) 7.money for payment of service or else we have nothing to talk about anymore To be continued... (because I need to pay my ISP ASAP too )

2008-04-09T01:40:00.000-07:00

Back to Basic Blogging:A journal of a mother for day to day consumption,reflections and discoveries, praying that this site will help earn a living

Why do people blog?because there is an innate nature to write and broadcast minds to the world especially to the online community

Or like for a mother that has 3 kids,who has no more helper at home,and who can not go back to work in an office,opting to have and restore quality time and values to her kids,waiting until the youngest turns 3 years old when going back to work,blogging is a form of therapy to augment financial needs

In other words,HELP me earn !

I recently resigned from the "5-min-away-from-home-pioneer call center remember?

WHY?

because I am now guarding,withdrawing and empowering my eldest who used to be always out of the house and going to the computer shop even if I always tell the yaya not to allow him

because with the yaya before,my second son is so frail and has poor appetite being poorly and almost not fed on time

and because my youngest was always carried as the yaya's form of rest and so up until now,even if he is turning 2, he likes to be cuddled and carried all the time

or simply because it's time to be WITH MY three beastie boys as they need me more.

And aside from the fact that their yaya did not return from her day off

So please bear with me if I write a journal with all the simple yet wonderful things I will be discovering with my children

and thank you for clicking the pages to help me earn money and my sanity

Also plese visit our other blog http://mommandsons.blogspot.com/ We will definitely make it fun and keep you posted

2008-04-05T20:47:00.001-07:00

A lot of CATCHING UP: weighing what’s good and what's left on the spinning wheel of work

We need to have a lot of catching up to do here.

Yes, I have been silent on my personal notes lately because it took me a lot of thinking and seizing up to do.

First catching up, I haven’t blogged that I and my husband met a vehicular accident On September that got me impulsively leaving the good and “career-giving/future-looks-so-bright job at the Shaw call center, right? Well now you know.

I left Shaw because they told me to go half day even if I had multiple hemorrhages and that my husband was scheduled for the plate surgery in his arms. That’s how they challenged me .And add the funny story they spread that it was just a public bus that bumped up slightly and or that’s why my husband had broken and radial nerve palsy because I was too heavy for him. How insensitive! Or shall I say how unprofessional they can be!

But the one good thing remaining and what I was really after and am still thankful for was that we were able to use the HMO Maxicare Gold Health card during the emergency room procedure (which I declined charging from after some more treatment so that MGE cab company will pay the rest in cash!)

After I left the “career-giving/future-looks-so-bright” call center, I “re applied” to my “5 minute away from home” pioneer call center and they took me in as a “re hire”

Re hire meaning nothing, nada, nil, back to zero-no credits or continuum on the years of tenure what so ever, no number of years and services rendered, no chance for promotions not until you pass the 6-9 months probationary period AGAIN! New i.d., new access card but old headset and LOWER RATE!-talk about saying yes to being used up!

The only good thing left: you get to retain your employee number, employee reputation and co employees-some are now on the higher level than you are.

I guess that’s what you call “missed opportunities for impulsively leaving! Or better yet KARMA! Sobbing….

But then again the wheel keeps on turning and this time I resigned and left my “5 minute away from home” pioneer call center because in time of need it’s only an Intellicare healthcard that I only have and again, none yet for my children.

*This healthcard is 100% subsidized by the “career-giving/future-looks-so-bright” call center and 3 more cards for your family members

2008-02-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

Gmail’s spam protection still working for you, or is it leaking?

I first noticed a spam message in my Gmail account I actually thought it was a genuine message simply because I was so used to Gmail’s antispam filters working so well. From my previous experience, zero spam passed through Gmail’s protection, and other users I’ve talked to have had similar experiences as well.

Now, some friends have called and told me that their Gmail accounts are filled with spam. We’re not talking one or two spam messages; we’re talking dozens of them. Some are also reporting that the overall number of spam messages which have been recognized by Gmail as spam and put in the spam folder has also increased significantly.

Of course, I’m aware that we’re talking about a small set of users here - me and a couple of friends and coworkers - but since Gmail was so efficient in battling spam so far, even tiny incidents like these seem significant. I’m interested in your experiences, our dear readers; is Gmail’s spam protection still working good for you, or is it leaking? Kindly respond in the comments.

2008-02-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Microsoft's Proxy Fight with Yahoo

Just last week, Microsoft responded to Yahoo’s rejection of their $44.6 billion acquisition offer by writing that they “reserve the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!’s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal.” Today, confirmation that Microsoft will go hostile in their efforts to acquire Yahoo, with DealBook reporting that the software giant will attempt to seize control of Yahoo’s Board of Directors, setting the stage for a vote to approve the deal.

The move follows news last night that Microsoft does not intend to raise its offer to acquire Yahoo at $31/share in cash and stock. According to DealBook, waging what’s known as a proxy fight against Yahoo will cost the company about $20-30 million, versus an additional $1.4 billion for every dollar they add to their acquisition offer.

So what are the odds of Microsoft successfully acquiring Yahoo via proxy fight? Pretty good according to the report. Yahoo’s entire board is up for re-election, meaning that if enough of Yahoo’s shareholders feel that Microsoft’s offer is the best move for the company, they can elect Microsoft’s nominees to the board and force a deal.

2008-02-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson W890i
A Highly Capable Music Phone

The Sony Ericsson W-series or Walkman mobile phones are popular for their astonishing music quality and music focused features. Music lovers consider these phones as true companions.

The Sony Ericsson W890i is a music handset loaded with incredible musical features. These advanced applications ensure you an outstanding musical experience. The marvellous phone comes with an excellent visual display, 3.2 megapixel camera, FM radio, Java games, MP3 player and lots more. The large colour screen displays up to 262k colours. This ultra stylish phone houses a range of connectivity options, imaging features and latest technologies.

The SenseMe music feature that helps the user to create play lists. The TrackID feature lets you find the name of name of the song, artist or album. The MegaBass feature lets you enhance the bass frequency. Be ensured of getting broadband speed internet access, high speed data transfers and multitasking with the help of this phone. This phone appeals the true music lovers. The easy to use music features attract the music lovers.

Get an exciting 3D gaming experience with the Java games. Establish a connection between the headset and the phone using the Bluetooth stereo A2DP feature. Simply drag and drop the songs from the computer to your handset with the help of Disc2Phone software.

Some of the impressive features of the handset include EDGE, HSDPA, GPRS, HSCSD, picture editor, built-in hands free and voice memo. The amazing set of navigation keys facilitate the user to go through the menu options. The radio with a RDS feature lets the users see the name of the station they are listening to. The easy to access musical controls enhance the musical experience. The phone is powered with video features like video recording, video streaming, video playback and blogging. 3G, EDGE, Bluetooth, USB and GPRS are some of the data connectivity options that help the users connect to the compatible devices.

The good quality imaging features and amazing photo and video capabilities add to the feature list of the phone. Share your photographs and other files with MMS or connectivity features. The handset also supports email, text messaging and instant messaging services. The Sony Ericsson W890i is offered in an attractive slim and sleek casing and is found in two alluring colours namely - Mocha brown and sparkling silver. The sophisticated, contemporary and sleek looks of this device grab the attention of the onlookers in the first glance itself. The brilliant colour display lets you enjoy all the high-tech features of the phone without any troubles. The incredibly slim mobile phone weighs just 78 grams and is one of the lightest phones which is convenient to carry. The phone has a powerful battery life which provides the user up to 9 hours of talktime.

