Small Business Computing Staff

PCWorld: Review – Kyocera Echo Smartphone/Tablet PC World reviewer Armando Rodriguez says this innovative two-screen smartphone that functions at times like a tablet PC is too gimmicky, not powerful enough and has a short battery life. “The Kyocera Echo on Sprint ($200 with a two-year contract as of April 13, 2011) is the first dual-screen […]

Open Forum: Roundup – iPad Apps For Business Meetings & Presentations Sharlyn Lauby finds 11 iPad apps that can help small business users organize meetings, make presentations, create presentations and use their iPad or iPhone as a remote to control a slide presentation. “Meetings and presentations are a way of life in the business world […]

ITBusinessEdge: Microsoft Releases Must-Have Security Patches ITBusinessEdge’s Paul Mah comments on the latest Microsoft “patch Tuesday” update which includes security fixes for many Microsoft products. Make sure you download and install it if your systems aren’t set to update automatically. “Microsoft shipped a massive Patch Tuesday update this week that resolves a total of 64 […]

Laurie McCabe’s Blog: How SMBs Are Using Social Media One conclusion from the SMB Group survey of SMBs about social media is that for small businesses to evolve into “social businesses,” they need to be able to track, measure and tweak the results of their social media investments. “SMB adoption of social media for sales, […]

Wired: Review – BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Computer Reviewer Mike Isaac says there is lots to like about the PlayBook, but it doesn’t do multitasking very well, its vaunted Flash video capability is also flawed and there aren’t many apps for it. “The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is a good-looking piece of hardware. Like the proto-humans in […]

PCmag@Work (Small Business): Mobile Payments – Not Quite Ready For Prime Time Big players such as Samsung and Visa and others are starting to test using mobile phones with near field communications (NFC) for payment at point of sale in place of credit cards. But small businesses don’t need to do anything yet. “2011 may […]

SMB News From Network World: Cisco’s Umi Videoconferencing – Now For Business? Cisco’s Umi always had possibilities as a small business videoconferencing solution. Now price cuts and a new marketing approach may make it an even more attractive option. “Cisco’s Umi home videoconferencing system, the most extravagant and futuristic part of the company’s consumer product […]

PCWorld: Review – Asus U31JG Lightweight Laptop The $800 Asus U31JG ultraportable laptop offers good performance, great battery life and discrete graphics card, but falls down on viewing angles and glare from the screen and the “mediocre” keyboard and trackpad. “The Asus U31JG, designed for urban professionals on the move, boasts a stylish brushed-aluminum finish […]

Open Forum: Roundup – 4 Free Small Business Teleconferencing Services Sarah Kessler reviews four free teleconferencing services that small businesses can use, including Rondee, Wiggio, GroupMe and Google Voice. “Salesforce.com removed one free conferencing tool from the world when it acquired DimDim in January, leaving many startups without a free teleconferencing service. Fortunately there are […]

Small Business Trends: Analysis – Google Latitude Checkin Couponing Service Lisa Barone questions whether Google can find success with its second entry into the coupon/checkin market. Latitude Checkin give consumers deals if they build up credits by regularly visiting a business’s website. “And the check-in / coupon wars continue! After testing it out in Austin […]

PCWorld: Roundup – Small Business Network Utilities Most of these small business network utilities are free. They include all-in-one tools such as Cisco Systems’ Network Magic Essentials, general-purpose IT management tools such as Spiceworks IT, and tools for specific tasks such as scanning networks and testing speed. “If you have a small network at your […]

Laurie McCabe’s Blog: Systems Management For Small Businesses Laurie McCabe explains what systems management solutions can do for small businesses, suggests what they should look for in a solution and inlcudes links to major solution providers such as Dell KACE and Spiceworks. What is Systems Management? Systems management is an umbrella term that refers to […]