Miva e-commerce Abandoned Cart Recovery Utility (ACRUe)
February 27, 2009
DSD Associates announce the release and general availability of their new Abandoned Cart Recovery Utility (ACRUe) for Miva e-commerce store owners.
Miva e-Commerce Abandoned Cart Recovery Now Available
This utility was created to address a serious outage this past week that affected all Miva Merchant e-commerce stores. During the outage, many thousands of e-commerce visitors’ shopping carts were abandoned when the system went down, and there is currently no way to recover abandoned carts. DSD jumped in, and created ACRUe, which recovers abandoned shopping carts, and reports their contents and who the carts belonged to (if the visitor had gotten that far).
After creating the utility for a large online e-commerce store whose website DSD had developed, the owner was able to use it to contact abandoned cart owners, to find out if they wanted to complete their purchase. They have more than paid for the utility in recovered sales.
Statistical Reporting for Miva E-Commerce
But this isn’t just a utility that’s used for outages or disasters. E-commerce store owners can use it to do statistical reporting on abandoned carts, giving them insight into the reasons that visitors are abandoning carts (i.e. not buying). ACRUe has an optional feature that automatically e-mails the e-commerce site manager when a cart is abandoned, allowing them to follow-up with their customer.
Abandoned Cart Recovery Utility (ACRUe) for Miva e-commerce store owners
If you’re interested in more information please call DSD Associates directly at 858-550-5900 or visit them on the web at the link below.
Link: DSD Associates
Facebook, Twitter and Blogging – business time wasters or money makers?
February 10, 2009
Have you heard about the newest Internet buzzword? It’s called Social Media and depending upon who you talk about it with you’ll get a differing definition that paints it as either the next big thing or the world’s greatest waste of time. I like to think of Social Media as nothing more than a means of connecting more regularly, inexpensively and efficiently to people or businesses you might not otherwise connect to.
Perhaps you’ve heard the cliche – “people like to do business with people just like them”. The use of these various Social Media tools allow you to interact with your customers and prospects on a more personal level than ever before.
There are dozens of ways to be active online with Social Media – some of the popular tools are MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as the use of blogs to self publish content. The question I hear over repeatedly from people who haven’t yet joined the online Social Media scene is – “what can I do with Social Media tools like Facebook ,etc” and “will social media help my business or is it just for high school kids”.
Rather than argue that all Social Media tools are awesome and worth spending hours of work time to use – I’ll explain how I use Social Media and what I believe its long term benefits are.
Why Social Media? It All Starts With Search
The goal most businesses have in mind when they think of “going online” is to increase the likelihood that their customers and prospects can easily find them in an online search. As you may have found, obtaining a much coveted high Google ranking is increasingly tougher as competitors employ professional search optimization consultants to craft pages tailored for higher search engine rankings. There are also some experts who predict that Google search will eventually become less dominant and give way to searches through other types of Social Media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
What can your company do when you lack the budget to hire an expensive search engine consultant and you lack the skill to do this search optimization yourself?
My answer to search optimization has been to ignore the tricks and fine tuning of web pages. These tweaks to rank a web page highly seem to change almost daily and keeping up with the latest tricks of the search trade is almost impossible unless it is your full time job. In my use of the Internet I’ve found that one type of page never seems to go out of style. Web pages that contain useful content instead of a sales pitch are increasingly prized by those customers and prospects doing their own searches on the web.
Blogging Is An Easy Way To Publish Fresh Content Online And More Helpful Content Equals More Visitors To Your Site. When people hear of blogging they sometimes think of a lone writer ranting endlessly about the local government or some other esoteric topic of interest to a small minority. At it’s core blogging means nothing more than writing an article and publishing it on the Internet.
The key to blogging is that once you write and publish an article – the words in that article become indexed by Internet search engines and eventually (hopefully soon) are discoverable by potential clients who in turn may contact you.
To be sure there are those types of blog web sites. However the way you use blogging for your company can also attract significant traffic to your web site. (Remember – more traffic reading quality articles equals the chance to contact more qualified web searchers).
On my site – http://www.s-consult.com – I’ve installed a free blog software program called WordPress (http://www.wordpress.org).
Because WordPress allows you to publish articles quickly and easily from any Internet connected computer it’s significantly more convenient than the old method of publishing web pages through software such as Frontpage that had to be installed to a single computer. There are also a significant number of free WordPress designs that you can download and use to customize the look of your WordPress installation.
During the course of a day (depending upon my schedule and whether there is any relevant news) I may publish 1 to as many as 6 articles. Do the math and you can see that by the end of the week if I published only the minimum that I’d have 5 new web pages for the search engines to index and for customers and prospects to find. Multiply that by 52 weeks in the year – and in the first year I’d have over 260 different web pages that all would be indexed and searchable on the web. There’s a good chance that out of the 260+ pages there will be some that are indexed highly by search engines – especially when I’ve taken care to make sure that I always use relevant keywords and write about topics that deliver value to clients and prospective clients.
Perhaps the best thing about blogging is that it costs nothing to start. WordPress is completely free and has numerous third party enhancements that can tailor it for use on almost any web site. I like to use this solution because I can update my site from any web browser without the need for added software. Once written the content is all properly formatted with graphics and fonts. There’s a minimum of “geek” knowledge required to create this content.
Remember – the more helpful content you have on your site (emphasis on the word helpful) the more likely a web visitor is to read it and contact you. The cost of creating this helpful content is only the time you spend writing (on average it takes me about 30 minutes to generate a typical online article including proof-reading). Once created these articles on your site live on forever.
Facebook – It’s not just for High Schoolers (or maybe it is)
Facebook is becoming a hub of information for people of all ages. If you have teenagers you’re probably very familiar with this site as it’s the place most of them gravitate toward online. The site allows for creating a profile (picture, name, address, bio) as well as sharing messages via mail and instant messaging.
Over the holidays as I spoke with my teenage nieces and nephews they all told me that the way they communicate with each other is all via Facebook. None of them admitted to regularly using email. As businesses if we want to reach this next generation, we should understand the tools that they use. While most of us would head to the Google search engine to find information – increasingly we will may see clients and potential employees using sites like Facebook for search and communication.
There are several ways to market on Facebook — you can create events and have people register to attend (think user groups), you can create a fan page for your firm (this sounds geeky – but remember that users of Facebook may be the staff that you’re trying to recruit – and Facebook is increasingly the area that they live within to message and do research).
Think of Facebook as yet another marketing resource. Joining is free. Create a page for yourself and your firm which can help potential employees locate your company.
