Increase Responses to Emails

Emails have become on of the best mediums and communication services. From introductions to pitches and proposals, chances are that your initial impression with someone will often be through this medium. Despite the importance of this system, few really take the time to learn it well in order to get better results.So a couple tips that might help you in the long run:

1. Always state what it is that you want in the very first line in the email. No one has time to read through all the other garbage before you get to the point.

2. Write and rewrite the subject. For obvious reasons.

3. Check who the message is going to. This is another one that sounds obvious but is something that nearly everyone is guilty of. Email providers make things easy these days by having an auto-complete feature that will tag your frequent contacts. However, it's easy for things to be sent to the wrong recipient. Then, there's always the people who forget about the difference between "reply" and "reply all."

4.  Read twice, send once. There's an old carpentry adage that says, "Measure twice, cut once." It was intended to prevent costly and unnecessary mistakes. In the world of business communication, it can cost you the chance to make a good impression or even have your email address flagged for spam. Use a spellcheck. Check your links. If it's an important email, surely it warrants a second read.

Second Screens

According to consumer data, the ratio of screens to computers that are bought exceed 1 which means that there are lot of people that have more than once screen for their computer. To be honest, there are some advantages to that such as being able to separate things while still seeing them at the same time. Some might say that it can get distracting but I find it great to be able to separate all the internet fax and email. Now throw this idea into TV watching or game playing and things get ugly in such a way where reasonable people start thinking that the sun might actually rise in the west. Enter the belief that second-screen technology stimulates audiences to behave in new and exciting ways -- that grabbing their phone or tablet while the TV is on makes them do things they've never done before. Researchers noticed. Suddenly, in-depth reports on second-screen behavior breathlessly concluded that people often do two things at once! That got everyone stirred up, even though the critical cause-and-effect part was missing. We've been here before.

Who Wants a Smartwatch?

Do you feel like life would be so much better with a smartwatch? Is it something that you cannot live without? Samsung and Sony have devices out, and Qualcomm has one coming before the holidays. Apple is believed to be making one, and a new report says Google is developing one, too. Why the big push for smartwatches? It’s not coming from consumers. Rather, it’s a product in search of a market – and an expensive one at that. Samsung and Sony executives say they’ve designed their watches to give people ready access to information they would normally check on their phones, reducing the need to constantly pull out the phones. I think that the smartwatch is a solution looking for a problem where there is none. Do you really want to use phone services on the little gadget on your wrist? It will be more of a burden than anything and most people have no problem pulling out their phones to check things on it. Not to mention the distractions that it would bring while driving because it would be right there in the field of view and more tempting than ever to look at it. Any thoughts?

Gifts

When was the last time you were able to give someone your complete attention without the distraction of some sort of device or phone service? Seriously. Being present is perhaps the rarest, most valuable gift you can give someone today. We tend to privilege whomever or whatever is happening virtually rather than the individuals in our physical midst, despite the significance of the body in forming bonds and communicating most effectively. Opting out of our immediate context has become an epidemic. A few remedies: Engage in a game of phone stacking next time you're out with friends. And being a so called business professional does not excuse you from not being able to shut your phone off. You need to be able to take care of business beforehand and just say no to whoever feels that they are important enough to wake you up in the middle of the night or interrupt your dinner with your family.

Energy Efficiency

The USB is used mostly everywhere. You use it to store data, charge your gadgets, and transfer data. The Economist has written a lengthy report about the potential of USB cables to deliver an energy-efficient alternative to standard power cords once the new USB Power Delivery (PD) standard is ready for primetime next year. USB PD will give USB cables a major power boost of up to 100 watts and will let users power their laptops, low-voltage LED lightbulbs and even some internet phone systems. What makes USB PD such a potential game-changer, writes The Economist, is that it can “carry direct current and also data,” meaning that it “can help set priorities between devices that are providing power and those that are consuming it,” which should go a long way toward consuming power more efficiently. The first USB PD devices are expected to trickle into the market in 2014, although the technology likely won’t be widely adopted in consumer electronics until 2015.

