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Newest Tech, Oldest Profession

I must admit, I was not 100% sure I wanted to cover this topic in my blog but in the end the human interest angle coupled with the popularity of the news regarding the Eliot Spitzer prostitution arrest made many of us in the technology space realize just how much technology is in use in the world's oldest profession.

Bank wires, cell phones, pagers, smart phones, IM and video conferencing are just some of the technologies now used in this business. In addition, MSNBC reports of sophisticated bug and hidden camera detection devices as well.

The only thing I haven't seen brought to light is unified communications in prostitution rings. I am sure it is just a matter of time. Now that the world is catching on to just how high-tech the profession is, I am sure some of my vendor meetings will have me dealing with comments like ,"We have 35% call girl market share while our competitors are still struggling with this vertical market... Our CEO realized a few years back that this profession was just begging for a tech upgrade and we delivered with world-class technology."

Or, "We discovered early that male prostitutes were more likely to  appreciate the multi-modality afforded by our leading-edge systems. In a way we see this category as a leading space for us."

I could go on but it wouldn't be proper. In fact I may have already stepped over the line... Sorry

Anyway, having said that... How did the New York State Governor have a credit with the prostitution ring. That one has me really confused. The only thing I can surmise is he fell asleep. OK... I know, I know. I am done with this topic for now.

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A New IP Communications Portal

Some of the brightest minds in IP communications have teamed up to launch a new site called IP Communications Insights. Readers of this blog no doubt know Marc Robins and Jon Arnold as I have discussed them both often and have always praised their past accomplishments.

We are fortunate enough to have both of these thought leaders as TMC contributors and now, you can find their news, opinions and analysis on their own portal at IP Communications Insights.

I am looking forward to keeping up to date on the latest news and events and expect to visit this site often.

One final comment...  I do endorse both Marc and Jon for any of the following services:

• Marketing Consulting and Strategic Planning
• Business Growth Consulting
• Marketing Communications Services
• Custom Marketing Research and Analysis
• Presentations and Public Speaking
• Technology Assessment Services
• Distribution Channel Strategies and Development
• Team Coordination/Employee Training
• Awareness and Demand Creation Services
• Product/Service and Sales Support Programs
• Public Relations Support Services

In fact, I wish more companies in technology would realize they need outside assistance from people such as Jon and Marc as both of them have been in positions that allow them to really understand what companies need to do in order to be successful.

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Not Your Father's Phone Service

If you thought callers exhibit the same behavior regardless of the type of technology they use, you would be wrong. In fact, callers on VoIP lines make many more long distance calls. Of course it is not the underlying technology making the difference here it is the calling plan which is generally flat rate (or at least a lower per-minute rates) for VoIP.

[Gary Kim]

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SearchMe Enters Beta

I just learned of SearchMe a search engine which differentiates itself by being more graphical than others. When you search, you are presented with category tabs as well as a graphical representation of what the results pages look like.

You scroll through the results as you might scroll through the albums or photos on an iPhone.

In this manner you can determine if the web page looks appropriate before you even click on it. You can also use a non-graphical mode which is similar to current search engines.

The search engine is in "private" beta as of today and you can sign up for free trial by giving the company your e-mail address.

My only concern about this search engine is that if it becomes popular will it give an advantage to sites which are more attractive? In other words, will good content be trumped by good design?

For example would craigslist be something worthy of a click if searched via searchme?

Another concern has to do with presenting web results without people having to click on a  page. In other words do I want people to read my web pages on searchme instead of clicking on my website?

Will this spur lawsuits if the site becomes popular.

Google has been sued because of its caching feature which leads me to think that sites with pictures are possibly going to sue searchme in the future.

But taking my legal hat off for a moment (and since I am not a lawyer this hat looks surprisingly like a dunce cap ;) ) I think this new engine is good news for those who want more competition in the search market.

I haven't even used the search engine yet and I still think both Microsoft and Google will likely acquire the company.

You can check out a video of searchme by clicking the graphic at the top of this post.

[TechCrunch, All Things Digital]

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A Nightmare for MacBook Air Owners

While you should be happy with your new MacBook Air, you should also be advised to get to airports early. Why? Well it seems that some security agents do not recognize Apple's latest credit card thin laptop as a laptop.

Apparently the lack of standard features like a hard disk (some models) and a DVD drive are throwing some for a loop.

The irony of course is that you may need to get to the airport early to avoid such hassles but the battery is not replaceable.

[Macnn]

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