Updates, alerts & ideas.
News
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Apple Announcements
At Apple's Big Music Event, several announcements were made that may change the way people use music... again.
First the iPod, the device that changed the fabric of music culture (iTunes will outsell CDs this year) got a new look. The iPod Nano got a touchscreen and the new iTouch got a front facing camera so that they too could participate in Facetime.
iTunes 10 now features Ping which is Apple’s social music network. iOS 4.2 for the iPad will allow you to wirelessly stream your music with Airplay.
And last but not least... Netflix. Apple TV now allows you to stream movies directly from Netflix making Apple TV instantly go from zero to hero
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Small Business Job Churn
8/30/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Free phone calls from your Gmail account
Google just scored a few more brownie points. You can now make free calls to the US and Canada from your Gmail account. This comes in handy for a new generation who do not have landlines. It works by talking directly into Gmail similar to Gchat. The quality is also very good similar to Gchat because they claim they use the same echo cancellation software.
So how does it work? Well, apparently you get a Gmail phone number and you can make free calls to the US and Canada. You can also make international calls for what Google calls a “competitive rate”.
And how do you receive calls? If you are in Gmail when a caller calls, their number will pop up and you can answer the call from there. Also, you can switch to Gchat or your other Google Voice options. Will this work from mobile phones on Wifi? One can only hope.
The feature will be rolling out in the next couple days. Google is also putting phone booths on campuses and airports so people can try it out. -
Apple fights against jailbroken devices
In its next move to control the world, or at least let you know that you don't control the devices you purchase, Apple has filed for a patent to wipe all jailbroken devices. While its reason for the patent was stated "to protect devices from thieves", they also slipped this wording into the document "and unauthorized users" who engage in "hacking, jailbreaking, unlocking, or removal of a SIM card" Apple writes that it will send the users emails or texts before the phone is wiped. This patent could also allow Apple to activate your phone and capture your location... talk about invasion of privacy, it will be interesting to see if they are granted this patent.
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Landing a Client on the Cheap
8/18/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Career Path No More
8/17/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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iSpy recovers deleted iPhone data
You think your iPhone data is safe after you hit the delete button? The new iPhone iSpy USB stick says it’s not. For $199.00 nosy mothers and criminals can recover deleted data from your phone. From text messages, contacts, call history, graphics/photos, to dynamic text data, nothing is permanently erased. While this may be a pretty penny to spend to recover data from someone’s phone for a career criminal or a woman scorned it is merely an investment.
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Sometimes Smaller is Better
8/16/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Apple rolls out more iAds
Although rolling out more slowly than expected, Apple has rolled at iAds from Nissan and Unilever. According to Nissan, these ads have debuted with exceptional results however, because of Apples tight creative control, the making and approval of ads has been a slow process. Each ad must be created in html5 but Apple has not released a developer's kit nor do they tell the companies where their ad will be appearing. Essentially, Apple is another decision maker in each companies' ad development process turning many advertisers off and slowing those still interested down. However, due to the return on investment these ads are rumored to be creating, you can be assured you will see many more iAds in the near future.
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Mobile Service on NYC Subways
8/11/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Delegating in August
8/11/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Google Alarm
Since Google has seemingly thrown out its "Don't be Evil" slogan and is collecting personal data left and right, Firefox has decided to fight back. If you have Firefox, and you are concerned about your privacy, download the Google Alarm add-on . The add-on will sound an alarm every time your personal information is sent to Google. Because this happens fairly often (with Google Analytics, AdSense, YouTube embeds, Google API calls to mention a few ways...) The alarm will probably drive you crazy as well as have you wondering what they could possibly be doing with all of your (and others) information.
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The first electric charging station in the US is in which city?
Little known fact: Portland, Oregon is a trendsetting city. They prefer their residents to build green buildings and ride bikes... but if you absolutely must drive, Portland is the first city in the US to install public electric car charging stations. At each station, you can charge your lithium ion car battery 80% in under 30 minutes. In addition to their electric freeway (a freeway currently under construction with multiple charging stations), Portland residents should never be without a charge. Hopefully other cities will soon follow suit
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What Small Businesses Can Learn from Programmers
8/02/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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No more need for credit cards
Or at least, that is what the three big mobile companies AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are pushing for. They want to make mobile payments standard where a wave of your phone will pay your tab similar to Easy Pass or payWave. This method has been popular internationally because of its convenience, but will require retailers to upgrade their readers and mobile phone manufacturers to embed NFC chips in phones. The credit card companies also want to take a cut of the transaction fee, but obviously credit card companies are standing in the way.
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The Worst Infection
If you think stealing your personal information was bad, sometimes computer viruses can carry greater implications than just a slow computer or even a stolen identity. There is evidence evidence that pedophiles have used malware to turn people’s computers into warehouses that store pictures and videos that can be viewed remotely. They can also force computers to surf and collect images from child porn sites. This has terrible consequences with innocent people being jailed and pedophiles using this defense to try to escape conviction. Although these cases are rare, now you know why we’re paranoid about computer security!
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Goodbye Sales Tax Free Internet. Hello VAT?
7/28/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Act rationally and you will be rewarded
7/26/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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What is your business worth?
7/23/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Having Microsoft Office 2007/2010 “Save” Problems?
7/22/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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These stuffed animals are freaking me out
7/21/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Small Business vs. Obama
7/20/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Google is refreshing its images pages
The Google Blog announced that it is giving its image search engine page a new look. In the next few days users will see a new layout that includes dense tiled pages, scrollable pages with up to 1,000 images, larger thumbnails, and a hover pane. Also, when you click images you will be taken to a new landing page that shows the image and the website behind it. Google is also employing optimized keyboard navigation so that scrolling between pages is easier.
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RIP Quicken Online
Quicken Online users have long known that Quicken Online would soon be closing shop. Making that news easier was the statements from Quicken that they had acquired Mint.com and that users could replace their Quicken experience with the Mint experience with little disruption to their financial lives. Now that the Quicken Online shutdown date is looming, (August 29, 2010) it does not seem as though the transition will be so smooth. According to Quicken support users will not be able to transfer or import their data into Mint.com as previously reported by Quicken. You can download your data into a csv file for your records, but starting August 29th your data will be securely deleted forever.
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7 Steps to More Productive Meetings
7/15/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Why Are SB Owners Still Doing Collections??
7/15/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Why can't software be built to last?
7/15/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Rim launches Blackberry Protect
Similar to Apple's Mobile Me but free, Blackberry Protect allows you the ability to wirelessly backup, restore and locate your BlackBerry® smartphone according to the Blackberry blog. In an effort to help all of those people who constantly misplace their phones, Blackberry Protect offers remote device wipe, remote device lock, ‘Lost and Found’ screen, locate device on a map, remote activation of the BlackBerry smartphone loud ringer, and wireless device backup and restore. Still in an invite only beta phase, the app is something to look forward to later this year.
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Small business pessimism continues - what can be done?
7/13/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Why we started our business
7/12/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Apple recalls faulty Time Capsules
After the random deaths of early version Time Capsules, Apple is offering free repairs or refunds. They will even refund your costs if you had it fixed independently. These capsules sold between February and June 2008, have had many reports of not powering up and data being lost. While they are not assuming responsibility for data loss, if you go to Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider , they will provide a free data transfer if the data has not been damaged by the shut down malfunction. This program covers the capsules for 3 years from the original date of purchase. Apple has listed the serial numbers, of all of those affected.
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This makes me want to beat my employees
7/09/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Ford SYNC prevents driving while texting
We know we talk about the dangers of texting while driving a lot... but that is because it is well, rather dangerous. If you are texting while driving, your reaction time becomes equivalent to a drunk driver and we all know that that is not a good thing. Ford's SYNC is yet another solution to the texting while driving problem. Solutions include a "Do Not Disturb" button which disables all texts and calls to the phone and an option that enables the car to read all incoming texts to you. These features will be available in all new Ford vehicles.
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Only 12 percent of businesses offer paid maternity leave
7/08/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Deposit checks from your iPhone
Chase Bank's updated app which recently became available for download, allows you to take a photo of a check with your phone to deposit the check into your bank account. Although not a new technology, Chase is the first of the larger banks that is offering this convenience. The deposit cap is $1000/ a day and $3000/ a week and there is no need for a physical check to be presented to the bank. After the funds have cleared, Chase advises customers to destroy the check.
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You F*&!ed Up. What Should You Do Next?
7/06/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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What you need to know about the paid sick time bill
6/30/10 Cartwheel Small Business Blog
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Facebook's Work For Us
Facebook has taken over your personal world, now they are looking to take over the corporate world as well. Businesses have been creating fan pages as a way to reach out to the large number of Facebook's users. Now an application called Work With Us creates a tab on the fan page that allows companies to post job listings or target a job ad to a certain user. Users can apply or "like" a job inside of Facebook making the page like a miniature job board. The company offers a free trial for 30 days and after the trial is over offers different plans determined by the amount of posts.
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Are you paying yourself enough?
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Bad News: Free Wireless at Starbucks
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Offer your customer discounts for different forms of payment
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Driving while texting... TxtStopper
According to TxtStopper's website it is the only seamless standalone, in-vehicle, mobile electronic device that completely disables texting and talking functions while driving. We have previously warned you about the dangers of texting while driving, however if our words of wisdom, Oprah's "no phone zone" campaign, and the viral fear-mongering videos that show up in your inbox haven't scared you or your loved ones into submission, perhaps TxtStopper will give you no option. We haven’t tried it, and their website doesn’t really give any technical information, so caveat emptor!
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Google Maps for Android
Google Maps for Android has some impressive new features. For us New Yorkers (and other inhabitants of large cities), these updates will help us function better in our urban maze. A couple of features are latitude (and location sharing if you choose) and restaurant information/ reviews which color codes restaurants by most and best (or worst) reviewed. The most notable new update is the transit info. Yes, Google Maps has always had great direction services that include all modes of transportation including subways and buses but now, if you tap on the station, departure times are displayed. This update is free, so if you have a Android phone, and haven't downloaded it yet, be sure to do so.
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iPhone OS4 update is available to download today
The iPhone OS4 update is available through iTunes. To update, connect your device to iTunes and follow the prompts. In a divergence from past models, Apple is allowing users to update their iPhone and iPod Touch for free however, it will not work with first generation models and the iPhone 3G will not support the new multitasking feature.
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Office 2010 is available for download
The Office 2010 trial is available for download. We have been using it for a while, and like it so far. Next week we will have a full, in-depth review. Until then, feel free to download it and try it out (preferably on a spare computer)... and leave us a note on our Facebook page and tell us your first impressions of the new software.
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June Home Newsletter 2010: Great tech gifts for dad!
The weather is warm, the sun is shining... and Father's Day is fast approaching. For those of you who are looking for last minute ideas, our June newsletter is dedicated to great gifts for dad. At the top of our list is an eReader and a Windows 7 upgrade. For the full list read our June Home Newsletter!
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Starbucks now offers free Wi-Fi
Starbucks is the latest restaurant to offer free Wi-Fi in its locations. After being one of the pioneers of offering Wi-Fi hotspots through T-mobile, Starbucks is now revising its strategy with AT&T and creating value by offering a Starbucks branded online experience… and you won’t need an AT&T account or a Starbucks card to enjoy the free Wi-Fi. Also, in the coming months, Starbucks in partnership with Yahoo will offer unrestricted content from sites like the Wall Street Journal through the Starbucks page.
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Twitter users are receiving emails from hackers
Malware masquerading as Twitter messages have hit user's email inbox. The emails prompt users to click a link that leads to phishing sites or installs a Trojan Horse on their computer that allows hackers to control it. Also, many users have been hit with a link that requests a password change in order to protect the account. Once the information is entered, the hacker has your information and can take control of your account. The emails for the most part, use the Twitter logo and branding. To ensure you are not fooled, never click on a link you are not sure about. Twitter does not send links to a secure web site and will not promote a new service as many of the phishing emails do.
