Retailers Trying to Capitalize on Up-sells

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

Buying electronics can be fun; but it can also be stressful. It’s fun to see all of the new gadgets and think about adding a large flat screen to the man cave. It is also very confusion as well. Do I get the warranty? How do I know if I need these accessories? Especially because of the economic condition, retailers are trying to cross-sell and up-sell  any chance they can.

Take for instance, that 50″ LCD HDTV you want to buy. You go to the store to start your search. Once you have decided on the TV that you want, there all sorts of other things to fret over. The sales person starts out by trying to sell you everything in site.HDMI cable, safe power plug and maintenance plan. All these are perfectly fine products but also much cheaper online.

The Store will try and charge you anywhere from $60 to $80 for the HDMI cable when you can get the same thing online for about $20, which includes shipping. The safety power plug helps protect your TV from electrical surges, but most homes are already equipped with surge protection in their electrical wiring. You can also get this much cheaper online, or never get it at all.

The TV comes with a standard power cord. So why would they equip the TV with a standard power cord when you supposedly need a special power plug? And why does the special plug cost so much? It’s just not necessary.

The important thing to remember when shopping for electronics is to make sure you get a quality product that will last; but don’t get caught up in all the extras. Experts say, especially of warranties – most of them are not needed. They’re just another way for the company selling you the product to make some extra money. Most of the time, because the products outlast the warranty, you will never actually use the warranty; making the warranty a big waste of money

 

 

Electronics

Doing your Taxes Online

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

When tax season rolls around everyone is rushing to get them done last minute. If your getting money back, why would you wait last minute? Some people wait because they don’t like doing their taxes themselves. Some people wait because they owe money, so they procrastinate until the last possible moment. There are companies that offer you the ability to do you taxes online.

The biggest advantage to doing your taxes online is just that – it’s online, so you can do them from the comfort of your own home. You simply log in and follow the steps. The packages start from a basic package that is very inexpensive, up to a high level package which cost more. The packages are based on whether you own a home or property, and then investment options. The site walks you through all of the taxes categories.

Another advantage of doing your taxes online is that the site has all the latest updates with real time tax adjustments. The site will prompt you with questions to see if you qualify for the maximum return during each section. The only thing you need is your personal and family information and your taxes. The system will automatically keep track of your information if you have to cut out of a session before you are done.

The site is also designed as an all-in-one solution. this means that the site not only allows you to complete your tax information, but they review your return for errors and do an audit risk check. Finally, the site allows you to digitally sign the return, enter your checking account information, and by working with a partner bank, allows you to receive your refund electronically.

Doing your taxes online is the most efficient way to complete your taxes.

Technology

The Modern Age of College

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

Colleges and Universities have been around for a long time. Their ivy covered buildings and massive campuses broadcast their importance and heritage. Some are larger than others. There are also smaller colleges and even community colleges. They all have their place. We call these brick and mortar schools. Why? Because there is also another way to attend school. And you don’t even have to leave your home.

Online schools have been around since the late 80’s. The original concept was to provide a way for the working adult to get their degree or continue their education. We all know how busy life gets when mom and dad stop paying for everything and, we actually have to go to work and pay the bills. Throw in a spouse and a couple kids and you can kiss that education goodbye. Online school allows one to attend during the day when it’s most convenient with their schedule.

The concept is basic; there are assignments, papers, discussions and other involvement just like any other school. The only difference is that all communication is done over the school’s web system. So, instead of sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture, you read, answer discussion questions and write papers on your own. Certain assignments have due dates. So, as long as you get the work done on time, and you are participating, you are doing what you are supposed to.

Grading is basically the same. You are graded on the content and timeliness of your papers and discussions. The instructors give you feedback on all of your work, so there is an ongoing relationship with staff.

Online school has its benefits. There is no driving time, so you save money on gas and avoid parking hassles. You can do the work when it’s convenient for you, whether it’s 6pm or 4am, your classroom is always live. One of the nicest benefits is that you can get a degree quicker than you can going to a traditional brick and mortar school.

Computers

The Ultimate Man Cave Must-Have

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

Building a man cave is like anything else. First you think about how you want it to look and what you want in it and then how it will be set up. Most people will never have a man cave. But for us that do, we know how nice it can be to spend some relaxing time with the guys watching our favorite team. Watching our favorite team kicked up a bit – I might add.

