Small Business Computing Staff

by Robert Richardson If there’s one thing we’ve learned about technology, it’s that it comes with one heck of a marketing department. Every January we hear that this is the year of something or another. But crossing one’s fingers and plunking down the money to try the new model won’t magically make it any better […]

by Robert J. Wagman Wireless is the next frontier, and its settlers are fighting with one another for space in their rush to stake a claim. For almost a decade the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has tried to reserve a portion of the frequency spectrum to allow for the anticipated rapid expansion of wireless services. […]

by Chirs Sandlund Call it the eBay Effect. The once-genteel antique business is undergoing dramatic changes thanks to that enormous online flea market. Even dealers who might want to pretend the Internet doesn’t exist still feel its presence. And if you think, oh, pity for them, you’re missing the point. These dealers’ response to online […]

by Amy H. Blankstein A not-so-light brigade of telecommunications companies is fighting to liberate small- and medium-sized businesses from the constraints of dial-up connections. In the process, many are now trying to enlist building owners and management as allies. Tenants, they say, will reap the benefits of the relationship. Normally, it takes at least a […]

by Matthew Klare ScanSoft OmniForm 4.01Rating 87 ScanSoft’s OmniForm 4.01 and its forms-hosting site, eOmniForm.com, offer a simple solution enabling anyone to put open forms on the Web. The Web site hosts the forms, collects data, and even notifies you when data is available for downloading. Using the eOmniForm.com menu option, one click is all […]

by Matt Lake COMPAQ DESKPRO EXS Rating 90 There are two schools of thought when it comes to buying a new computer. The first group is characterized by the needs of users who want to run fairly basic business-productivity applications, connect to the Internet and browse the Web, and occasionally take on some harder tasks […]

by Michele Marinnan They’ll automate an accounting system, help file clients’ taxes electronically, and even log into systems remotely to update general ledgers. They’re tech-savvy accountants, and you’d better have one if you want to maintain and grow your business. Even if you’re up on technology, it’s important that your accountant is as well. Using […]

by David G. Propson Watch the tv ads, read the business pages, talk to a tech salesman, and the message comes through clearly: the world is going wireless. A large portion of the populace, the line goes, is a prisoner of its own technology, tied down, held back. Wireless will set the people free. But […]

by Angela R. Garber Business trips are hell. first there’s the airline ticket. Then a couple of tasteless meals in the airport, a rental car and a few tanks of gas, or perhaps countless cabs to and from the hotel, client dinners, overpriced phone calls from the hotel room, and copies at the copy center. […]

by Cathy Brower Are computers dead? well, yes and no. you still need them to run your business. But they are a means to an end. Increasingly, the world of computing has become less about computing and more about services and applications. Much of how you run a business has (or will) become Web-based. In […]

by Robert J. Wagman Public opinion may be soundly opposed to spam and all who send it, but don’t tell that to Harris Interactive. The Rochester, N.Y., polling firm, which e-mails millions of surveys each week, has been the latest to do battle on behalf of the beleaguered communication form. Spam has been outlawed by […]

Doug Gantenbein, Angela Garber, David Myron, and Amy Blankstein (with reporting by John F. Moore) For years, we’ve heard the promise: Technology will help the little guy. Nonsense — small businesses will help themselves, and take whatever tech they can get. They have to be more discerning than their bigger brethren, and wiser with their […]