Advanced messaging functionalities like MMS, SMS, EMS, instant messaging and emails make it easy to stay in touch. The device is endowed with 3G HSDPA technology, wireless Bluetooth technology and USB connection port for easy transferring of the data files.

The Sony Ericsson W890i is a stunning Walkman phone available in a stylish casing. The music centred handset is packed with innovative options like MegaBass, TrackID, PlayNow and SenseMe. With the help of FM radio, tune in to your desired radio stations to get updates on news, songs or weather.

The Sony Ericsson W890i can easily be obtained by the online mobile phone shops. Explore the great offers and incentives provided by retailers. The mind boggling deals are available under one roof of these shops. The user simply needs to go online to avail these discounts.

2008-01-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Withdraw your Paypal Accounts here in the Philippines

Yes you read it right! Paypal now offers withdrawal of your Paypal funds to your local bank accounts. Check the screen capture below..

2007-12-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

iPod accessories

Driving with the iPod earphones clapped to your ears can be a wee bit dangerous - you block out other ambient sounds that may signal danger. Thank goodness for Apple thinking out of the box and coming up with the idea of integrating iPod to your car; members of iPod Addicts Anonymous now have the blissful option of listening to their iPods on their car stereo while dodging traffic. There are a slew of options available for the iPod addict with a car:

1. iStuff iPod Car Charger: This car accessory is great for long trips when you simply have to have your iPod playing your music collection. The charger plugs into the 12v cigarette lighter socket. Also handy when you’re on the road and have forgotten to charge your iPod’s batteries.

2. Arkon Vent Mount Kit: Bad roads can rattle your iPod’s internal whatnots so seat your iPod on this mount kit to keep it secure.

3. Pama In Car Audio Cassette Adaptor: If your car plays only casette tapes, then this accessory will upgrade it to modern times in a snap. Insert the cassette, push play on your iPod, and enjoy.

2007-12-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Trim Expenses While You Trim the Tree

The holidays are typically a time we think about spending money, not cutting expenses. But let's face it, you're going to have to pay for all those shiny new packages under the tree (or whatever holiday icon you choose to celebrate).

You've heard all the standard ways to cut costs: don't buy Starbucks, take a bag lunch, and so forth. But you can get a lot more creative with slicing and dicing the way you divvy up your financial pie. Some of these trimming tips may be familiar to you and some may be new, but if you follow through on them, you're sure to shake loose a few more dollars that can be spent on whatever you value the most.

1. Watch out for shipping costs when buying via the Internet. Use the Internet to comparison shop, then pick up the item locally.

2. If you see something in a catalog that you want to buy, wait a week before ordering to see if you still really want it. (But don't wait too long or your holiday gift may not make it under the tree in time.)

3. When traveling, look online for ideas and/or coupons before you go. Once on site, ask the locals for low-cost favorite spots, a la Rachael Ray.

4. Try a vacation at home. See and do the things you've always meant to do and save on hotel costs. The holidays are a perfect time to enjoy local festivities.

5. Send free e-cards and save on postage.

6. Give your time or services instead of "things" for gifts.

7. Go gray. If you hate sitting with gloppy color on your head and paying an arm and a leg for the privilege, you should know that as the baby boomers age, gray is "in."

8. If you own a house, shift your higher-rate credit card debt to a lower-rate line of credit. Deduct the interest on your tax return.

9. If you own a house, use a home equity loan to pay off auto loans. The interest is tax-deductible.

10. Pay your mortgage payment biweekly instead of monthly--you'll save on interest costs and pay off your mortgage sooner.

11. Pay extra premium payments when paying your mortgage. As above, you'll save interest payments and be able to pay off your mortgage sooner.

12. Pay cash when possible--psychologically it's harder to spend cash than using credit cards, and you'll save on interest charges.

13. Set up one checking account for regular recurring expenses and another for bigger-ticket items. (Only buy if you've saved enough.)

14. Check with state or federal governments to see if you have money owed to you. To find out more about claims in your state, go to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators' Web site.

15. If you've inherited an IRA, understand how to stretch out the tax deferral by taking the correct minimum required distribution.

16. Don't get divorced.

17. Quit smoking.

18. Save all your change and use it to buy gifts next year.

19. Go to matinee movies instead of movies at night.

20. Stop buying clothes that are "dry clean only." Learn to iron.

21. Plan parties where everyone brings something.

22. Have cocktails at home and then go out; have dessert at home.

23. Order vegetarian when you're out.

24. Look up phone numbers in the phone book instead of paying for directory assistance.

25. Sell stuff you don't need or use anymore on eBay.

26. Shop resale shops or estate sales.

2007-12-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Feminine Office Furniture

Female entrepreneurs are fast increasing in numbers as startup businesses all across the United States are significantly being managed by women. With this development, offices are now getting a makeover. Gone are the days of bulky and monolithic office furniture but sleek and stylish furniture is now becoming the standard.

In light of these facts, most furniture retailers are vying for the ladies’ corner offices by expanding furniture lines and designing new products with a feminine flair.

According to Astrid Oyo, manager of Swedish furniture retailer IKEA’s North American business division, these career driven women are voicing their needs in a clear and concise way. Office furniture has long been designed to cater man and his manly duties. To a man, a desk is a desk, end of story. In feminine eyes however, office furniture are valuable investments that define the progressive path their company is taking.

Office Depot, the largest office supplies retailer in the Unites States, have struck partnerships with office furniture makers Broyhill and Sharper Image Corp. to specifically produce a vast array of office desks, office desks and many other items that would be favorable to female consumers.

Christopher Lowell is an interior decorator and a television personality which won a Daytime Emmy Award for the Christopher Lowell Show. He was hired by Office Depot in 2003 to redesign desks, antique hutches and decorative shelves and display new highly modern design.

According to the information from the Center for Women’s Business Research, more women are in control of companies and how they look. Statistics show that the number of privately held firm that are headlined by women at least a 51 percent stake grew 42.3 percent from 1997 to 2006, almost twice the 23.8 percent growth for all private businesses during that same period.

Offices are now upgrading to a new look. If ever you happen to visit an office that’s highly modern and exclusive, it would be safe to say that perhaps a women is behind the arrangement.

2007-11-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

The Healthy Way to Sit

There are now more than 27 million people who work at home doing freelance, freelance webdesigner, freelance graphic artist, freelance web developer, freelance writer or at least part-time, according to a survey by the International Data Corp. The number grows about eight percent each year. It is no doubt that more and more people prefer the home-office set up than the traditional eight to five job in the office, where you had to reach through commute. The problem with a home-office work is that most people who opt for this ignore the need for acquiring the right office furniture, especially when it comes to seating.

An office chair if not the most, is an important office furniture you will ever purchase. Injuries — from stiff necks to severe conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome — are related to computer work, and your seating furniture. According to Ellen Kolber, a New York-based ergonomic consultant, a chair is very crucial in an office environment. A firmly cushioned chair on rollers that has adjustable everything: seat height and tilt, back angle, and arm rests, is the ideal piece. She also added that a chair should help you maintain good alignment.

This proves the suggestion that ergonomic office furniture like a chair can benefit employees who experience back or body pain while sitting at work. The same applies to a person who works full-time or part-time at home. It does not matter where you work, but what aids you, or what furniture you use in your job. The problem remains when you choose a wrong chair: health problems due to sitting without support. Remember that a human body is not designed to sit in one place in that position for a very long period of time.