Skype: Look Me in the Eye

When I use the internet phone system, Skype, it is always slightly grating that even though you can see the other person you can never truly look them in the eye. Apparently, this is a pet peeve of other people as well. A group of students and scientists at the Computer Graphics Laboratory ETH Zurich have created a relatively inexpensive way to maintain eye contact during Skype chats. There are two main components to the system: A software program and a Microsoft Kinect movement sensor. As you talk via Skype, the Kinect will keep tabs on your face (and anyone else in the camera’s view), specifically tracking 66 different points as they move around in real time. The software then goes to work, altering the transmitted image to make it look like you’re staring at the camera when you’re really looking at the screen instead. Not everyone has a Kinect, of course, so the research team is trying to see if they can come up with a way to make their software work with the cameras you already have on your devices. They’re also working toward creating a Skype plug-in so we can all enjoy the results of their academic research.

Mobile Devices: A New Era

Connected intelligence in mobile devices will be the next major force behind mobile innovation, and it appears that the mobile industry sees this vision and is preparing to drive it in this direction. The PC innovation part started in the mid-1970s and we are approaching the 42nd year of this cycle. During that time, PCs, tablets and smartphones have been created and the backbone technology has been laid to drive even greater innovation. He expects that the next big wave will come with connected intelligence devices using IP networks and new wireless technologies that will, in context, drive a whole new ranges of products and services, as we have seen with IP telephony and cloud services. That is the connected part. As for the intelligence, data will be collected and stored (if it isn't already) and then that information will be used deliver more custom experience and innovation to different people. The last 10 years, especially, have given us the underlying technology in wireless connectivity, low-voltage processors, HD touchscreens and device innovation that really sets us up for what will be the next major phase of mobile.

Technology and the Middle Class

Many people always say that technology is one of the things that is going to help the people that are suffering from poverty and disease in third world countries. It can also make life better for many other people as far as communication services and social networks go. The problem is that not too many people want to see the issues that may come with the advanced technology. Take the job situation for example. The US still has two million fewer jobs than before the downturn, the unemployment rate is stuck at levels not seen since the early 1990s and the proportion of adults who are working is four percentage points off its peak in 2000. This job drought has spurred pundits to wonder whether a profound employment sickness has overtaken us. And from there, it’s only a short leap to ask whether that illness isn’t productivity itself. Have we mechanized and computerized ourselves into obsolescence? These questions are nothing new as we have seen during the industrial revolution. The debate is still very much relevant though. What are your thoughts?

The HTC One

Is it The One? One of the best things about the HTC One is that it’s the rare Android phone that actually emphasizes smart design. It’s pretty to look at, but it’s also durable. After three months without using a case, the HTC One doesn’t have a single scratch or blemish. That’s more than I can say about an iPhone 5, whose aluminum edges began collecting scuffs almost immediately. While it’s true that Android phones used to become obsolete after just a few months, things have changed. The pace of hardware advancements have slowed down, and Google has been updating Android without updating Android, which means HTC’s software doesn’t feel out of date despite being a minor version or two behind. The application development also keeps us with it. What do you think about this phone?

Amazon Dipping into Consoles

"Suddenly it seems like every tech titan wants to be in the game console business. Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have theirs, of course, and Google is supposedly working on one of its own. Apple has at least laid the groundwork. In addition to the big companies, we also have the small upstarts like Ouya and GameStick. Now we can add Amazon to the pile, at least according to Game Informer’s unnamed sources."

I think it might be a good thing that more companies are making consoles because it will decrease the prices of the game systems. Application development would also need to keep up with the different platforms and systems in order to compete in the market. Are you going to be one of the first people to try the systems or are you going to wait until others try it?

Creativity

What does it take to write well? If you are a major in English, the only thing that you could realistically do for a decent paycheck is be a English teacher. But alas if your passion really is writing you should be able to enjoy it no matter the anguish and the blocks. Think of writing as a game and if you are stuck on a level, there are things called cheat codes. One of the techniques to start at the very end or at the very exciting part and work from there. Another way to get rid of the writers block is to bring elements into the story from a completely different genre and see how the characters deal with it. Lastly, one of the best things that you can do is take advantage of any some of communication services or social networks to bounce some ideas off of people. Any other ideas to combat the treacherous void where great words should be written?

GPS on Windshield

The next time when you look at your new car's windshield, you might see a whole view of maps and directions. Personally, I would find that really distracting but Garmin will choose to ignore that opinion and forge ahead with a product that will beam GPS information up on the windshield, as if having the GPS right there has not been enough. They believe that it would help with distractions because in California, potentially a big market for Garmin products, recently ruled that using GPS or mapping functions on a handheld is a moving violation, the same as texting or another communication service. What are your thoughts on the new trend in GPS tech?

