We love our readers!  Let me say that again, we LOVE our readers.  A faithful Techlife reader just sent me this custom viral video which certainly got my attention and had me watch it.  Techlife is covering this technology, more than posting election coverage as this technology will be seen more and more.  This viral tool has been used more than 9.7 million times for this site alone according to the New York Times.  It is a very interesting move to get American’s out to vote.

You will notice if you watch carefully, this video has my name, Dave Kaufman, sprinkled throughout in various places.   It came with an email, targeting me by name as well.  I have to say it was very well done and got us thinking about the ways people and companies will be soon making more and more personal approaches to everything we do.  It is certainly a form of Digital Ethnography.

I appreciated the humorous nature of this video and website effort, but I wonder how much I will like it when it tells a young child to do something and uses their name.  Another scary use of this technology is more advanced phishing or social hacking scams.

Guy Kawaski appreciates the humor and suggest’s a good use for his own company and as a marketing tactic.  A site called New York Politics Room 8 talks a bit about the study showing personalization in election marketing helps get voters to turn out.

For today enjoy it and if you want to send one to a friend click here, but let us know what you think and always keep the great emails coming in.

Wishlists are great for business too. New look? New ideas? New plan? Need help? Ask an expert. I dream up solutions for companies. Let me help you. As a marketing and technology proven venture strategist I want to meet businesses and organizations that are looking for a way to break out, all it takes is an invitation. Contact me, it’s easy: techlife [at] dkworldwide [dot] com.

(part of the syndicated print column’s writing process exposed to online readers)

Internet access has become a part of our daily life and sometimes just cause you are away doesn’t mean you should be without. We had the pleasure of trying out internet access on the go and Techlife readers won’t be disappointed.

(part of the syndicated print column’s writing process exposed to online readers)

Techlife hits the road every so often for time away from our main office. In the past our mobile smartphone was the only link back to the office. As we await the HTC Dream, an Android powered smartphone from Tmobile (Editor’s note: this was just given the greenlight!) and Google, we find more and more reason to stay connected using a laptop with broadband access.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCyceYJRUtE[/youtube]

For a recent trip to a tiny coastal getaway, we did a quick check of free wi-fi, and pay-as-you-go wifi and came up empty. But this lack of wi-fi turned into the ultimate turn of good fortune.

Techlife got to try two amazing services, Verizon Mobile Broadband and Rovair. Verizon has had mobile broadband, in the form of a card or USB for laptops for a few years. Rovair is a startup offering a turnkey solution for renting broadband cards and a data package.

We visited Rovair’s site a few weeks prior to travel to rent our card. Prices vary based on length of time and they do offer rush processing. We initially chose “let Rovair select broadband for me” which lets them choose between Sprint and Verizon. They do offer links to both Sprint and Verizon coverage maps for mobile broadband. In the long run we ended up with a Verizon card. (see below)

Their staff answered questions quickly and was helpful in explaining we needed to download some software from Verizon. The software was available for Mac and PC. When the card arrived, it plugged right in and a few moments later the laptop was on online. Easy.

We of course put the card through its paces by working in the car on the way, and then once we arrived. Verizon’s service was so fast and easy that if not for their monthly limits, of 5 GB data usage, it might be a perfect permanent (in the office) new option for us. Before we knew the limitations we considered a mobile broadband router, as we could pop out the card to use while on the road.

Rovair passes on the limitations to 1 GB per week of rental, pro-rated for rentals of less than 1 week. As heavy users we came just shy of 1 GB of usage in much less than a typical work week, after all it was a vacation. We were also cautious to not stream video or music and we still came pretty close.

Returning the card to Rovair was easy, just drop it into the provided UPS envelope and drop it off. We were a little sad to see the card go. We will be certainly considering Rovair in the future for our traveling needs. It really makes a world of difference.

And if Verizon changes their plans for heavy users we might consider a card for the office.

Overall: Rovair makes renting mobile broadband easy. While not likely cost effective for the casual user, any small business owner who wants to be connected while on vacation, on-site, at a trade show or sales meeting should consider renting their high speed access. Request Verizon as friend who rented disliked the Sprint coverage in their area.

Have you ever used your cell phone tethered as a modem? Let us know in the comments . Was it easy? Fast?

Dear Techlife,

My organization bought a piece of technology that is cumbersome and hard to use and really takes an expert which we don’t have on staff. If we could use it correctly it would make life easier and improve our bottom line.

I think we made a mistake as do many other co-workers and partners. It is the industry standard but maybe not a perfect fit for us. Can we just cut bait already and move on?

