The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is Frank Sinatra's Songs For Young Lovers:
Open Source CRM vendor SugarCRM's CEO Larry Augustin has agreed to participate in two upcoming panel discussions on what companies need to consider when implementing and enforcing open source licensing and trademarks.
Open Source CRM vendor SugarCRM's CEO Larry Augustin has agreed to participate in two upcoming panel discussions on what companies need to consider when implementing and enforcing open source licensing and trademarks.
Augustin will offer his perspectives on whether or not it's useful to register a trademark and, if so, how to permit its use by others. He'll "evaluate various policies and enforcement strategies from corporate and non-profit perspectives" as well, SugarCRM officials say. For a preview of his thoughts on the state of open source and other related topics visit his blog at:http://lmaugustin.typepad.com/.
The discussions will be held at the Open Source Convention underway in San Jose.
In May TMC's Stefania Viscusi reported that SugarCRM founder John Roberts stepped down from his board seat and as CEO of the company to "pursue other opportunities." Board member Augustin stepped in as interim CEO after serving on the board for a little over three years. He had been CEO of Linux systems vendor VA Linux.
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Zoho has announced the Zoho Mail Add-on for Zoho CRM. Aimed at small and medium businesses, it's supposed to provide integration of Zoho CRM and Zoho Mail. It's available immediately for three bucks a month.
Zoho has announced the Zoho Mail Add-on for Zoho CRM. Aimed at small and medium businesses, it's supposed to provide integration of Zoho CRM and Zoho Mail. It's available immediately for three bucks a month.
Check out the video tour after you're done searching for Erin Andrews videos. Which carry a virus, by the way. Not that it'd affect you, of course -- warn the guy in the next cubicle.
Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail and AOL e-mail users can also use the Zoho Mail Add-on by using Zoho Mail as a client to those e-mail services: "In effect, Zoho Mail acts as an intermediary for these users, enabling them to continue using a third-party e-mail service, but still review contact-related e-mails within Zoho CRM. Currently, the Zoho Mail Add-on supports POP access. Going forward, IMAP will also be supported.
Raju Vegesna, who has "Zoho Evangelist" on his business card, says the Zoho Mail Add-on gives users "the kind of contextual integration of information that we can provide," adding that it "bridges the divide historically separating e-mail and CRM systems."
Raju Vegesna, who has "Zoho Evangelist" on his business card, says the Zoho Mail Add-on gives users "the kind of contextual integration of information that we can provide," adding that it "bridges the divide historically separating e-mail and CRM systems."
There's another feature in the Zoho Mail application that lets users add contacts directly to the Zoho CRM application from the Zoho Mail interface. It can determine if a contact already exists in your CRM system, thereby avoiding duplicates.
The product is designed to give Zoho CRM users access to contact information found in both Zoho CRM and Zoho Mail. For instance, if you're using Zoho CRM and are searching for contact information within Zoho CRM, you'll also see Zoho Mail e-mail exchanges with that contact. The Zoho Mail information will be presented in Conversation View, Zoho officials say, adding that users "can expand any conversation to view the individual e-mail."
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EGain Communications has announced a partnership with mobile device support vendor WorldManuals to combine eGain's knowledge management technologies with WorldManuals' device support content to market support to European service providers.
EGain Communications has announced a partnership with mobile device support vendor WorldManuals to combine eGain's knowledge management technologies with WorldManuals' device support content to market support to European service providers.
It's currently being tested by a global mobile communications company and will be presented to new and existing clients soon. It's designed to allow mobile operators and service providers to sell "access to all relevant and available content" so the support experience for the end user every time should be good "regardless of query complexity or chosen communication channel."
Andrew Mennie, General Manager, eGain EMEA, said eGain's knowledge management product will provide access to WorldManuals' device content, in the call center and on the Web.
Thomas Thrane, CEO, WorldManuals, said he sees the partnership's market value in the fact that, as he sees it, "organizations increasingly look to harness new revenue streams and introduce a large number of services," and need "answers to the increasingly complex questions posed by customers... our strategy is to work with complementary technology providers within the telco sector."
Thomas Thrane, CEO, WorldManuals, said he sees the partnership's market value in the fact that, as he sees it, "organizations increasingly look to harness new revenue streams and introduce a large number of services," and need "answers to the increasingly complex questions posed by customers... our strategy is to work with complementary technology providers within the telco sector."
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You knew it was coming sooner or later, so don't act surprised: Positioning Animals Worldwide and American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery have announced the availability of SpotLight GPS Pet Locator.
You knew it was coming sooner or later, so don't act surprised: Positioning Animals Worldwide and American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery have announced the availability of SpotLight GPS Pet Locator.