Example:
Wayne Schulz Facebook – http://www.profile.to/wayneschulz
LinkedIn – Facebook for business people
Another popular site is LinkedIn. Think of this as Facebook for business people. LinkedIn is largely free to use (there’s a small added fee if you want to make more than a few contacts each month).
With LinkedIn the object is purely business networking. There is a minimal amount of messaging or posting of photos. To get started you update your profile with past work history, school history and a more professional summary of your biography.
Other users can post recommendations about you (and you can post them about your contacts). Think of this as a high tech reference letter! Most of the users on LinkedIn are there to develop leads for jobs or search for employees.
When you form connections with other people on the service (this is where the LinkedIn name comes from) you can ask them to introduce you to their contacts should you need to make an inquiry for a job or for potential client.
What’s nice about LinkedIn is there’s considerably less effort you must make to stay active with the service. Most users log in only periodically to refresh their connections to other users. You can send emails internally from
Example:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mas90guru
Twitter – what is it and why would anyone care what I am doing?
The last social media tool that’s gathering some “buzz” is a very simple and basic service called Twitter.
There’s only one thing that Twitter does — it allows you to post brief (140 character maximum) messages that answer the question “what am I doing”.
Often these messages describe what you are doing at the moment though you often will see people posting open questions on a wide variety of topics. The appeal of Twitter is that it integrates to a huge number of different online services.
By sending a message to my Twitter account — I can also update my Facebook profile at the same time. So Twitter becomes an easy way to generate multiple sites with short content (also known as status messages or “what am I doing”). Twitter also accepts text messages sent from your phone (thus the limit of 140 characters which is generally the maximum size for text messages).
The question that I hope you are asking is — “Do people really care what I’m doing” followed by “This sounds weird and like a waste of time”.
At this point the main users of Twitter seem to be those who either work at home and are networking in a manner similar to the “office water cooler” or writers who use the service to gather information on things that are currently happening (which is easy because there are several tools that integrate to Twitter and display the hottest keywords being sent by users at any time).
There are several ways you can use Twitter for business.
First, there are tools (my favorite is a program called Twhirl – http://www.twhirl.org) that make it easier to not only post messages but to listen. Using this software tool I’ve setup my searches so that anytime someone mentions MAS90 or Sage Software (my specialties) that I’m able to see them right away. Often I will provide (free) answers to a question about these products. While it might seem foolish to provide a free answer, long term the hope is that your company builds a relationship with the user and perhaps a customer.
Twitter is still very much in the early adopter stage. It is gathering press mentions because of the easy way that it allows news to spread quickly. When the airplane went down in the Hudson River, Twitter was one of the first services that carried messages and photos from people in New York City announcing that a plane had crash landed.
Example:
Wayne Schulz on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/mas90guru
Conclusion
Social Media is still not used by everyone. Just as the notion of web sites was foreign to most of us 20 years ago, the notion of Social Media seems foreign today.
Your firm should make some effort to become familiar with the various tools and establish a basic presence (Facebook, LinkedIn, Blog). By becoming familiar at the early stage of use, you’ll be better poised to increase the amount of time that you spend on various Social Media sites as they become used by more of our typical business customers.
The Next Generation Will Use Social Media as Easily As You Now Use Email
In 1986 I remember the CPA firm I worked at (Cole, Frago, Cusick & Chestler) bought their first fax machine. Actually at the time faxes were so expensive that they leased it! The technology of using a fax seems mysterious. Hardly anyone used the machine at first. Gradually as people grew accustomed to faxing it became an indispensable part of the business office.
As your older clients retire they’ll hand over the “keys to the business” to their children. These children have come through school learning how to use tools like Facebook as their primary communication method.
If companies want to form connections with this next generation of business owner, they must learn their language! Social Media is increasingly the language of this next generation. It’s time for you to learn this new language.
T-Mobile’s BlackBerry Curve 8900 brochure
January 13, 2009
The BlackBerry Curve 8900 (aka Javelin) is rumored to be arriving on the T-Mobile network on February 11, 2009. There is some information that it may launch sooner for business network customers with a date of January 19, 2009 being rumored.
Below is the product information sheet for the BlackBerry 8900 on T-Mobile which lists it’s specifications and features.
Blackberry Curve 8900 FactSheet
Phone Support Agreement for MAS 90 and MAS 200
January 12, 2009
We provide all technical support for Sage MAS 90 and 200 under an unlimited telephone support agreement. This removes the need for our clients to worry that their staff will be charged for technical support questions. Since our plan covers as many technical questions as the staff may have – there’s seldom a need (unless additional services have been requested) for an extra suport charge.
It’s important to realize that this fee is for support and not the basic maintenance which is charged annually by Sage Software for their product upgrades.
Sage Reseller of Record Form
January 12, 2009
The following form is required by Sage Software before Schulz Consulting can:
- Enter in any renewal orders for software maintenance or support maintenance
- Discuss any issues related to Extended Solutions
- Other various items where Sage will only speak to the official Reseller of Record
What is Reseller of Record?
Once you file a Reseller of Record form, Sage Software will change their records to show that Schulz Consulting is handling your account.
- This notifies Sage that it is ok to discuss certain account information with Schulz Consulting as well as allow them to place maintenance renewal orders for your software.
- You may file as many Reseller of Record forms as you like – these change is not permanent.
Schulz Consulting requires new clients to file this form because it generally greatly speeds the process should we need to access information online about your company (maintenance renewal dates, etc).
Eye-Fi offers video upload from memory card to YouTube
January 9, 2009
Have you heard of the Eye-Fi memory card? Available in both 2 GB and special 4 GB (Costco or direct from Eye-Fi) versions, these SD memory cards fit into your camera just like any other memory device.
Upload Without Removing Memory Card
What’s unusual about them is you never have to remove the memory from your camera in order to upload the picture. Using a wireless Internet connection (Wi-Fi) the device will automatically send your latest images over the Internet to services like Flickr where you can store your images at no cost.
The next generation of Eye-Fi has just been introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
This new Eye-Fi now supports uploads of video directly to the popular YouTube video hosting site.
Fortis document imaging web seminar Friday January 9
January 9, 2009
Is one of your goals for 2009 to get rid of paper? The prediction of the paperless society has been hovering for years yet never seems for most of us to get much closer to reality.
WestBrook Technologies is hosting an online web seminar this Friday January 9 at 11am EST and 2pm EST that will show their innovative Fortis document management software.
We’ve worked with Westbrook Techologies previously supporting their accounting system. And their dedication to the document management industry is impressive – especially the fact that they use all of their own software and integrate it directly to Sage MAS 90 for processing of their journals and registers.