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The iPhone 4g Unveiling
Besides Steve Job’s notable technical difficulties, the iPhone 4g was released with new features as the crowd squealed in delight at every twist and turn of the sleek phone. The big four new features that Apple and Job’s are touting are things that may not seem so innovative, but when Apple does it, people applaud. Facetime, multitasking, HD video, and Retina display are the features that are supposed to make every cell phone owner ditch their current model and rush out to buy an iPhone 4g… literally. But are these new features worth it?
Facetime, a feature that lets you talk with another person while seeing them on their phone, currently only works on calls from iPhone 4g to iPhone 4g and only on the wifi network. HD video and Retina display allow you to view your iPhone screen and the images it records with higher clarity. Although very impressive features you can’t really justify scrapping an old phone for a new one. And multitasking, which should have been included in the first models is almost infuriatingly basic that it causes many iPhone users (that aren’t Apple worshippers) to be hesitant before purchasing the latest and greatest model. However, the most notable but slightly brushed over feature is that the new iPhone 4g has a much improved battery life. This of course, is still out for the jury as multitasking and new apps such as Netflix might turn the phone into a battery thirsty black hole… but this is what Apple has promised. To us, the iPhone 4g is a great build on past iPhones, but it isn’t worth standing in line for. Of course, we really can’t tout its amazing-ness (or lack of) until we try it out… but as soon as we do we will let you know if the iPhone 4g lives up to the hype. -
Productivity on the iPad
The biggest complaint about the iPad (besides its lack of Flash) is that it just isn't necessary. Its lightweight form makes for a great travel companion, but with ultra thin notebooks that can do much more, why purchase another device? Well for users who want to travel light and still be productive, Documents To Go both and Quickoffice are working on productivity apps that help you work on the iPad. Documents To Go was the first to release an app and their premium version adapts to the IPad's large screen and offers features unique to the iPad such as file sharing. And of course, as with previous versions it allows you to read, edit, and create Microsoft documents.
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The Yankees will be in 3D!
For all of those with 3D televisions, Direct TV will broadcast the first 3D Major League Baseball game on July 10. The Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners 3D telecast will be available to those in New York State, Connecticut, north and central New Jersey, and northeast Pennsylvania. It will also be available in various Western states. According to Eric Shanks executive vice president of Direct TV, the 3D broadcast will be an experience like no other that will put the viewer right in the middle of the action. Beginning in June, Direct TV customers will receive a free update that will give them access to 3D channels however they will need to have a 3D enabled television and 3D glasses.
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Facebook is revamping its privacy settings
In the weeks to come, Facebook will be rolling out their new, simpler privacy settings. After mounting criticism, the new privacy settings may not give you more control, but they are easier to navigate. Many of the content categories have been combined, while others no longer give you a privacy option. You can still control who can view your photos and posts, as well as the photos and posts you have been tagged in, however Facebook still has not added a setting to block who tags you in photos. You can read Mark Zuckerberg’s full post on the Facebook blog here
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HP recalls more laptop batteries
Originally recalling 70,000 laptop batteries, HP just announced that it will be recalling 54,000 more units. The worldwide recall of lithium ion batteries was first announced in May of 2009. These notebooks were built and sold between August 2007 and May 2008. After reports of the batteries overheating and causing property damage but no personal injury, HP issued a worldwide recall. Since then, there has been over 30 more reports of ruptured batteries that have caused minor personal injury and property damage. HP says to reduce risks, consumers should stop using their battery packs immediately. You can check here to see if your notebook is one of the affected models.
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Photocopiers save images of everything you email, copy or scan
Recently it was uncovered by CBS that nearly all photocopiers built after 2002 have a hard drive that stores copies of every document scanned, copied, or emailed. This little known fact has big implications. Many businesses sell their old copiers to used office supply stores or simply discard them without taking the hard drive out, leaving a trail of information that is easily uncovered. From employee records to classified company information, every document sits on the hard drive until it is removed. The Federal Trade Commission has recently stepped in to take action as this breach may have implications for hospitals and government agencies. The FTC is now reaching out to copier manufacturers, resellers, and office supply stores to ensure that they are aware of the risks and are educating their customers. While the industry is figuring out how to fix this mistake for future copiers, the best thing to do to ensure you are not at risk is to erase or remove the hard drive before selling or disposing of your copier.
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Technology as exercise...really?
Many kids will agree that playing video games should be mandatory like eating your vegetables are. Well according to the American Heart Association, they agree. Nintendo and the American Heart Association have just partnered to promote Wii products as a great way to keep your heart healthy. With the AHA stamp of approval, Nintendo is now promoting its Wii machine as part of the AHA's 30 minutes of active play campaign. They emphasize that Americans spend over 8 hours sitting down and if you play Wii for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, you are on your way to a healthier lifestyle. Because we sit in a chair all day... and you probably do too, getting up and doing 30 minutes of Wii Fit is recommended not only by the AHA, but recommended by us as well.
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Cartwheel's Rafi Kronzon's Small Business Blog
05/12/10 One of our fearless leaders here at Cartwheel has started a blog for small business owners. Geared towards business owners in NYC, Rafi Kronzon will write articles, give tips, foster discussions, and update local business owners with items that can affect you. The blog will keep you abreast of all small business news... not just tech tips (although don't be surprised if one or two slip in there. We can't help it... we love them). So pop over there and feel free to share with friends. We want this site to become a lively discussion page for everyone, but especially for those of us in the small business boat. blog.cartwheelit.com
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Social Media's Privacy Problems
05/10/2010 Recently, Facebook and Twitter have had some major privacy breaches that may have affected you without you knowing it. These breaches have been fixed (or are being fixed as we speak), but just in case you haven't heard about them, here they are.
This week, it was discovered that users could read their friend's live chat conversations or chat boxes left open, by going into the privacy settings of their own page. While this was quickly remedied by Facebook, many users had already tried the function and were reading their friend's conversations. Chat was quickly taken offline and was replaced with a maintenance message.
Not to be outdone, Twitter also has had privacy issues. We haven't tried this ourselves, but reportedly if you type accept [users name] they are forced to follow and receive direct messages from you. This bug was quickly corrected as well, however those that were forced to follow are still following as Twitter has yet to figure out how to remove them from the users followers list. -
Skype Will Debut Group Video Chatting Next Week
05/07/10 Skype announced that they will finally feature group video chat. For people with a Mac, group chat is old news as ichat has been allowing users to group chat for years. Next week, Skype will roll out an update that will allow users to chat with up to five people.
For small businesses this free (for now) service will not only allow you to connect with employees, but you will also be able to group conference with manufactures, vendors, and clients. For homes, families will be able to chat with each other which is particularly useful when talking to grandma and grandpa or kids that are away in college. So when the update pops up on your computer, make sure you click upgrade for this new feature. -
Groupon Offers Buying Incentives
05/05/10 Groupon., the online coupon purveyor, has just announced that it will be offering purchase rewards. As you know, we are big fans of Groupon, a service that sends coupons by e-mail to you daily.
Now Groupon has made the deals even more enticing. Groupon Rewards, a new program from Groupon, offers users an opportunity to reap the benefits of their loyalty. According to Groupon, 100 G's (groupon rewards) equals a dollar, and can be exchanged for discounts at partner businesses. Or, if you've accumulated enough of them, you can get that day's deal for free. They are also rolling out a Local Rewards marketplace where customers can use their G's, which will be another way for small businesses to benefit. So, if you haven't signed up for Groupon yet, you may want to give it a try. And if you are a small business looking to drum up coupon-generated business, Groupon is certainly worth looking into. -
Mint.com launches an Android App
05/03/10 We covered and gave our approval of Mint.com in our January newsletter. Purchased by Intuit in 2009, Mint.com is continually making progress to its platform. Their newest addition is an Android app that gives users access to their financials from just about anywhere. Exclusive to the Android app is the ability to see financial updates on the phone’s home screen without launching the Mint.com application.
While Mint.com is still missing a few features to become the ultimate money managing software, with this continuous positive progress, we see this as a not so far off prediction. Still notably missing is the ability to import your data from Quicken, and oddly enough (although much requested) Mint.com has not yet developed a Blackberry app. However, if you are a Mint convert, but Blackberry user, the site can be accessed from any Blackberry web browser.
And as we always remind you, securing your information is important. Enable a password on all mobile devices that you keep any financial information on. However, if you do lose a device, you can immediately disable the application from Mint.com. -
100 million downloads later… Windows 7 is now on 1 in 10 PCs
04/30/10 According to Microsoft, Windows 7 has now reached 100 million licenses. In just 6 months, it is now estimated to be on 1 in 10 PCs. According to analysts it will be the standard operating system for enterprises before the end of 2010. Great advertising coupled with even better features, Windows 7 has received rave reviews and is on track to become Microsoft’s fastest selling operating system in history.
For those of you who’ve seen our review, you know that we love Windows 7 (as much as someone can love a Microsoft product). If you’ve been patient and skipped Vista, you will be rewarded. We find it smooth, stable (still not as stable as XP, but quickly improving), and highly polished. It is faster, easier to use, and has an attractive interface. If you haven’t yet upgraded to Windows 7 yet, we highly recommend doing so. -
Cartwheel's April Newsletters
04/28/10 Our April newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: Our Home newsletter is a reminder about the importance of backing up and locking your mobile phone - Backing Up Your Phone. The Business newsletter this month explains 3 tools for gaining new customers and helps you understand how they work - 3 Ways to Win New Business.
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Blogroll: 04/21/10
04/21/10 There's some great news circulating around the blogosphere this morning. Rather than share just one news story today, here are some highlights:
Apple wants its missing iPhone 4G (!) back, please
Cyberbullying ban could make online harassment illegal (finally)
Google testing, getting ready to roll out a new interface design to users. Looks good!
New AT&T AirCard fits in to multiple slots. Boon for users with multiple laptops, places to go. -
Symantec: 51% of malware in 2009
04/19/10 Lest our news headline was confusing, allow us to elaborate: according to Symantec, of all the malware it has identified since it started tracking, 51% was detected in 2009. In other words, from 2008 back to the beginning of its tracking (Symantec doesn't say when that was), 49% of all known malicious programs were proliferated. 2009 on its own accounts for 51 percent. That's a huge number.
More than ever, businesses are the target of such attacks. According to Stephen Trilling, senior vice president of Security Technology and Response at Symantec, “Attackers have evolved from simple scams to highly sophisticated espionage campaigns targeting some of the world’s largest corporations and government entities. The scale of these attacks and the fact that they originate from across the world, makes this a truly international problem requiring the cooperation of both the private sector and world governments.”
In 2009 alone, over 240 million distinct new malicious programs were identified; that's a 100% increase over 2008. Attack toolkits - programs that help new hackers develop new malware - have added an "Easy Bake Oven" element to the industry, making it easy for unskilled cybercriminals to write programs that compromise computers and steal information. Web attacks, PDF-delivered malware, and a rise in international activity have all contributed to the skyrocketing 2009 and 2010 numbers.
Take a look at our March 2010 Home Newsletter - Malware 101 (to the right, under Press Releases) for a quick primer on viruses, trojans, and other malicious programs, and some tips about how to avoid getting "infected."
UPDATE 04/20/10
Read Symantec's report over at the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report XV Microsite, or get the short version in their Press Release, which hit wires today. -
Volcanoes, oh my
04/17/10 Admittedly, news about the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull doesn't have all that much to do with small business technology... and besides, we don't have much in the way of "fresh scoop" to add to the media frenzy. But in the interest of closing the week out with a bang, we're sharing some of the more impressive images we've seen. Take a look at Baldvin Hansson's set, over on his Flickr page Volcanic Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull (Glacier) (the man's not one for overly creative titles).
