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Say that three times fast!
After looking at our website traffic, I created a countdown of our most popular Tech Tips in 2010…drumroll, please!
9. 5 Ways to Keep Your Laptop Running Without Plugging It In
8. 3 Easy (And Safe) Ways to Listen to Music Online
7. How to Handle Email Efficiently
6. Email Signatures: What Does Yours Say About You and Your Business?
5. iPad, E-Reader or Laptop: Which One’s Right for You?
4. Nexxtepions Answer: What Are Your Favorite Smartphone Apps?
3. Nexxtepions Answer: What is Your Favorite Piece of Technology?
And the number one Tech Tip for 2010 was….
1. How to Update Your Phones with the Newest Towers
I never would have guessed 
If you want a pocket-sized helping of ALL of this year’s Tech Tips, get your copy of our new book, 56 MORE Tech Tips … Keep reading
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Over the past year, we have really ramped up our internet marketing efforts, consistently updating and monitoring our blog, Facebook page, Twitter page and email newsletters to name a few. We’ve been able to engage clients and reach potential clients in a non-invasive, fun way.
Recently, we started a pilot program where we worked with a client to manage their internet marketing, including Facebook, YouTube, and email. The results have been very positive.
Starting January 1, we’re officially rolling out our internet marketing services. You’re the first to know!
These services will include, but are not necessarily limited to:
If you are interested in talking with us about our internet marketing services, we would be happy to meet with you. Before the meeting, we’ll ask you … Keep reading
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Our most popular tech tip ever was this one, in which the Nexxtep staff told us about their favorite technology. This time, I asked my fellow Nexxtepions to tell me about their favorite smartphone apps.
Ryan Williams
CTO and Partner
WorldCard for iPhone. Take pictures of business cards and create contacts without having to type anything.
Richard Baker
Account Manager
ScoreMobile for BlackBerry: ScoreMobile provides up-to-the minute sports scores and tons of other frequently updated information for sports enthusiasts.
Philip Jones
Systems Engineer
Youmail. Youmail is enhanced visual voicemail for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. Use transcription services to read your voicemails via text message or email, and create custom messages for special callers.
Bump. Share contacts, apps and photos with a simple shake of your phone.
Pandora. Internet radio for your smartphone.
Robert McMichen
Service Manager
Yellow Pages Mobile. Search local businesses based on … Keep reading
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Gil Morris
Systems Engineer
This Tech Tip comes from the December issue of PC World. The cover article lists 55 time saving tips for Windows 7. To read all 55 tips, check out this month’s issue of PC World on news stands!
1. Make important email more findable.
By changing the subject line, you can make searching your inbox much more efficient. Simply open an email in Outlook, select the text of the subject line, and rewrite a more suitable subject that you can use to search with later.
2. Minimize all windows (except the one you’re working on).
If you’re a multitasker, you can easily end up with a dozen open windows while you’re working at your computer. To de-clutter your workspace, use your mouse to click and hold the title bar of the window you’re working on. Give it a quick shake, and all of the other … Keep reading
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With the end of 2010 fast approaching, consider putting any planned new computer hardware or software purchases into use by December 31.
Bonus depreciation can be taken in 2010, so you can deduct 50% of an asset’s cost right away. The remaining cost can be deducted through regular depreciation. Unless the tax laws are changed, bonus depreciation ends after this year.
Expensing is also available for computer equipment placed in service before the end of the year. Instead of depreciating assets, you can expense up to $500,000 of their cost.
As always with tax laws, individual circumstances vary. Consult with your tax advisor to determine the best options for your company.
The holidays are a great time to complete IT projects because employees are taking off and things slow down a bit. By getting it done now, you can get it out of the way and ready for when … Keep reading
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If you’re like most business owners, data loss isn’t exactly the most exciting topic in the world of technology. We understand. We’d rather talk about iPads any day. So why have we had several tech tips and webinars covering the topic of data security this year? It’s because in the past year alone, we have seen a lot of businesses lose crucial data and thousands of dollars due to failed hard drives and insufficient backups. This data and money could have been saved by taking a few preventative (and affordable) measures.
According to the National Computer Security Association, 85% of business users are “very concerned” about losing important data, yet only 1 in 4 of them regularly backup their files.
If data backups really are important to you, read these 5 simple facts and arm yourself with the information you need to protect your business.
1. On average, it would … Keep reading
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I recently came across this article on WebCPA: Too few firms have IT strategy. Although the article focuses on accounting firms, I think it is applicable to small and mid-sized businesses in almost any industry. CPA firms spend up to 5-10 percent of their annual budgets on IT spending, but as many as 65% of them do not have a dedicated IT partner. Even more surprising, 82% do not have a formalized IT strategy in place.
I’m no accountant, but this seems like a recipe for wasteful, or at least misguided, spending. It happens across the board, too. A common example is allotting a certain percentage of your budget to advertising without measuring the results. An IT Strategy is crucial if you want your business to grow and increase profitability.
What is an IT Strategy?
A typical IT strategy will map out the resources (staffing and budget), projects, and … Keep reading
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iPads and e-Readers and Laptops, Oh My! Computing has become a mobile luxury. First, there was Wifi, which enabled us to surf the web on our laptops at the local coffee shop. Then came smartphones, which allow us to stay connected almost anywhere. This year, mobile computing took another leap forward with the release of the iPad and more sophisticated e-readers. As the holiday season approaches, the top three “most wanted” electronic devices according to a Consumer Electronics Report are:
1) Laptop
2) iPad
3) E-Reader
You might be considering one of these as a holiday gift, but aren’t sure which one’s right for you. Here are three questions to ask yourself when considering your portable purchase:
Just Reading (Books, Newspapers, and Blogs). An e-reader would be your best bet. If you just want to read books, newspapers, and maybe do … Keep reading
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The World Clock is a web tool that displays dozens of up-to-date statistics about the world around us. Some of them, like the climbing national debt and the number of days we have until oil reserves are depleted (13,802 as of this writing), are quite sobering.
To view the world clock, visit the World Clock website.
*Note: the data displayed on the World Clock may not be completely accurate. This is the disclosure from their website:
“We will do our best to keep this data current. This is not an easy task as much of it varies widely throughout the year and many sources report contradictory figures. We recommend that you double-check any stats with other sources.”
For a list of the sources the World Clock uses, please visit the World Clock Stats Sources Page.… Keep reading
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As of this writing, Stuart is on his way to Chicago to visit a client, but that didn’t stop him from sending me a new tech tip. He is always great about giving me ideas for Tech Tips articles, even at 38,000 feet.
In his words:
“I downloaded an app called AirportRemote this morning that shows all flight gate information on the iPhone. Basically you don’t have to wait to see a monitor for where your plane is arriving or departing. Just about all the major airports and airlines are supported. Worked great. Only costs $3.99.”
I did some research and found that the Airport Remote app is supported on both the iPhone and Android phone. To learn more about the app and to watch a video demo, visit the Airport Remote website.… Keep reading
