Friday, February 25, 2011

iPhone 4 Verizon same old story - antenna problems

Seems like the Verizon iPhone got the same antenna problems as the previous AT&T version. Consumer reports just released this info. It could be another reason to pick an Android phone and perhaps also mean that Verizon won't be able to sell as many iPhones as they had hoped.

"The Verizon iPhone 4 has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in lab tests.
The problem is similar to the one we confirmed in July with the AT&T version of Apple's newest smart phone. It can occur when you hold either version of the phone in a specific but quite natural way in which a gap in the phone's external casing is covered. The phone performs superbly in most other respects, and using the iPhone 4 with a case can alleviate the problem."


Consumer Reports Electronics Blog: Verizon iPhone 4: Mind the gap, our tests show

Why is your website really so important?

The internet has changed the way companies do business.  It has opened the door for small and medium size businesses to compete with the large corporations.

Your website is your online identity.  The purpose of your website is to represent your company, sell your company, attract more visitors, generate leads and, ultimately, gain more return on your investment.

To achieve these goals, you want a website that is well designed, easy to navigate, highly usable with good content, and loaded with relevant information that will retain visitors and make them come back again and again.

Another important factor for a well designed website is search engine optimization (SEO).  SEO is the foundation of internet marketing and search engine marketing success.  SEO spices up your website with the use of relevant keywords, one-way linking, enhancement of link popularity and placing your website at top or near the top of search engine results which will ultimately help to attract motivated buyers and direct more traffic to your website.

To achieve these goals, your website needs to be designed with a professional touch by qualified and experienced developers who can use their acquired knowledge and experience to develop a proper website that will turn visitors into potential customers.  You also want a company with experience that uses industry accepted techniques.


What makes a great website

Remember, for many of your customers, your website is the initial point of contact with the potential customer.  The old adage “first impressions are everything” rings true, even on the internet.  With the right first impression, customers are likely to have a positive reaction to your products or service.

First, it is important to portray your company in an easy to read format.  Bullet points, short paragraphs and easy navigation are essential.

Second, make sure your contact information is visible and easy to find.  If the user has to spend time looking for your contact information, they are likely to give up before finding it.

Third, don’t put too much information on one page.  Statistics show that potential customers quickly scan a page looking for information. 

Finally, for the search engines to find you, your website should be optimized by using the proper keywords without resorting to “keyword stuffing” and “hidden text”.  If major search engines detect keyword stuffing or hidden text on your website, it could result in your page being flagged as spam and ultimately pulled from rankings.  Further, you want to take advantage of navigational structures and image text that will further assist in gaining rankings.  There are many more tactics you can use to gain rankings by utilizing a proper SEO campaign. 

ASI creates solutions for web by following a stringent path:

Analysis of any given website - existing or new - must always be based on the functionality, user friendliness and how intuitive it is.

User friendliness is as old as trade itself, but without you'll never get new customers or be able to keep the existing ones. Put ads on Google or in banners and you might be able to generate a lot of traffic to your web site. But if you forget to use time on developing the web site so it's easy for the customers to navigate and to have the intuitive knowledge of what to get, all the money spent on getting traffic is lost. We see this much too often.

ASI will make sure your web site is optimized with a focus on usability based on a logical information architecture.

Often it's very basic errors or mistakes on the web site that makes people not buy your products. They might find what they want but they can't find the way to the payment line. The result is they go to a competitor. Something as "Add to cart", "Buy Now" or even a wrong color can make the shopping flow stop. And remember: The customer is always right.

ASI provides you with an extensive analysis of the structure of a web site, the way the customers will use it and if the shopping flow optimized.

Starting over

It's possible to redesign a web site but often it's a lot better solution to create a new one. Like with a car you might be able to put in a new engine but likeliness would tell it's better to get a new car. It can of course be annoying to buy a new web site "it's only 3 years old", but it's almost always better to make a new one. And 3 years is a long time on Internet.

By building a new web site we can make sure that you get usability and shopping flow for the customers. You will get the important parts like SEO, tracking of shopping flow (how does the customers move around), Google analytics, etc.

ASI employs different teams with specialized tasks like web design, e-commerce, usability, SEO, architecture, programming, etc. To create the best web solution for you we put together a unique team with precisely the expertise needed for your site.

Get the customers to be your regulars with the help of ASI.

iPhone vs Android

Usually when you see the posts around the web on iPhone vs Android it's mostly coming out in favor of Android (unless the writer is an iPhone fan of course). To me (I'm a heavy Android user - previously on iPhone - with Galaxy S Vibrant and Galaxy S Tab as my main work tools) it was surprising and refreshing to find a different view with 7 reasons to pick iPhone over Android.  Read the article here at Businessinsider.

2 reasons here:

"The battery on the iPhone 4 is incredible. Apple's spec sheet says you can get up to seven hours of talk time or six hours of 3G data usage. If you're not a heavy user, an iPhone can last you well over a day in sleep mode if you only use it occasionally."


"Apple blew everyone away with the iPhone 4's Retina Display. Pixels are invisible to the naked eye and video looks great. A lot of Android phones, especially Samsung's Galaxy line, come close to that resolution, but they're still not as sharp as the iPhone."


