A special edition of First Coffee, as we're eating leftover turkey for dinner and ham sandwiches for lunch, we'll take a look at some interesting pieces that slipped by as we were watching the Detroit Lions take their annual drubbing. They may not necessarily have to do with CRM specifically, but they're pieces my editor wanted covered, and they should be of general interest.
The music is starting at the top of the "Most Played" list on iTunes for the past couple months - Ry Cooder's "5,000 Country Music Songs," Robert Earl Keen's "Feeling Good Again," The Grateful Dead's "Brown-Eyed Woman," MFO's "Bodrum," Alan Jackson's "I'll Fly Away," Aimee Mann's "The Moth," great stuff like that.
And for this special evening edition the wine is a Lindeman's 2007 Merlot, a nice Australian table wine. Hey there are some perks to working at night:
WhiteFence.com, an online comparison-shopping marketplace for residential home services and utilities, is touting its services to save money on home phone, Internet, electricity and other bills.
"With the winter season providing higher energy costs and reasons to cut back on non-essentials items, there is no time like the present to find ways to be more energy efficient and lower monthly bills," company officials said.
From comparison shopping to bundling services to home services tips, WhiteFence offers a variety of services to take a bite out of winter bills and save some money in the coming months.
Company officials say shoppers at WhiteFence.com can compare head-to-head the cost of TV service, high-speed Internet access, electricity, natural gas, long distance phone and a suite of other services to see if they are currently getting the best deal: "People can compare plans without the hassle of calling several companies, then switch to lower their monthly bills."
The service also lets users combine multiple services like local phone, high speed and television in a bundle. Bundling services can be a cheaper alternative to buying services from several different companies, and getting one bill from one provider can be preferable, too.
For people in states with deregulated electricity or natural gas, WhiteFence.com offers the ability to shop around to find the best rates and switch providers without interruption in service. "Customers can shop for fixed rate plans to keep bills consistent throughout the year," according to the WhiteFencers, "and avoid price spikes during the colder months, or find competitive rates on variable rate plans that offer flexibility and no contract terms."
To use the free service, simply enter a home address to show available companies and services in the area, with the ability to compare multiple providers and order service.
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Another app to render Facebook yet that much more an indispensable part of life: BlackBook Media has released The BlackBook Guides Facebook Application, pitched to "savvy tastemakers" who want guides to their city's eating, shopping, culture and nightlife.
The BlackBook Guides Facebook Application integrates "curated" listings from BBook.com into a social networking site with functionality to share with your friends where you're going. Once Facebook users add the application onto their personal profile, they can access BlackBook's insider database and reviews of restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels and boutiques.
And when you decide which fine establishment you will patronize that evening, why, simply click "I am going here" to post an automated update on your profile page and onto their newsfeed, announcing your plans and subtly inviting friends to join. Can also be used to provide a relatively flimsy alibi, but if it's the best you have it's the best you have.
The application maintains the "I'm going here" information as part of the venue listing and is viewable by their friends for 12 hours. Users can monitor where their friends are going via their respective newsfeeds or through the individual venues.
The rest of it is pure FacebookWorld: Users can see their friends' top rated venues and leave personal messages on each individual BlackBook listing page. As they rate, the application tracks favorite go-tos for them and their friends, allowing users to create their own ultimate BlackBook Guide.
Ari Horowitz, CEO of BlackBook , says the guides are curated by the BlackBook editorial team, "and we provide connectivity on BBook.com to our celebrities revealing their favorite spots. But the real breakthrough with this application is the ability to integrate your friend's favorites and see what they're doing in a truly social manner."
Also helps you avoid nightspots frequented by pistol-packing New York Giants: "Uh, honey, Plax is going there tonight, why don't we... order in Chinese and watch Annie Hall again?"
Might this be a shot across the bow of the text messaging culture? Horowitz has the temerity to suggest it might, saying "texting while looking for the night's hot spot will soon be a thing of the past as we integrate this functionality into the mobile device before the end of the year."
Go to http://apps.facebook.com/blackbookguides/ and add the application.
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Easy Energy, inventor and manufacturer of the Yogen product suite, a series of man-powered generators for recharging cellular phones and small electronics devices, has announced that it has
completed the first prototype of its patented foldable laptop charger, known as the Yogen Max, a product that charges laptops without the need to depend on any external power source.
Except for your own sweat, of course. Grunting optional.
"This product will allow for the complete charging of a laptop anywhere in the world, inside or outside, wired or not," claims Guy Ofir, Chief Executive Officer of Easy Energy.
A can of Red Bull not included, but suggested. And when do we have one for cars?
Ofir said the firm's fine Chief Engineer Alexandar Sromin "and the rest of the team" are working to move the development process of the Yogen Max forward towards the consumer market, a goal we anticipate meeting during 2009."
Easy Energy is headquartered in Las Vegas, with offices in Naariya, Israel.
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Vectone group officials say they would like to offer their sympathies to those "whose friends, relatives and loved ones have been caught in the events in Mumbai, India. Our thoughts go out to those affected by the ongoing tragedy, regardless of their nationality, religion or race."
First Coffee humbly adds his sympathy as well.
"We understand," Vectone officials say, "that at this time some people in the UK are still trying to contact missing relatives or gain information from sources in India. To this end Vectone Calling Cards will Zero Rate (0p/min) the first 1000 minutes on any calls to India for the next three days on their 'Chillitalk' calling card product."
Vectone officials say they have chosen this product because "it is the most widely available through out the UK, it can be purchased in over 33,000 retailers wherever you can see the E-pay or Payzone sign."
The minimum purchase is a GBP5 E-Voucher calling card. Using this system will allow calls to India for zero cost (0p/min for the first 1000 minutes) other than that of a local rate access call.
Jon Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer said he hopes that "this will aid UK families and friends in calling India to find news and information on any loved ones." For more information on Chillitalk and availability visit http://www.chillitalk.com.
The Vectone group is a privately owned telecommunication group founded in 1999, headquartered in Canary Wharf, London.
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Accuse them of whistling past the graveyard if you want, but telecoms are thinking they'll be spared the brunt of the economic slowdown.
Oh the telecoms market is not immune to present economic tribulation, if you prick them they still bleed subscribers. However, according to Frost & Sullivan's principal analyst, Sharifah Amirah, opportunities loom as real time communication becomes more imperative: "The telecoms industry is one of the few industries which has a strong leg to stand on and is likely to gain from the downturn in the economy."
Amirah says enterprises "will be looking to minimize risk and improve operational efficiency," which no doubt they do during flush times as well. The difference being that these days, Amirah says, "the focus on core competencies and reducing operational costs will open doors for IT and telecommunication service providers."
Rising unemployment rates and falling GDP growth are forcing end users to spend less money on entertainment and digital communication, Frost & Sullivan's research finds. "In light of reduced consumer spending, pricing [will be] a short term priority for service providers," Amirah says, adding that in the mid-term, value added services and innovative distribution models will be key to growth.
And while focus will be very much on surviving the next couple of years, "sights on further horizons should still be retained. In the longer term three key themes will prevail - mobility, content and bandwidth."