Sincerely,

Troubled by Tech

Dear Troubled,

Techlife is one facet of work and life, but these days there are many vying for attention in this ever faster world we inhabit. Sometimes it is easy for people and organizations to get swept up on the crest of a wave, riding the technologic marvels created for consumption. Often technology claims of better, faster, stronger are planted right along side. But as our headline asks, is this always true or would people have us believe we do function in a vacuum devoid of all other forces?

We encounter examples daily of clients and prospects who were oversold. It reminds me of the elementary children’s problem.

A child just finished a big dinner, and someone asks them if they want ice cream. There’s always room for ice cream, right? If the child was asked would you like a small or large portion, 99% would reply, LARGE! They likely would eat the size small portion but not finish the large.

(more…)

As we manage the rising costs of business and energy I am reminded of a story, so sit back and enjoy Techlife’s tale of power.

The typical company rolls along putting out daily fires, and not giving employees the true time to make work a better experience. Most of you readers will skim over that last sentence just as easily. Let me repeat it, as it bears repeating. The typical company rolls along putting out daily fires, and not giving employees the true time to make work a better experience. Ah, you get it now? You think this is going to be another column about taking time to breathe, but you are wrong.

As we all coast along in work and life I want to share a small tale with you. Many years ago I learned of a new site, Woot, a site that sells one item a day. One day they were selling “Random Crap” (yes Woot faithful, this pre-dates Bags of Crap), so I took a gamble for $.03 and ended up with a variety of, you guessed it, “Random Crap.”

One item was an Auto Starter – Car Battery Charger. While reading up on this I learned that inside, this device was powered by AA alkaline rechargeable batteries. Hmm, interesting I thought. I could use some AA batteries, so I used a hammer carefully opened the case and found a small pot of gold.

Gleaming up at me were Pure Energy’s AA gold rechargeable alkaline batteries. And in typical story fashion our hero doesn’t really recognize the true power of his finding. I began using them and they were great, long lasting batteries. Of course, I forgot one thing. They were rechargeable and I didn’t own a charger.

Research online showed most chargers worked for various other types of rechargeable batteries, except alkaline. Then I found Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools, article about the Battery Xtender for recharging alkalines. A bit more research led me to the Rayovac Universal Battery Charger.

I still use the batteries and the charger today nearly 4 years later. The batteries are long lasting like regular alkalines and the charger works for some other non-alkaline rechargeable batteries I now own. I decided to look for a few more Pure Energy batteries and found they have updated their technology, to the new Pure Energy XL Alkaline, which have:

…longer charge retention (up to 7-year storage life), higher battery capacity (rated at 2000 mAh), and overall up to 80% more service life (up to 500 cycles) compared to the original gold line.

My company has saved hundreds of dollars on batteries. I enjoy the power and durability of an alkaline battery and the eco-friendly ability re-charge again and again. Going green is easy! A happy ending to our tale.

So how does this relate to our statement: The typical company rolls along putting out daily fires, and not giving employees the true time to make work a better experience. As a consulting firm we often see valuable ideas employees have that are just not getting the attention they deserve. Our own cost-saving approach resulted in stepping away from the “fires” and being given the freedom to think, research and act.

We encourage you this July to think about Independence Day, truly as a day to provide co-workers the chance to make a positive independent change. And if you need a little kickstart, let us know.

How have you made a difference? Tell us in the comments.

Techlife brings a special feature to our readers, Techlife Illustrated. We have put together a visual tutorial for installing Google Gears. I deem Google Gears, the company’s trojan horse, because it is the gift to us the users, that strikes at the underbelly of Microsoft. It provides Google a platform for working with a user who is offline, say on an airplane. They re-sync when they are back in range. This gives them a real foothold on the desktop market.

I can easily see Picasa, Google Desktop and a few other products being folded under Google Gears as time goes on and Google’s strategy become more focused. For now learn how to get Google Gears working for you and your work.

Techlife had the chance to try out TagCow, an automated photo tagging service, while it was still in beta. TagCow has now emerged from beta and is open to anyone. Automated photo tagging is equivalent to Google Search for your personal digital photos. From professionals to amateurs having quick and easy ways to sift through millions of images that are accurately tagged makes this service truly amazing.

What makes TagCow a bit more unique is the method of tagging, it is automated. Other services such as Picasa or Flickr rely on your efforts to tag photos, while Google is using a pseudo-game to help improve its tagging search results. This is what sets TagCow apart.