However, you can stay strain-free while sitting and working in front of the computer. Just follow the tips on the healthy way to sit:

The keyboard must be below the work surface and tilted slightly downward, so the wrists are positioned naturally in a straight alignment.
The elbows should be angled at 90-degrees or greater. Any position below the recommended elbow angle can cause discomfort after a few hours.
The top of the computer screen should be angled or tilted to meet the eye (eye-level position) when you look at the computer monitor straight ahead.
Feet should be flat on the floor or on a footrest if they don’t reach. This prompts balance and even body circulation.
The seat height should put thighs parallel to the floor. Make sure the knees are level with or slightly below the hips.
In case you will be receiving phone calls while typing, then you will need a headset for that. It stresses body faster like no other when you sandwich the phone between the head and the shoulder.

Investing in a good ergonomic chair and observing the healthy way to sit are your most precious weapons in preventing stress and injury to invade the office – especially when you want your home-office environment completely comfortable like home.

2007-09-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

VIDEOCONFERENCING IS SINGING ITS A SMALL WORLD AFTERALL...

Working on a call center allows you to speak with people from all walks of life and from all corners of the world.

The workforce are not just merely your contemporaries or even your fellowmen but its a multi cultural arena. Some Board Members,Quality Coaches and Trainers are maybe in the States or in China or India(call center booming in said locations is another topic to blog though).

Going back ,I just want to feature how technology ,most especially video conference,works wonders when having to meet with clients and bosses. It's the most interactive way intellecommunication technologies with the video and audio transmissions in both various locations.

Some put it as visual collaborations,I simply call it video conferencing. The most common form would be when you chat with someone in the internet with a web cam. From most tv commercials ,its bringing family of overseas workers together and put their lips on the monitor or do their "flying kisses". This is the most affordable example of video conferencing but you still have to log in and encode some things while doing the chat. Or the kisses you send when you use your mobile phones.I guess we now have that called as 3GP tech.

But how about those physically challenged?

Maybe we could improve the line through sign languages. This would be great if we too can put it as an alternative branch in the call center industry. Most calls as we call it-relay calls a.k.a "go ahead" calls(because you will always say go ahead to prompt the person on the other line) eats a lot of our average handling and talk time.

With videoconferencing,it will be very beneficial to clients and business process outsourcing companies. We can use sign language while the other one hears the spoken language. One more example is VOIP.In my old BPO ,we use VOIP than AVAYA headphones when taking and calling outside.Its already in the desktop and you need not leave your station or office.Talk about efficiency!

Videoconferencing will also be one great way of doing presentations and dialogues in business, education,government and even in medical practice if possible. Maybe somehow,someday,sometime,it will come to a point where we can all be face to face even if we are worlds apart.

2007-09-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

"One CALCIBLOC a day,keeps the highblood away"

Yesterday was the final straw of eating 2 ricemeals, chewing gum and truffle chocolates while on my graveyard shift. Why? because yesterday was the day,and I say D DAY for dying.

As I was on my way to work,I thought the it was all the symptoms of motion sickness. Nausea-close to vomitting,wet scalp and hair and dizziness. Add the feeling when you see black silhoutte,fast heartbeat and numb arms.

I informed the center that I will not be able to go to work even if I travell far enough yesterday. You see,in our line of business,pay day and weekends are critical working days. But in this case,I bet my body tells me to come to a halt.

140/100 was the initial reading when i stepped in the Delos Santos Medical Center-STI clinic at Megamall. Thanks to denying me service Healthway Clinic At the Shangri-la Mall,my BP rose while walking or because of anger. They even said "Cut off na po ma'am ng Family Medicine doctor namin" What an excuse!!!Can I sue them? Next time.

Going back,The Mega Clinic put me in the treatment room and after a couple of minutes told me that my MAXI care Health card can not cover the room and board plus the Calcibloc.I was just thinking,what's the use of the MAXI care Clinic inside the Mega Clinic afterall?

Anyways,enough of the whining. Calcibloc was dropped under my tongue.The nurse reminded me not to swallow it after 5 minutes so that the blood vessels can absorb it quickly.And like a magic potion,every after 30 mins. my pressure slowly slowly improving.

Now,I have more Mathematics in mind.2 blood pressure checks a day,2 apples for the shift,1 liter water,and more ton of optimism amidst the mad world around us.

Happy Living!!!

2007-08-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

What are the most important thing inside a call center agent's bag? handkerchief,company i.d.,purse,cards,comb,toothbrush and toothpaste and

A LIP BALM

Working in the wee hours needs a lot of hydration-drinking mineral or purified water that is with ample supply from the company,applying lotion on your skin or just the mere addiction of putting on your lip balm-lip moisturizers.

There are expensive brands like that of Burt's Beeswax ,Blistex,Carmex,Nivea but the most common is the petroleum based mint,choco or cherry flavored ChapStick.

I personally use the Mint one.Its more natural and smells lightly better than the fruity and fancy ones.Menthol is an ingredient that leaves a tingling and cooling effect to treat dry lips.The soothing effect leaves chapped lips addicted to the sticks.

How many lip balms have I purchase this year?I think 3 to 4 sticks.It's lesser than that if only my sons don't roll it up and bite it as lollipops.

Here are some lip balm etiquettes....

1.Don't get addicted-applying as often as you need to seem to create addiction for the gesture.Try to think of how much you can do with a dollar worth.

2. Never share-it's like you kissing someone else! If they need to apply yours,let them use their fingertip and apply to their lips.Not directly apply the balm fron the roller.Yucky..

3.After applying the lip balm,stay away from licking your lips because that makes it slower to heal those chapped lips.

4.Dont make it your oral fixation-self explanatory and subjective...BOTTOMLINE IS, ITS A NECESSITY MORE THAN A HABIT OR TURNING IT TO ADDICTION.

2007-08-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Secretary's Desk

A notable desk in the office would be the secretary desk. This simple piece of office furniture is not just any table---it serves as the connecting bridge to the boss' office to the rest of the other employees. Hence, picking the right secretary desk is more critical than one thinks. First of all, it must be spacious enough to hold in all of the necessary stuff that a secretary needs---they should all be within reach. Having the secretary comfortable will mean a lot too because the secretary does the most tedious jobs to endure the harmonious schedule of the boss.

The secretary's desk must be in accordance with the personality of the boss. The key here is to have an organized secretary desk because it reflects the kind of organization that the boss has. It should be enough to accommodate the essential work flow systems of the secretary, so her table should not just be like any other normal office desk. It must have a lot of compartments and it must immediately give the impression that the workplace is well-run and that it is able to complete all its tasks in the given period of time.

Remember that aside from the reception area, the secretary also receives a lot of guests. In fact, important guests of the boss. So give ample consideration to the workstation of the secretary and her well-being in that area. This piece of office furniture can be impressive when it is neatly divided into compartments such as having an area that is entirely devoted to office stationary items, business cards, and office notes. Allow this kind of space when considering the kind of secretary desk for the office secretary.

Allot another area that is conducive for answering important business calls and for taking down notes, or having a directory that is within reach. Consider having a computer as well since everything is almost reliant on computers nowadays. This is very vital to the secretary because all the important details must be within her reach. Allow customizing extra compartments for the keyboard, the mouse and others too. Remember these things well because the secretary's job is hard enough already, so opt for the perfect secretary desk for her.