Document Imaging, OCR and MAS 90
Although the integration to Sage MAS 90 isn’t a native one (most of the journals and registers are printed to an imaging printer similar to how you’d print a PDF) – there’s never been a journal or register that this client has not been able to locate. It’s also impressive to see the system by which they store their source documents – all paperless.
Their Fortis Document Imaging is a next step solution for someone looking to take their entire company paperless.
For this web seminar they’ve paired with Paradatec who will demonstrate their PROSAIR-AIDA OCR software which integrates to Fortis for a complete solution offering:
- Intelligently read and convert documents to understandable text
- Automatically file documents into folders based on content and rules.
Register for Westbrook Technologies Fortis Document Imaging Web Seminar
Two sessions are being offered:
Register for 1/9/09 Morning Session – 11 am EST
Register for 1/9/09 Afternoon Session – 2 pm EST
Microsoft Vista Answers (beta) – One stop technical support combines community, Wiki and FAQ
December 24, 2008
Users of Microsoft Vista have another support resource to turn to when they have questions about the latest operating system.
Microsoft Vista Answers combines community (discussion), frequently asked questions and search into one self-help portal.
The service is presently in beta and as with almost everything Microsoft based, you’ll need a Windows Live ID to login and do anything useful like post a question.
This would be wonderful if it could also be expanded to some of Microsoft’s other product lines and be kept free of spam and other malicious content.
Apparently user to user community message boards supplemented by vendor support is the wave of the future for technical support. I would not be surprised if one day over 90% of all support was rendered via an online self-service portal such as this with the remaining 5% delivered as premium priced custom support.
Link: Windows Vista Answers
Why we don’t provide per call support
December 16, 2008
Sometimes a picture says it all.
Below is an image from an online MAS90 technical support chat. An online visitor had taken advantage of our free chat option (since replaced by the Google Chat that shows on each of our pages).
I had already spent way more time than I should have trying to help this person (who was not a client). When it became evident that his problem was more complex than a simple online fix – I proposed that we’d log in and fix it for a flat fee.
Read the message below — especially the very bottom where Charles tells me goodbye in his own unique way.
Link: Schulz Consulting Support Options
Schulz Consulting named Accounting Technology 2008 Pacesetter for fourth consecutive year
December 3, 2008
Schulz Consulting has been named to the list of 100 Technology Pacesetters for 2008 by Thomson Media’s Accounting Technology magazine. This is the fourth consecutive year that Schulz Consulting has been named to this exclusive list that groups the top 100 consultants in the United States.
Inclusion on this list is based on a combination of: Product Sales, Vendor Awards, Participation in Building the Profession, Reputation among Peers.
Schulz Consulting is the only consultant whose services focus entirely on the Sage MAS 90 and 200 product line.
Based in Glastonbury CT, Schulz Consulting provides remote, on-site and telephone support and implementation services to companies ranging in size from start-up to $ 500 million in size.
For more information contact Wayne Schulz:
Wayne Schulz – Email: wayne@s-consult.com
Phone: 860-657-8544
Link:
2008 Technology Pacesetters (pdf)
PhoneTag transcribes your voicemail and emails the results
November 21, 2008
Do you receive many voice mails during the day? If you’re like me you often receive voice mail during times when you may be in a meeting or other location where calling in and listening to a lengthy recording is not convenient.
For the last month I’ve been using a service called PhoneTag. When I receive a voice message my system (Gotvmail) automatically sends a copy (WAV or MP3) to a special address that I’m assigned at PhoneTag.
Then the service has my voice message transcribed and sent to me via email. This usually occurs within 5 minutes of the voice message being left.
Transcription isn’t perfect. People’s names can be tricky to transcribe. Whenever there is a word the system doesn’t understand it will put a (??) next to the word so you know that it may not be correct.
The big benefit of PhoneTag is that you can now read all of your voicemail instead of having to find a quiet place to call into your mail and listen to messages. In many instances this lets me know at a glance of my iPhone or BlackBerry Bold screen whether I need to excuse myself from a client apointment to return an emergency phone call or whether it’s only a routine message.
PhoneTag costs $9.95 per month for 40 transcribed messages (.25 per message overage fee). If you need more they offer an unlimited plan for $29.95 per month. Those who prefer to pay as they go can elect to pay a flat .35 per message transcribed.
I’ve found PhoneTag to be indispensable and a great tool for helping me manage my voice mail when I’m on the road.
Link: PhoneTag
BlackBerry Storm review summaries
November 19, 2008
Thinking of getting a new BlackBerry Storm when it’s released on Friday? The first reviews are starting to trickle in with the Wall Street Journal posting the first official review.
Unfortunately Walt Mossberg of the WSJ spends a large amount of time reminding us of why the BlackBerry Storm is different from all other BlackBerry’s (anyone not know the answer here — hint – look at the picture and try to find a keyboard).
Overall he pronounces is faster on high speed cellular data than the iPhone but couldn’t test it on Wi-Fi — because the BlackBerry Storm lacks any Wi-Fi capabilities. Unfortunately he also doesn’t say much about the multimedia capabilities of the phone (only one sentence).
As more reviews are released, I’ll compile them below so you can access them easily.
Note: Most reviews of the BlackBerry Storm are under embargo meaning they cannot be released online until a date set by Verizon. As soon as we spot sites posting their reviews (which should be soon given that the Wall Street Journal already has published) we’ll be linking them below.
Wall Street Journal Reviews BlackBerry Storm
Summary: Cursory review that focuses on reminding anyone living under a rock the past year that the BlackBerry Storm is different from prior BlackBerryies because it has no keyboard. There’s no analysis (save for one sentence) of multi-media capabilities or any discussion of APPS that are unique to this new touch device.
Rating: Duh.
Link: WSJ BlackBerry Storm Review
Mobility Today Video Review
Additional Reviews We Like:
BoyGenius Report – Verizon BlackBerry Storm review
Wired – RIM’s First Touchscreen Device Almost Eclipses the iPhone
ZDNET - Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm
JkOnTheRun – BlackBerry Storm, yes it can cut and paste (includes video)
CrunchGear – Review: BlackBerry Storm for Verizon Wireless
BlackBerry screen capture software eliminates the need to cable to grab a screenshot
November 16, 2008
Last night I stumbled across CaptureIT software for BlackBerry devices running OS version 4.3 or higher.
The program does one thing that I had been wanting to do for quite some time. It allows you to take screenshots of your BlackBerry device WITHOUT needing to cable it via USB to your computer.
This is the first time I’ve noticed a software only solution for BlackBerry screen captures. The prior solutions required that you cable your BlackBerry to a Windows PC and run a Javaloader application. Under the old method your screens would be captured and saved onto your PC. With CaptureIT the screen image is saved right to your BlackBerry’s media folder.
