Small Business Computing Staff

Biz Bytes: Google Local Business Center Adds New Features A quick overview of changes – for the better – to Google’s site where local businesses advertise on the Web. A new dashboard tops the list. “Google has added new features to its popular Local Business Center. First, Google has added a dashboard showing you how […]

PCWorld: User Reviews: How to Use Them, And How Not To PC World’s Chris Walters offers a primer on how to assess the value of user reviews of products at retail sites. Some are useful, some are not – how to spot the difference. “Before the rise of Internet shopping, the only reviews you’d encounter […]

InformationWeek SMB: Windows Phone 7 Gets Early Thumbs Up All of a sudden Microsoft is getting positive notices for its software releases. Its new mobile operating system, announced this week but not available until later in the year, is the company’s latest first-look success. “It won’t be available for purchase for months, but Microsoft’s Windows […]

PCmag@Work (Small Business): Synology Unveils new Expandable NAS for SMBs An addition to the company’s earlier announced five-bay NAS appliance, this one for SMBs with lower but growing storage requirements. “Joining last month’s announcement of a high-speed 5-bay NAS, this month Synology America announced the DiskStation DS710+, a 2-bay model with similar disk speeds (102+MB/s […]

Protus IP Solutions: Small Businesses Have Customers on Their Minds How to win and keep those new customers: e-mail marketing according to the company that commissioned this study, which just happens to offer e-mail marketing services. “While small business owners have many concerns heading into 2010, finding ways to attract and retain customers is by […]

PCWorld: Type Less and Produce More With PhraseExpress Type an abbreviation, hit TAB and PhraseExpress blurts out whole phrases or even paragraphs. “I often find myself typing the same things over and over, and not just in online debates. PhraseExpress (free for personal use) simplifies this process, allowing me to hit just a few keys […]

InformationWeek: Microsoft Unveils Windows Phone 7 With Android climbing the charts, iPhone still going strong and Samsung weighing in with a new smartphone software platform, Microsoft reminds us it’s a serious contender too. Decisions, decisions. “Microsoft upped the stakes in the red-hot phone market Monday, introducing a new version of its Windows software that, unlike […]

Smallbiztechnology.com: Add Break Out Rooms To Your Next Conference Call FreeConferenceCalls.com now allows teleconference moderators to add sidebar meetings so individual participants can speak privately during an ongoing conference. “We all participate in conference calls every now and then, some of us more than others. Webinars, wherein a few or hundreds of people participate in […]

KI Technology Group: Money saving tip #4 – Make sure you understand what you are getting from your computer support company KI small biz blogger Linda Lynch advises SMBs to insist prospective suppliers explain services in plain English. “Every industry has its own jargon and technology is certainly no exception – in fact, we may […]

Intelligent Enterprise: How To Protect Your Company In The Cloud Basic advice on analyzing cloud computing opportunities and taking precautions to protect against security/privacy risks and poor service levels. “Business executives are reading about cloud computing and asking when their companies are going to get on board. CIOs must do three things to respond to […]

ZDNet: New Asus Eee PC T101MT is a multi-touch convertible Windows 7 tablet/netbook An Apple iPad alternative from the pioneer of the netbook market – with a bigger screen than previous models, Windows 7 and multitouch capabilities. “Asus kicked off the netbook craze about 18 months ago with its original Eee PC, and now the […]

IT-Director.com: Why IT managers have embraced Skype A post by an executive in a company that makes Skype hardware accessories, talking about how Skype first infiltrated enterprises, brought in by individuals, but is now being welcomed by IT managers. “It’s funny that some of the most revolutionary technologies are first brought into businesses by individual […]