2007-08-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Due to some misunderstandings.. with APPLE

To all our patrons, customers and friends,

We regret to inform you that Ynzal Marketing Corp. will cease to be an Authorized Apple Reseller beginning July 29th. We received notice from Apple recently that we will no longer be accredited as an authorized reseller by July 29, 2008 pursuant to clause 13 B (i) of our Authorized Apple Reseller Sales Agreement (which states that “Apple can terminate the Agreement at any time, with or without cause, on 30 days written notice”).

Last June 4, Apple called our attention because of a complaint by one customer who requested to repair his unit. Apple claimed we have committed irregularities in the warranty procedures for this particular unit.

We have immediately acted on the complaint and resolved the matter with the customer. Our own internal investigations reveal that we have mistakenly encoded a different serial number on our Sales Invoice resulting in a lot of confusion.

We have appealed to Apple for reconsideration by showing them that there was no irregularity at all. We are hoping that Apple would see the merits of our appeal and realize that it was just a case of inadvertence and misunderstanding. Up to now, we have yet to receive a reply from Apple regarding our appeal.

Rest assured however, we will continue to provide our best-in-breed solutions, name-brand products and after market peripherals through the services you came to love.

We are looking forward to your continuous support. Sincerely, The Management

2007-07-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

IS THERE A TSA CARD IN YOUR CHECK IN BAG?

TSA ADJUSTMENT for TRAVELLERS from AUG 2007

In the United States they have almost 40,000 security officers, inspectors, directors, air marshals and managers who serve the transportation industry making it safe to travel. They look for bombs at checkpoints in airports,inspect rail cars, patrol subways and so on.

They are who we call as the Transportation Security Administration officers.

I learned they adjusted the amounts of the following liquids, gels and aerosols we carry through a security checkpoint.You may also want to check their website.(www.tsa.gov)

Baby formula and breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling.

All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes; Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition; Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs; Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and, Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.

We are now not limited in the amount or volume of these items when we travel now or when we bring in as carry-on bag.But if these items are in containers larger than three ounces, they advise us to : Separate these items from the liquids, gels, and aerosols in your quart-size and zip-top bag. Declare you have the items to one of our Security Officers at the security checkpoint. Present these items for additional inspection once reaching the X-ray. These items are subject to additional screening.

Also keep in mind that soda or coffee bought at the airport are not allowed to be boarded

on the plane so better drink it fast at the lounge

Safe trip!

2007-07-31T02:56:00.000-07:00

BREASTMILK on the go

I saw an article about Sea Princee Prieto being hailed as the "Idol ng Breastfeeding" Maybe because she has a hectic schedule with all her artsy fartsies and yet committed herself to breastfeeding her child for 6 more months.

Question, so how do you call a mother who works in a call center and breastfeeds a 3 year old and one year old up until now???? Answer:a MOTHER and no idolatry at all! How did I survive?It's plain commitment,love and practicallity.

If you believe in the numerous benefits that breastfeeding gives both te mother and the child,like the tie that bonds and all the antibodies for the kid,you would bear the pain when they drink from you.If you admit you are one hell of a mammal(where I guess the word Mama was derived from),then you are aware of your responsibility to feed.Sometimes not just your child but others e.g. your spouse LOL!

One thing interesting about breastfeeding and working is that you get to choose wearing a disposable breast pad or a cloth washable one. Pigeon disposable breastpads and Gerber cloth breast pads are both important tool for me at work.

Pigeon has boxes of 8 12 24 or so i remember.I always bring 2 pairs just in case.But Gerber has only 2 pairs though more expensive it lasts longer.

With regards to breast pump,I tried bringing the plastic pump by Babyflo and not the expensive mechanical by AVENTI or others.But with just 2 minutes personal breaks from the industry,it's hard pumping at work.Will there come a time that mothers have an extra AUXillary code or break for too personal things???

A thought to ponder!

2007-07-28T03:37:00.000-07:00

A HEADS up ON HEADSETS

When you work in the Call center industry,you have your soft assets or soft tools for the call-health,presence of mind and voice. But the work is possible because of your tools-the computer,sometimes a hard phone and most especially a Headset.

Headsets mean a call can be answered efficiently and more on productivity, because your hands are free.You can press the keys on the keyboard, document the call while talking and doing other tasks,even stretching

Headsets also mean there's no more need to get the phone and hold it or place it between your shoulder and jaw.

My first ever headset was an Avaya Encore Ultra II NC Binaural Headband Headsets with Noise Canceling MicAvaya Encore Ultra II NC Binaural Headband Headsets with Noise Canceling Mic

The headset is binaural meaning it is worn as a headband with sound in both ears .The earpieces are covered with soft cushion .If it is just with one ear piece,it is called mono aural.

The Avaya Encore comes with a green pouch when I used it. It has control on how low or high pitched you want to hear the customer calling.The microphone tube can be adjusting how far or near it is to your mouth.This entails how you would sound to the customer.If your mouth is too close, you sound garbling or unclear.Best thing to do,one good tip from my trainer, is to place 2 fingers between your mouth and cheek and the mic..

Here are other AVAYA binaural headband Headset models.They just differ with regards to the ear cushions-either it comes with a soft foam or a leatherette.Also some has transparent voice tube or microphone compared to a solid black one. It also differs if it has a noise cancelling mic that allows no other noises around but just the sound between your voice and the customer..

Avaya AH460 SupraElite Binaural Headband Headset with Voice tube

Avaya AH460N SupraElite Binaural Headband Headset with Noise Canceling Mic

Avaya Encore Ultra II VT Binaural Headband Telephone Headsets

Avaya Supra Ultra II VT Binaural Headband Telephone Headsets with Voice Tube

Avaya Supra Ultra II NC Binaural Headband Telephone Headsets with Noise Canceling Mic

Also,do take good care of your headset. Some costs 4 grand to a whopping 16 grand.

That's where your backpay goes if you resign...

Handle the headsets with care...

2007-07-26T00:52:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what call center agents are looking at while trying to help you? Agents have only the tools they need to access your account, and nothing more.

"There's a manual that they follow, that tells them exactly what can and cannot be done in every case. They log into several programs when they come to work. First, the program that sends them the calls. Then, there's the work station program. Here is where they make notes, and open cases. If something needs to be done, like moving funds into the correct account, waiving a late fee, they just open a case and it's done by the back office guys. They also log into a program that pulls up scans of all of the customer's documents and files (the number of customers who think they run out to a filing cabinet with the documents of several million customers is also hilarious) And if it's something that needs approval, they can put the customer on hold and connect to a supervisor in the US (who are really just better paid agents with a touch more authority.)"

"No internet, no solitaire, no fun. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER"

2007-07-20T02:43:00.001-07:00

Music indeed is a different gadget to keep me up during downpours

When I go to work I always take an ordinary bus ride then take the MetroRail Transit(MRT) at the GMA station.

It is best to take the coach when you feel you need to pro actively breeze within few minutes allotment.And when it rains cats and dogs,MRT is the most suitable mode of transportation to take into consideration. You can never be late with 30 mins in the MRT Not that I dread buses but hey there is one good thing riding it. Some buses gets you up and warmed up listening to music of local radio stations. Sometimes it plays real music. Sometimes just an addition to the noise pollution. Today,on a rainy day,I'm all geared up as I heard this over the radio...

HOMEWARD BOUND

I'm sittin' in the railway station got a ticket for a destination. On a tour of one night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand. And every stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one man band. Homeward bound I wish I was homeward bound. Home where my thought's escaping home where my music's playing. Home where my love lies waiting silently for me. Every day's an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines. And each town looks the same to me for movies and the factories. And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

Homeward bound...