From the media folder you can email yourself the photo (or even better email it out to Flickr for hosting).
Link: CaptureIT OTA (over the air) download via BlackBerryForums
Sleeter Group Accounting Software Consulting Conference 2008 Gets Underway
November 11, 2008
Day one of the Sleeter Group’s Accounting Software Consulting Conference 2008 gets underway today. I’m speaking on Thursday with the Sage Software follks about MAS90 and how it’s a next step up for anyone formerly using QuickBooks who may need a little more horsepower in their software.
The picture above is from the Monday Night Football Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers football game. The hotel the speakers are staying in is a short 20 minute walk to the stadium -which allowed us to avoid the happy masses of football fans exiting the stadium after the 29 – 24 Cardinals win (I had to look the final score up because I left the game early to get some rest after having been up since 2am traveling to Arizona).
I’ll update the site with relevant keynote information and I will be talking to many of the QuickBooks consultants and vendors who make add ons for QuickBooks products .
If you’re at the conference – here’s my session titled Sage MAS 90 and 200: Easier To Use And More Affordable Than Ever.
Link: Sleeter Consulting Conference Schedule (Nov 11 to 14, 2008)
Blackberry Storm Manual Online
November 1, 2008
The user manual for the Research in Motion’s first touch screen device has just appeared online. The Blackberry Storm has yet to be priced and there’s no formal release date. Expect to see it on Verizon Wireless in the US – possibly before the Thanksgiving Holidays.
Blackberry Storm Manual Online (PDF) download via: Crackberry
Schulz Consulting office manager makes the front page of Gizmodo
October 31, 2008
Some of you know that Wayne Schulz is an active team member over at web site Geardiary.com where he reviews and writes about technology, deals and the occasional offbeat article.
Last night Google added free outgoing SMS text messaging to their Gmail Chat service. Wayne did a story on that over at Geardiary. He used the image of a contact record for Pat (our office manager) in this short news article.
Gizmodo, a popular gadget blog with over 6 million monthly readers worldwide, picked up the image from the article – turning Pat into a mini-celebrity of sorts.
The autograph line starts by the coffee machine this morning…
Gmail offers free SMS text messaging to US phones
October 30, 2008
Google just introduced a new feature that allows Gmail users to send free SMS text messages to their contact’s cell phones. These short messages can be sent while using the Gmail chat feature which is part of the Gmail interface. Unfortunately these messages can only be sent to US phones and it is send only — you won’t receive replies.
In order to use this feature you must first enable it via the settings tab in Gmail. Since this is a Labs feature – you should consider it experimental.
At this time the capabilities have not been added to any of the Google widgets or instant message clients, though I would expect that they’d appear soon.
via: Geardiary
Sage Tip: Get alerts when new messages are posted to Sage MAS 90 message board
October 29, 2008
One of the most convenient ways to read content on the Internet is via the use of RSS feeds. With an RSS feed you can quickly skim the titles of different articles that have been published online. Most sites – including the new Sage Software Message Boards – support the use of RSS feeds.
For those of you who may be more casual users of the Internet or who don’t want to log onto an RSS reader to check messages – here’s an interesting solution that I’ve been using for the past three months.
The service is called Pingie. It’s presently free and in beta with a limitation of 5 different feeds that may be added to each individual account.
What Pingie does is watch your RSS feeds and send out an alert each time the feed is updated.
This is useful for times when you would like to know that a new message has been posted into a specific forum without having to constantly log into the site and view the list of new messages on your computer.
Here’s an example of how to setup the Core Financial Message Board in Pingie so that every time someone posts a new message (or reply) you will get a notification.
Note: These notifications can be sent to either your email address or to a cell phone via SMS.
Link: Pingie
How to read the new Sage MAS90 Discussion Forums via RSS
October 28, 2008
One of the best new features of the Sage MAS90 Discussion forum is the ability to read all of the messages in an abbreviated format known as RSS.
Click on the image to the left to see an example of my RSS feeds (as shown in Google Reader) that I use to keep up with technology. Notice that only the headlines of each article are shown.
RSS stands for Really Simply Syndication. In it’s most basic form what it means is that instead of reading the lengthy articles (message posts) you can use a special type of software to read the headlines. When you find a headline that is of interest you can click to read the entire article. (Read more about RSS at Wikipedia)
Fortunately you don’t even need to load any special software (although there are dedicated software RSS feed readers). Google has a free reader that is very popular both because it is simple to use and can be accessed via any web browser.
To setup your Google Reader account:
- Log into the Google site via http://www.google.com/reader.
- If you don’t already have a Google account, you’ll be prompted to create one.
- Once you’ve created a Google account, click on any of the links below (I’d recommend adding them all) to have the RSS feeds from the new Sage Software MAS 90 Discussion Forum automatically added to your Google Reader.
A list of the Sage MAS 90 RSS feeds are as follows:
(After you’ve setup Google Reader – clicking any of the links below will add them to your feeds so they can be read at any time)
Distribution, Manufacturing & Internet Modules
Customer Relationship Management
Unique Business Challenges and General Discussion
Personalization, Customization & Productivity Tools
Technical and Installation Discussions
Time Tracking & Job Costing Modules
Best Buy prices the Blackberry Bold at $399 with 2 year contract
October 26, 2008
There’s been a lot of speculation over not only the ship date for Blackberry’s latest flagship model – the Blackberry Bold – but over what the ultimate pricing will be.
It looks like at least one major reseller will be pricing the Blackberry Bold at $399 after a 2 year contract.
(NOTE: After visiting the Berlin CT Best Buy, I am convinced that even though the sales circular lists $399 as the price for the Blackberry Bold — the store price will be $299 for new activations on a plan of $65/mo or more and $349 on a plan that is less than $65/mo).
If you are an existing AT&T customer eligible for an equipment upgrade you can get the device at only $20 more – or $419 the price is $349. If you’re not eligible at all for an upgrade then you’ll pay the full boat price of $659.
This pricing is surprising because AT&T had announced that their price on the Blackberry Bold would be $299 when it is officially released in their stores nationwide November 4, 2008.
This will be an interesting story to watch. The wildly popular iPhone is a cheaper choice at $199 for an 8GB model and $299 for a 16GB. Arguably the iPhone has more capabilities with a vastly larger inventory of downloadable programs and the same (or similar) monthly data service pricing.
Will a $399 $299 Blackberry Bold sell into an economy that is facing more bad news each day? Will Best Buy lower their pricing to meet the AT&T announced pricing?
Click the photo at left for a larger image of the Blackberry display in the Berlin CT Best Buy. If you look closely at the price tag you’ll see the advertised pricing for new plans, upgrades and outright purchases.