Yota Phone

New and innovative smartphones are hard to find considering that most American companies have the market cornered. One of the more interesting phones at the CES is the YotaPhone. The YotaPhone’s main attraction is a 4.3-inch E-Ink display that sits on the phone’s curved backside. The E-Ink screen allows users to keep certain types of information in view, such as the time, notifications or a photo, without draining battery life. Would a secondary screen be that much more useful on a phone. If we are talking about a laptop, more people are using dual screens. One of the advantages that is mentioned in the presentation is that it will keep us away from our phones. If YotaPhone users can get accustomed to leaving their phones on a table or desk, with the E-Ink display facing up, they’ll be able to keep an eye on notifications without having to pick up the phone and fiddle with it. Also users are able to take a screen shot of anything on the main screen and send it to the E-Ink screen. This phone actually opens up the playing arena for mobile application development as well. Although Yota Devices isn’t known as a big smartphone brand, the company wants to launch the YotaPhone all over the world, including the United States.

Bring Your Own Device

BYOD (bring your own device) was one of the biggest trends seen in business during 2012, and its influence on the modern workplace is set to grow this year thanks to the roll out of 4G. This was also helped by the advancements in VoIP systems where the calls could be routed to any device. It also enables the employees to use their computers to make and receive the calls. 4G speeds also make internet phones have better quality meaning that there is no latency and the security can be greatly improved. The speed of 4G will encourage users to access devices more often and make it easier to work remotely. This will ultimately pressure businesses to enable employees to access their corporate desktops from anywhere and thereby hasten adoption of desktop virtualization. Even in software developing companies, more people are using their own devices because of the mobility and it has their own settings and preferences.

VoIP Fraud and Hacking

The prevalence of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) fraud has been on the rise, with some high-profile cases bringing the subject matter into greater focus for IT decision makers. VoIP fraud often results in thousands of dollars lost for companies dealing with this theft. In fact, a single fraud event can cost VoIP providers between $5,000 and $50,000, and this is usually borne by the provider because customers refuse to pay the charges that come from such theft. And a study by one fraud management company estimated that some telcos are losing upwards of $150 million a year due to VoIP fraud. One of the reasons for the fraud is that the phone service is not secured enough over the internet. Also, since the virtual phones are on the network, the hacker would in theory have the ability to get to the network through the internet phones and get sensitive data. To address these problems, there are some solutions such as the fraud detection module from TransNexus.

Pros and Cons of Virtual Phones

Thanks to virtual phone services, business today has an expanding set of tools for communicating with, and providing services for, business and residential customers. These new tools for enhanced engagement are enabled and augmented by the robust abilities of VoIP. Mobile devices in conjunction with social media are creating new channels for marketing communications. VoIP, traditionally offering more and costing less, is helping fuel the growth in UC (unified communications) spending, as the business market for VoIP and virtual phone solutions rapidly grows. Of course, there are other things to to consider when thinking about going with IP telephony. Some of the risks are that the systems are not completely secure and vulnerable to viruses or hacking. Cloud services also have the propensity to go offline. Case and point, the Amazon cloud on Christmas. On the plus side, there are features such as toll free business phone numbers, VoIP apps, as well as the ability to hold virtual meetings.

Going Mobile With Your Business

Even though this might be the age of mobile devices and mobile application development, there are some questions that you need to consider. While IT cannot fully control how employees use their personal mobile devices, you certainly have control over gets mobility for work-sanctioned activities. The path of least resistance is to do the same for everyone, but this will be unnecessarily expensive and time-consuming to manage. Instead, you should map out the workflows of various roles to determine which types of employees would really benefit. For example, some home-based employees will be more productive this way, but others will not, such as contact center agents. They may work offsite, but chances are that their landline and Web-based tools will be perfectly adequate. This approach will improve the way you run your business and more internet phone providers give you the tools to be able to track how the number is used. You will have full control and be able to manage it better.

Contact Centers

Call centers are extremely important for businesses when it comes to productivity and efficiency. Before, it used to be that the contact centers were very reactive in the sense that the calls or issues were dealt with as they came up and there was little technology for quality assurance. With the rising technology of internet phones and IP telephony, quality assurance and call management is much easier. When going with a VoIP system, or even a CMS developer, it is important to know exactly what you are looking for and the goals of the small business. You need to make sure that you know what the web site needs to look like and your customer base in general. Another aspect of building your business that you need to keep in mind is that you need to have a very visible presence online with the social networks and your own web site needs to be dynamic and always have the ability to change with the changing markets and demands.