But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity. Like emptiness and harmony I need someone to comfort me.

Homeward bound...

2007-07-17T02:08:00.000-07:00

We've gotta say, we're having real trouble figuring out exactly which MP3 player the bright green "Mini Aluminum Pocket Clipper" is trying to copy: the lack of a symbol for the play button, coupled with a badly Photoshopped logo on the back has us really muddled! The second example, the iQ Sound 2GB Clip-on Aluminum MP3 Player with FM -- at least tries to improve upon its "source of inspiration," whatever that device may be.

2007-07-13T01:05:00.000-07:00

MY NEWEST FLOOR SUPPORT

GN 2025 NC headsets are the most suitable headsets right now.or just because it is what I am using at the moment .

They have a wide array of sound quality and you can hear yourself while you are talking to the customer, It is durable even if you accidentally dropped it on the floor. but hey, take a little bit caution because this honey costs 16 grand which might be deducted at your separation pay once damaged or scratched.

It is comfortable to wear with the foam leatherette cushion on the earphones and a rubber -plastic to metal pivots on its side.

It has a cancelling microphone boom but chewing is still prohibited whenever you are on a phone,remember?

We wear it like a head band with foam somewhat leatherette ear cushion No wonder some call center men(referring not just the gender) now wear headbands when pushing their hair away their faces hahaha

It has a technology called Peakstop that protects sudden loud sound or noises.

My headset is connected with an adapter called GN netcom Jabra.

It has a detachable stand that looks like a fairy's wand but thats where you hang the headset while on break. It can also be used for making wishing and wands for good calls.

This little bingo reduces background noises by its technology through filtering out the surrounding noises.

It has a volume adjustment keeping the incoming calls at the level you want to set.

It allows us to set our preferred settings with regards to the incoming calls and that's where you truly say you have the authority and call control but limit on excusing yourself with the call or avoiding the call. Remember that is one ground for termination.

The Jabra has a mute button on the left and a headset or hard phone setting atop the volume control.

So far,using the GN netcom gadgets allows me to hear okay and service the call with quality.

2007-07-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

Its a skateboard like, feet rest... its The Webble seems to be the bastard child of an foot-rest and a skateboard, and is likely to bring along with it some of the later street attitude into the office environment of the former.

The webble™ breaks new ground with its ultra smooth gliding motion that gets your legs moving while you work. Departing from the static, almost orthopedic aesthetic of so many foot rests, the webble’s iconic shape invites a smile and encourages your feet to go for a ride. No detail left behind, we even added a patent pending spring suspension and self-braking mechanism to keep your office mates from zooming away with your webble™.

Available as a Ferrari red model with anti-skip racing stripes, or as the Webble AIR with a mesh and style matching the iconic Aaron chair, the weebles includes a suspension system, and a self-breaking mechanism to minimize the dreaded "skateboard-in-your-shins" office incidents. And I having worked in animation studios where some young creative types were actually using their skateboards as rolling footrests, I can tell you that having brakes on those things will come in handy.

The Webble officially launch last June 11th at the Neocon 2007 in Chicago. I wonder when will this arrive here in Manila. Imagine call center agents resting their feets on it.

2007-07-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

With every other A-lister raving about the iPhone, I can’t help but feel happy for everyone who got themselves a unit. I mean come on, these people deserve some credit as they went through hell, with some even camping out Apple stores days before launch, just to be one of the first to own Apple’s newest, much anticipated product.
So here’s a little something for all of you lucky, proud new owners of an iPhone:

2007-06-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

"Hello MOTO:Motorola c261 for the tight budgetted and people who believes that Memories are meant to last ,no printiing and copying to be further done"

Let me talk about one gadget I can afford to carry along the long travel at EDSA amidst all polution, the snatchers and hold-upers This is the phone true to its essence of being mobile And the cellphone which I could gladly brag buying out of my call center salary.

My Motorola c261!!!

Other agents may be able to buy the fancy and higher versions of camera phone or video phone, blue tooth capable or with infrared and MP3 players Or what have you's with their 13th month pay or with all the niches in advertisements or whatever which way..

But for me, I bought the Motorola c261 in a very minimal budget from my Maternity Leave Subsidy .

It looks expensive but as much as PHP 3000,yes, you're reading it right,you could have a built in VGA camera phone.

My Three Beastie boys are the key contents of the picture folder and my Beastie 1 and 2 knows how to capture the moments of their ading or the yayas. My eldest even took a snapshot of the kid who kicked soil through his eyes. You see, he wanted me to confront that kid so now,seeing the picture, I know who to talk to and beat.Revenge!!!

Kidding aside,the pictures can be send through Multi Media Messaging Service (MMS). Texts with photos may be sent too.

The pictures may not be printed or saved in a memory card/chip, but you could send a PHP5 or so Most of the pictures can be downloaded and thus can be applied as your Wall paper or screen saver.

You can also do Instant Messaging (IM) via Wireless Village IM and chat with your friends or business partners in real time monitoring.

The Internet Access also is enableb through GPRS Class 8. Games can be downloaded as well as Polyphonic Ring tones

And when your hands are on the go, you can enable a speakerphone when you want to make a call Or when the Beasties want to talk to their Papa-in-Dreads all at the same time,,it makes it fun and loving to be all closer together. It's our own way of having a conference call.

The unit is so thin as the Razor and is rubberized. My youngest puts the unit in his mouth. Maybe he's thinking it's a popsicle or a slice of a pork chop. See how water and saliva proof it can be too?

The screen's wide and the the colors of the pictures are so vibrant. The back lights can be used as our home's flashlight during the night or when it is well charged during brown outs!

If need be,it can be a reflector when walking in dark places,like the moviehouse or when me and Husband- in- Dreads bring it to a concert to steal photos...Guards!!!

These phone comes in black casing only and has a flipping charger horns. Can you imagine what I mean?

Anyways,I said it once and I say it again, Indeed, Motorola c261 is for the tight budgetted and people who believes that Memories are meant to lasts, no printing and copying "

2007-06-29T01:06:00.000-07:00

I have transferred offices,oh make that Call Centers and I've been a trainee for two months now.

What subject matter are we focusing so much in? Customer Service and the Service Mentality that one has to psyche himself in. It is a basic tool,not a gift, a person who wants to work in the Call Center or Service industry,most especially those who want to join the bandwagon of saying,"I'm a Call Center Representative ,Call Center Agent,or a Customer Service Specialist or what title there is,needs to equip and set his mind on.

What is Customer Service?

It is what the client says it is.

It is how you make an impact on what you did for a customer

or basically being responsible with a task assuring quality service to a customer.

Bottom line is,amidst the different markets and niches that companies and corporations are in now,

quality customer service is the sole ingredient of attracting and retainig customers.

It sets one apart from the rest. It is not the low prices as a factor for competition,or the quality of the product ,but how the company representative served the client, good or bad,face to face or on the phone.

Yeah, that got me thinking that as a CCS for that matter,I am the frontliner of the company.It is a make or break for the company I work in if I answer the phone sounding boring or with enthusiasm

But for the newbies ,what really is the life in this industry....

Let's start from the very begginning...(sounds a familiar tune)

APPLICATION PROCESS

How does one get into the industry?

