Make the move to Google Apps

Has your company been considering the move to Google Apps?  Many organizations are still getting by with expensive servers to host their own email accounts.  A recent poll from Gartner has shown that 80% of IT budgets are spent on  maintenance.  In this economic environment that kind of waste can put  a significant pinch on your bottom line.  Google Apps gives you a maintenance free, secure, and easy to use solution for your email, calendar, contacts, and documents.  Google Apps has been adopted by organizations ranging from the Government of the District of Columbia to Motorola.  Click on “Contact” above to talk to a TechMinds representative about your specific situation.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for free

There are literally thousands of companies out there who will charge you or your business an arm and a leg for better results in Bing, Google, or Yahoo!.  And while we wouldn’t discourage any of our clients from using those services, a few minutes and a free tool from Microsoft could save your organization a lot of money.  Enter the free Microsoft SEO Toolkit, a powerful and very easy to use program which will tell you exactly what can be done to improve your website.  We’ve tested it here on the official TechMinds site and were pleasantly surprised at the productive feedback it creates.  You don’t need any real knowledge about how your website works to get results, to give it a try click on the picture above or follow the link after this post.

http://www.iis.net/expand/SEOToolkit

Video Short: Comparing Smartphone Virtual Keyboards

Did you buy the right netbook for you?

One of the founding beliefs behind TechMinds is that nobody should settle for a netbook or Smartphone which isn’t right for them.  There are dozens of different models on the market right now, manufactured by nearly as many different companies.  Of the models available from Dell, Acer, HP and Asus, you would be hard-pressed to find more than a few at your local Best-Buy, Walmart, Target, or K-Mart.  Even then, when you ask legitimate questions, the store clerk will most likely either recite what’s on the little information card under the netbook, or make something up in order to be rid of you.  It’s very sad, but that’s the situation faced by thousands of people just like you every day.  Frankly, it makes us a little mad.  So what we’ve decided to do about it is make sure that every TechMinds client not only has all the correct information at hand, but can spend meaningful time getting to know the computer before spending $300-$500 dollars on it.  It’s not too much to ask for good service these days.  Follow the “read” link below for a chart from Asus about four of their most popular netbooks.  Keep in mind that battery life on these specification sheets are usually one to two hours more than you’ll get in real life.

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Why buy a netbook?

For most people, a netbook isn’t something you’d even consider purchasing until someone could sufficiently explain their purpose in life.  After all, they just look like little laptops.  Wouldn’t they just be hard to type on? And make you squint at a tiny screen?  If you had been an early adopter when this new category of devices debuted in October 2007 that would have been the case, but comfortable keyboards and easy to read screens are plentiful now.  Add to that all-day battery life and you have a solid case for getting your work done anywhere.  Did you know that netbooks are currently dominating Amazon’s “Bestsellers” list? We’ve all seen the “coffee shop office,” someone with a big 15″ to 17″ laptop tied to the wall with a power cord.  All that gear isn’t just cumbersome; it’s heavy to lug around with you and is far more computing power than what’s needed for web browsing, document creation, and even sneaking in a video or two.  On top of that, prices are averaging less than $400 for top of the line netbook models, and with Windows 7 just around the corner, now is a great time to see why these devices are so poular.

A smartphone in disguise

The BenQ E72 is for those among us who are too used to the normal 12-key pad on regular cell phones to switch to the small qwerty keyboards found on newer devices.  If you aren’t willing to use a qwerty keyboard (or no physical keyboard at all on devices like the iPhone), you’ve had few to no options when it comes to making the leap to using a Smartphone, until now.  The E72 looks like a fashionable version of the older Nokia phones which were popular in the early 90’s, but there’s no mistaking the power of the device once it’s been turned on.  In addition to the vast array of applications available on Windows Mobile, the E72 also has a 2-megapixel camera with video, bluetooth, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, and loads of personality in a package just over 1cm thick.  In the middle of your contract and can’t upgrade?  No worries, the BenQ E72 can be picked up for less than $100 without a contract.  As always, if you purchase through TechMinds, we’ll make sure the device is customized to your exact needs, and support you and the Smartphone for the first year at no extra charge.

Samsung Blackjack II still going strong

Newer isn’t always better.  That’s a phrase most of us find relevant at least weekly, but in the smart phone market it’s even more true.  Over the years, those Personal Digital Assistants business people once carried around everywhere dwindled to the point of extinction.  However, they haven’t really disappeared – they’ve just evolved.  The Samsung Blackjack II is one shining example of such a device.  It has a very comfortable thumb keyboard for text entry, a bright easily readable screen, has built in GPS for navigation, and runs Windows Mobile with tens of thousands of free applications to choose from.  The best part is that if you’re near your contract renewal, it can be had for as little as a penny from retailers like Amazon.com.  So if all you need is simple access to email, contacts, appointments, and tasks in addition to phone calls, take a look at a veteran phone capable of meeting your needs for a fraction of the cost of the newest kid on the block.