Android thoughts

I am often asked about mobile phones. I am currently using a Droid on Verizon. I have to say that I've found the Android OS to be very powerful, easy to use, and packed full of features. Hardly anything was left out (except for maybe the ability to create a wifi hotspot).

In regard to the Droid, I do have a few complaints:
- the battery dies quickly so you need to watch the open programs/services to maximize life
- the phone is heavier than most
- no universal multi-touch (like the pinch zoom on the iphone)

Overall, I think that the Android OS for phones is quite amazing. Blackberry and Windows Mobile are going to be have to really step it up to compete. And Apple will continue to have success with the iphone for the die hards, but they have also isolated themselves (maybe by design).

Sonicwall & Outlook POP

We rarely use POP email accounts, but a customer of DELTYME does. A recent support ticket came in stating that they could not receive all of their emails. Outlook would fail part way through the receive process on a few computers.

After some discovery, I found that the Sonicwall Email Filtering, Rapid Email Attachment filter checkbox was the cause of the issue.

Keywords: Outlook, email, cannot receive, receive hang, pop, sonicwall

CRM for small businesses

I often find myself at customer sites meeting with managers and/or owners discussing how to improve their business by using IT more effectively. One area that is often overlooked in the SMB market is Customer Relationship Managemet (CRM). Most small businesses care for and service their customers with a great deal of personal attention, but without a CRM system.

Due to this method of account management, some problems/issues can arise. Here are a few:
- There is no detailed account history, except for what the account manager has documented.
- When an employee leaves, there is no real way to pick up where they left off
- Reporting of KPI's (key performance indicators) is nearly impossible
- A sales pipeline is difficult to collect
- There is no centralized system for working as a team

The extent of what a CRM system should do must be decided by the business owners/managers. They should really understand why CRM is important, not just for giving better service to your customers, but also to the bottom line.

In the SMB market, there are several popular CRM systems. Some are hosted and can offer enterprise level reliability at a reasonable cost. Here are a few that I'd had a chance to use:
- Salesforce
- SugarCRM
- vTiger
- ACT!
- Microsoft CRM
- Microsoft Business Contact Manager

Learn more about CRM!

Send email to myself with Gmail and Outlook

If you want to send email to yourself / myself with Gmail and Outlook, you may need to review your settings in Gmail.

I found that if you do not have all of your sending aliases under Accounts and Import that the Label on the email will be Sent Mail, not Inbox as desired.

Be sure that all of "Send email as" settings include all of the email addresses (aliases) that you will receive email with as well. When Gmail sends and receives the email that you sent to yourself... if the email address in question isn't listed in the "Send email as" settings, the email will only show up in the All Mail and Sent Mail.

But when you have the email address specified in "Send email as" (even if you don't make it your default), Gmail will change the label to be Inbox.

Hence, you can successfully send email to yourself / myself with Gmail and Outlook.

Windows 7 RC thoughts

As an IT professional, one of the joys is playing with new toys. But, it is also one of the biggest time wasters and can be frustrating at times. I'm writing this blog as this same Dell OptiPlex 755 w/ 4gb of RAM is finishing setting up Windows 7 RC in Microsoft's Virtual PC 2007 SP1.

I decided to use VPC instead of VMware just to keep it in the MS family. The complete W7RC installation process from the Capture CD from ISO took approximately 1 hour (slightly less, and keep in mind that I'm doing normal work, even streaming Pandora now while the VM is doing its final reboot).

Before I dig into it, I'm making a backup copy of the VM folder so I don't have to go through the install again if I screw something up.

Also, here are a few of my hopes for Windows 7:
- Secure - I'd like to see a bulletproof OS
- Fast
- TimeMachine like backup program
- Built in LogMeIn type remote access
- Better collaboration tools
- Less update intervention

And now, I've booted. I'm in. My first real look at Windows 7 RC (Ultimate). At first glance, I'm thinking "Where is everything?" I'm sure that I can find it. But what about my mom or that salesperson that is admitedly "not a computer person". Other than that, so far so good. And 8 updates available from Microsoft.

Some thoughts:
- Appearance: Looks fine. I don't really see any major changes from Vista other than what I'd consider cosmetic. The Show Desktop in Windows 7 is in the bottom right corner (can't live without that).
- Speed: For now, I'd say the speed seems fine. I'm running with 2gb of RAM assigned to the VM.
- Wishes: Wow, it looks as though there is a System Image tool under the Backup & Restore. I'llbe investigating this.
- Issues: A VM issue with DVD Maker (not a real issue).

Green IT initiative for San Diego

Green IT initiative for San Diego
Save money and be responsible - Participate in DELTYME's Green IT initiative.

Every business is looking to save money. And, we could all do a better job of saving energy to help the environment. Below, are a few tips to get your business started with its own Green IT initiative.
Please contact us today to learn more. 858-483-0497

Review your estimated IT power consumption

By knowing what your power consumption is for your Information Technology, you have a baseline to make decisions. You can use the following the Power Calculator link to run a quick savings estimate.

Consider implementing PC power policies

Many offices leave their PCs on 24/7 in order to allow user to work remotely & PCs to update and run automated tasks. You may want to consider enforcing stricter PC power policies which can be implemented company wide via network policy.

Dispose of equipment properly

If you have old and outdated computer/electronics equipment, be sure to dispose of it properly. Here are a few equipment disposal resources for you to use.

Use the FREE EcoFont

Tired of replacing expensive toner. Try using the FREE EcoFont
The makers of the EcoFont claim it will help you use 20% less toner.

Quick Links
Green Computing
5 Steps to Green IT
HP Printing Green

Why Microsoft is failing

I seem to explain the problems with Windows PCs all too often to laypeople.

This may be obvious to IT industry folks, but the reason that Microsoft is failing is because of the high number of security incidents on Windows PCs that require the user to reload their system resulting in a higher cost of ownership, lost work time, frustration, lack of trust, possible data loss, potential security risks, and more.

Ultimately, the Windows PCs as we know them have not evolved fast enough to keep up with what is required... reliability for even the most novice of user in the simplest environment (ie. little of no network/IT investment). Most computer users do not have the expertise nor means to build a layered security model to protect their vulnerable Windows PC.

Of course, a lot of factors contribute to this failure, yet, Microsoft has not taken the steps required to plug the holes. Hence, people are jumping ship. Macs, the cloud, thin clients, SaaS, Linux, etc... the threats to Microsoft's stature are real and the ship has begun to sink.

Can Microsoft retain its dominance, restore trust, and compete with all of the threats? In the long term... no.

The Windows PC as we know it is an endangered species that will be coveted by few. A new mixed breed of PC will evolve that promises a simpler and more reliable computing experience...