With advertisements everywhere,from the newspapers to the tarpaulins along EDSA,one best way and most common to recruit through employee refferral,Some big time ,pioneer centers offer as high as P150k for a managerial position .Call it friend to friend pirating with a bonus you both negotiate with...Going back,I remember during the job fair,I ran through a series of exam: Abstract Reasoning,Subject Verb Agreement,Reading Comprehensions,Paragraph Reading,Computer Technical Skills and Identifyng the Icons on a desktop..Don't worry no more essay writing. What's more important is how you will answer the questions during the initial and final interview.Some call centers would even record your voice.They try to listen if you have a neutral accent,not really American sounding but an accent that can be understood and no provincial slips .

What's so interesting in answering the interview questions?

Basic question is "How do you want me to call you?" No they are not asking for your phone number ,landline or cellphone,but they are asking for your name.And don't say that when they ask you about how did you get your name,"it was given by my parents"or "my friends called me that".This question is not just a test on how creative you can be but how conversational you can get down to the smallest topic.Point is,let's get you talking!

Next stop why did you choose to work for their center? Most would answer "because I want to be part of the booming industry". I'm not really sure if it pertains to the trend or the "growing" industry or they just want to use that phrase.Just be part of the growth.Then utter some gorgeous word of mouth about the company plus your career growth and plans. At least you have a goal and you are focused even before you applied in their company. It's not really hard selling yourself but you indeed is confident,competent and self -reliant!

If a interviewer asks you "how can you get to our office from your house?" most people answer step by step,as in literally with steps. "I step out of the house,walk to the first block ,then step on a bus,step down the bus,walk to the building and wait for my turn"..Best answer would just be about what mode of transportation you take to get in here and how long the travel time would be. No more specifications on your itineraries but to them, travel time means how reliable you could be at times.

Then they will ask you if you are okay with graveyard shifts,working during holidays,not the usual weekend dayoffs. Many would answer "I'm okay with that" but no plans of continuing or not so aware how safe they would be able to travel. My God, think of the people from Laguna who would die to work fo a call center in Novaliches.Talk about a 3 am shift and sleeping at the office instead or the travel time and hazard pay .Talk about the determination.Whoo!

But the best part is when they tell you to count from one to twenty..Tip:try not to sound like the Count in Sesame Street but count like how the American kids in that show sounds.Or try this in it's simplest form,one that I could simplify for you..Pardon me,but this does not even comes close to phonetics.

One=Wan

Two=Tuu

Three (enunciate the soft th)

Four=For

Five=Fayv (vibrate the v)

Six=do not replace the "i" for an "e" or else you'd end up at the MTRCB

Seven (remember to vibrate the v)

Eight=eyt,you know as if you're saying I just ate.

Nine=nayn

Ten= again,try not to replace the "e" for an "i"

Eleven=vibrate it

Twelve=vibrate it more

(for 13-19,teen as teeeeen and stress on this second syllable)

Thirteen=soft "th" again and a stress on "teen" with a lonng eeeeee

Fourteen=produce the "f" and "teen"

Fifteen=produce the "f" and stress on the "teen"

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

and the key factor to pass counting

Twenty as in tweny,tweniii

CONTRACT SIGNING

Once you are scheduled for a contract signing ,well congratulations dude you have passed the initial screening process. I say initial screening because remember.

2007-06-26T21:16:00.001-07:00

CALL CENTER HEALTH 101

We need to cure: ABSENTEEISM and TARDINESS

Dosage :A whole truth 3x a day

Absenteeism because of an emergency or health issue is accepted.

Just present a true and certified copy of a medical certificate. Late arrival due to traffic is not an excuse-leave 5 hours earlier if need be.

Remember guys that I am still a trainee.That means no work no pay for the 6 more months of probationary period

When you work in a call center evry minute counts.every minute is paid and being absent does not only leave you an unpaid day pay(a pay way above the minimum wage in a day) but you loose a lot of important information you need for the product

Those regular employees have the edge they could file it as a sick leave or as a a vacation leave but with 2 weeks prior notice.

I was absent last friday

It was a tough decision to make

But report to your superior or call for a notice 2 hours before your shift.

My middle son and my youngest boy was in high fever and vomitting

I left the house but there was something inside me ,more than a career urge,more than the fear of receiving a memo ,

IT WAS BEING A MOTHER and taking care of the kids that made me go back HOME or was i just PANICKING ? or maybe,i need a breather from a month long product training.NOSE BLEEEED? But it was through the kindness of my trainer that I was allowed to be absent the entire shift rather than doing a half day.

And through my colleagues that I review the module earlier the coming Monday.

See,it's not all career in the center-It's being a good provider and communicator thay make out of its agents

After all,the company subsidized the Health card (HMO) I used for the check up and laboratory exams of my 2 beastie boys....

The company may alsoo reimburse some expenses to some extent

Thank you

All ends well.

2007-06-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

I have transferred offices,oh make that Call Centers and I've been a trainee for two months now.

What subject matter are we focusing so much in? Customer Service and the Service Mentality that one has to psyche himself in.It is a basic tool,not a gift, a person who wants to work in the Call Center or Service industry,most especially those who want to join the bandwagon of saying,"I'm a Call Center Representative ,Call Center Agent,or a Customer Service Specialist or what title there is,needs to equip and set his mind on.

What is Customer Service?

It is what the client says it is.

It is how you make an impact on what you did for a customer or basically being responsible with a task assuring quality service to a customer. Bottom line is,amidst the different markets and niches that companies and corporations are in now, quality customer service is the sole ingredient of attracting and retainig customers. It sets one apart from the rest.It is not the low prices as a factor for competition,or the quality of the product ,but how the company representative served the client, good or bad,face to face or on the phone. Yeah, that got me thinking that as a CCS for that matter,I am the frontliner of the company.It is a make or break for the company I work in if I answer the phone sounding boring or with enthusiasm But for the newbies ,what really is the life in this industry....

Let's start from the very begginning...(sounds a familiar tune)

APPLICATION PROCESS

How does one get into the industry?

With advertisements everywhere,from the newspapers to the tarpaulins along EDSA,one best way and most common to recruit through employee refferral, Some big time ,pioneer centers offer as high as P150k for a managerial position .Call it friend to friend pirating with a bonus you both negotiate with...Going back,I remember during the job fair,I ran through a series of exam: Abstract Reasoning,Subject Verb Agreement,Reading Comprehensions,Paragraph Reading,Computer Technical Skills and Identifyng the Icons on a desktop..Don't worry no more essay writing. What's more important is how you will answer the questions during the initial and final interview.Some call centers would even record your voice.They try to listen if you have a neutral accent, not really American sounding but an accent that can be understood and no provincial slips .

What's so interesting in answering the interview questions?

They will be asking why you to expound on what is written in your resume, So one tip would be to have a concise,updated and very precise curriculum vitae. Just put bullet points on the highlights of your career. Basic question is"How do you want me to call you?"No they are not asking for your phone number ,landline or cellphone,but they are asking for your name.And don't say that when they ask you about how did you get your name,"it was given by my parents"or "my friends called me that".This question is not just a test on how creative you can be but how conversational you can get down to the smallest topic.Point is,let's get you talking!

Then they will ask you if you are okay with graveyard shifts,working during holidays,not the usual weekend dayoffs. Many would answer "I'm okay with that" but no plans of continuing or not so aware how safe they would be able to travel. My God,t hink of the people from Laguna who would die to work fo a call center in Novaliches.Talk about a 3 am shift and sleeping at the office instead or the travel time and hazard pay .Talk about the determination.Whoo!

