Microsoft recently accounced that they would be following in Apple's footsteps and opening their own version of a retail store "close to existing Apple stores". This seems to be an interesting concept and with the success of Apple stores, seems viable. Microsoft even hired many of Apple's employees to ensure the success of their stores.
The first two will be opening this fall to coincide with the launch of Windows 7. One will be opening in Scottsdale, AZ and the other will be opening in Mission Viejo, CA, both Apple-heavy cities (one within a mall also home to an Apple store). No one has confirmed what Microsoft will officially be doing, however many have speculated (with some confirmation) that a "guru" or "answer" bar will be featured (similar to a "genius" bar in the Apple stores) and that they will carry computers from different manufacturers, software, Zune, XBox, Microsoft Surface, and other features of the Microsoft nameplate.
The only difference and hardship here is that Microsoft does not manufacture any hardware, where Apple does. The only question for Microsoft is how will they service such hardware, and in a timely manner?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Google Voice
Our company recently received an invitation to test Google Voice. Google Voice, is a Google application that allows users to have one phone number for their work phone, mobile phone, and home phone. This application is extremely useful to anyone who is constantly on the go, or any business in general. Having one phone number allows you to stay connected through the web and through all of your phones. Google Voice offers many surprising features, including:
ListenIn: This allows users to listen to voicemail messages before deciding to accept a call.
SMS: Send, receive, and store text messages, both online and on your phone.
Place Calls: Call free within the Continental United States.
Taking Calls: Answer on any of your phones.
These are just some of the features Google Voice offers. The true beauty of Google Voice is that it is a free service, and can easily simplify your phone usage. Having one phone number to give out to everyone is a lot easier than keeping track of many different numbers, and you can even pick your own phone number (including area code). This new application from Google, should be made public within a few months.
ListenIn: This allows users to listen to voicemail messages before deciding to accept a call.
SMS: Send, receive, and store text messages, both online and on your phone.
Place Calls: Call free within the Continental United States.
Taking Calls: Answer on any of your phones.
These are just some of the features Google Voice offers. The true beauty of Google Voice is that it is a free service, and can easily simplify your phone usage. Having one phone number to give out to everyone is a lot easier than keeping track of many different numbers, and you can even pick your own phone number (including area code). This new application from Google, should be made public within a few months.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The New Search Engine: Bing.
Recently all the rave on the Internet is about Bing. Bing recently launched and has attracted quite a crowed curious to see what it's all about. Everyone is asking can Bing overtake Google? Bing certainly won't overtake Google anytime soon-but in time anything is possible.
Bing's results are very different from Google's, and everyone is trying to figure out how to change that. Comparing the results it seems like the following:
Bing likes more authoritative websites-sites that have been around longer.
Backlinks don't matter as much as with Google.
Anchor text links matter more with Bing.
Inbound links matter more with Bing.
Overall, it is still too early to tell how exactly to optimize your site with Bing. It does seem though that the above statements are true. You have to analyze is your site worth optimizing for Bing with not as many people using it as some other heavyweight search engines, or should I wait it out.
Bing's results are very different from Google's, and everyone is trying to figure out how to change that. Comparing the results it seems like the following:
Bing likes more authoritative websites-sites that have been around longer.
Backlinks don't matter as much as with Google.
Anchor text links matter more with Bing.
Inbound links matter more with Bing.
Overall, it is still too early to tell how exactly to optimize your site with Bing. It does seem though that the above statements are true. You have to analyze is your site worth optimizing for Bing with not as many people using it as some other heavyweight search engines, or should I wait it out.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Why Have a Social Media Marketing Campaign?
A social media marketing campaign from Cloud Nine IT Services can increase traffic for a site, and really get your name out there. A social media marketing done properly, gives you the opportunity to interact with potential clients, generating possibly more sales leads. This interaction is far different from any other form of advertising, and is what differentiates social media marketing.
Many people feel just having a Facebook page is all they need, however, their are multitudes of social media marketing campaign platforms to utilize, such as, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, Reddit, and multitudes of forums-each one with a unique style. Cloud Nine IT Services can help you achieve your social media marketing goals with our extensive packages, aimed at getting the results you want.
Click here to learn more about social media marketing here.
Many people feel just having a Facebook page is all they need, however, their are multitudes of social media marketing campaign platforms to utilize, such as, Twitter, MySpace, Digg, Reddit, and multitudes of forums-each one with a unique style. Cloud Nine IT Services can help you achieve your social media marketing goals with our extensive packages, aimed at getting the results you want.
Click here to learn more about social media marketing here.
Facebook Lite.
Recently some information surfaced regarding a "secret" project Facebook was working on entitled Facebook Lite. Apparently, someone at Facebook made a mistake of sending out e-mails to beta testers with links to the new platform. Within minute, the Facebook Lite platform link was removed.
The Facebook Lite platform is a scaled down version of Facebook and looks quite similar to Twitter. Facebook Lite contains a lot of features from Facebook, and was designed for faster loading times on slower computers. Once the platform is officially released, we expect to see people with limited computer skills using this more than the average user. Many people suggest Facebook has tried to "copy" the Twitter concept with the Facebook Lite platform. This in fact may be true since Facebook did try to purchase Twitter a while back. Time will tell how popular this "new" platform becomes, and how well it works for social media marketing.
The Facebook Lite platform is a scaled down version of Facebook and looks quite similar to Twitter. Facebook Lite contains a lot of features from Facebook, and was designed for faster loading times on slower computers. Once the platform is officially released, we expect to see people with limited computer skills using this more than the average user. Many people suggest Facebook has tried to "copy" the Twitter concept with the Facebook Lite platform. This in fact may be true since Facebook did try to purchase Twitter a while back. Time will tell how popular this "new" platform becomes, and how well it works for social media marketing.
