Consumer Product Awareness

Amazon Kindle Out of Stock

admin — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 10:37:07 +0000

The Amazon Kindle is the ebook viewer we’ve all been hearing about over the last five or so years. It’s such a big hit that amazon.com has already sold out of the units. Kindle is going to give the iPhone a run for its money, because it’s taking another mass media stream (publications) on-the-go.

If you’re just now hearing about the Kindle, to get you up-to-date, it’s a reading device that can download books, newspapers, mp3 and audio files within minutes. The revolutionary design is lightweight, small and the readability is just as if you’re reading ink.

You can find out more about the Kindle below. We’ll be covering it in more detail as units become available. For right now, it’s $399 and will not be available for a December 25th ship date.

Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device

Congress Going Green

admin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:06:29 +0000

Those in the know, know that Congress has decided to go green. They have planned to increase fuel efficiency in automobiles to 35 miles a gallon, up from today’s 25 miles a gallon standard, by the year 2020. The move maybe to ease the consumer mind on fuel prices than actually doing it for the environment, but in either case, it’s a step up.

In today’s world, we’re seeing more countries starting their addiction on oil. China and India are guzzling Texas Tea quicker everyday, but regardless of the 2 billion plus people, the United States actually uses more gas. Our cars are built differently.

In China, vehicles average around 30mpg – set to rise to 35mpg by 2009 according to the Union of Concerened Scientists. Europe averages 37mpg going for 50mpg and Japan is at a strong 45mpg. This is largely in part of the price of oil. In countries that have a high price of oil, car manufactures adapted and created cars that are efficient.

So why does the shift need to occur by 2020, why not today? There is probably a briefcase full of money involved somewhere down the line, but hybrids and diesels for Americans need to be luxury enough for Americans. We need 18 inch rims standard and a navigation screen – in color, touchscreen.

GPS For The Holidays

admin — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:49:53 +0000

GPS is just hot this holiday season. It’s THE hottest item among most consumers, mostly due to wonderful advertising campaigns and an affordable low cost. These things have been around for a while and usually carried a hefty price tag. The features were advanced for their time, but as we all know, technology is obsolete right off the shelf.

Check out the amazon.com deals on GPS below. You’ll find plenty of user reviews and you’ll be able to narrow down your search.

The major work, I’ve done for you, as I was also shopping for GPS this holiday season (my gift to myself). I went with the TomTom One 3rd generation because of the price. I have my music on another device so a trendy Garmin with advanced features like an MP3 player were worthless to me. The TomTom can also be used as a portable device.

So to recap, go with a Garmin or TomTom.

10 Best States to Start a Small Business

admin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:12:54 +0000

CNN’s Best states for starting a small business. Some useful information for those who need the motivation and those needing to find some better rates. Starting your own company isn’t as hard as you think, but you do have to think, and you definitely have to know what to expect. Remember that even if you’re not located in one of these states, you might one day do business with a company who is.

1. South Dakota
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 2.90%
- Minimum wage - $5.85

2. Nevada
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 2.69%
- Minimum wage - $6.33

3. Wyoming
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 24.69%
- Minimum wage - $5.85

4. Washington
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 2.97%
- Minimum wage - $7.93

5. Florida
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 3.37%
- Minimum wage - $6.67

6. Michigan
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 3.90%
- Minimum wage - $7.15

7. Texas
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 1.11%
- Minimum wage - $5.85

8. South Carolina
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 3.11%
- Minimum wage - $5.85

9. Virginia
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 2.96%
- Minimum wage - $5.85

10. Alabama
- Top personal income tax - 0%
- Top corporate income tax rate - 0%
- Property tax - 1.33%
- Minimum wage - $5.85

Consumer Behavior October 07

admin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:33:33 +0000

October saw the weakest increase in income since April, rising only .02% (.04 in September) economist over at briefing.com expressed. Spending also saw .02% gain, trailing .03% the previous month. Meanwhile, prices paid rose .03% - and the dollar has been going down all year. What’s going on? What does this all mean?