If nothing else, it's something pretty to look at while you're waiting for TEDxVolcano to start. -
More Apple news: MacBook Pro
04/13/10 Apple follows its slew of iPad and iPhone OS updates (it feels like they've got something new every week) with a much-anticipated release of a new line of MacBook Pro laptops. It doesn't look like they've added anything totally original in this iteration - unibody enclosures, glossy screens, and the glass multitouch trackpad are all back from previous incarnations of the MacBook Pro. Notable updates, though, are Intel's new Core i5 and Core i7 processors, faster-than-ever graphics, and extended battery life (boasted at 10 hours... though we'll believe it when we see it). You can check out all the specs at apple.com.
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iPhone a business contender? OS 4.0
04/09/10 In its iPhone OS 4.0 sneek peek event yesterday, Apple announced dozens of new user features for the operating system’s next iteration. Apple’s media event focused on seven of these features, which position the iPhone as more in-tune with the needs of the business user, both from a capabilities and management perspective.
Among the new consumer-facing updates, such as 5x digital camera zoom, spell-checking, and photo rotation, many of the updates dig much deeper – and fundamentally change the functionality of the iPhone for business users (and their IT administrators, thankfully). Multitasking, VoIP (in the background, no less, so that callers can use apps at the same time), data protection, and remote iPhone management features are positioned directly at the enterprise user. Apple is also introducing a unified email inbox, which will simplify checking multiple accounts at once. Support for multiple Exchange inboxes will be another welcome addition to the iPhone’s new suite of capabilities. You can read about all 100 new features at Apple Insider. -
Facebook: Whole Foods gets phished
04/06/10 Whole Foods has recently been inundated by scam offers on Facebook, which promise members $500 gift cards in exchange for becoming Fans of the brand. The fraudulent offers are part of a phishing scheme that collects user data (under the guise of a fan signup form). Whole Foods issued a warning on Facebook to alert members of the fake promotion circulating around the site, and has also been using Twitter to send additional reminders.
Phishers are getting more and more sophisticated in their methods - the Whole Foods scam ads had already been removed by this afternoon, surely replaced by another ploy. This scam, like many others, asked Facebook users to fill out a credit assessment, along with other personal information. The scam then used a form of malware to crash users' computers, leaving the information they have entered vulnerable to prying programs.
Whole Foods and Facebook are encouraging users to proactively report and avoid these phishing schemes. Of course, common sense is your best guide - and you should never share credit information or other sensitive data on public sites like Facebook... even if the offer appears to be legitimate. You can report these suspicious or fraudulent Pages by clicking the "Report Page" link on the bottom of the left column on the "Wall" view of any page. We'd also recommend becoming a fan of the Facebook Security page, which offers up-to-date information on current threats that appear on Facebook and across the internet. -
April Fool's!
04/02/10 As you may have guessed, our March 31st feature was an April Fool's joke. Nope, Google's not developing nuclear power as some sinister plan to counter China's net censorship. We're still big fans of nuclear power options... but so far, Google isn't a part of that scene (so far as we know). Happy April Fool's, happy Passover, and happy Easter from Cartwheel!
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Google goes nuclear... really.
03/31/10 We don't usually participate in the tech rumormill, but this one won't stop blinking on our radar. Google has long been exploring and implementing "innovative and responsible environmental practices across our company to reduce our carbon footprint, ensure efficient computing and help our employees be green," as part of the Google Green Initiative. Thus far, those initiatives have sprouted a dedicated unit of the company to design and build its own solar panels, wind turbines, and energy efficiency devices.
But now, Google has acquired a company that has created a new process for highly efficient isotope separation... that is, uranium enrichment. Obviously, uranium enrichment is a highly regulated industry given the element's nuclear weapon potential. So Google would likely have some pretty high hoops to jump through if it intends to build a nuclear power plant. But as GreenBeat, the site that broke the story, points out: nuclear may be the obvious next step for a company as large, innovative, and apparently energy-focused as Google is.
A few commenters have noted that Google may be trying to "protect itself" in its ongoing battle with Chinese censorship and hacking... which seems like a stretch at this point. We're going to stick with the hope of more nuclear power - from any company or government - and hope that Google's "Don't Be Evil" promise will help them land on the right side here. But again, this is the rumormill... and it's all speculation for now. What we do know is that they've acquired a company with a new enrichment process, and that they've begun to research small, nuclear portable generators. It'll be interesting to see where this one leads. -
A BlackBerry app for LinkedIn's crowd
03/29/10 Last fall, LinkedIn announced that a native app for its BlackBerry users (undoubtedly a large percentage of its 60 million members) was on its way. Yesterday, the app officially launched. We haven't had a chance to play with it yet, so we're not ready to give you the full 360, but we're excited to hear that the app has been designed from the ground up to ensure that LinkedIn's business smartphone users can leverage the social network's full capabilities on a mobile platform.
Here are some of the highlights: Users can integrate their LinkedIn connections with their BlackBerry address book and view contact profiles from the device. LinkedIn invitations and messages can be pushed to the BlackBerry's email inbox, and users can also view the LinkedIn profile of the sender of any email they receive. From within the BlackBerry's calendar, users can view the LinkedIn profile of any meeting attendee, or search across the global network to find and add contacts.
LinkedIn has been consistently adding to its mobile capabilities on other smartphone platforms, has opened its API to developers, and is increasing its integration with social networking and business tools like Twitter and Microsoft Outlook. With such a strong quiver of new capabilities and features, it's solidifying its position as the primary social network for business professionals... and it's nice to see that the company is keeping up with the fast-paced social scene online. You can download LinkedIn for BlackBerry 1.o here, or go to the BlackBerry App World application on your phone to get it directly. -
AT&T 3G Microcell covers dead spots
03/24/10 It's long been known that cell coverage - especially for AT&T's 3G network - is terrible in NYC. In fact, the network apologized last December and acknowledged the "below our standards" performance of its service in the New York and San Francisco markets. Fortunately, the AT&T 3G Microcell can address the problem by extending coverage in its immediate vicinity. Foolishly, AT&T isn't offering the device for free to users stranded in poor service areas.
Some details from AT&T about the Microcell:
AT&T 3G MicroCell acts like a mini cellular tower in your home or small business environment. It connects to AT&T's network via your existing broadband Internet service (such as DSL or cable) and is designed to support up to four simultaneous users in a home or small business setting. With AT&T 3G MicroCell, you receive improved cellular signal performance for both voice calls and cellular data applications like picture messaging and surfing the Web.
That's all great, except that it costs $150. To extend service in areas that AT&T admits to being substandard. We're joining TechCrunch and Gizmodo in calling for AT&T to offer the device free to its customers in NYC. It would be an awesome PR move for them, especially given the volume of negative press they've received about the issue. And it would a self-fulfilling solution: users leaning on the microcell networks in their homes and offices wouldn't be adding to the drag on AT&T's macrocell towers... which would mean better coverage for everyone. And it might finally tip the deck in their direction with business users who, while interested in the iPhone (arguably, AT&T's savior), won't switch to it because of the unreliable network it's married to. -
Cartwheel's March Newsletters
03/22/10 Our March newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: Our Home newsletter is a crash course in computer viruses - Malware 101. The Business newsletter this month helps you understand how hard drives work, and why they die after a few years. In keeping with our theme, it's Hard Drives 101.
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Groupon's social commerce push
03/17/10 Groupon, a social commerce site that leverages consumer participation to offer great deals on products and services, is growing. The site, which launched in 2008, features a daily discount that activates for users once enough of them opt-in that the deal reaches a "tipping point." It's a boon for small businesses because they're guaranteed a minimum number of customers for each promotion. Since the promos work at the local level, businesses get great word-of-mouth and build social connections. And the idea is catching like wildfire, with copycats popping up all over to ride on the coattails of Groupon's success. Groupon just earned itself another groupie in the form of Rob Solomon, a partner at Technology Crossover Ventures, who's joining as President. "Growth is spectacular in revenues and users," said Solomon. It's a company worth watching: the void formerly filled by yellow page and radio ads is ripe for a social solution, and Groupon is positioning itself to fill the gap.
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Enemies of the internet
03/15/10 An article from Reporters without Borders has listed the world's top "enemies of the internet" - countries noted for restricting internet freedoms. Report via CNET:
The fight to restrict freedom is increasingly being fought on the Internet as certain governments continue to censor what content their citizens can see online and try to target those who resist such efforts. The current skirmish between Google and China over filtering search results is just one example.
But it's not only repressive regimes like China that are the culprits, according to a report (PDF here and below) released Monday by Reporters Without Borders. The group, which fights for freedom of the press across the world, has cited several nations for their attempts to restrict freedom on the Net...
...A few of these countries isolate themselves from the rest of the world and so are particularly fearful of the open nature of the Internet. Others restrict development of their Internet or purposely shut or slow it down at times, says Reporters Without Borders.
But certain countries are on the list not only for repressing and restricting Web content but for harassing and arresting bloggers and Internet activists. Close to 120 bloggers, cyberdissidents, and others, are currently in jail for expressing their ideas online, says Reporters Without Borders. China is the worst offender, having put 72 people behind bars, according to the group, followed by Vietnam and Iran...
...In authoritarian countries, traditional print and TV media are typically controlled by a government that restricts any open exchange of ideas and information. But since the Internet can't as easily be controlled, Reporters Without Borders sees it as a important medium for discussion and sharing information, and one in which "repressed civil societies can revive and develop."
Activists increasingly use sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to get their messages across. That's why the group sees Internet freedom as a crucial outlet for repressed societies, and why certain countries see it as a medium that must be controlled.
But there is cause for optimism, says Reporters Without Borders. More Netizens in certain authoritarian countries are effectively using decryption tools and proxy setups to sneak past censorship. More bloggers and other users are organizing themselves into groups as a form of collective resistance. Finally, more pressure is being put on repressive regimes by the United States and other global powers to loosen the reins of censorship.
You can read the full CNET article here. -
Malware strikes, even on reliable sites
03/12/10 This week, two reputable news blogs were targets of malware attacks served up through ads on their sites. At the Drudge Report and TechCrunch, some JavaScript ads set off malware and virus warnings on users' computers. The malware looks to have been pushed through by ad networks that were placing banner advertisements on both sites. To deal with the vulnerabilities, both sites have resorted to displaying only static images (rather than moving, interactive ads) until the source of the malicious ads is determined. Drudge and TechCrunch weren't the only sites victim to the attack - apparently, several sites hosting ads from one network were subject to bad banners being displayed online. The moral of the story? Even at trusted sites, it's possible to become a victim of malware. Protect youself by using a safe browser (such as FireFox), updating all browsers to the most current version (if you're using Internet Explorer 6, or 7, upgrade to IE8 right away), setting your computer to run all automatic system updates, and using a reliable anti-virus program like TrendMicro or Microsoft Security Essentials (which is less full-featured, but free).
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Bluetooth access for airplanes
03/10/10 For frequent business travelers (and the rest of us), mobile phone access on airplanes has always been out of the question. Beyond technical concerns of signal interference with aircraft communications and the less-technical concern with the general comfort of fellow travelers, there's the cost of airlines providing service to the passengers in the first place... and the carry-down cost for those passengers wishing to use the connection, if offered. Looks like ASiQ Limited, a company that develops inflight mobile phone and internet solutions, has come up with an answer to the call. In a press release today, ASiQ announced that its Bluetooth-enabled SafeCell app will provide "affordable SMS, MMS, voice messaging and text email on the popular device of choice, the mobile phone." SafeCell eliminates roaming charges and uses small file sizes so that even a narrow band (as opposed to broadband, the more popularly known term) satellite connection could support a plane full of texting passengers. Where previously Wi-Fi was needed to link devices to the SafeCell transmitter, and therefore required an internet connection, now Bluetooth can do the job of connecting. Bluetooth is cheaper than Wi-Fi, and it sends data pretty quickly - which means that any Bluetooth-enabled device will be able to access all the information it needs to make in-the-air communications feel as solid as those from the ground. All told, the SafeCell system is significantly less expensive to install in an airplane than GSM-based (roaming) or Wi-Fi systems. Given the low cost to carriers, and the high demand from passengers who want to be constantly connected, looks like widespread integration might happen as early as 2011 - the first access point is slated to be installed in the second quarter of this year. We don't know which airline is picking it up first, but we'll keep an eye on ASiQ's progress. Still, the jury's out as to whether passengers will actually have the patience to sit next to a constantly-chattering seatmate.