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-buy-an-iphone-instead-of-an-android-phone-2011-2#the-retina-display-is-gorgeous-2#ixzz1Ez74BUmx


Btw I don't agree with the iPhone display being better. The SUPER Amoled on Samsung is a lot clearer and more distinct colors.

Cheap Isn't Always Best!

Time and time again I see these ads "Cheap Websites ONLY $199" (sometimes lower, sometimes higher). But you have to ask yourself, is cheap always best? No, usually not. Just as with every other thing in life, you get what you pay for. Someone who is willing to do something for dirt cheap and 75% under the competitor price has a reason - they can't keep customers.

Think about it.....

Mid size Galaxy Tab from Samsung on it's way

Apparently Samsung decided to address a new market segment by sizing a new tab differently than all the competitors and even it's own Galaxy S Tab. As reported by several sources like Wirelessfederation  the company will release a tab at 8.9-inch which will land it between the current 7-inch and iPad size 10-inch. With a SUPER amoled screen it will certainly stand out. Running Android 3 as expected. What is yet to be seen is what resolution the Korean company will end up with on the rather odd screen size.

This blogger likes to see more competition on the tab front.

According to  rumors scheduled to hit this quarter in Korea. A little bit unlikely since no name has surfaced yet.

Google Music on it's way

Finally it seems like the long awaited "Google Music" is on it's way and integrated into Android 3 (Honeycomb). Reported  by PC Mag:

"Google will tie its rumored Google Music service into its upcoming Android Honeycomb mobile operating system, a Motorola executive said here at Mobile World Congress."


and later on


"There have been rumors about a Google Music service for ages. It was last discussedduring the 2010 Google I/O conference. At that point, Google said a user could streammusic on an Internet-connected PC to an Android phone, and also purchase music in the Android App Store and send it to the phone or another devices. When asked if that meant Google was prepping a music sevice, Vic Gundotra, the vice president of engineering for Google, said "we just focus on delivering better apps for the user. Over time, you'll see that strategy more broadly unfold."

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Motorola Xoom without the usual BLOATware from Verizon!

As posted on PC-world today:

"For prospective Xoom buyers, the news just keeps getting better.
Earlier today, we heard Verizon had come to its senses and gotten rid of the ridiculous data plan requirement it had originally attached to Motorola's new Honeycomb tablet. Up till this morning, Big Red had said you'd have to sign up for at least a month of 3G service to get a Xoom, even if you only wanted to use Wi-Fi -- a catch that would've cost you an extra 55 bucks at checkout. Thankfully, that condition is history.
Now, I'm happy to confirm that another potential pitfall for the Motorola Xoom has been averted: The tablet is untainted by Verizon's typically unavoidable bloatware.
That, my friends, is a mobile miracle."

If this is the way the operators will do things in the future we're getting a long way in the direction of "the customer is always right!"  Of course T-Mobile has not been known to put (too much) crapware on their phones and tablets.


What can SEO do for you?

If somebody asks you where Wal-Mart â is you will almost certainly know where it is located. If someone asks you where to buy a new laptop computer you will probably know about 3-5 places where they sell laptop computers. The location is very important in the real world.

It's even more important on Internet.

The simplest way to find something on the Internet is to use a search engine like Google. However, Google will only display you if they can find you. If Google or other search engines never visit your website they won't know you exist.

You want to have many potential customers visit your website and the first step in that direction is to make sure that Google and other major search engines visit your site as often as possible so when the potential customer searches for your particular service or product, Google can say "hey, check out this company".

Any professional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will give you:

1: Analysis

· Serve, hosting, headers and htaccess analysis
· Key words analysis
· Technical analysis
· Competitor evaluation in your business area
· What is your potential

2: Actions

· Implementation of Google Webmasters Tools and Google Analytics
· SEO re-writing
· SEO specifications (onpage SEO)
· Permanent backlinks from relevant sites
· Submission to Yahoo! and DMOZ authority directories
· Sitemap creation and optimization
· Submitting to search engines
· SEO Service Level Agreement
· Monitor and maintain a steady growth in backlink profile


When deciding on an SEO company there is no doubt you are paying for the level of experience of the SEO consultant. For example, if someone quotes you $200-$300, they are likely using an inexperienced and/or a newly trained SEO consultant. There is also the likelihood they are using what is called “black hat” techniques.  These techniques are not accepted by the major search engines and if detected could result in your site being pulled from the rankings. Some of these techniques will include hidden text, massive ‘bad neighborhood’ links and various other tricks. These are known to bring benefits to your SEO, but they are very short term and are often followed by being deindexed (removed) from Google searches!

Examples of unprofessional, unacceptable and "black hat" techniques are:

  • Keyword stuffing
  • Hidden text
  • Hidden links
  • Sneaky redirects
  • Cloaking
  • Doorway pages

You should avoid, at all costs any SEO company who utilizes such tactics. Also, be wary of a company that will guarantee you front page rankings. No one can make such a guarantee and, on the off chance they get you to the first page quickly, it is because they did utilize black hat techniques, so the result will not be long lasting. Top page rankings are achieved naturally, over time, with the right techniques.