Right now, it just means the economy is slowing down, as it should be. Prices are topping out because of the crude oil prices and the holiday season played its role to most consumers who went on a slight budget to ensure funds. The credit market is also playing a twisted game on the economy and that threat is growing, this could be the go ahead for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates even further at its next meeting.

40 Is the New 50

admin — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:20:19 +0000

It’s been twenty years since we heard 30 is the new 20. Go figure that 50 is the new 40, it only makes sense. Damn trend setters. But this trend is a good one and here to stay. With so many products availble to look and feel young, especially for women, it’s hard to imagine what the future only holds for the next twenty years.

The focus will calm down from looks and feeling sexy and moving towards trying new things and taking on something new. It’s never too young so to say. Everyone has those ideas, and it’s time to start applying them. I’m not going to give away to much information about www.ibm.com/do but it’s worth checking out if you’re in the need to really feel young.

Online Websites With Sales ‘Chatsmen’

admin — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:53:00 +0000

I hope I’m the first one to coin the term Chatsmen and Chatswomen, because that is the craze I personally have experienced over the Internet the last few months. It all started with overstock.com, I wanted to buy some items in bulk and was checking the max items I could purchase. Next thing you know an instant message comes up with a helpful hand ready to chat. This person noticed my habits and asked if I was really looking for items in bulk, and then explained that I needed to speak with them personally in order to do so.

This is instant messaging with the big retailers, the small business web entrepreneurs have been using instant messaging services for quite some time. You can largely thank genius small business www.meebo.com for offering a simple chat service for most ecommerce sites.

Opt For Euros If You Can

admin — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:17:21 +0000

This goes for all you freelancers, importers, entrepreneurs or anyone that can get paid in Euros. Get them while you can. With the dollar sinking, it seems that most consumers are opting in exchange for the higher currency. Is this a game the US government is playing with the import/export industry or the corporate outsourcing problem? Are we now realizing our place in the global economy?

The United States is the largest importer of oversea goods. We’re also buying these goods at a heavier price. Inflation is absolutely no joke. The dollar is down 50% compared to the Euro from October 2005.

The respective currency for India and China are at an all time low. This means that workers who have the benefit of choosing and holding different currencies, and let’s face it, all the black market exchangers are opting for non-US currency. Indians are actually using the Rupee and the Chinese are actually using the Yaun.

It’s either hang on and wait for the foreign investors, wait for interest rates to rise and fall, save and hang on or ride the Euro bandwagon.

Holiday Online Shopping Tips

admin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:30:13 +0000

The holiday season kicks off with Black Friday this week. This means a craze of soccer moms and seniors filling up the roads and retail stores. Most of these people will just be looking, figuring out prices, and eating up every word the Macy’s perfume sales woman has to say.

It’s more for the experience these days, especially if you’re into people watching, but Black Friday is definitely not the most efficient way to get your gifts. It’s either going to be next Wednesday morning, a week before Christmas, or online shopping. The internet is expected to play a big role because of free shipping offers and prices.

Some tips to remember.
1. Make sure you get free shipping
2. Make certain that the gift will arrive in advance
3. Check return policies and gift receipts
4. Try to pay online and pick-up at the store
5. Remember to compare products, reviews and prices
6. Watch out for online scams, if it looks shady, then move on
7. Remember to include batteries
8. Look for companies based out of your country
9. It might be unique, but is it quality?
10. It might look authentic, but is it a replica?

Server Options For Multiple Games

admin — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:48:12 +0000

For all you Call of Duty and Soldier of Fortune gamers, remember that you can control or start your clan with your own dedicated server. This option is a great way to manage your own web hosting and voice servers, which in turn allows you an easy connection and more advanced options for all your games. It’s truly only of the first steps to have total control over every aspect of multiplayer gaming.

Lowpings.net is one of the popular choices because of all the different games and servers offered. They offer three dedicated hosting options for all of you who run multiple games, all done on up-to-date machines. For those of you looking for single game packages, such as cod4 game servers and sof3 game servers, lowpings.net can take care of all the advanced configurations for you.

Look into their selection of game servers and sign-up for your top game. They got you covered on customer service, dedicated machines and communication. Connections are available throughout the US and Europe. Take control today and start dominating with your own game server.