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Tips for Twittering businesses
03/07/10 We've become pretty active Twitter users here at Cartwheel, and it seems as though the world of Twitter - and its uses as a small business tool - are constantly expanding. If you're not yet using Twitter, check out Twitter 101 - A special guide for businesses, which we've shared before in our newsletters and on this news page. If you've got an account, are tweeting regularly, and want to bring it to the next level, you'll want to go a little more in-depth. Of course, content creation is up to you - as is content sharing. If your tweetstream is a good mix of news, opinion, replies to other tweets, link sharing, and re-tweeting, you're on the right track. Twitter user and blogger @hilzfuld has some great tips for the non-beginner or business user. Check them out at the Tech n' Marketing blog. And follow @cartwheelit on Twitter for news and tips every day. As always, we're happy to answer questions or simply make a connection.
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iPad launches on April 3
03/05/10 As promised, Apple announced an April ship date for its new multi-touch tablet, the iPad. Consumers can pre-order the US non-wireless version of the tablet starting on March 12 for the April 3 pickup date. International orders and orders for the 3G-enabled iPad will roll out to stores later on in April.
Here's the pricing list:
16GB WiFi only – $499
32GB WiFi only – $599
64GB WiFi only – $699
16GB WiFi + 3G – $629
32GB WiFi + 3G – $729
64GB WiFi + 3G – $829
You can read all of Apple's glowing literature about the "magical" device in today's press release at apple.com. -
Verizon: nationwide data outages
03/03/10 There's no "official" verification from Verizon yet, but we're reading reports that BlackBerry devices are experiencing intermittent service cutouts from Verizon all over the nation. Let us know if you notice anything! So far, we've seen sporadic outages in New York, but service hasn't cut out completely at any point.
Update 03/05/10
Good news: service seems to have been restored. No outages reported this morning. -
Playtime over for PS3 owners
03/01/10 The Sony PS3 Network experienced some issues last night that ballooned into a Playstation disaster. Apparently, a clock-related bug could cause significant data loss in network-connected Playstation devices. It's currently causing game crashes, 8001050F error codes, launch failures, and corrupted game info. Owners of "fat" PS3 systems (the older model) shouldn't use the platform until the issue is resolved, Sony says. The newer "slim" PS3 model isn't experiencing the same issues, fortunately. They're hoping to get everything back up and running within the next 24 hours - we'll post an update when there's more news on the issue. We heard from Engadget: "Given that issues started to appear as February 28th became March 1st, it's being speculated that the PSN woes are related to an improper handling of leap years. Similar to the issue that bricked those Zunes back in 2008. Sorry, manually setting your date doesn't help, we tried."
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A smarter power outlet
02/17/10 A new power-saving device, the "Outlet Regulator" designed by RISD student Conor Klein, uses the "power" consumption behavior of a leech as inspiration. The plug modifier monitors electric throughput to any connected device. When it senses that the device is fully charged, the plug uses a timer circuit and electromechanics to physically eject itself from the wall - much like a leech lets go of a host when it has consumed all it needs. Macabre, perhaps. But smart. The design hasn't been sent into production yet, but it won't be long before this - or something like it - hits the shelves to satisfy the power-conscious masses.
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Minority Report: future computing
02/15/2010 Remember Minority Report? The computer "operating environments" (as opposed to operating systems) displayed in the police headquarters of the movie represented every geek's dream of technological interaction. Systems that responded directly to intuitive touch and gestures, bypassing our current barriers of keyboard, trackpads, and mouse-clicks. Despite the ultra-futuristic appearance of these computers and interactions, many fans of the movie felt that a real-life version of the technology wasn't all that far off. Now, they're being proven right. Apple's introduction of multi-touch interfaces in the iPhone and iPad were the first step. Users caught on to using multi-touch quickly - not all that surprising when one considers that the whole point of a direct-interaction interface is to be intuitive and easy on muscle memory. A company called Oblong Industries, whose founders actually created and consulted on the gesture-based interface in Minority Report, are currently working on a real-life version. And it works. They demonstrated the technology at the TED conference this winter, and are looking to make a commercially viable version in the next few years - in fact, Oblong co-founder John Underkoffler claimed at TED, "I think in five years’ time, when you buy a computer, you’ll get this." That's a pretty aggressive timeline, in our opinion, but given how impressive their demo video is, we'd be surprised if these kinds of interfaces weren't common within our lifetimes.
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More social media: Google Buzz
02/10/10 Google is making a play at Twitter and Facebook by entering its own product into the web's social media party. The product is called Google Buzz, and Google is integrating it directly into Gmail, its popular online email site. Buzz works a lot like FriendFeed, a social application now absorbed by Facebook: it shows a constant stream of updates from friends (which Google handily populates from your Gmail contacts list, helping to overcome the initial hurdle of "gathering" contacts). You can "buzz" from within your Gmail account, and you can also direct it to import items other sharing sites like Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Google Reader, and YouTube. It uses these services to populate the stream with pictures, videos, links, and status updates from your contacts, and then allows you to vote or comment on those updates. So... the service is cool. It reminds us of Google Wave, and is probably a product that Google will use to shepherd users toward being comfortable with a Wave-type interface in the future. But really, do we need another social network? Google won't be satisfied until it has its fingers in every element of the web (it's most of the way there already). But who knows if users will actually catch on - or have the energy to track yet another inbox with items to "mark as read." Google's advantage here is that its new social network is already filled with users - Gmail prompted individuals to take a look at the service Wednesday afternoon with an automatic reload of its login page. Google is also pushing the mobile platform for Buzz, available now on iPhone and Android phones. Maybe avid Gmailers will naturally gravitate toward the network, unable to resist the urge to get rid of those pesky (3) unread message notifications in the Buzz stream. Only time will tell, obviously, but we've already heard a bit of negative backlash against this seemingly forced entry into Google's new social stream of choice. In the meantime, we're playing with it to see if having a consolidated stream from all our networks is worth it. It's certainly not as simple as a network like Twitter, but maybe this Facebook-like complexity will eventually work to Google's advantage as users become more network-savvy and demand a hub for all the data streams they're tapped in to. It's certainly a step forward in the evolution of email to instant messaging to status updates.
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Accuweather gets a website refresh
02/08/10 Weather forecasting website accuweather.com is launching a complete redesign of its site, suitably timed with this week's predicted East Coast snowstorm. The redesign comes along with a few new features that Accuweather hopes will push it ahead of online forecasting competitor weather.com. The site's new layout is nice, with larger text, fewer ads, and and accessible menus that make navigation less of a headache. The old site, still up (for now) at accuweather.com, was garbled and messy - something out of a 1990s HTML nightmare. You can see a preview of the new site at weatherforyourlife.com - the site's "Weather For Your Life" name is in step with Accuweather's new angle on weather forecasting, which includes an interactive community, lifestyle/activity suggestions and alerts based on the forecast, and local video forecasts for over 100 US cities. The site is set to launch officially on February 15th.
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Google to sell $300 designer scarves
02/05/10 It's not often that we write about design - though some of our favorite clients are designers right here in NYC. Google has decided to sell has decided to sell Google-inspired merchandise, including the $300 Flora Gill scarf, as part of a collaboration with Vogue and Council of Fashion Designers program initiated last year. Participating designers were asked to create an item that reflected Google's aura... dare we say that they meant something "Googley" (a term Google employees often use to describe all things Google). You can buy one of these pricey pieces of froppery at googlestore.com. Other items for sale include a Google Maps teardrop "vintage" t-shirt and even jewelry: there's a "search" inspired magnifying glass necklace listed at $200. What a strange twist on tech fashion. We thought geekstyle looked more like this guy.
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HTML5
02/03/10 HTML5 is a phrase that's been batted around a lot over the past couple of weeks. After the launch of Apple's iPad, users noticed that Flash support was conspicuously absent (well, sort of: we've noticed for a long time that the iPhone and iPod Touch don't support Flash, either). Google used it to redesign its Google Voice web app in a neat runaround of Apple's original block of their Google Voice App for iPhone. YouTube and Vimeo have tested it, leading to further speculation that it might be a "Flash killer." But... what is it? Well, in layman's terms, it's just another internet language - a type of code that provides the framework for a website. HTML (sans "5") and other technologies like CSS and Java are part the increasingly complex array of languages and codes that make up all websites. HTML5 stands to change the landscape because it functions "beyond" what we understand as typical for the web. Coding with HTML5 allows developers to add rich application functionality to web apps, so functions like drag-and-drop, video plugins, and offline storage will make a website experience more akin to what we currently see in desktop applications. Gizmodo has a great introduction to HTML5 - take a look to dig into the specifics.
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Aaaaand... we're back!
02/01/10 We've been working on our site's back-end for a few days, so we've been conspicuously absent on the news front. What'd we miss? The iPad, for one. More hullabaloo between Google and China. And a big attack on IE6 from some enterprising hackers. We're back on track now, and ready to keep you in the loop! Check back early and often for news from Cartwheel, and some other great developments in the next couple months.
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Firefox 3.6
01/21/10 Mozilla released the latest version of its Firefox browser today. The most notable change is a huge improvement in speed - up to 20% over the Firefox 3.5 load and rendering times. A completely new feature called Personas allows users to customize the browser with a single click... and without a restart. In a week where Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is suffering from the bad press of several serious hacker attacks, Mozilla stands to gain some ground with its latest upgrade. You can download Firefox 3.6 here.
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We're in the news!
01/18/10 We're delivering Cartwheel Unlimited to Sharpe Partners, an interactive agency that needed support nimble enough to keep up with their complex technical capabilities and constantly-expanding capabilities. Take a look at the Press Release over to the right, "Cartwheel Delivers Unlimited Technology Solution to Media Company Sharpe Partners" - you can read all about it.
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Mashable's guide to Twitter
01/16/10 Like it or hate it, Twitter is becoming impossible for anyone - including businesses - to ignore. But new users (like we were, just a few months ago) can have a hard time making sense of the jargon. On top of that, sometimes the whole effort feels pointless - for a new business with few followers, it's as if no one is listening... and it's hard to attract more without an existing network. All that said, it's still a worthwhile effort. Eventually, you'll make enough noise to start a dialogue. In the meantime, read Mashable's Twitter Guidebook - it will help you get familiar with everything from phrases like Retweeting and #hashtags to finding followers and sharing media.
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Cartwheel's January Newsletters
01/13/10 Our January newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: Our Home newsletter covers some organizational New Year's resolutions: better passwords and online finances (hint: ever used mint.com?). The Small Biz newsletter this month has some good New Year's resolutions, too: secure password policies for the whole office, and how to protect against data theft.
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Email overload: is Twitter the cure?