One=Wan

Two=Tuu

Three (enunciate the soft th)

Four=For

Five=Fayv (vibrate the v)

Six=do not replace the "i" for an "e" or else you'd end up at the MTRCB

Seven (remember to vibrate the v)

Eight=eyt,you know as if you're saying I just ate.

Nine=nayn

Ten= again,try not to replace the "e" for an "i"

Eleven=vibrate it

Twelve=vibrate it more (for 13-19,teen as teeeeen and stress on this second syllable)

Thirteen=soft "th" again and a stress on "teen" with a lonng eeeeee

Fourteen=produce the "f" and "teen"

Fifteen=produce the "f" and stress on the "teen"

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen and the key factor to pass counting

Twenty as in tweny,tweniii

CONTRACT SIGNING

Once you are scheduled for a contract signing ,well congratulations dude you have passed the initial screening process. I say initial screening because remember your stability in the Call Center is very much different from the government and other private offices in the country.This work has a high attrition rate up to 8%.Meanin g in every month,they would allow people to resign than terminate .And worst,if your center does not have accounts where they can deploy you,there's a thin chance of being redeployed or redirected.In laymen terms,transfer you to other accounts.

Anyways,when signing the contract,which they will not allow you to bring home and read with family,make sure you understood it well or if you are still in doubt,return the next day.see how much is basic salary plus all the incentives.Look deeper if you will be regularized if after being in probationary period.Also read between the lines.See if you have to pay a bond or how much you have to pay if you will leave the company.some centers still have that though.

TRAINING

Most trainings start with the Accent neutralization training,It aims to debunk all the things our teachers taught usremember when ee means to produce the long e sound?Well,it's not what we really think.Some words even with the "ee"still sounds as "e" or "i" as been against bean and so on.They will teach you the American English and other filipinisms that when used with Americans,the latter won't be able to understand.for example,"please buy me a softdrink" The americans would say ,"please buy me a soda."

They will also tackle American geography,culture and traditions.No ,they are not making you Americans but they will just make you aware of how the American ways are so that when you hit the floor,production,take in calls,when the callers begin their small talks,you would be able to respond appropriately. Speaking of which,some call centers would say to their customers they are located in the Philippines while others do not.It depends on the confidentiality of the account.Tip is,braze yourselves for racism....

PRODUCT TRAINING

From the words itself,this simply means that you have passsed the accent training,you now sound neutral and can be understood by a caller on the other line,so now welcome to the client's account.For example ,if your account is for an airline,then you will be trained for all the jargons,softwares and systems used by that particular department of the airline.It will prepare you for the answers on every call during your "nesting" or some call it "laboratory" period.but be reminded that this still does not ensure your stay in the company.If during a call,you did not follow a company policy or did not submit to an account procedure,they will warn you and if worst comes to worst,instead of termination,they call it,resignation....

FLOOR:smile,words and attitude

When the phone rings,pick it up the first time you hear that sound.Try not to dread the ringing because that is the bread and butter of the company with ripple effects on you.When a call comes in,your client pays the company and in return, your company pays you.So bear in mind that every call is a dollar or two.Call avoidance,like hanging or dropping the line is a big no no and a ground for termination.

And when you open your mouth and say your greeting,we call it opening spiel,smile.or better yet,smile before you answer the call.In this industry,our VOICE is the tool we will mostly need.Take care of your voice and everything follows.Not that you have to sound good as deejays,but you have to sound friendly and professional.It taking a business call as a representative of the client for the company and helping the customer with your "personal touch" so to speak.Point is, be in the middle and be too extreme close to being too nosy .Americans consider age,sex,religion and personal life as taboo.Gee,I hope filipinos would carry on that trait so no nonsense chats develops.

Nothing beats carrying a positive attitude.It is how you choose to react on a particular situation.Always remember that you must not be affected by every call.Try not to take it personally.Be calm and stay cool.The callers don't know anything about you and there's a fat chance you'd be able to see them!Let them vent ,let them shout at you and when they're done,that's your turn top talk to them logically.Remember that an irate caller or angry one is not really mad at you but because of the situation.Your goal is to provide solution to the problem.Tell them what you can do.Afterall, the customers called expecting your help and a resolution. Remember once you are on the floor taking in calls,and even in real life,try to rephrase these statements or better yet avoid saying sorry,i do not know,wait a minute,no.Never say I don't know or the caller will start cursing you for wasting their precious time.Saying "You need to is better than letting them do or have them do things.Wait a minute takes forever for you searching but on the other line,a minute is equivalent to sleep. And saying NO is not acceptable everywhere.Remember even when dealing with children never say no or stop.This is a blunt excuse of us explaining and giving other possibilities.And try to think of someone telling you these phrases face to face it. It's a lot of rejection and negative vibes if you hear these. And it leaves a mark that you are not knowledgeable and credible at all. Always be confident and competent yet courteous.

Choose your words,listen not just hear and solve the issue why the customer called you-that is doing service with quality!

Are you one of us????

Then welcome to the industry of the GLOBAL PINOY.
Ready to conquer the world with the accent and a helping hand.

2007-06-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Call Centre’s Green Call

More and more people are becoming aware of our environmental responsibilities and have treated it with utmost importance. There are a lot of environmentalists programs that teach or conduct seminars on how to prevent such things that cause problems in the environment and increase the awareness in the society.

We all know the “Reduce, reuse and recycle” slogan that has been going around for years, the constant reformulation of fuels for cars to produce less smoke, and water conservation, these prove how essential it is to protect our environment. As of present time, going green is becoming a popular trend among industries particularly the office furniture world. Using earth-friendly materials or recycled products help with the improvement of our environment by minimizing waste.

Companies like Interior Concepts who engage in manufacturing and designing office furniture for call centers and educational facilities have a whole policy covering how they provide solutions that are friendly to the environment and the responsibilities it comes along with. They are promoting the use of recycled materials to help preserve natural resources and can thus be passed on to the next generations.

Another point they made from acquiring recycled materials was how it can sustain profits for it can be purchased more economically than brand new materials. The company’s policy also states the use of enough materials and human resources to produce a product will of course prevent from over utilizing and wasting of their capital goods. They also deliver their products wrapped in blankets. When it comes to delivery, they try to reduce the amount of shipments by shipping products that are mostly assembled already. By doing so, they lessen the amount of fuels they use. Most of their fabrics too are Green-e certified.

By using mostly recycled materials, they are promoting sustainability and conserving the natural resources needed in manufacturing. Interior Concepts truly takes pride in their dedication to being the environment friendly innovators of furniture.

2007-06-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Call Center Agent's Reality Check

The call center industry is well regarded now as one that can provide employment to the increasing population of jobless Filipinos. Not only that the industry can promise employment but a competitive compensation, tempting fresh graduates to take the seat as a call center agent. But despite of the clear future that the call center career could offer, there is always a consequence upon looking on the other side. Check this article from Alexia Rodriguez of Contact News Magazine, the leading magazine of the outsourcing industry.

Call centers' health hazards

Work's stringent demands exact health toll on call center employees

Long hours of work, permanent night shifts, incredibly high work targets and loss of identity are the dark clouds that threaten to mar the 'sunshine' call center industry in the Philippines.

Results of a survey conducted by the Department of Health among 50 people working in call center firms showed that call center work ranked high for attrition due to health reasons, sleeping disorders, voice loss, ear problems, digestive disorders and eyesight problems.