Man caves come in all shapes and sizes. Some are, well – not too bad. Others are done so well and so elaborately that it’s quite scary. The idea is to create a cool place where the atmosphere dictates the mood of what happens in the room. Its usually geared toward football or racing, you know, things that are cool. You invite a few buddies over, eat food, drink your favorite beverage and cheer on the team. Usually these man caves come equipped with large HD TV’s. Usually there is a very loud surround sound system involved as well.

Get ready – there is another toy for the man cave fanatic – and from the looks of it, its going to be a real hit. Now you can not only use your iPod to play your favorite music through the sound system, you can use your iPod or iPad to control all of your man cave devices.

With just a sweep of your hand and a touch, you can now control your HDTV, your sound system and Blu-ray. You can also set up your man cave, or the rest of your house for that matter, so that the iPad or iPod controls even your lights and security system, manage your heating and cooling system and even sprinklers in the yard. This includes turning everything on and off, raising and lowering volumes and adjusting settings on the fly.

To have a system like this, it does take a bit of setup. You may even want to consult a professional company to help with the initial setup. There is a central unit that runs the programming that can usually be hid in a closet. This unit has sensors that are each programmed and directed to each option that you want to control in the house. There are also sensors placed on each unit and system to the corresponding central unit programs. It is then all linked to the iPad or iPod device for central controls.

Mobile Technology

Using the Internet to Maximize Sales

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

The internet is a big world. Millions of people are searching for products and services every day. It is estimated that 331 billion people perform searches every month online. These people are either looking for information or they are looking to buy. People that are using the internet to create sales are capitalizing on these searches and making money.

The important thing to remember about the internet is that it provides people the needed information to make a purchase. If your company is seen online, and your company’s search results are high, you have a better chance for people to make it to your site. The goal is for a company to connect online with the people searching for the products and services that they offer. If people cannot see you, they will never know who you are.

It is important for your web site to be intact. This means that architecture of the site has to be clean. The site must be programmed correctly and up to date. It must exist on a platform that is going to be applicable and findable by Google and all the other search engines. Also, the content of the web site must be good. There must be quality original content that talks about the products and services that the company sells. If there is no content or not much, the search engines are never going to find the site.

Next, the code in the web site needs to be specific and relevant. This means that the title tags need to be tied to the keywords that the company wants to be found for online. These are simple to change, but they are important to the overall success of the site. These tags are the words in blue that come up on the search engine result descriptions.

Lastly, links containing keywords need to link back to the site from other relevant web sites. This may be the most important part of getting higher rankings on the search engines. This usually involves hours of dedicated work from an experienced web company.

There are no secrets or “black magic” to getting high rankings on the search engines. Theoretically, you could do this all yourself – problem is, most people do not have the knowledge, resources or time. To be really successful in your online endeavor, you really need to hire an experienced web company to provide expertise. If done right, you could potential gain a tenfold ROI within the first year.

Technology

Laptops are Obsolete for Some

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

In the 1980′s, there was nothing – nothing in terms of technology that we see today. Sure, there were VCR’s, Atari’s, microwaves, boom boxes, Walkman and tape players. These were a far cry from what we would see in 20-25 years. The biggest advancement might be in the iPhone where you can make a call, find the closest pizza shop and utilize an app all with one finger.

Technology has give us the ability to communicate better and faster with family and friends and companies. Web companies are now being asked to make sites that are mobile app friendly – generally meaning they can be viewed and navigated on a mobile device. With the advent of the iPhone, and others like it, a whole new generation of people have done something insane – they have virtually made the laptop obsolete.

No – laptops are not really obsolete, but you get the point. Many college student, and others as well, are always on the go. Whether it is at work, in class or walking down the street, many these days are accessing the internet via mobile devices. Why? Because of the convenience factor.

Desktop computers were the first to come on the scene. They were perfect for the family to use at home. But what about the businessman? Then the laptop came out. Perfect for the businessman. Anyone could take this smaller and thinner device to the office, on vacation, or simply carry it to another room in the house.

College students use mobile devices all the time. And all the time means much more than the traditional desktop or laptop computer. Some rarely ever get on an actual computer. All of their Facebook time, web surfing and emailing or texting is done from a hand held device. Simply put, computers for some have become unnecessary.

Mobile Technology

The Social Media Craze

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

As humans, we love to feel like we are a part of something. We attend concerts with thousands of people, we go to football games, we have big parties and we like to think we have a lot of friends. The sense of belonging is important to most of us whether we like to admit it or not. With the advent of the social media sites online, we have seen a different kind of need to belong, and a need to tell the world our story.