01/11/10 We've been hearing for years that email is a "broken" system - it's outdated, based on the inefficient model of snail mail, vulnerable to spam, and insistent upon being read. A few (mostly failed) attempts have been made at changing the system. But for the most part, communicating via email is such an ingrained behavior that it'll be hard to phase out. Google's Wave platform is the most notable recent attempt, but even that hasn't really caught on (granted, it's in perpetual beta). With Twitter's and Facebook's rise to popularity, we've caught on to a new type of messaging: streaming, public feeds that don't demand to be read. And protected direct messages that can only be delivered by trusted contacts (no more spam). While inboxes demand to be cleaned and vetted after a long vacation, Twitter feeds just disappear into the past. Sure, you can go back and review - but you don't feel like you "have to" when you're back at the office on Monday. When spammers contact you, you can simply block their accounts from sending you messages; something that email hasn't ever been able to accomplish. It's an interesting time. Will Twitter and Facebook fix the email problem by marginalizing it, allowing email to continue to exist, but diminishing its relevance? Or will an entirely new system like Google Wave sweep in and put a fresh face on the entire system? Guardian Technology has an interesting article on the topic. Definitely worth a read.
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Intuit combines Mint.com and Quicken
01/08/10 A few months after its purchase of financial planning website Mint.com, Intuit has decided to phase out its Quicken Online service and combine the two sites. The new product, which they called "Mint.com by Quicken" in a December blog post about the change, will combine highly rated elements of each service (based on user feedback). Quicken Online will be end-of-lifed over the course of the year, with existing users (and their data, hopefully) transitioned over to the Mint.com platform. Within a couple of years, Intuit plans to have a version that will bridge the online-offline gap, allowing next-gen users to take advantage of cloud computing, while enabling older users to stay with a desktop version that's more familiar. We're covering Mint.com in our January newsletter; check back next week to take a look!
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The Nexus One
01/06/10 Yesterday, Google announced its newest Android smartphone: the Nexus One. We haven't put our hands on one yet, but from the news we're hearing it might have chance of making a dent in the BlackBerry/iPhone supremacy... if non-geeks start using it! So far, Android phones have settled solidly in the realm of the computer geek/early adopter. BlackBerry and iPhone devices have a solid hold on the business and mass consumer market, so unless Google can do something to make its phones meaningful in the business world, they might be stuck in the margins against those trusted brands. That said, we found some good Nexus One reviews online that cover everything from the phone's specs to its chances at success. Enjoy!
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Rumored: The Apple Tablet
01/04/10 We're generally wary of Apple Tablet rumors - since it seems like every other year since 1994, we've heard strong rumors of "it's coming this year" or "it'll be announced in January." And it didn't. This time seems different, though. There are more rumors. They're louder. And they're more specific. From what we can tell now, the Apple Tablet (variously clepped TabletMac and iSlate, among others) is going to be announced on January 26th. It'll have a 10 inch (give or take) screen, single button and multitouch navigation just like the iPhone and iPod Touch, and 3D graphics. Sounds pretty cool. The rumormill also says the device will ship sometime in March. Who knows... maybe this time we'll hold our breath!
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Happy New Year!
01/01/10 Happy New Year from all of us at Cartwheel! We're looking forward to an awesome 2010 - stay tuned to Cartwheel right here on our news page, and over at twitter.com/cartwheelit for lots of upcoming developments.
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Cartwheel Twitters
12/23/09 Our Tech Tips digest is out today! Check it out below, or go straight to the source at www.twitter.com/cartwheelit.
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Yelp backs down from Google sale
12/21/09 Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of Yelp.com, walked away from an all-but-signed deal to sell the site to Google for over $550 million. Perhaps he's considering a strategic partnership with another company? No news yet on who that might be, although if a different company was part of the conversation, it'd have to be pretty big (Apple? Microsoft/Bing?) to make him back down from something as solid as Google.
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Rackspace is down
12/18/09 Cloud hosting company Rackspace is down this afternoon. The outage is affecting a number of major internet sites, including TechCrunch.com, 37Signals, and PictureMarketing.com. RackSpace is having networking issues, a problem they've experienced a few times this year already.
UPDATE: The issues are resolved. You should be able to surf again now! -
Evernotes comes to the Android
12/16/09 A couple months back, we covered note-taking application Evernote on our news feed and in our September newsletters. It's a great cross-platform tool: you can take notes online, on your iPhone or Blackberry, or on the desktop app. Everything updates across the board, so when you take a quick note on your iPhone you can access it online minutes later when you're back at the office. Until now, the app wasn't available in the Android App Store. Android still has a pretty small userbase, so Cartwheel readers probably didn't feel the its absence too much. But it's good to know that one of our favorite apps is finally available to the Android segment. The interface looks similar (though not identical) to the iPhone version - a boon, because the iPhone app's simplicity is what makes this feature-rich tool still easy enough to use on a small mobile platform.
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Net crooks turn to social networks
12/14/09 We read an interesting New York Times article this morning about the newly fashionable Social Network virus - the kind that attacks your Facebook or Twitter account. These viruses spread themselves by hijacking people's accounts and messaging everyone in the account's contact list. In the past, viruses proliferated by emails were more likely to be stopped: spam blockers, firewalls, and antivirus software helped protect users from the malicious programs. But these programs (not really viruses, the Times appropriately notes, since they're not self-contained... but still popularly thought of as such), spread through the web, are harder to stop: no firewalls to help out there. Even our own @cartwheelit Twitter account was recently phished. Sure, it wasn't a virus - but it was still bothersome to have our Twitter account sending messages like "Take my cool IQ test, see if you're smart too" to all of our followers. And that is what's particularly bothersome to many people about these social network "viruses" - they're totally public. Once you're infected, everyone can see it. And until you notice (some people don't notice for weeks, the article says), you're blasting awkward or potentially inappropriate messages to everyone you're connected to. How can you protect yourself? For starters, pick a really secure password - one that has a good mix of letters, numbers, and symbols... but that's easy for you to remember. Be wary of communications from friends that seem strange or out-of-character. Their account may have been compromised, and if you click on any pictures or links displayed in the suspicious message, yours probably will be too. If you have any questions or think your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account might be flirting with danger, give us a call at 212 206 9619 - we've been through it, too!
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Cartwheel's December Newsletters
12/11/09 Our December newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: Our Home newsletter is an iPhone-free holiday gift guide. The Small Biz newsletter this month covers some tax tips so that you can get ready for closing the books come end-of-year. Can't wait for April's warmer weather, even if we aren't exactly looking forward to tax season.
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Kayak's new app
12/09/09 In our second "app news" installment of the week, we're taking a look at the launch of Kayak's new iPhone app. The discount travel site's free app arrived just in time for last-minute holiday planning. After playing with it for a bit, we were pleased. We're already fans of Kayak's web application, and the new iPhone version gets closer to that experience. As is the case with all good apps (at least, in our view), it's simple and intuitive. It takes less than a minute to plug in criteria and get results loaded. A few things we missed from the web version: you can't search with flexible travel dates (one of the best price-finding features of Kayak). And there's no way to "favorite" or remember a flight if you want to purchase it later. Basically, once you select a flight you can click a link to purchase on the airline's website, or other travel sites like Orbitz or CheapTickets. Of course, once you do that you leave the app and go to the .mobi site you chose. But we're not sure how many people are actually comfortable booking an airline flight over their mobile phone, so for now this app's utility is mostly just informational. We can't see it leading to a direct booking quite yet. But maybe that's the way of the future.
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AT&T's service improvement app
12/07/09 AT&T released an app for the iPhone (coming soon to BlackBerry) that allows users to pinpoint where and when they experience service issues like dropped calls, poor voice quality, or data failure. We just downloaded it, and boy! it's easy to use. We have spotty AT&T coverage in our Manhattan office, so we chose "Dropped Call" as the issue and "Often" from the menu of Once-Seldom-Often-Always for frequency. Just hit the Submit button, and the feedback is sent to AT&T. You get a free SMS message back from them to confirm the details. Hopefully this will lead to better coverage. In the meantime, we can expect a small backlash of "not good enough" quips from frustrated consumers. And we can't blame them - "no more dropped calls" is high on our wish list this season. You can get the app for free at the iTunes App Store (link opens iTunes).
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Bing's response to Google Maps
12/02/09 Bing Maps went live today with a public beta release. It's a strong response to Google's now-dominant Google Maps tool (which has all but sidelined Yahoo Maps and Mapquest... remember those?). Bing Maps has its own version of Google's Street View, called Streetside, and introduces a number of new features like What's Nearby (which plots points of interest), Photosynth (makes realistic virtual walkthroughs by stitching photos together), and Map Apps to allow third parties to integrate info from Twitter, breaking news, traffic, etc. We haven't done the full walkthrough yet - and if you don't have Silverlight, you won't be able to either - but TechCrunch has a test drive that's worth a look.
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Cyber Monday
11/30/09 In a fit of marketing madness, online retailers have extended the Black Friday tradition what we're now having to call "Cyber Monday" - a day of online deals to rival in-store promotions (and doubtless give them a little extra buoyancy). And in an even greater fit of internet-age phrase coinage, Cyber Monday is quickly becoming Cyber Week. We don't know which we like (or dislike) more, but the upside of having another retail holiday is that there are a lot deals out there. From Amazon.com to specialty stores like Paragon, threadless.com, and Best Buy, sites are offering deep discounts, free shipping, and other incentives. We can expect the "Monday" to last all week - or at least for as long as consumers are hitting online stores to shop for holiday gifts and bargains on non-gift items too.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
11/26/09 Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there! We're closed for Turkey Day and Black Friday, and will be back in business Monday bright and early. Enjoy the holiday.
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LinkedIn's API
11/23/09 Interesting news via TechCrunch: "This morning, professional social network LinkedIn announced that it is opening up its API for developers to build applications around the platform. While LinkedIn has partnered with Twitter, Microsoft, IBM, Research In Motion and others, this will be the first time startups can tap into the platform.
While LinkedIn is releasing 11 different APIs, they fall into three distinct categories. First, developers will be able to let users easily access their information, profiles, connections and messages via oAuth login. The second functionality is to give users the ability to make actionable decisions about information, but letting them message their LinkedIn contacts, post updates, accept contacts and more. And the third piece of the puzzle is search. So developers will now be able to embed LinkedIn search in other applications."
Looks like Microsoft (whose Outlook partnership with LinkedIn we covered last week in this news column) will have some competition from the little guys! -
Outlook and LinkedIn hook up
11/19/09 Microsoft Outlook and LinkedIn are partnering to offer an Outlook add-in that will integrate contact information from LinkedIn's online social networking platform with users' Outlook address books. The feature, which will ship with Office 2010 but will also be available to Outlook 2003 and 2007 users, is the first big partnership between Microsoft and LinkedIn - and judging by how useful it sounds, we're hoping to see more cross-platform integrations like this one in the future.
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Things we like: Litl
11/17/09 via Uncrate: Don't dare call it a netbook. The Litl ($700), the first "webbook" from Boston-based Litl, is a mix between a netbook and a photo frame on steroids. It packs standard netbook hardware — a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, HDMI output, 1GB of RAM, 2GB of flash memory, Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, a webcam, mic, and speakers — but moves beyond the typical mini-laptop paradigm with a customized OS and a unique design that allows the 12.1-inch screen to be rotated past 180 degrees, letting it stand on its own like an easel, displaying content such as a Facebook feed, photos from Flickr or Shutterfly, Weather Channel forecasts, and more.
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Evernote gets $10 million infusion
11/15/09 Note-taking application suite Evernote just raised another $10 million in second-round venture funding. The app, which we covered in our September newsletter, is designed to help users remember everything from wine labels to meeting notes, by combining note-taking capabilities with photo text recognition and and voice memos. Evernote also indexes that data so that it's searchable and accessible across desktop, internet, and smartphone versions. We like the app, but we're not totally convinced that it's a long-term moneymaker. It runs as a freemium service right now, which means that a basic version is free and users can buy upgraded versions with extra capabilities like auto-synching of all files and additional storage space. We haven't yet found the need to upgrade to the paid version, but who knows - with $10 million behind it, maybe Evernote will add enough new features to convince us. Read more at venturebeat.com.
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Cartwheel's November Newsletters
11/12/09 Our November newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: the newsletters feature our no-nonsense reviews of Windows 7 for home and for business users. Sneak peek: we like it!