Metro North (MTA) Grand Central train schedule for your iPhone
October 24, 2008
Do you ride the Metro North commuter train into New York City? Do you have an iPhone?
If so, here’s a way you can take the full schedule into and out of Grand Central Terminal on your iPhone. There’s no internet connection required to read the schedule as everything is stored on your iPhone.
To use the program you key in whether you are going into or out of Grand Central (one flaw is that you can’t use this schedule to show intermediate stops such as whether the train stops at a certain station on the way into Grand Central Terminal).
The resulting schedules is displayed on your iPhone which also includes the estimated travel times and whether the fare is considered to be peak or off peak.
This is a nice little application for those of us looking to eliminate some paper and make fuller use of our iPhones to carry useful information.
Link: Station Stops (iTunes)
Link: Station Stops Web Site
Netsuite offers 50% discount to Salesforce.com customers via RenewForce
October 23, 2008
Software as s service vendor Netsuite has rolled out a program termed RenewForce that promises 50% off the cost of any Salesforce users existing contracts.
Their offer is valid through December 31, 2008 and Netsuite claims to offer more features for less with their NetSuite CRM that includes creating estimates and quotes, sales-order generation, management of multiple quotas and forecasts, support for cross-selling and up-selling, commission management, integrated e-mail marketing and pre-configured sales dashboards.
NETSUITE RENEWFORCE PROGRAM SAVES CUSTOMERS 50% ON THEIR SALESFORCE.COM INVOICE
With RenewForce, Salesforce.com Customers Move From Standalone SFA to Feature-Rich CRM and Leading SaaS Suite for ERP, CRM and Ecommerce
SAN MATEO, Calif. — October 22, 2008 — NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), a leading vendor of on-demand, integrated business management software suites for mid-market enterprises and divisions of large companies, today announced a new program aimed at salesforce.com customers who are eager to realize greater value from their customer relationship management (CRM) investment, as well as relief from some of the industry’s highest on-demand subscription fees. The NetSuite RenewForce Program offers all salesforce.com customers the opportunity to drop their standalone sales force automation (SFA) offering from salesforce.com in exchange for NetSuite CRM+ at a cost NetSuite guarantees will be 50% off the value of their current salesforce.com implementation.
NetSuite anticipates that salesforce.com customers will find a lot to like about the NetSuite RenewForce offer as they seek opportunities in this economic downturn to realize greater value across their operations. As an on-demand suite with built-in integration and business analytics, NetSuite offers substantially more value than the standalone salesforce.com SFA application and at substantially less cost. For more information about the NetSuite RenewForce program, please visit www.netsuite.com/renewforce.
The NetSuite RenewForce program is available now for a limited time only to all current salesforce.com customers in good standing. The 50% discount will apply to a comparable license for NetSuite CRM+, including customer support and implementation services.
“RenewForce ends the age of being forced to pay $125 per-user-per-month for basic contact management and SFA,” said Zach Nelson, NetSuite CEO. “In this environment, reducing costs and increasing productivity are key, and applications like NetSuite CRM+ that include—but go well beyond—basic SFA functionally enable companies to do a lot more with a lot less.”
Salesforce.com customers who take the NetSuite offer receive much more than just a 50% discount and a great product. They also receive important customer relationship management functionality not found in salesforce.com, including the ability to:
* Create estimates or quotes
* Generate sales orders
* Manage multiple quotas and forecasts
* Automate support for cross-selling and up-selling
* Manage incentive management (commissions) within the system without using a third product
* Conduct integrated email marketing
* Pre-configure dashboards for business intelligence, and more
For more information about NetSuite Inc., please visit www.netsuite.com.
NOTE: NetSuite and the NetSuite logo are registered service-marks of NetSuite Inc.
For more information on the offer visit RenewForce.
via: Informationweek
T-Mobile G1 Android phone goes on sale today
October 22, 2008
The wait is over.
Google’s open source phone operating system is shipping today (October 23, 2008) initially at T-Mobile. The current selection of phones is slim (and ugly in my opinion) with only an HTC slider (The G1). Since Android is an open source phone software, it means that carriers can freely incorporate it into their handsets.
Unfortunately the G1 design, while incorporating a keyboard, is a rather tired looking copy of the T-Mobile Sidekick. Currently this is the only phone on the market that comes pre-loaded with the Android operating system. There will undoubtedly be several additional models introduced by other carriers over the next six to nine months.
Remember that since Android is an open source operating system that carriers are free to use it without any payment. They also likely will modify it to provide a customized look and feel. Due to the open source nature of the software there will not be any exclusivity period with one carrier.
You’ll quickly see other carriers pick this up and by the middle of next year I think all the major USA based operators will have at least one Android phone.
Here are the quick specifications:
- Touch Screen
- QWERTY Keyboard
- One-Touch Google Search
- Real Web Browsing
- Easy Access to Google Apps
- 3G Network and Wi-Fi Access
- IM/Text/E-mail
- 3.2 Megapixel Camera
- YouTube™ Videos
- Music Player
- Android™ Market
- Customizable Home Screen
For more information you can check out T-Mobile’s Android G1 site at the link below (My recommendation is to wait and see what other phone models might be introduced in the next 6 months).
Link: T-MobileG1.com
QuickBooks vs MAS 90 comparison guide now available
October 20, 2008
Outgrowing QuickBooks?
Thinking about switching to Sage MAS 90 or Sage MAS 200?
Unsure about what the differences between the products are and whether you’ll get enough of a benefit from making the move from Intuit’s Quickbooks software to MAS 90? Then take a look at this new 86 page QuickBooks vs MAS90 document that goes into depth about the differences between these two products.
Here’ a quick breakdown of the included chapters:
- Chapter 1 – Introduction
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
- Retail Limitations vs. Value Added Reseller Consulting
- Integration
- Customization
- Enhanced User Interface
- Flexibility to Add Modules as You Grow
- Core Accounting
- Distribution
- Manufacturing
- Resource and Project Management
- Business Intelligence and Customization
- Customer Relationship Management
- Business Management Applications
- Add Users as You Need Them
- Feature Comparisons
- Available Modules
- System Options
- Accounts Receivable
- Accounts Payable
- General Ledger
- Inventory
- Sales Order
- Purchase Order
- Payroll
- Customizer
- Bar Code
- Job Cost
- Visual Integrator
- Workflow Differences
- Real-Time and Batch Processing
- Cash Basis vs. Accrual Accounting
- Audit Trail
- Adding Customers and Vendors
- Working in More Than One Company
- Memorized Transactions vs. “Copy From”
- Data Entry
- Navigation
- Viewing and Editing Open Sales Orders and Quotes
- Inventory Costing
- Functionality That’s the Right Fit
- Alerts vs. Business Alerts
- QuickBooks Welcome Window vs. Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users
- Business Insights Dashboard
- Conversion Specialist Program
- Training Requirements
- Before You Begin the Conversion Process
- What Is Data Migrator?