Developed by PAW (rim shot), SpotLight combines GPS tracking technology with the 24/7 AKC CAR recovery services, paving the way home for the millions of pets that go missing each year.
"With an estimate of one-third of all dogs going missing at least once in their lifetime, SpotLight will help reduce this number," says Chris Newton, CEO of PAW.
One-third? Wow. First Coffee sure would like to see that study.
"Our mission is simple, provide the market with products and services to reduce the number of lost pets... through this partnership, we are able to offer owners peace of mind knowing that their dogs are safe at home or, should they escape, be quickly returned," Newton says.
SpotLight customers also receive a lifetime enrollment in AKC CAR, which includes a collar tag with ID number. Fitting on the dog's collar, SpotLight "senses" when the dog leaves the configurable boundary, dubbed a "SafeSpot" (Get it? "Safe Spot," safe doggie). Upon escape, SpotLight alerts the owner via text message, e-mail or both. To ensure immediate recovery, the owner then receives the dog's real-time location and turn-by-turn directions to the dog.
In addition, the AKC CAR recovery team is on call around the clock for assistance with the tracking and recovery. SpotLight comes equipped with a "rescue" button so that if the pet is found, a Good Samaritan can notify the owner and AKC CAR.
Next reality show: "Dog Chase! We're tracking Fido, turn by turn, by helicopter as he tries to escape by running through Mrs. Wilcox's geraniums... he clears the fence and is running through the playground now, AKC CAR officers are in pursuit..."
No doubt the pet will need a visit to one of California's many licensed pet psychiatrists after such an ordeal.
No doubt the pet will need a visit to one of California's many licensed pet psychiatrists after such an ordeal.
AKC CAR offers free lifetime enrollment for all active service, military, and law enforcement K-9s.
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Sharein company officials say they have launched a Web browser tool letting users share links to their friends, family and customers -- "60 percent faster via e-mail."
Sharein company officials say they have launched a Web browser tool letting users share links to their friends, family and customers -- "60 percent faster via e-mail."
Yes, of course it works with Twitter and Facebook, what did you expect? First Coffee would not be surprised to see -- fully expects to see -- Twitter and Facebook-enabled caskets.
If you're one of the people Sharein sees as their target market, you "dread the hassle of copying long web addresses -- URLs -- to share articles or videos." Long URLs are not e-mail friendly, as First Coffee can attest, as the link can be broken. Sharein's answer is to enable automatic link sharing within a single click on any Web page.
The product captures a Web page's URL, title, and description, creating a thumbnail image so the recipient can preview the page before clicking on it. And here's a nice feature -- Sharein saves your most commonly e-mailed friends, as well as your Twitter and Facebook profile for instant sharing.
"Discovering good content on the Internet has become an increasingly social activity. You are more likely to read an article that was shared to you from a good friend," says Colin Wong, CEO of Sharein, who has worked for Google and was "involved" in the launch of Google's AdSense.
"Link sharing is only one half of the story. What happens after you've shared a link? What is the impact of your share? How many people did you reach? How many people viewed it? How many people re-shared your link to their friends?" Wong asks, adding that Sharein helps with this information as well.
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Mobile business expert Cortado has launched a partner program for specialty and online stores, featuring Cortado's mobile SaaS offerings, such as hosted Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry Mailbox packages.
Mobile business expert Cortado has launched a partner program for specialty and online stores, featuring Cortado's mobile SaaS offerings, such as hosted Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry Mailbox packages.
The partner program encompasses the Cortado Premium hosted Services for mobile viewing, printing, and faxing of documents. Partners taking part in the program are also authorized to sell the Cortado Corporate Server software, a non-hosted product installed at the company letting customers use BlackBerry devices to access documents on the network, send them as an e-mail, and print, scan, or fax files.
Cortado officials say they charge no setup fee for customers, and that participation in Cortado's Specialty Store Program is free as well.
There are differing business models Cortado's offering -- if the reseller decides on an intermediary partnership, he can receive prepaid codes to sell to customers, or embed a manufacturer-provided banner on his homepage. He can sell the services in person, like in an actual brick and mortar store if he wants. He also has co-branding and white labeling options to market the products under his own name.
Signed agreements are reported and commissions paid quarterly. Cortado officials say the commissions are between 10 and 25 percent "depending on the product."
Thorsten Hesse, International Sales Manager Cortado Enterprise Solutions, said "without any advertising at all" Cortado has "87 parties interested in our Specialized Trade Partner Program."
Cortado is an independently acting division of ThinPrint AG.
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