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NYT gets a new online reader
11/11/09 The New York Times is getting closer to launching a new online layout that is supposed to allow individuals to organize and consume NYT online content in some interesting new ways. The Times leaned on feedback from its Insight Lab users to develop the layout prototype, which it's still trying to officially name (candidates include Article Skimmer, Grid View, Times View, Easy View, Broadsheet, and Easy Reader). The Times officially reports on the product: "NYTimes.com is launching a new online feature that offers the experience of reading a newspaper spread out on a table, allowing readers to more easily browse through headlines and discover stories deep within a section. Each section of the Web site is organized in an easy-to-read grid displaying the headlines and short summaries of each story. Full articles are one click away and keyboard short cuts provide easy navigation from section to section. Readers can select from among eight different skins to display content in the way that best meets their interests and needs." The prototype is available for public viewing at prototype.nytimes.com/newview. But the real highlight of the story is that the NYT Insight Lab is allowing the struggling newspaper to leverage its loyal readerbase in a sort of informal thinktank to come up with ideas that may - they can only hope - help the paper survive in a world of rapidly shrinking print news.
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Viper SmartStart
11/09/09 As if the iPhone couldn't already do enough ridiculous things remotely (including controlling your computers, turning on your TV, and ordering Chipotle), there's a new app that allows it, of all things, to turn on your car. The system is called Viper SmartStart, and it comes with a remote start module (which you install in the car itself) and an app - everything but the iPhone is included in the $499 price tag, sold through Best Buy. In addition to starting the car itself (just in time for you to step out of the winter cold into a pre-heated driver's seat), the app can do just about everything your car's keyring remote does: lock/unlock the car, panic mode, parking lot finder, trunk release. SmartStart allows for multiple "drivers," so more than one phone can be set to control the car, and it can also control multiple vehicles. Of course, if you're like most New Yorkers and don't have a car to play James Bond with, you can always just download the free app and pretend.
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Finally, some privacy
11/06/09 In a move that rings true to its "Don't be evil" mantra, Google is launching a Privacy Dashboard for use with its (numerous) products. As consumers use Google as a portal for more and more of their online activities, it's getting easier to lose track of just how much data they're storing: from email to YouTube to calendars, chat, search, and general browsing, Google has its fingers in just about every part of the average internet surfer's experience. In fact, if you're simply logged in to your Google account (that could mean you just have a Gmail tab open, or use iGoogle as your homepage), the company tracks every site you visit and adds it to your browsing history. Of course, these facts don't present an inherent problem - some users even like the ability to dig into their history or find old conversations. But for those of us who simply prefer to turn all that stuff off - from the privacy mavens and conspiracy-theorizers to the average joe - Google is finally making it easy to do by putting a simple dashboard in place. From there, you can view all of the data being stored, delete unwanted items from your history, and modify settings if you just want tracking turned off all-together. You can log in to your Google Dashboard at google.com/dashboard.
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SugarSync steps it up for small biz
11/03/09 SugarSync, something of a personal CRM and data-syncing/backup system, is rolling out a version of its product for small business. The platform, developed by Sharpcast, basically acts as a backup and data storage center for all of a user's devices - desktops, laptops, smartphones, and even some televisions. SugarSync stores the data (like docs, videos, spreadsheets, pictures, etc.) in the cloud and allows the user to access any of it from almost any other device. The business version will be positioned to allow companies to treat the system like a virtual server: enterprise users can store and share documents, collaborate online, and sync phone or computer data company-wide. The service will be sold for a monthly fee, and SugarSync is also promising free customer support by phone... something Microsoft has quite been able to get the hang of yet. To learn more about SugarSync for Business, go to www.sugarsync.com/business.
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Apple's ad man takes a bow
10/30/09 Lee Clow, the man behind some of Apple's most iconic ad campaigns, stepped down from his post as chief creative officer of TBWA/Media Arts Lab, Apple's main creative agency (the Media Arts Lab was founded in 2006 specifically to serve Apple's ad needs). He's being succeeded by Duncan Mills, who's been involved with TBWA since 1990 and until now served as executive creative director at Apple. Clow will stay on as chairman and global director of Media Arts Lab, and chief creative of TWBA... so it's not exactly as if Apple will be losing its ace. Aside from Clow's legacy of ads - which includes the original Macintosh "1984" ad, the iPod silhouette ads, and the Mac vs. PC ads - Clow also sought to create through Media Arts Lab a new type of agency that "makes culture, rather than just commercials" (via Advertising Age). Given that we expect to see plenty of iPod silhouette and John Hodgman costumes dancing around town this Halloween... looks to us like he succeeded.
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Motorola Droid: Landing next week
10/28/09 Verizon's Motorola Droid (officially, "Verizon Wireless DROID By Motorola: World’s First Smartphone with Android™ 2.0" - quite a mouthful) will ship starting November 6. The phone, which operates using Google's Android 2.o OS, will start at only $199, a price that threatens to undercut Apple's more expensive iPhone (though both data plans are similarly priced, around $30-$40). Google's updated operating system looks like it's going to make a splash - for one, it includes a free GPS navigation system, Google Maps for Mobile, that offers turn-by-turn directions and stunning graphics... and it's exclusive to Android 2.0. We tweeted about that this morning, before the Droid announcement hit the papers.Take a look at Verizon's Droid Page, or read the press release over at Motorola's press center.
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DriveSafe.ly
10/26/09 Just in time for us to miss covering it in our October "Texting While Driving" newsletter (which you can find in the Newsletters section of this page, to your right), a new technology aid for the texting-impaired has been released. It's called DriveSafe.ly (yes, that's a URL), and it's a free mobile app that reads SMS messages or emails aloud while your hands are occupied keeping you safe between the lanes. It'll also allow you to respond, hands-free, to messages of both types. The app is powered by a well-known online speech conversion engine - iSpeech.org, so hopefully the app won't have the same speech recognition issues we've experienced in our reviews of other hands-free messaging apps.
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Windows 7!
10/23/09 The wait is over: Windows 7 was released this week, promising to fulfill the (unfulfilled) promise of Vista. We're working on a full review so we can give you the Cartwheel take on Microsoft's new operating system. In the meantime, fee free to get excited - but don't get too caught up in the hype. We usually recommending waiting for the first service pack release before launching a major upgrade of your systems and software... and as much as we're confident that Windows 7 will be the OS everyone's been hoping for, it never hurts to exercise a bit of extra patience. Bugs and glitches in the OS will be uncovered in the first couple months of mass use, and when the first service pack comes it will address any of the major issues uncovered. Look for our newsletter early next month: we'll have a full "plain English" rundown of our test results, complete with likes, dislikes, and whether it's a must-have.
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Facebook to add music sales
10/21/09 Facebook's online shop, where users can use the site's "virtual currency" to purchase items (like virtual gifts for friends) from the site, is about to undergo an interesting expansion: the social networking hub plans to allow members to purchase more gifts, games, and now music. It's also allowing outside companies to develop and sell items inside the store - so third-party developers can create games, add music, or sell branded gifts... all with Facebook taking a cut.
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Visual Studio floats toward the cloud
10/19/09 Via TechCrunch: Microsoft is making a significant announcement for developers today, upgrading and adding functionality to Visual Studio 2010 to make the product more cloud-friendly in anticipation of Microsoft’s release of its commercial cloud platform Azure. Visual Studio is Microsoft’s a development environment that can be used to develop web applications, sites and services based on Microsoft’s technology platforms. Visual Studio 2010 will have additional testing options for developers to ensure quality code. Microsoft has included built-in tools for Windows 7 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010, and new drag and drop bindings for Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation. This is the first time that Microsoft has offered specific tools for building applications off of SharePoint. And with Visual Studio, developers can also build applications that cut across both Microsoft’s cloud computing platform Azure and on-premises databases. Read more at TechCrunch.
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YouTube lurches toward profitability
10/16/09 Google had its 3Q09 earnings call yesterday, and among the news - which was generally sunny - we noticed that YouTube had a particularly noticeable highlight. The video site is now monetizing over one billion views each week, which means that one in every seven videos viewed on the site results in a click or conversion that earns money for Google. Good news, since Google's $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube three years ago has generally been seen as a fumble. Google's shareholders questioned why the company would pay a premium for a site that wasn't profitable... and had no clear path toward becoming so. Now that YouTube is getting enough views, and adspace is finally selling out with spots going to major advertisers, it's reaching the tipping point.
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Finland: broadband is a legal right
10/14/09 Some surprising news from across the pond: Finland announced today that its citizens will have the right to a broadband connection of at least 1MB by July 2010. The move is an intermediary step toward Finland's promise to make a 100Mb connection a legal right by the year 2015. Finland is the first country to create a law guaranteeing internet access for its 5.5 million citizens; decades ago, the US enacted similar laws to help put a phone in every American household... we'll see how long it takes Washington to follow Finland's lead with this next leap forward in technology. To us, this looks like another move toward "IT as a utility" - a good sign.
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Sidekick troubles
10/12/09 Amid rampant service outages and data disruptions last week, T-Mobile Sidekick smartphone data services provider Danger (a Microsoft subsidiary) announced an even more crippling issue: due to some sort of botched server upgrade at Danger, all customer data that was not locally backed up on an individual's computer (and that's probably a LOT of data, given that the Sidekick stores its data in the cloud whenever it's not plugged in to a computer)... is lost forever. Danger/Microsoft say that they're working on recovering whatever they can, but they're not optimistic about the possibility of restoring any of the lost data. This is a bit like Microsoft "losing" everyone's phone at once... and customers can't do anything about it. Microsoft probably didn't have a working backup of its users' data - a critical mistake. So if you've got a Sidekick, and it's still on its feet, what can you do to protect your data? You can plug it in and try to make a local backup on your computer - but if you're not comfortable doing that, or you're worried you might botch things yourself, just take a couple precautions and give us a call if you want a hand with the backup: don't restart the phone, remove your battery, or allow the phone to run out of battery. If your data is still intact, make as few changes as possible until you can ensure that you've got a copy of it safely stored on your own PC.
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Cartwheel Newsletters
10/09/09 Our October newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: our business newsletter explains virtualization in plain English... with some helpful diagrams to bring it to life. The home newsletter discusses the latest tech safety issue: emailing and texting while driving. We're sharing some research and tips, and examining whether technology can help save you from your own gadgets.
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Rackspace pushes CaaS
10/07/09 Rackspace, a hosting service and cloud computing platform for businesses, is launching NoMoreServers.com to promote Computing-as-a-Service. CaaS enterprise IT models (such as hosting, Software-as-a-Service, and cloud computing) move a company's entire technology infrastructure and day-to-day operations to the cloud, where physical assets like servers and soft assets like applications are accessible from anywhere and eliminate the risk of ownership. According the site, "NoMoreServers.com empowers you to learn, keep current, and debate the trend that will bring the end of in-house computing and the rise of the All Cloud Enterprise (ACE)." It will cover hosting, cloud computing, SaaS, and the key vendors driving them (eg: Amazon, Google, Rackspace, Salesforce, etc.). We've already seen this shift start with Salesforce's "No Software" campaign, which started in 1999... looks like it's gaining steam.
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Intel pushes connections to lightspeed
10/05/09 Fiber optics: coming soon to a connector cable near you. Intel is developing a high-speed optical cable for devices like cameras, televisions, and personal computers. If the cable, code-named Light Peak, has commercial success (which depends on the interest of hardware manufacturers like Sony and Apple, who will decide whether to make their devices compatible), it may be a "single cable" replacement for a myriad of other connectors, including the ubiquitous USB cable, HDMI for audio/visual, or DVI for computer-to-display. The biggest upside to Light Peak - or any other fiber optic cable, for that matter - is speed. Metal-based cables like the ones we mentioned above can carry data at only fractions of lightspeed... about 1/20th, according to a New York Times article on the topic. Light Peak, as its name suggests, will carry data at the speed of light (fiber optic cables transmit data using light rather than electricity). The Light Peak connectors won't be available until 2010, but we can expect them to be thin, flexible, and hopefully, universal before too long. Read more about it on Intel's tech research site, here.