- What Data Can Data Migrator Convert?
- Which Versions of QuickBooks Data Will Data Migrator Convert?
- What Does the Migration Process Entail?
- Printing QuickBooks Reports Before Migration
- Data Migrator Checklists
- QuickBooks Data Migration Checklist
- Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users Pre-Data Conversion
Checklist - Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users Post-Data Conversion
Checklist - Data Integrity
- Time Expectations
- Downtime
- Implementation
- Training
- Tutorials
- Anytime Learning and Instructor-Led Training
- Authorized Training Centers (ATCs)
- Certified Trainers (CTs)
- Business Partner Training
- Support
- Certified Support Specialists
- Certified Support Centers
- Sage Software Support Plans
- Conclusion
Chapter 2 – Price Value
Chapter 3 — Feature and Workflow Comparison
Chapter 4 — Conversion Expectations
Chapter 5 — How to Get the Most Out of Your Software
From the guide:
What are Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)?
GAAP is a widely accepted set of rules, conventions, standards, and
procedures for reporting financial information that are established by
the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Sage MAS90
Special Edition for QuickBooks Users adheres closely to these
important industry guidelines.For example:
In Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users, a user
cannot change or delete posted transactions without an audit trail.
With an audit trail of changes to posted transactions, you will
maintain a clean general ledger that will make your accountant
and the IRS much happier!QuickBooks allows you to use either cash-basis or accrual-basis
accounting methods. Cash-basis accounting does not follow
GAAP. Sage MAS90 Special Edition for QuickBooks Users uses
accrual-basis accounting, which closely follows GAAP.
Although this guide has been designed by Sage Software (developers of Sage MAS 90 and 200) and can understandably be considered a little biased toward their product – it still contains lots of helpful information.
Whenever I review a vendor provided guide such as this I will use it as a starting point. If you can get even one question from it to ask about a prospective new accounting system then it is worth it.
Even though this guide is designed by Sage Software, there is an unusual amount of fact checking that happens before it is published.
For example, there are plenty of charts like this which compare and contrast the available features in QuickBooks and MAS 90.
The guide is available now through your friendly local Sage Business Partner. If you don’t have a friendly (or a local) partner to ask – then hit up the link below for your very own free copy.
Depending upon the version of Sage MAS 90 or 200 that you are considering, you should be asking as well about any promotions that are available for owners of QuickBooks (or other competing products) who are upgrading. Sometimes the promotions are only valid on certain versions of MAS 90 – but you won’t get the discount unless you ask!
Link: QuickBooks Conversion Guide
(PDF)
New MacBook Pro to be announced today 10 a.m. PDT
October 14, 2008
New MacBook Pro and MacBook models are widely expected to be announced today, October 14 2008, at a 10 a.m. PDT Apple event.
Somewhat blurry images of the new devices have leaked out to web sites Gizmodo and Engadget. If these images are accurate they appear to be of a slightly slimmer MacBook Pro with a rounded case. As has been Apple’s practice in the past, the images appear to borrow designwise from the earlier MacBook Air line by including a rounded case and full touchpad (no more buttons).
Among the many rumors floating around various web sites:
- Apple will replace the Intel video processer with an NVIDIA processor. At least one rumor places it to be a dual NVIDIA
- No update to MacBook Air other than increased storage – hard disk to 120 GB and SSD increased to 128 GB (from 64 GB).
- Several web sites have posted images of a case they claim might be “carved” from a single piece of aluminum. Earlier online reports claimed that Apple had invented a new manufacturing process where the laptop case is “carved” from a single piece of aluminum.
Sites That Will Live Blog This Event
Live Blogging is when a web site sends a person with a laptop (and often camera) to sit in the audience and write what is occurring during the event.
These updates are in real time and are often very entertaining because they include the writers’ own personal comments and observations. When an announcement is dull and ordinary – those who live blog the event typically pull no punches. Similarly when the announcements are exciting, you’ll see the reports start flying at a more fevered pitch.
Here are some of the more popular sites that are live blogging the 10 a.m. PDT Apple MacBook event today:
Speculation About Margin Busting Product Introduction
Apple had announced during their last earning’s call that financial analysts should expect lower yearly margins due to the introduction of cutting edge technology. This set the online web world afire with speculation.
Early buzz and rumor was that the budget buster would be a new manufacturing process that carved the MacBook product line from a single brick of aluminum. While this is entertaining to imagine, I’m not sure how realistic it is to think that these huge plants were built (supposedly in the USA) with no leaks. Given the enormous amount of outside contractors, this seems more like an interesting rumor .
The latest buzz surrounds a possible Apple display that would start at $899. There have been some rumors that say a hard disk (or some other storage) will be embedded inside the display and allow for collecting video.
Bottom line? Nobody knows for sure what’s coming today at the Apple announcement. You can read all about the announcements on just about any technology web site or if you’re an avid fan – join Slashgear with their live blog of the event (Live Blogging is when someone sits in the audience and takes photos and types out exactly what is being sent. Readers then get almost instant information).
UPDATE: Highly respected web site Daring Fireball have posted what they claim is detailed listing of the products to be announced (which mostly verify what we’ve summarized about) – check out Daring Fireball’s report here.
Link: Slashgear live blogs Apple 10 a.m. PDT event
Schulz Consulting wins Best of Glastonbury 2008 award from plaque maker
October 9, 2008
This morning I awoke to this happy announcement in my email inbox.
It’s announcing that Schulz Consulting won the “Best of Glastonbury 2008″ award. Conveniently they include a link to the site where I can order my plaque (no pricing given) from the USLBA – aka – The US Local Business Association.
Call me skeptical, but I’m pretty sure that the USLBA’s primary business just possibly could be to sell plaques to people that they’ve announced are “winners”.
Here’s a totally unintelligible explanation of what they do from their web site:
USLBA connects businesses with the kind of knowledge, people and programs that make achieving their companies’ objectives more efficient and effective.
As a local business, your needs are distinct from those of the national business environment. Broad-brush marketing associations or trade organizations devoted to a single program category can not effectively provide the required resources. You need an association that, like you, focuses on meeting the challenges presented in local business marketing, day in and day out.
