Posted on March 15th, 2007 by X-Man
I am sure that some of the companies out there are running the new Windows Vista. Since those computers have changed into the new OS, most likely they’ve upgrade their Microsoft Word from 2003 version to the 2007 version. If you haven’t tried the new version yet, it is pretty much the same thing but more dressed up. They’ve added tabs for different functionality that you might use so they are bundle with different toolbars on the top, other then that, I don’t see a huge difference. One of the things right now also is that a lot of the companies have not upgraded to MS Word 2007. For some companies that needed to communicate with others that are already upgraded can cause a problem.
The new MS Word document is now saved in a different extension then the previous versions; it is now saved as “.docx” instead of “.doc”. The old version has a problem in reading these documents and claim that it cannot be read. I’ve found that after a bit of research that all you need to do is just keep your Micrsoft Office up-to-date. There is a compatibility pack that you have to install from the official Microsoft website in order for you to read the new format. When I was looking all of this up, I’ve realize there are some websites out there that are charging people to change the “.docx” format to “.doc”. If you can update your Office with the compatibility pack, why do you need to use those other websites? I’ll never know for sure why…
Filed under: Business Software | No Comments »
Posted on March 15th, 2007 by phobulous
Vyew is a “special” kind of web conferencing tool. For those who can’t sense my sarcasm, Vyew is no good for online business collaboration.
Instead of sharing your live desktop and documents, you are collaborating on image conversions of those files, which means you have to go back later and make all your edits. The interface is a white board where you can add notes, highlights, and view the work documents that were converted into images.
Vyew ended up being more of a drawing tool when we used it. X-man called it “something for my 9-yr old niece” and “a waste of time.” Oh c’mon X-man, let’s be nice…we did play Hang Man a couple times with Vyew.
Seriously, I’m not sure if you can take this software seriously for business purposes if the additional plug-ins they offer are: “…Just for Fun…”, “deck O Cards”, and “Checkers Beta 1.0″. For the folks at Vyew, we’re trying to get some business done here, not find Bobby Fisher.
Filed under: Web Collaboration | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 15th, 2007 by X-Man
We are launching a number of newsletters (not spam) and really need to figure out which email marketing vendors to use. I’ve compiled a list of vendors I want to look at. I know a lot of these are too expensive for me but I just thought I put them on the list. I just want to mention that this is a pretty unqualified list since I haven’t looked at most of these companies. As we go thru them one by one, I’ll post back what we found.
Update 4/1/07: We are looking for a solution that is inexpensive and good fit for our small but growing business. Here is a tip for folks looking for software or hosted service for your business. If your company is a small business and you visit a vendor website but can’t immediately find pricing info, this most likely mean the product they offer is too expensive. Move on and don’t bother trying to contact them.
Also, we realized that the original vendor list we put together for email marketing had a lot of vendors that really shouldn’t be on there (too expensive, focus on serving larger enterprises, or meant for higher volume and more sophisticated needs) so we are revising our list.
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Posted on March 14th, 2007 by phobulous
As a client, the picture quality of the shared desktop was good and rendered fairly quckily. As the host, Unyte slowed my computer to a crawl. Unyte was better than CrossLoop in that it could give someone control of your desktop and take it back, but there lacked a quick override to get control back (e.g. the person can be a jerk and move your mouse away from unchecking the “start sharing” box).
Unyte has suffered the same fate as CrossLoop…uninstallation.
Filed under: Web Collaboration | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 14th, 2007 by X-Man
OfficeDepot Xerox High-Speed Copy Paper (500 sheets/ream) for $5.79 each. Add 10 to cart and apply coupon codes 073649244 and 044141777 for half off and $10 off $25 which gets you $15 for 5000 sheets of paper. You will also need to add some paperclips for both coupons to work. Free shipping.Got this from Slickdeals.net.
Filed under: Miscellaneous Deals | 6 Comments »
Posted on March 14th, 2007 by X-Man
Moving away from the regular telcos to one of the VOIP providers can save small businesses a lot of money.
If you have a SOHO office where you just need 1 line, I recommend going with SunRocket which is $199 per year. I know some other folks who were able to get into the $199 for 2 years deal which is great.
If you have need multiple lines, I recommend going with Speakeasy which has Business VOIP solutions.
Filed under: VOIP Phone Service | No Comments »
Posted on March 14th, 2007 by X-Man
I am not sure when this expires but you can receive a FREE copy of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition just by attending 2 webcasts and submitting an evaluation form. Here is the link at Microsoft.com.
Filed under: Business Software, Free Business Software | No Comments »
Posted on March 14th, 2007 by phobulous
I am on a quest to find a good and FREE online collaboration software for 1-to-1 desktop sharing. I’ve tried CrossLoop for the past 2 weeks and found it less than desirable. Here are some issues I ran into when using CrossLoop:
- Sessions seem to kick out after 5-10 minutes
- Mouse control cannot be turned off.
- Screen resolutions do not maxmimize (I’m on 1600 x 1200)
- Rendering is very delayed (I’m on 1.5 down DSL connection)
Although the software is free, I have to believe there is better software out there for 1-to-1 conferencing (I could eat my words later). I’ll be trying Unyte shortly.
Update 3/13/2007: CrossLoop has been uninstalled 
Look for my Unyte post though because that wasn’t the winner either.
Filed under: Web Collaboration | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 12th, 2007 by X-Man
This site is kinda interesting. Gives commercial software away for free. I didn’t really find anything I could use but maybe others will.
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/
Filed under: Software Deals | No Comments »
Posted on March 12th, 2007 by X-Man
Get Peachtree Pro Accounting 2007 for FREE from Staples. You’ll save over $140. You will have to send in 2 rebates and one of them expires on 3/17 and the other one expires 3/31.
Looking to complement your business operations with a robust accounting solution? Packed with all of the essentials, including invoicing and bill paying, as well as many more advanced features, such as powerful reporting, basic inventory, and analysis elements, Peachtree Pro Accounting 2007 includes the features you need to make better business decisions.
- Designed for businesses with more advanced accounting and financial needs
- Manage accounts payable and receivable
- Build custom reports and track inventory
Filed under: Free Business Software, Software Deals | No Comments »