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Mobile internet usage: going up
10/02/09 According to The Nielsen Company, mobile web browsing (on devices like iPhones, BlackBerrys, and other smartphones) is up 34% compared to last year's stats. Men still comprise the biggest chunk of users, and early adopters are mainly men in their 20s-50s, but women, teen, and senior users are driving the latest increase mobile internet usage as devices proliferate and improve.
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Weebly: drag-and-drop websites
09/30/09 Weebly, a web startup that simplifies website building for consumers, is launching an "education" version of its product that will allow students and educators to craft their own sites or blogs... without having to deal with any of the complicated CSS or HTML that so often are barriers for would-be website builders. Interestingly, the new education version of the interface adds some collaboration and management features to the product that will allow teachers to manage students websites and help them organize projects online. Weebly also has added privacy features so that teachers can keep their classroom's work and projects protected. And, like Weebly's regular service, it's free (of course, there's always a Pro upgrade that'll unlock more if you want to pay). Take a peek at education.weebly.com. We haven't taken it for a test-drive yet, but anything that makes website building easier, and accessible to the "inexpert," is worth a look.
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The LookingGlass
09/28/09 Microsoft is planning a new business tool for social media that will allow companies to "listen to, participate in, and analyze social media" as they create advertising. With LookingGlass, Microsoft says, "What we're trying to do is to make social media actionable for businesses." The platform will basically allow business to collect data across social media sites (such as Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) and integrate it with their CRMs, databases, Outlook, Sharepoint, and other service points... and then use the data to better target their advertising and networking efforts. Microsoft's Advertising blog mentioned the product last week, and TechCrunch has an interesting take on it as well.
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Netflix Awards $1M
09/22/09 Netflix finally announced the winner of a $1M prize to improve its recommendation system. Remember this? If you don't, it's because it's been going on for three years. Anyway, if this is a model for future corporate innovation, they better figure out how to make it faster!
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Google Releases Display Ad Exchange
09/18/09 After a lot of build-up, Google has unveiled its display-ad marketplace. While Google reigns in search text ads, running auctions for display ads (graphics images) is a new market for them. Typically, display ads are sold through individual agreements between media buyers and web sites. For Google to succeed, it'll have to convince a whole lot of web sites and media buyers that they need a middle man to get the most out of their display ads. Read more on the Google's ad exchange on their blog.
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Gov't Has an App Store
9/16/09 The Federal CIO announced an App Store for government workers. Let's see if they can make even the cloud inefficient!
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NYT Readers Get Spyware
9/14/09 Today, the New York Times announced that a fake advertiser displayed malicious ads on their web site over the weekend. If viewers saw an ad for an antivirus program, and clicked on it, they may have fallen victim. If you think you are at risk, see this web site.
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Apple's Rock 'n Roll Event
09/11/09 This week, Apple announced a slew of product updates to the iPod and iTunes lineup as part of its annual September music event/announcements. We'll keep our coverage brief, since you can see most of the colorful pictures on Apple's own news page, www.apple.com/hotnews. Among the items released in the 09/09/09 event: iTunes 9, a new iPod nano with built-in video camera, an updated iPod touch lineup with pricing down to $199, and the iPod shuffle at $59.
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Cartwheel Newsletters
09/10/09 Our September newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: our business newsletter covers apps to keep you in business on your iPhone or BlackBerry. The home newsletter features iPhone and BlackBerry apps to keep you organized, and keep you learning, in honor of the Back to Work/Back to School season.
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Palm unveils Pixi phone
09/09/09 Palm is set to unveil the Pixie phone this week; the second of its WebOS phones. Pixie is Palm's internal name for the device - we have yet to see if they'll release it under a different moniker. UPDATE: The phone's official name is the Palm Pixi, according to a press release and Palm's website. It's a smaller, thinner version of Palm's earlier Pre WebOS phone, and sports a touchscreen and manual keyboard. But, notably, it lacks Wi-Fi... a feature that, in the current market of Wi-Fi and internet enabled smartphones, may do a lot to hurt sales. At $149, it's only $50 less than the $199 Pre... so we're not sure how the cost savings here would tip the scales for the educated smartphone buyer. The device is currently set to sell "in time for the holidays," so perhaps Palm will rethink its pricing structure before then to make the phone a more attractive offering. Voice and data services for the Pixi will be available exclusively through Sprint.
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Happy Labor Day!
09/07/09 Happy Labor Day from all of us here at Cartwheel. We'll be back with more news after the long weekend.
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Google to preview Wave platform
09/04/09 This week, Google announced that it will open its Wave platform to select schools and businesses around the nation as part of a fall preview. Wave is a an email/IM hybrid: in Google's words, a tool for communication and collaboration on the web. It's been generating a lot of interest since it was announced at a Google developer conference this past May. Google is positioning the realtime communication tool to change the nature of internet collaboration: "Users can insert text, photos, gadgets, maps, web feeds and edit instantaneously. Organizations can also tap into Wave’s APIs to integrate with existing tools and workflows." The full press release is available on Google's official blog. You can sign up for the Wave preview (though they'll only choose a select few from those who apply) or learn more about the product at wave.google.com. And if you're interested in using Wave for your business once the finished product is released, you can visit the Google Apps main page at google.com/a.
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Salesforce launches Contact Manager
09/02/09 SalesForce has launched a new, lightweight edition of its online CRM software. The Contact Manager Edition is aimed at small businesses that don't need the full functionality of a CRM, but need a comprehensive contact management system to keep address books and email trails organized. Contact Manager stores and manages all accounts and their underlying contacts from the cloud, for $9/month. The system integrates with any email application, including Gmail and Outlook, and will track all emails, keeping a record of customer interactions. It will allow users to create and run activity reports, and manage tasks and meetings. The CRM comes with full Google Apps integration, a move which may put even more pressure on Microsoft's attempt to compete with cloud giants like SalesForce and Google.
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iPhone may open to non-AT&T carriers
08/31/2009 Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray predicts that AT&T may lose its exclusivity contract with Apple some time in the next year or so. According to AppleInsider, "the Piper Jaffray analyst is not alone in believing the iPhone could jump ship next year, as others believe Apple is looking to Verizon as a possible alternative. Even Denny Strigle, Verizon's president, has been complimentary of the iPhone this year, as his company is rumored to be fast-tracking its new 4G network for launch by early 2010. AT&T, meanwhile, is said to be continuing its negotiations with Apple, in an attempt to keep the iPhone exclusive through 2011. While customers have been extremely satisfied with Apple's phone and have embraced it, many U.S. customers have been disappointed with the AT&T network." Verizon is rumored to be "next in line" because of Sprint's relationship with Palm smartphones and T-Mobile's partnership with Google to offer Android.
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Nokia's Booklet 3G
08/28/09 Finnish mobile hardware giant Nokia is rolling out a laptop computer. It's the company's first entry into the netbook market, though announcement comes as a not entirely unexpected surprise: with Apple rumored to be releasing a tablet or netbook sometime in the next year, Nokia may be trying to get a leap ahead in the game. The Booklet 3G shares many features familiar to cellphone/smartphone users: 3G connectivity, a SIM card slot, Bluetooth, and WiFi. It's also on par with some of the higher-end netbook features currently available: Windows 7, an Intel Atom processor, and a screen just over 10 inches diagonal. You can take a deeper look at the Nokia Booklet 3G here, or watch the video to see it in action.
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Mac OS X Snow Leopard ships Friday
08/26/09 Apple's newest OS release, Snow Leopard, ships this Friday, August 28th. The Mac OS X 10.6 software comes with a slew of upgrades, and is available for $29.00 as an upgrade from OS X 10.5, or for $9.95 through Apple's Up To Date program. Here's the official description of the package's features: “...Snow Leopard, a simpler, more powerful, and more refined version of Mac OS X. It delivers a wide range of enhancements, next-generation technologies, out-of-the-box support for Microsoft Exchange Server, and new accessibility features. It’s the world’s most advanced operating system, finely tuned from installation to shutdown.” Early reviews report one main theme: it's FAST. While the upgrade doesn't add a lot of new application or elements to the OS, it refines a lot of what was good about 10.5: faster wakeup and shutdown, faster Spotlight search, a faster Finder with full 64-bit support, and faster Time Machine backup. New features have been added to Expose, Stacks, iChat, and Quicktime, and the entire operating system is smaller and more compact: its footprint is about half as large as Apple's previous OS, freeing up 7GB of hard drive space in the process. Read more about Snow Leopard, or purchase it over at Apple.com.
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Video production on the web
08/24/09 A new web startup called Stupeflix is making it easy to create videos from a digital library of music, pictures, and video clips... online. The Stupeflix interface is web-based, so users can load content and edit or publish videos from anywhere they have access to the internet. Features of note: drag-and-drop content organization, content groups, video effects, soundtrack editing, and text overlays. Creating videos is simple and straightforward, and once they're ready users can download them to a computer or publish them directly to other websites on the internet. Take a look or try your hand at the video editor over at stupeflix.com.
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Live now: Office.com
08/21/09 Microsoft launched a new website this week at office.com. While the site currently forwards to the Microsoft Office Online website, we're guessing that Microsoft is planning to use the address as a launching point for its upcoming Office 2010, which includes a free online suite of Office products that will be comprised of lightweight, browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Microsoft bought office.com from an entrepreneur for an undisclosed amount.
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AT&T vs. Google Voice
08/19/09 A couple weeks ago, we covered Google CEO Eric Schmidt's departure from the Apple Board of Directors amid controversy about Apple's rejection of the GoogleVoice app from the iTunes AppStore. Now, the FCC is investigating smartphone/handset carrier exclusivity and wireless access... data sharing is becoming a serious national policy issue, and we may be seeing the end of the Telecom era. Today's Wall Street Journal features a great article by Andy Kessler on the topic. It's interesting reading, and you can find it over at wsj.com or by clicking here.
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Dell to release smartphone
08/17/09 Dell is developing a new handset, the mini3i. The device, recently released into the Chinese market, runs on a version of Google's Android OS. It's about the size of an iPhone, and looks suspiciously similar. Perhaps this is why American carriers have so far rejected the handset, due to its "lack of differentiation." And even more unfortunately, the phone doesn't support WiFi or 3G connections... which means it will probably suffer against faster, more advanced competitors among Samsung's, Apple's, and T-Mobile's offerings. But the Dell mini3i might be attractive to consumers looking for a low-cost smartphone, if and when a US carrier signs on. The phone will support gaming and apps, and features a 3 megapixel camera and a 3.5-inch touchscreen.
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Social gadgets come to iGoogle
08/14/09 This Google released several "social gadgets" for its iGoogle personalized homepages that will allow users to share information, play games with friends, check updates, and even chat on the homepage (Google already offers gChat within the Gmail page, but homepage chatting is new). Full-screen gadgets, a navigation bar, and friend groups are among the page's other new features, which were developed both in-house by Google and by 3rd party developers. iGoogle currently competes against My Yahoo, My MSN, Netvibes, My AOL, and a handful of other personalized homepages. It holds the #2 popularity spot, with 25 million monthly users trailing My Yahoo's 44 million monthly. You can read an overview of the features here, or make your own personalized homepage over at igoogle.com.