USLBA is the local business’s first line of defense in changing business marketing environments. Today, we’re even better at delivering benefits that make a difference to your business…today and tomorrow. From our information-packed web site to our awards program, to papers and industry surveys, to interaction with peers, no other organization delivers the same level of commitment to the information and networking needs of local business.
We know what you want; education, training and professional development in local business marketing. We know what you need; an organization that provides access to the kind of data, people and programs to end your search on a positive and cost-effective note.
Isn’t the Internet a wonderful thing?
I’m not buying one – so if you’d like to claim my award – here’s the link.
Sleeter Group QuickBooks conference early registration closing October 15, 2008
October 8, 2008
If you’ve been thinking of attending the Sleeter Group Accounting Software Consulting Conference being held in Arizona later this year – hurry up and register. Early registration is closed after October 15, 2008.
The early registration cost for full conference participants is $736. Send 3 or more attendees and the cost drops to $552 each. Those of you who are already of Sleeter’s consulting alliance can pay the reduced rate of $552 as well.
Although traditionally Sleeter Group have focused on the QuickBooks line of accounting software, you’ll have more opportunities than ever to learn about other brands. Because this conference is not run by any one vendor, the opportunities to discuss competing products is wide open.
For example, I will be presenting a session on Sage MAS 90 and 200 for Sage Software and Microsoft will be well represented in sessions and as a conference sponsor as well.
There are even some bigger firms that will be presenting and discussing consulting opportunities in other vertical markets with those who may be looking to expand beyond QuickBooks consulting.
Professional Solutions Automation vendor Deltek will be represented by Taylor Macdonald who is giving two scheduled sessions (11/11 – Var Opportunities and 11/12 – Consulting in the Mid Market). For those of you don’t know Taylor, he formerly ran the VAR channel for Sage Software. Before that he was an owner of the #1 Sage Software consulting firm nationwide for several years. His speech alone is probably worth flying to the conference for as it is always candid, completely unscripted and has ample opportunities for questions and answers.
There are three pre-conference sessions as well (all held on November 10, 2008):
Taking Your Practice Online – Randy Johnston
Taking Your Practice Online is an in-depth session discussing how technologies are changing the whole paradigm for the accounting services business. Online applications and Web services were once considered to be a fad, but have now become integral to a number of business processes. Reliance on technology has grown at astounding rates, and the current generation of business owners demands an increasing level of mobility and access. You will learn about the various approaches to mobile computing, and why adoption of an online working model is no longer optional for most businesses.
QuickBooks POS Consulting – Leslie Capachietti, MBA
The QuickBooks Point-of-Sale Consulting session is an advanced level course designed for accounting professionals who help clients, or wish to help clients, with QuickBooks Point of Sale software. There are no prerequisites for this course but attendees must have a thorough knowledge of QuickBooks Financial Software.
Leslie Capachietti has been working with small businesses for over 15 years, helping them both streamline and gain a better understanding of their financial operations using QuickBooks software. Having successfully owned and operated her own businesses, Leslie has a personal understanding of the unique needs and resource constraints (both time and money) of business owners. Leslie is a national speaker and trainer for Intuit and is one of the country’s leading experts on QuickBooks Financial and QuickBooks Point of Sale software.
QuickBooks Point of Sale Outline:
- Learn What’s New in QuickBooks Point-of-Sale Version 8.0
- Is POS right for your client?
- How QB POS interfaces with QuickBooks Financial Software
- Setting up QB POS properly – the first time!
- Developing end-of-day processes for your clients
- Importing data from other vendors and other software into QB POS
- How QB POS Items differ from QuickBooks Items
- Setting up QB POS merchant account processing
- Creating QB POS reports
- Tips and tricks to make QB POS run smoothly and avoid problems
- Troubleshooting common problems with QB POS
- Expanding your practice with POS installation services
- Becoming a QB POS expert
- QB POS Certifications
- Marketing your QB POS services
- The importance of training clients
- Pricing your services
- Scheduling post installation follow-up sessions
eCommerce with PDG Commerce Software – Andrew Abrams
ECommerce with PDG Commerce Software will provide an in-depth understanding of the skills and techniques necessary to build a Web storefront for your clients using PDG Commerce. You’ll learn how to create a web store that provides the full online shopping experience for customers, plus you’ll learn how to properly integrate the Web store with a variety of accounting software. This course will focus on the tools and applications necessary to make the shopping experience secure for both the merchant and the buyer. You will learn about how PDG Software Ecommerce solutions can benefit both you and your clients, streamlining the processes that help save time and reduce errors.
PDG Commerce was a 2007/2008 winner of The Sleeter Group’s Awesome Add-On Awards.
Link: Register for Sleeter Group’s Accounting Software Consulting Conference
Touch Screen Blackberry coming to Verizon before year end
October 8, 2008
Verizon Wireless has announced (officially) that the Blackberry Storm, the first touch screen Blackberry ever, will be in stores before the end of the year.
Featuring a 3.2 megapixel camera and a touch screen that reacts to screen presses by moving to simulate keypresses and provide feedback – this Blackberry is slated to compete head on with the iPhone in the consumer marketplace.
The Blackberry Storm operates on EVDO Rev A high speed data and therefore will feature speeds that could be in the 500 – 1mb download range. In addition the full Blackberry operating system featuring always on push email as well as Documents To Go is included with every device.
Memory space is 1 GB and you can add additional memory via MicroSD cards. The Blackberry Media Sync software will take care of transferring your music and videos though I would caution that any DRM music (ie – purchased from iTunes) will not play on the new Blackberry Storm.
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone comes with an innovative touch-screen that actually depresses ever so slightly when the screen is pressed. The user distinctly feels the screen being pressed and released with a gentle “click”, similar to the feeling of a key on a physical keyboard or a button on a mouse. The “clickable” touch-screen gives the user positive confirmation that they have made a selection and the result is a dramatically enhanced touch interface and a highly-intuitive typing experience.
Expect RIM and Verizon to price this initially in the $299 range (my estimate – no official pricing has been announced) and that after the “early adopters” pay their tax in the form of higher initial prices that the price with rebate and 2 year contract will fall – probably into the same range as the Samsung Instinct which would make the post rebate consumer cost in the $99 to $149 range (Note: My speculation – nothing official yet on price).
Link: Blackberry Takes The World By Storm with Verizon Wireless
Wayne Schulz to speak at Sleeter Group 2008 Accounting Software Consulting Conference
October 5, 2008
Wayne Schulz has been invited by Sage Software to participated in presenting the only MAS 90 and MAS 200 session at the upcoming Accounting Software Consulting Conference in Glendale Arizona. Hosted by The Sleeter Group, this conference features sessions of specific interest to QuickBooks consultants.
