I got an email from the guys at The DiscHub declaring a 50% off sale on their product. I bought 2 of them (both Storm Trooper white) when they first launched over a year ago, and I love it. One sits on my desk to hold CDs that I randomly need to rebuild/setup computers, and the other sits next to my DVD player and holds my Netflix and Xbox360 games. I don’t have the cases out anymore, and there is no need to worry about scratching the discs. The DiscHub has been licensed to a major manufacturing company and soon it will be available in some of the major stores. Anyway, if you want to pickup one (before they go all brand name) for $5 and free shipping, head over to TheDiscHub.com and use the coupon HALFOFF.
Okay where are the Windows Mobile 5 phones for Verizon and Sprint? My CEO loves Verizon’s coverage in NYC, but hates the battery life of the new Blackberry 8703e. The standard battery only lasts 3hours of talk time, and there isn’t an extended battery available currently. He had a Motorola E815 with extended battery and liked it, but it eventually got worn out and he wanted to go for a combined device. Sprint and Verizon both offer Windows Mobile 5 PDAs with full QWERTY keyboards, but no simple phone WM5 devices like Cingular and T-Mobile. Does that mean people don’t want the Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition? I don’t think so, since I know several people who own the T-Mobile SDA, Cingular 2125, Audiovox SMT5600, and Motoral MPx200 and 220.
While researching possible stocks to invest in, I found a blurb about the upcoming launch of Zecco.com. It sounds like a nice idea. People sharing ideas and news on stocks. Then they will also have the option to execute stock, option, and mutual fund trades. I think I heard someone say that they would be offering free trades (no commission). I don’t know how that is possible, but that feature won’t be available at launch. It looks like a lot of their ad sponsors are from financial services companies. I am a bit worried about the idea of users spreading news/rumors and pushing stock prices in the wrong direction. Indiviuals don’t have to disclose the same things large companies and analysts have to. So I don’t trust blogs to give honest stock recommendations…
Its interesting to note that commission fees are dropping. I remember paying $35 per trade and I now pay $12.95. I also don’t have quarterly or yearly fees on my Schwab account. TechCrunch has an interesting take on this new service.
Avaya put out another PR that I was featured in today. I can’t say more than I love this piece of technology. It fits SMB market better than the Nortel BCM and a lot cheaper than the Cisco solution. It allows our employees to do more without costing us a ton of money.
Avaya Helps Financial Services Firms Use Intelligent Communications to Succeed in a Shifting Marketplace
I was featured in a Press Release for Avaya’s new version of IP Office 3.2. I really enjoy working with the IP Office and think it is a great solution for SMB customers. It offers the flexibility to use Digital phones, IP based phones, or a combination of them. It also has great features like the new Mobile Twinning and the conferencing system. The free sofware updates top it off, although some new features are license-based, but that means you don’t pay for features you don’t use.
Here is a quote from the release: Small and Medium Businesses Worldwide Improve Operations with Intelligent Communications from Avaya
Companies Use IP Office to Improve Operations and Customer Service
For Cascadia Capital, Avaya IP Office is an important tool for keeping the company’s highly skilled investment bankers connected to clients, colleagues and critical company information.
“The new mobile twinning feature of IP Office 3.2 is extremely important to us,” said Christopher Bettin, director of information technology for Cascadia Capital. “That means we can give our clients one number to reach our investment bankers; whether they are in the office or visiting a client. The new management capabilities also allow us to deploy new policies and features to groups of users.”
By integrating IP Office with the company’s Microsoft Exchange email application, investment bankers at Cascadia are able to use their Blackberry handheld wireless devices to access Avaya voicemail from a single, integrated email and voicemail inbox.
Bettin said the built-in conferencing features of Avaya IP Office are also heavily utilized by the Cascadia team.
“Meeting with clients is a huge part of our business,” he said. “IP Office makes it simple for them to quickly establish a meeting and collaborate. In addition, we’ve saved enough money by eliminating outside conferencing services to pay for the Avaya system within 18 months.”
Yesterday we officially launched the new website for ICO Global Communications (www.ico.com). I’m excited to be finished with the project, well almost since we have a menu tweak to make. First time using SideJobTrack to track some of my hours and project timeline, and I’ll write a review soon. I think we successfully gave the website a breath of fresh air and added a lot of content. I was responsible for recovering the logo, recreating it in vectors, and smoothing out the color palette. We also used Shareholder.com’s Dynamic Investor Relations product to give more information to Investors. Let me know what you think of the new design. You can compare with the old version via the WayBackMachine.
Everyone needs a great wine to take with them to the beach or their next bbq, for these summer functions I suggest Bandit Bullets. Thats right, grown up juice boxes, and you know what… the wine is actually pretty good, especially chilled on a cold day. You can find these juice boxes in many grocery stores or you can order online direct from Three Thieves, for you winos out there the link is included below. This wine is pretty dry but does carry some fruit with it making it really refreshing on a hot day and a great sidekick to almost anything you pull of the grill. And best of all, any passing cops shouldn’t look twice, after all you are drinking a juice box 
Enjoy, and good luck beating the heat.
I have been working late on various projects. In order to keep me going I turn on the The Smash Mix! by DJ Paul V. Paul is a DJ on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, and has his own Smash Mix section. He mixes all the latest and hotest mash-ups into one long 22 minute mix every Friday, but missed last friday due to computer issues. After 70 shows he has demonstrated his abilities and captured my ears. This one of my favorite things to turn on when I need to work through mundane coding or troubleshoot stupid issues as the beats change quickly and regularly to keep you on your feet. If you are keen on the RSS/Podcast/AudioCast then you can add The Smash Mix feed. If you want to listen without downloading the large files check out The Smash Mix! Odeo channel.
Hooper just left his job with me, and needed a new PDA-type device since he wasn’t going to use his Blackberry. You might remember that he had been using the Nokia 6682 from his article on CityID. It was not really “Outlook compatible” in both of our minds as the sync software was clunky at best, and required a USB cable. He needed a professional device that he could use as a mobile worker, but without the bulk of a blackberry.
Castle and I have the Audiovox SMT5600, but it runs Windows Mobile 2003 SE. While great, it is not top of the line with only offers GPRS data speeds along with a lot of software bugs. Schlosser upgraded from his Motorola MPx200 and picked up the new Cingular branded 2125. Would that be the device for Hooper? (more…)
Microsoft is doing some guerilla marketing of Visual Studio 2005. They look like 16 employee created short clips to highlight a few of the the new 400+ differences they put into the product. This video on coffee is my favorite. Check out Coffee!
A few of the others that made me laugh were:
King of Coding?
Change Request
Project Manager
Whiteboards?
Twenty four hours in a day. Work eight hours, sleep eight hours, but what do you do with your ExtraEight?