Social media sites have been around for a little while now, and one thing is for sure – people love them and are using them all the time. It is estimated that Facebook alone has some 800,000,000 users. Whether you are a teenager or a grandmother, odds that you use a social media site are pretty good. Many use them to find old high school friends or reconnect with college buddies. Others use them to tell the world – or at least anyone who will listen – everything about their life, their day – minute by minute.

The downside to social media is that when anyone is online they are normally alone. They may be connecting with other people in a community, but it is virtual. Fear among some is that social media makes us less interactive. It makes for lazy personalities and emotions – especially for some who need to get out and experience life. The fear is that many people do “hide” behind the mask of the internet. They can be as revealing as they want to, but at the same time, they are alone and can hide.

Social media is relatively new but has captivated the world. It has the ability to connect people in an instant. Where will it be in 15, 20, or 30 years? Will it create a society that cannot communicate effectively? We can only wait and see.

Computers

How Banks Protect from Identity Theft

Posted on December 18, 2011 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

For many individuals, having their information lost or stolen would be a nightmare.  For example, an individual might find himself or herself in this predicament if they lost their wallet, or responded to a phishing e-mail communication, or received communication that his bank had a data breach.  Identity theft is a major concern for many organizations, businesses, banks, and enterprises.  Identity theft can cause major damage to the customer, both personally and financially.

Cyber criminals have become increasingly sophisticated when it comes to obtaining funds by fraudulent wire transfers. The hackers use malware like key loggers and phishing emails to obtain the information needed for the fraudulent wire transfer. Unfortunately, unlike consumer accounts, business accounts have no insurance or government-backed protection against cyber criminals.

So how do banks protect themselves, thus protecting their clients, from identity theft? Banks are now implementing a protect, monitor and resolve strategy. The protect part involves the bank do their doing due diligence as far as employing a suite of fraud prevention to minimize fraud from occurring. It has to be the latest and greatest. Second, the bank monitors everything 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This way, if anything happens, they know about it and fast. Last, the bank resolves any breaches quickly. In other words, the company takes responsibility with no liability for the customer.

Everything that we consider a hassle is one small step toward identity theft protection. Things like requiring social security numbers and using pin numbers are the first line of defense against identity theft. Banks are now training their employees more than ever on how to operate and how to see possible cases of identity theft. Identity theft is on the rise but banks are doing everything they can to protect themselves and their customers.

Technology

Is Technology Becoming Too Much of a Distraction?

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

We are living in a world of technology that changes and advances faster and faster each day. If you haven’t noticed, its taking over the world. We have HD TV’s, computers, cell phones, iPhones, Kindle, mobile apps, lap tops GPS and, Oh! – don’t forget texting. We are so overwhelmed with technology that we are becoming reliant on it like never before.

Back in the old days – not that long ago, there were none of these technological devices. If you got a flat tire, you had to walk to the nearest pay phone or knock on a stranger’s door. I know – hard to believe. Now we are so in love with our technology that we get into car crashes because we cannot put it down. Car accidents resulting from texting are on the rise. They have gotten so bad that states are making laws to ban the activity while driving.

Most employees work at offices in where they use computers. Many employees get their work done and workplaces have been forced to make office rules and even electronically block employees from websites in order to fight the temptation to surf the web during worktime. Since time is money, wasted time on the internet while work is supposed to be getting done costs corporations millions of dollars per year.

Electronics

New Mobile App Challenge from U.S. Surgeon General

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Jeff Spitzer | Permalink 0

There are tens of thousands of applications for mobile devices. Most of them are admittedly worthless. There is one idea out there that sounds like it would not only be a hit, but would benefit a lot of people. It is an app that would combine the technology that most of us already use and encourage us to live healthier lives. It sounds great.

The idea comes from a challenge that the current U.S Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, made to mobile companies and health application developers. The challenge was given at the mSummit on December 6th, and was designed to encourage those “who may not be tech savvy and who wouldn’t ordinarily want to get involved to become healthy and fit, and to make it easy and fun.”

The main focus will be toward people who are in harder to reach areas, and people who are not getting the healthcare they need.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is involved with the challenge which will have three categories: physical activity, healthy eating and integrative health, and will include health for the mind and spirit and proper sleep and reduced stress.

The competition will run until December 30th, with the winner being announced late January 2012. All app developers are encouraged to enter. Benjamin said, “We want to start using this as soon as we can.”

In a world where there is much overkill and many mobile apps are useless, it’s nice to see an idea that can really, really not only help with information and direction, but can educate as well. There is really nothing more important than our health.

Mobile Technology