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Facebook acquires FriendFeed
08/12/09 Facebook Inc. bought start-up FriendFeed for almost $50 million in cash and stock. FriendFeed, started by four ex-Google employees, is an online site that allows users to track status updates and share links across several social-media services like Twitter and yes, Facebook. The two sites shared several features, and though FriendFeed posed a potential threat to Facebook, it never gained enough traction to take off on its own. For now, Facebook will operate its new acquisition as a standalone site, although the company does eventually plan to integrate FriendFeed's services into its main site. The move is another signal of Facebook's intensified focus on enabling live search and broadening its search capabilities beyond searching for people toward better searches for news, updates, and user-generated content.
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eBay+GM will test online car sales
08/10/09 Starting Tuesday, GM and eBay will be testing a pilot program aimed at giving buyers a new purchasing avenue for GM cars. The program, which will run through September 8, 2009, will allow consumers to purchase cars at gm.ebay.com through eBay's "Best Offer" and "Buy It Now" formats, as well as compare trade-in values, "cash for clunkers" status, and pricing across models or participating land-bound dealerships. You can read more at WSJ.com or at gm.ebay.com (goes live on August 11th).
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Cartwheel newsletters
08/08/09 Our August newsletters have been published! Check out the Newsletters and Press Releases section on this page: our Business newsletter covers Facebook and Twitter, and how you can use them for your company. The home newsletter covers some tech tips to make summer computing fast and easy.
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Twitter defends against DDOS attack
08/06/09 Twitter was down for several hours today, due to a DDOS ("Distributed Denial Of Service") attack. No news yet on where the attack came from. Twitter says, "As we recover, users will experience some longer load times and slowness. This includes timeouts to API clients. We’re working to get back to 100% as quickly as we can." Twitter posts status updates at their status page if you want to keep tabs on the situation as it unfolds.
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Schmidt resigns from Apple board
08/04/09 Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple Inc.'s Board of Directors Monday. Schmidt sat on the Board for nearly three years. His departure was not unexpected, though; Google's products are venturing into "Apple territory" with devices like the Android phone and the in-development Chrome OS (which will be based on Google's browser of the same name), each of which compete with Apple's iPhone and Mac OS. Schmidt's presence on the board posed "potential conflicts of interest," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, and the two executives "mutually decided" that it was best for Schmidt to resign. You can read Apple's official statement on the matter here. His departure comes amid a new FCC investigation into the App Store that was prompted by Apple's rejection of Google's iPhone app, Google Voice. The FCC inquiries to both companies are available via TechCrunch.
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Paypal outage
08/04/09 Yesterday, PayPal experienced a system-wide outage that made the service temporarily unavailable to its customers and left them unable to complete in-progress transactions. The EBay, Inc.-owned online payment service was offline for about an hour, though it took several more to restore service to all customers. A PayPal spokesperson reported that the outage was caused by an "internal network hardware issue." It seems, for now, that the problems are over... but if you're about to buy something on EBay or send money to an online merchant over the next couple days, we recommend checking in with The PayPal Blog for updates.
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Google improves image search
08/03/09 Google recently added more options to Google Image's search front page. The additions, some of which were already available but hidden in "advanced search," make it possible to filter by a number of specific criteria, including color, file size, and image type (such as clip art, photos, faces, drawings, etc.). Yahoo and Bing, two of Google's biggest competitors, have similar features; you can check out this comparison of the engines (via TechCrunch): search “fruit” on Google Images, Yahoo Images, and Bing Images.
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WSJ plans LinkedIn-style network
08/01/09 The Wall Street Journal has its eyes on LinkedIn and its 15 million monthly visitors. WSJ and parent company News Corp. are working on a new social network for the news site, to be called WSJ Connect. While the Journal has a social network for subscribers (it's called WSJ Community, and launched in 2008), it's sparsely populated and barely known outside the online subscription pool. Now, they're getting serious about creating a community open to non-subscribers that would have the potential to be as - or more - successful a professional network than LinkedIn and its competitors.
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Firefox hits 1 billion downloads
07/31/09 Internet browser Firefox reached 1 billion total downloads this morning. Mozilla's browser, which currently holds about 30% of browser "usage share" (the percentage of people using a given browser, such as Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox), is celebrating the milestone just a month after Firefox 3.5's launch. You can see the current download total over at Mozilla's Twitter feed. And Mozilla has created a new website, One Billion Plus You, to commemorate the event. We're not sure what it'll be yet (they just have a teaser image for now), but it's expected to launch Monday.
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Live: Twitter's new homepage
07/29/09 Twitter launched a new version of its homepage this week. It puts search at the center of the page, in the middle of a cleaner interface that eliminates a lot of old clutter. The move makes the page friendlier to new users, with a straightforward signup area and helpful trending topics to pique interest. TechCrunch notes that the bigger goal may be to make it easier for businesses to use Twitter.
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Samsung's e-book reader
07/27/2009 Samsung released a small e-book reader into the South Korean market on Monday. The device, priced at US $270, has 512MB of memory and a touch-screen that lets users store memos. It's lighter and less expensive than Amazon's Kindle, but it's notably lacking a wireless internet connection, which means that users have to download books on to a PC and then connect the reader to transfer content. Of course, it's not available in the US yet... and we're not sure when it will be. But it's interesting to see bigger players like Sony and Samsung enter electronic reader market currently dominated by Kindle and peppered with some other smaller competitors.
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BlackBerry Desktop for Mac
07/23/09 BlackBerry will make life easier for its Mac users... soon. In September, RIM will release a new version of its Blackberry Desktop Software for Apple's OS, allowing consumers to manage all aspects of their smartphones from a Mac computer. RIM promises the ability to sync iTunes playlists and personal information like contacts, tasks and appointments, and to install new apps. You can see the official page and register for updates here.
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Windows 7 gets ready to launch
07/22/09 Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, has passed its final gauntlet of tests. Though the OS hasn't yet been officially released, it's in the RTM (release-to-manufacture) stage, which means that it may be available software and hardware vendors and other Microsoft as early as the beginning of August. The consumer version of the new operating system is scheduled to be released to the public on October 22nd.
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Yahoo has a new homepage
07/21/09 Yahoo has been cleaning up its homepage. And today, two months ahead of schedule, they're launching it to the public. New features include third-party widgets, options for more personalized content than before, and a lighter, less link-heavy interface. Yahoo has also hinted that users will soon be able to sync their customized mobile and desktop search modules. You can check out the new Yahoo homepage at www.yahoo.com.
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Augmented reality in the AppStore
07/18/09 Apple iPhone apps developer Acrossair is about to launch what it calls "one of the first augmented reality apps" in the AppStore. New York Nearest Subway will provide directions to all 33 New York subway lines using a turn-and-tilt interface that will show stations, distances, and an overview based on your current location and bearing. We're guessing that the app, only available on iPhone 3GS, uses the smartphone's built-in compass feature to provide accurate info... it's one of the first apps to capitalize on that new feature.
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Life imitates Google Maps
07/15/09 Google Maps seems to be transforming its little teardrop-shaped placemarkers into a cultural icon... or at least trying to. Famous local personalities all over the world are adding their favorite spots to a new Google collection called "Favorite Places." The markers are popping up in cities as larger-than-life teardrops with identifying plaques. You can see more pictures over at Tech Crunch.
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Microsoft goes to the Cloud
07/13/09 Microsoft officially announced a new version of its Office suite: Microsoft Office 2010. In addition to substantial improvements and additions to the desktop versions of Office, the software giant is also rolling out free web browser versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Office 2010's positioning is in line with the company's "three screen strategy" of product synchronization across desktop, browser, and mobile devices. With Office 2010, Microsoft seems to be fully committing to the "access from anywhere" ability that the Cloud has come to represent for competitors such as Google. Read more from Microsoft or watch the mini-movie.
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Google's OS in development
07/08/09 Google announced late Tuesday that it is developing a PC operating system. The OS will be based on Google's Chrome browser. It's another indication of their "cloud" viewpoint, in which applications run from within an internet browser rather than directly from the individual user's PC. Chrome OS will initially be positioned for use in netbooks. The open-source software will be released later this year. Read more at the Official Google Blog...
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Mozilla releases Firefox 3.5
The updated browser is now available for download. Features include a new Javascript engine, geolocation technology, plug-in free video playback, and private browsing. The open source Firefox platform continues to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari browser, and Google Chrome for browser dominance.
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Microsoft: SP2 for Vista, Server 2008
Microsoft released SP2 for its Vista and Server 2008 operating systems. Updates include Windows Search 4.0, Blu-ray recording, and third-party app compatability.
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Apple news: iPhone, Macbook
Apple's low-end $999 MacBook was released with a faster processor and a larger hard drive. iPhone: Apple introduces voice dialing, video recording, and tethering. And finally, the iPhone can cut-and-paste!
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Let HP pay for your next printer
There are some great deals out there in the tech world! Take a look at what we found: As part of their Trade-In and Save 2009 Program, HP will buy your old printer and offer you an equal-value rebate on a new HP office printer. Click below for more information.
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May 2009 Newsletter: Netbooks
Is a netbook right for you? Our customers have been asking which are the best, how they should be configured, how they can best be used... and whether they're actually robust enough to be useful for business or home users. Click below to download the newsletter and hear our take on it.
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April 2009 Newsletter: Travel
The travel season is approaching, and we've got some tips and tricks for you to make the tech side of your vacation or business trip as painless and hassle-free as you could hope for. Click to download the full story.
Alerts
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Malware strikes, even on reliable sites
In mid-March, two reputable news blogs were targets of malware cks served up. ds on their sites. At the Drudge Report and TechCrunch, some JavaScript ads set off malware and virus warnings on users' computers. The malware looks to have been pushed through by ad networks that were placing banner advertisements on both sites. To deal with the vulnerabilities, both sites have resorted to displaying only static images (rather than moving, interactive ads) until the source of the malicious ads is determined. Drudge and TechCrunch weren't the only sites victim to the attack - apparently, several sites hosting ads from one network were subject to bad banners being displayed online.
The moral of the story? Even at trusted sites, it's possible to become a victim of malware. Protect youself by using a safe browser (such as FireFox), updating all browsers to the most current version (if you're using Internet Explorer 6, or 7, upgrade to IE8 right away), setting your computer to run all automatic system updates, and using a reliable anti-virus program like TrendMicro or Microsoft Security Essentials (which is less full-featured, but free).
Newsletters and Press Releases
We're making headlines! Read more about Cartwheel's latest and greatest right here.
- July 2010 Home Newsletter- Mac vs. PC for students
- July 2010 Small Business Newsletter-Freshbooks
- June Small Business Newsletter 2010- Don't get hooked: 3 ways to spot a phish
- June Home Newsletter 2010 - Great tech gifts for dad
- May Small Business Newsletter 2010 - Our Company’s Rebranding Adventure
- May Home Newsletter 2010 - Laptop Lojack
- April Small Business Newsletter 2010 - 3 Ways to Gain Business
- April Home Newsletter 2010 - Backing Up Your Phone
- March 2010 Business Newsletter - Hard Drives 101
- March 2010 Home Newsletter - Malware 101
- February 2010 Business Newsletter - Five steps to a successful office move
- February 2010 Home Newsletter - Cyberbullying
- Cartwheel Delivers Unlimited Technology Solution to Media Company Sharpe Partners
- January 2010 Newsletter -Secure passwords and data theft
- January 2010 Newsletter - Organize your passwords and finances
- December 2009 Newsletter - Our Holiday Gift Guide
- December 2009 Newletter - Tax Tips for the Holiday Season
- November 2009 Newsletter - Windows 7 for Businesses
- November 2009 Newsletter - Windows 7 for Homes
- October 2009 Business Newsletter - Virtualization
- October 2009 Home Newsletter - Emailing/Texting while Driving
- September 2009 Business Newsletter - App Store and App World
- September 2009 Home Newsletter - App Store and App World
- August 2009 Business Newsletter - Facebook and Twitter
- August 2009 Home Newsletter - Summer Tech Tips
- Personal Technology Rebrands to Cartwheel, Bucks Revenue Trend