The session, titled Sage MAS 90 and 200 – Easier To Use and More Affordable than Ever is offered at 1:55 pm on Thursday November 13, 2008. Wayne will review the key areas of MAS 90 and MAS 200 that make it a logical next step program for companies that are outgrowing QuickBooks or QuickBooks Enterprise Suite. Wayne was selected by Sage Software to accompany them to Glendale Arizona for this conference because of his understanding of the specific features that are attractive to consultants who are interested in begining to consult on a new accounting system for their growing client base.
Wayne’s consulting career begain in 1986 at Cole, Frago, Cusick, Chestler & Company in Wethersfield CT. From there he went to Kostin, Ruffkess & Company. At each of these CPA firms he supervised the technology consulting department. In 1996 he left the CPA world behind and formed Schulz Consulting which specializes in Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200. Today Schulz Consulting supports well over 100 clients in locations as far away as Alaska, California, Florida, Texas, Michigan and Hawaii.
Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 is more affordable than ever for companies are outgrowing QuickBooks and needing a powerful wholesale distribution system. Learn about the newest small business editions that place Sage MAS 90 or 200 accounting system within the budget of almost every company. Listen to real world examples of why clients rave about MAS 90 and 200. Ask questions and learn how you can use tools included in the software to make customizations to screens, add and change reports and even add new functionality – all without expensive programming. This will be a fast paced session focusing on the practical issues surrounding both the features of the software and also best practices in choosing enhancements, integrating with third party solutions (including the things to avoid), obtaining support, finding the companies that are a “best fit” for Sage MAS 90 or 200 – and tips and tricks for converting from other accounting systems. 
The Sleeter Group’s conference is November 10 – 13, 2008 in Glendale Arizona. This is the 5th annual conference which is held annually in the fall and attracts CPAs, consultants and users looking for more information on QuickBooks and related accounting software. For more informatio you can visit their web site at http://www.sleeter.com/index.html
Blackberry Bold on tap for November 2 release
September 30, 2008
The good folks at Research in Motion has begun distributing invitations to launch parties which will start on October 15 and culminate in New York City on October 30. These parties are in advance of the long awaited arrival of the Blackberry Bold from RIM.
The new Blackberry Bold will first appear on AT&T where it becomes the first 3G Blackberry to be offered on the carrier. Early reviews of this device have gushed over the much improved screen. Other than the sharper screen resolution, most of the core Blackberry Operating System seems largely unchanged.
There are a few tweaks to the operating system – such as the addition of HTML email capabilities (finally) however the jury seems to still be out on the improvements that have been made to the web browser. Since the iPhone launch the bar has been permanently raised for all smartphones.
via: Crackberry.com
Windows XP Retirement Is June 30, 2008 – But You May Have Downgrade Rights
May 23, 2008
The last day that manufacturers will pre-load Windows XP to computers is June 30, 2008. However you may have read that certain versions of the Vista operating system will have what are called “Downgrade Rights“.
These rights are primarily offered for the benefit of larger corporate customers who manage thousands of desktops and may not be ready to unleash a new operating system companywide. However consumers can also take advantage of this downgrade program which allows you to instruct the computer manufacturer to install Windows XP instead of Vista.
(Tip: Only certain versions of Vista qualify for downgrade – namely Visa Business and Vista Ultimate) .
Here is an explanation of how Dell is managing the downgrade process:
You will be able to purchase computers pre-loaded with Windows XP up until June 18, 2008. Customers can purchase select systems that include a license for Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, and have the OS downgraded to XP Professional, which Dell installs.
EXCLUSIONS: Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Basic are NOT part of the downgrade rights program, NOR is XP Home.
Dell systems that are part of the downgrade rights program are:
– Latitude laptops, OptiPlex desktops and Dell Precision workstations
– Dell Vostro laptops and desktops
– Dell Gaming systems – the XPS 630 desktop and XPS M1730 laptop
(Note – Vista Ultimate is the only DGR OS option for these systems)
Dell offers the downgrade right program service at no charge on corporate client PCs, and charges a fee ($20-$50) on Vostro and XPS gaming systems.
Microsoft has stated the ability to provide the Windows XP recovery media ends on Jan. 31, 2009. After this PC manufacturers/system builders like Dell cannot send out Windows XP media.
There will be a few exceptions to this date – for example, some Volume License customers who get images installed through custom factory install (CFI) can continue to receive Vista licensed systems with XP installed.
So what does a customer get with Dell’s downgrade rights program service?
For the XP Professional that is installed under DGR:
– A hard drive based solution (software) to restore the Dell system back to the original configuration.
– A physical disk (media) to allow the reinstallation of the original XP Pro OEM operating system on a Dell computer (available until Jan 31, 2009).
– A physical disk (media) to allow the reinstallation of XP drivers, utilities and diagnostics on a Dell computer.
And for the Vista Business or Ultimate that was purchased with DGR:
– A Vista Certificate of Authentication (COA) affixed to the computer
– A physical disk (media) to allow the installation of the purchased Vista Business or Ultimate OEM operating system on a Dell computer.
– A physical disk (media) to allow the installation of Vista drivers, utilities and diagnostics on a Dell computer.
These downgrade rights will end in January 2009.
Link: Microsoft PDF Explaining Downgrade Rights
Link: Dell Blog – Life After Windows XP
Peachtree Quantum Adds 10, 15, 20 and 30 User License Options
May 9, 2008
Bob Scott of SourceMedia reports in his May 9, 2008 Consulting Insights newsletter that Sage Software will be announcing new 15/20/30 user license releases of Peachtree Quantum during the annual Insights reseller conference in Washington DC. The 30 user Peachtree Quantum is to be priced at $9,450 with an annual maintenance renewal fee of $1,995.
Link: Peachtree Quantum
Sage MAS90 and MAS200 Sales Tax – April and May Web Demo
April 14, 2008
Sage Software is holding a series of free online seminars to introduce you to their sales tax service. This automated too integrates readily with your Sage MAS 90 and 200 accounting software. Each time you enter an order the system automatically re-computes the tax amount according to the type of item sold as well as the ship to zip code. This is an ideal solution for anyone reporting sales tax to a large number of different states. The underlying technology is powered by Avalara. Keep reading for a list of the demo dates as well as a link to sign up.
Read more
Salesforce Lauches Integration With Google Apps
April 14, 2008
Salesforce.com today announced integration of their online CRM software with Google Apps. This integration will allow users of both products to run their favorite apps from right within Salesforce. You can send Gmail to contacts, chat with contacts with Google Talk and create and attach Google Docs to Salesforce records.
Read more
Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 Accounting Software
April 11, 2008
We provide consulting services on Sage MAS 90 and MAS 200 accounting software.