The survey was undertaken to identify the health problems of call center employees at an early stage, to identify the needs of women, mothers and young workers, to assess the risks perceived, to suggest risk reduction measures, and to review the health status of employees.

Call center agents Health problems

About 30 to 40 percent of the employees working in call centers had complained of eye problems due to poor lighting conditions and intensive computer use. Soreness, dryness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, headache -- all these put together is labeled as computer vision syndrome. This problem is more acute with the team leaders who need to come in early and go home late.

Digestive disorders are also common among employees call centers, according to the DOH survey. Thirty-four percent of employees had complaints of this type, as revealed by the Human Resources managers.

It was also pointed out that employees are facing the possibility of losing their voice. In its chronic form, it is characterized by inability to speak, pain, croakiness of voice, irritating cough, poor vocal power, inability to modulate and breathing difficulties -- all due to intensive verbal interaction with clients, given the odd timing and nature of work that roots people to a chair nine hours a day, reading pre-scripted conversations on the phone endlessly.

Employees have also been complaining of hearing problems due to exposure to high intensity sound from headsets and high sound levels from regular work.

Other issues were related to loss of identity, isolation, drug abuse, work pressure due to long hours of work, permanent night shift, and high work targets.

Negative work attitude

The increased reporting of health disorders results in boredom, job dissatisfaction, anger, etc.

Symptoms of the burnout syndrome, which include chronic fatigue, insomnia and complete alteration of the 24-hour biological rhythm of the body, are routine cause for sickness absenteeism, the DOH survey said.

Chronic levels of stress affect the heart, endocrine system and also lead to sleep disorders.

Although most such cases do not require treatment or medication, they need guidance on physical and mental coordination to cope with a job that requires hyper-alert efficiency.

The DOH underscored the need to implement policies concerning work shifts, especially prolonged night work, and the importance of pre-employment and periodic medical examinations. It also cited the need for counseling sessions to tackle the stress on the job.

In a paper entitled "A Philippine Case Study - Examining Health and Safety in Contact Centers," Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) Executive Director Dulce Estrella-Gust said the two popular health hazards of working nightshifts is still obesity and nicotine dependency.

OSHC, a unit of the Department of Labor and Employment conducted its own survey of a number of call center companies recently and they validated what the industry has been suspecting for years, that call center agents are prone to smoking and over-eating.

"Call center agents are exposed to a lot of stress so they turn to smoking or they eat," says Dr. Estrella-Gust.

The OSHC issues policies to reduce work-related injuries, illnesses and even deaths. As part of its current program, Dr. Estrella-Gust and her people conduct trainings to all call center human resource managers on reducing occupational risk in the business process outsourcing field.

Call Center Agent Stress management

Since majority of the call center employees are fresh out of college, few tend to behave unprofessionally and indifferently. They do not take their job seriously, indulge in teasing, joking, and talking over mobile phones, and have disagreements with co-workers.

The call center executives, on the other hand, have more responsibility and accountability. They need to be disciplined to do well in the job. The supervisors always concentrate on performance and achieving targets. They do not have the time or the interest to go deep into these matters to find out the reasons for some of their employees' behaviors.

Unacceptable behaviors will cause disturbance to others and, overall, will affect productivity. Sleeping while on duty, reading novels and playing games on the computer during working hours brings down productivity: quality suffers.

According to DOLE-OSHC, the HR representatives and professional counselors jointly have a role to bring behavioral changes starting from the training days. Continuous education and counseling will help to prevent or mitigate such problems.

Psychologists say that behavioral/practica l approaches to stress management include exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet, which includes diverse selections from the basic food groups. In addition, they recommend that the excessive use of alcohol, caffeine and sugar be avoided, as this contributes to fatigue and mood swings. It is also important to allow the body to rest and replenish itself to help the body develop resistance against future stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation is an active form of relaxation, where you contract each major muscle group of your body for about five seconds before loosening the contraction.

Some of the more passive relaxation approaches include listening to music, reading, and using saunas and hot tubs to relieve tension. Techniques used to relax the mind include meditation and visual imagery.

In the meantime meditation teaches you how to clear the mind of stressful and distracting thoughts by focusing the mental energy on your breathing. Visual imagery is designed to help the individual visualize himself/herself coping effectively with a stressor that was previously experienced as overwhelming.

Night work can be hazardous to your health and the demands of working in a stressful environment is a mental and physical strain on your general well being. Dr. Estrella-Gust advise nighttime workers to work on getting enough sleep, eating the right foods and keeping an active, social connection with family and friends. "Recognition of workers' problems in call centers is the first step," she says.

2007-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Modular Office Furniture for You and Me

Due to the evolution of the office furniture, modular office furniture has now become the trend when it comes to choosing what is best for your workplace. One must be aware that cubicles and modular office furniture are basically the same, but different in terms only. Many people, however, do not understand the scope of the decision that they are making when it comes to purchasing “modular office furniture”. After all, even if it seems like choosing a few cubicles will not do any harm, with the wrong one, it could be possible. Hence, here are a few guidelines that will prove to be helpful when it comes to modular office furniture for your office.

To start with, loyalty for your selected office furniture retailer is a must since it is basically the determining factor for the quality of your modular office furniture. Even if it may seem like they all look alike, the materials used differ such as the hardware and the panels that are never supposed to get mixed up with each other. Just think of it this way: when your company grows, the next time that you need to purchase modular office furniture, all your decisions will be based from the first one that you have made.

There are two main types of modular office furniture, and they are the panel-mounted and the freestanding. Most systems today is panel-mounted, meaning, that the wall panels act as the basis of the system, and that office desks and file cabinets can be mounted directly on to them. On the other hand, the freestanding systems furniture use separate panels that are strategically placed around the furniture. Depending on the nature of your business or daily task, these two have its own advantages. While panel-based systems offer greater design flexibility and can be implemented with other office peripherals, they can also serve as the main provider of privacy for an employee. Freestanding can be easily installed and reconfigured so this is most ideal for offices that are temporarily adjusting to their new place, etc.

2006-12-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

Sitting up straight may harm your lower back

Misconception about sitting up straight may lead to lower back pains. As you recall in your childhood days, you are told to sit up straight. But Scottish researchers said Monday in Chicago that when looking at the spine with a new imaging technology, the spine is strained when sitting up straight with a straight back and thighs parallel to the floor. In fact, it’s better to lean back a bit, even if it looks like slouching.

“Really the best position is what you get in a La-Z-Boy, although that wouldn’t work well for someone using a computer,” said Dr. Waseem Amir Bashir, who led the study conducted in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Bashir’s basis about this findings confirms with ergonomic experts. By using a designed magnetic machine he can view the back while sitting. He said he was able to capture instabilities and deformations not otherwise seen.

It is estimated by the National Institute of Health that 8 out of 10 Americans suffer lower back pains. It is the second most common reason why paople go to the doctor besides colds and flu. “People weren’t designed to sit for hours at a time. With an open sitting position, one can minimize the risk of back pain.” Bashir said.

A person can’t easily operate a computer from a recliner, but it’s possible to keep one’s feet on the floor while raising the chair to open up the angle between the thighs and the back, he said.

Leaning forward as people do while playing computer and video games is even more stressful to the spine than sitting upright, he said. His decision stregthened ergonomists who studies workplace issues. He made images of spines of 22 healthy volunteers. “I would agree with their conclusion,” said Bill Dowell, research director at Herman Miller Inc. of Zeeland, which makes office chairs.

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