Google - Master of the Universe

Google is taking over the world and soon the universe. At closing Friday the stock sat at about $460 a share. It's high for the year was $513 so it's "down" a little... bummer.

I'll take that bummer any year. If you just sat on it all year then you're up about thirty bucks from January 1, 2006, but there was a lot of money to be made in this stock. The 52 week low was $331.55 so there was quite a bit of movement.

What I like most about Google is not it's stock price (because I don't own it), but the products they are putting out and the products they are making better. The site I use for all of my blogs, blogger.com is a Google product. My back up email (tomkauffman@gmail.com) is also a Google product.

Google is all over my computer starting on the desktop. Google Desktop keeps me on time, tracks my stocks and the market, gives me the weather report for four cities I'm tracking all the time, tells me how strong my Wi-Fi signal is and how much battery power I have left. It also searches for any document on my computer.

I use Google as my search engine. I also use Google Earth, Google Finance, Google Images (for my blog posts), Google Alerts and Google Mail.

Other great products introduced this year were Google Calendar and Google Docs & Spreadsheets. Each allows you to do your work anywhere you can get an Internet connection.

This company is worth 141 billion dollars and have billions in cash to invest in new ideas and new companies. Look for more great things from Google in 2007.

TK

E-mail Etiquette Matters!: Stay Away from Sarcasm in E-mail

I've received my share of nasty emails over the years and have made an art of crafting them! (That means so nasty from my end, recipients don't even get that I'm slamming them. I don't recommend it.

However, one of the worst things you can do is write an email laced with sarcasm. Judith Kallos writes about email etiquette and she posted this article on the topic of sarcasm in email on her blog. Check it out:

E-mail Etiquette Matters!: Stay Away from Sarcasm in E-mail

The challenge using sarcasm in spontaneous writing (such as email), is that it is not easily detected. The written word is void of tone, gesture and a quick opportunity to add clarifying comments.

"Say" something wrong in an email and you may have an upset recipient for a longer period of time than you'd like. There are symbols such as :) or ;) that aid in disarming sarcasm, but they don't appear to be very professional to me.

My advice - skip the sarcasm is business related email and use it sparingly in all other email correspondence.

TK

Cool Stuff Every Salesperson Should Own

As the holidays come into full swing I have been thinking of the key pieces of equipment every salesperson should own. Of course "key" denotes you've got to have it to do business and that would be impossible. So by switching to the word "cool" everyone has permission to own these things even if only for their own personal pleasure! Here's the list:

1. Smart Phone - Yes this implies your other phone is dumb. If you can't retrieve email from multiple accounts and hit the web for critical information you need a new phone! A smart phone should feel like a little computer in your hand that doesn't have to be booted up an powered down. This includes your calendar, contacts, tasks and various notes. Get this first!

2. iPod - This device may be the coolest piece of technology you ever own. There are multiple models that serve multiple purposes. I own three and use two heavily. The other one was swiped by my middle son (who's getting one for Christmas so I can get my Nano back.)

The iPod is more than just a music player. I use my iPod to listen to daily podcasts on business, finance and politics. No matter what industry you're in... there's a podcast that can help you become more informed and more proficient at what you do. In addition, my entire personal development library is housed on my 30 gig video iPod. I can listen to the icon's of personal development for days without hearing the same message twice. If you don't have one - get one!

3. Headset - I just wrote an article on a new wireless headset (the Samsung WEP200 that I am still impressed with) and am recommending any type of headset for any phone that you use on a daily basis. Work, mobile and even your home phone. See how much freedom you can feel by removing the handset from the side of your head! Who can you trust? Plantronics is the most trusted name in headsets. Go with them and you won't get ripped off.

4. Small Digital Camera - Snapping pictures and throwing up pictures on your website, blog or just having them on your computer is a worthwhile thing.

5. High Capacity Storage Device - If you've ever lost your data then you know how painful an episode it can be... BACK UP YOUR DATA. There are devices the size of a deck of cards that can back up your entire computer. Get one and use it weekly.

Well that's five things. Number five may not be cool but it is essential. Merry Christmas!

TK

Giving Bluetooth Another Shot...

I've tried Bluetooth headsets in the past and like many users haven't been impressed - so I tossed the Jabra piece of junk I had and gave up... it was like throwing away a hundred dollar bill.

I haven't had a wireless headset since, even though the world continues to buy them and the army of "mobile phone cyborgs" grow and grow and grow in number!

This all came to an end today when my Samsung WEP200 arrived in the mail and I took it for a spin. up. This little jewel is the most compact wireless headset I've ever seen... it's one of the entries in a new slew of supercompact headsets hitting the market.

This little baby measures only 1.5 by 0.5 by 0.5 inches (translation - it's really tiny), and fits perfectly in the ear canal. Easy buttons located in just the right positions. The unit comes with an equally small carrying case which also serves as the charging unit. I like the setup because when the unit is charging it is totally protected, but don't lose it - without the case the headset cannot be charged and I don't care how long the talk time is (4 hours by the way) or the standby time is (3 days)... without the charging unit you are toast.

I would rank the call quality as high and the way this unit works with my BlackBerry 8703e from Sprint can only be described as "harmonious." Sure they are both jet black and look like a match made in heaven, but add to that the ease in which I can answer calls and end calls without ever taking my phone out of it's holster - that's... harmonious too!

Getting excited about a wireless headset device may make me appear like I'm a technology neophyte - well I'm not - this little unit has me back in the Bluetooth headset game because it works and all of the manufacturers out there are building better products. Best of all... I look like a Navy Seal instead of a Terminator/cyborg wanna-be.

You'll like the look, the feel and the sound of the Samsung WEP200.

TK

Wired Magazine's Best

Wired Magazine is a great publication if you like to look at magazine covers. For me it's kind of like album art. You may not have any interest in the music but the cover can generate a lot of emotion.

The best thing I've seen from Wired in some time is it's 2007 "Test Wired" edition which is on news stands now. Wired has tested and rated over 300 products... Laptops, mobile phones, home audio, cameras, satellite radio, MP3 players and many more products.

Also in this issue is a list of the top 10 gadgets that changed the world. Number One... the RCA 630TS which arrived in 1946. Guess what it is? Television. The price in today's dollars would be $3,600 bucks! Where's the record player, I'll use that for a few decades and let the Japanese get their electronics juggernaut going.

I think the iPod should be on the list but not a single Apple product is listed. IBM gets the number 9 spot for it's 5150 personal computer.

There's also a great piece on how to pick a mobile phone service provider (page 043), and the winner is... Verizon!

This is a must have read if you're into technology so grab an issue before they are all gone.

TK

BlackBerry Pearl is a Bit Thin

The BlackBerry team has delivered a very thin product with its new Pearl... too thin for my liking. I recently checked it out at Cingular Wireless and I don't know that it is capable of handling the rough work of business. It's pretty delicate unit.

BlackBerry ships the phone without any type of carrying case to protect it and the shiny outer appearance is bound to get wasted within a few weeks. I'm sure aftermarket products are already available and more on the way.

I currently use an 8700g and I love it. The major challenge other than the size of the unit and its delicate appearance is the keyboard layout. Without a full size QWERTY keyboard I can't imagine this unit being the workhorse BlackBerry fans are used to hammering away at.

The Pearl loses the scroll wheel and uses a "joystick" to maneuver through its menus. It's a little awkward but I'm sure the feel for it comes quickly. It comes with a camera and an MP3 player, but that's not why I choose BlackBerry products. Leave the fluff to Treo et al.

Check out the Pearl at a Cingular store near you.

TK