Tagcow’s “how” tagging is accomplished is a bit hidden on the website, but in speaking with Michael Droz, CEO and co-founder, he revealed it is part automated and part human-based. I would even venture to suggest different humans were assigned to my photos, as the results were slightly different for each image I uploaded. There was even a typo! Due to this tagging says it will take 24-48 hours, mine took about 55 hours.

(more…)

Google’s inviting all their users to become trapeze artist’s and work without a net, an Inter-net connection. The innovation machine that is Google just keeps on rolling, and their newest trick is using a tool called Google Gears to let users work untethered.

One of the bigger drawbacks of Google Docs is now a thing of the past. Techlife Illustrated has put together this easy to follow guide to getting Google Docs offline. (This is our first Illustrated How To, leave a comment with your thoughts.)

Step 1

While in Google Docs, in the upper right hand corner is a link to “Offline.” Which gets Google Gears on your computer.

(more…)

This past month has been all about looking at things from a new perspective. Techlife loves seeing the world through new eyes and we started with a new take on an old favorite, getting free money, from Centsports and then we added Alan Becker’s break out animations. Our extremely popular column last month was about the One Laptop Per Child project, and this month we interviewed Wayan Vota a volunteer who is providing in-depth coverage on the project as an observer with a lot to say.

All of these new views on the world culminated in our piece on a street artist. Techlife covered how this unique artist is pushing the bounds of art, perspective and urban living while challenging all of us to think way outside any boxes or conventions. Just the kind of things we love here. Prepare to change your vantage point.

Need a fresh perspective? Looking to increase sales? Not sure how to make it happen? Techlife can do a lot. Just ask us. Hit me via email at: techlife [ at ] dkworldwide [dot] com. Do you subscribe to the RSS feed for Techlife? Visit the TechLife weblog where all you need to do is point and click.

(part of the syndicated print column’s writing process exposed to online readers)

Three of the biggest areas in tech are Gaming, Mobile and Computing. This past month tackled this three ring circus in Techlife’s online blog. We covered a Nintendo Wii tip for the gamers, Techlife TV had video preview of Google’s Android mobile phone operating system and finally we took a diversion to a special kind of computing. If you haven’t visited, check out Techlife online.

At Techlife we often advise clients that giving back to the community is not just good PR. It can really impact employees and your business in many ways. I personally have a variety of organizations that I donate my time towards and the rewards truly are amazing. A recent story once again reinforced it pays to do good. It’s called karma people.

Stuck on a problem?  Looking to reduce costs? Not sure how to make them happen? Techlife can do a lot. Just ask us. Hit me via email at: techlife [ at ] dkworldwide [dot] com. Do you subscribe to the RSS feed for Techlife? Visit the TechLife weblog where all you need to do is point and click.

(part of the syndicated print column’s writing process exposed to online readers)

As loyal readers know Techlife is an early adopter, but we don’t always write about things immediately. Our readership appreciates the pace, as the our reports give a real “lived in” flavor. For example we have had a Nintendo Wii in our office for well over a year, as we snagged one early on. But our first Wii article was about something that puzzled us, and we thought might help others.

We have had an OLPC XO Laptop (One Laptop Per Child) in our offices since late last year. For those unaware, these are those little green laptops originally billed as the $100 laptop (ended up closer to $200), and intended for children globally, but with special focus towards countries where computers are few and far between. The idea that if children had the chance to use a computer regularly, their own computer, they would grow up and be able to implement technology into their country with more ease. A noble pursuit.

Click “more” to read how the OLPC XO Laptop Saved the Day… and see the image gallery.
(more…)

[youtube]g4m73NXn7hY[/youtube]

Techlife TV has a double feature today with videos on Android the Google operating system for mobile phones. These videos demo simple text messaging and chat, rendering of the earth, the videogame Quake, Google Maps and Street view and much more.

As a long time user of the Sidekick by Tmobile, also known as the Hiptop, Techlife TV was excited to see Apple’s iPhone be released and now Google’s Open Handset Alliance operating system Android in the wild. These mainstream devices will help provide competition to RIM’s Blackberry Operating System and Microsoft’s Mobile platform along with the other manufacturers of smart phones like Nokia and Palm. It was interesting to see Microsoft buy Danger the makers of the Sidekick mostly because Danger founder Andy Rubin left a few years ago to form a company acquired by Google and now turned into Android. So all this means more for the consumer.

Which smart phone will win is anyone’s guess? But with Apple moving into the top ten in sales of the iPhone it will be exciting to watch the future unfold in this segment of the marketplace.

Google’s Andy Rubin demos Android for the BBC – Blip.tv video via Gizmodo