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Authors: Inc The Staff of Entrepreneur Media

Start Your Own Business (74 page)

BOOK: Start Your Own Business
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Once you pinpoint which technology is best for you, it’s up to you to become proficient using that equipment. For some, overcoming the learning curve associated with the latest technologies, as well as an inherent fear of them, is a debilitating hindrance. In order to ensure your success in today’s business world, you must possess the knowledge, skills and experience to fully use the latest emerging technologies and the well-established ones.
The best way to acquire this knowledge and proficiency is to read the equipment manuals, visit related websites that offer interactive tutorials, and then invest some time in using your new equipment. For example, before loading your phone with crucial work-related data, spend a few days actually using all its features without the fear of corrupting or losing important information.
 
TIP
 
If you want to become proficient using an Apple iPhone or iPad quickly, visit the
Apple.com
website and watch the video tutorials that explain how to use the phone’s most popular features. BlackBerry users should check out the “Owner’s Lounge” section of the BlackBerry website (
blackberry.com
) for tutorials and easy-to-understand “how-to” and “getting started” information.
As you invest the time and energy to learn about the latest tools, don’t just buy the hottest gadget so your colleagues, clients and customers will be impressed. Focus on which of these technologies will make you more organized, efficient, productive, and available to current and prospective customers. Determine which mobile technology will be the biggest time and money saver. To accomplish this goal, you’ll need to study your current work habits and how you spend your time, then choose appropriate technologies so you can stay compatible and competitive in today’s fast-paced work environment.
 
TIP
 
If you’re using the latest technologies to be more productive while driving, be smart about it by taking advantage of a high-quality Bluetooth headset or handsfree device. The cost of a high-end Bluetooth headset with the latest noisecancelling technologies will be $69 to $130.
Just the Beginning
 
There are so many different technologies out there that can be used for communicating and staying connected, it’s impossible to write about all of them or to focus on all the different ways they can be used in conjunction to make you better and more efficient.
 
TIP
 
Never send or read text messages, IMs, e-mails, or surf the web while driving—no matter how appealing the concept of multitasking in this situation might be. If you’re distracted, even for a second, the consequences can turn deadly.
For example, if you travel a lot for your business, you can have one single phone number that follows you anywhere in the world, or that rings in certain places at certain times of the day or night. If you’re not available to answer the phone, the caller can automatically be sent to voice mail, and that message can be listened to at your convenience or automatically translated into an e-mail message and sent to your smartphone, laptop computer or iPad. Many phone service companies offer “Follow Me” functionality, including Google Voice (google.com/voice) and Vonage (
vonage.com
).
Likewise, if someone needs to send you a fax, you no longer have to sit at your office next to the fax machine waiting for it to ring. With a virtual fax machine (like
eFax.com
), you can receive faxes as e-mail messages (in PDF format, for example), and access those incoming faxes from anywhere, plus print them from your computer. You can also send a fax to any traditional fax machine directly from your word processor or web browser. That is, if an e-mail message or IM won’t suffice.
Your cell phone, smartphone, notebook computer, netbook or iPad can handle many tasks: It can be used as a plain old telephone or as a full-featured voice-mail system that also sends/receives e-mails, faxes, and instant messages, or in some cases, allows for real-time video conferencing ... and that’s just the beginning.
Talk Is Cheap
 
The kind of productivity boom that personal computers and other office machines brought to business in the 1980s and ’90s are antiquated. Technological advancements in the 21st century offers us cheap home and office phone systems, powerful mobile smartphones, mobile broadband (for high-speed internet access from virtually anywhere), plus various kinds of text messaging and video communications. In fact, research shows that more and more people are giving up their traditional landlines in favor of using wireless cell phone technology altogether as their primary home or office phone line(s).
OUT AND ABOUT
 
W
ithin the last five years, we’ve seen a dramatic change in people’s work habits. Thanks to all this mobile technology, work is being performed in some unusual places. The Dieringer Research Group, for example, recently reported that America’s 135 million workers have stepped out of a traditional office setting (at least some of the time) and have performed their daily work functions from the following places:
• 45.1 million from home
• 24.3 million at client or customer businesses
• 20.6 million in an automobile
• 16.3 million while on vacation
• 7.8 million on a train or airplane
Of the more than 45 million Americans who work from a home office, these people say they have three to four regular workplaces.
 
And why wouldn’t they—the days of paying a high per-minute fee for local or long-distance phone service are almost gone entirely. Whether you use a landline or cell phone, most service plans these days offer unlimited local and long-distance calling for a flat rate (typically between $30 and $100 per month). Thus, from a business perspective, your telecom budget line item went from a variable to a fixed expense. Add in plummeting telecom costs, and you have what amounts to cold, hard cash in your pocket, plus much greater communications tools at your disposal.
 
e-FYI
 
Don’t have a cellular wireless card for your laptop computer yet, and need Wi-Fi web access while on the-go? Most hotels, airports, coffee shops and bookstores offer free or fee-based Wi-Fi. You can quickly find local Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the United States or abroad by visiting
jiwire.com
,
wi-fihotspotlist.com
, wififree
spot.com
or
wifinder.com
.
Even the cost of internet access has dropped significantly in recent years, thanks to DSL, broadband, FIOS, and wireless 3G and 4G technologies. For a flat monthly fee, anyone can have unlimited internet access from their home, office or mobile device, usually for well under $50 per month.
Which Smartphone Is the Smartest?
 
Just about all cell phones have the ability to send and receive text messages and surf the web. However, it’s the true smartphones and wireless PDAs, such as Apple iPhones, BlackBerrys and Google phones, that offer truly powerful and seamless voice and data communications capabilities—all from a single handheld device.
You can use a smartphone for a wide range of tasks, including sending /receiving calls, voice mails, e-mails, text and instant messaging. You can also surf the web, and use it as a powerful GPS navigational system as well as a personal productivity tool for managing your contacts, schedule, expenses and other data.
Currently, you can buy more than 140,000 third-party apps for the iPhone on the Apple iTunes App Store. Thousands of unique apps are also available for BlackBerrys and Google smartphones, allowing users to customize their devices based on the features and functionality they want and need.
Choosing which smartphone is right for you is a matter of personal preference, based on your unique work habits, communication and connectivity needs, and budget. Once you know how you’ll be using your smartphone, consider what features and functionality you want and need, then take a look at the various iPhone, BlackBerry, Google and other smartphone models available. (If you’re going to have employees, consider compatibility issues as well to ensure data from your smartphone will be transferable to your staff and vice versa.)
Also, consider the phone’s design, battery life, screen readability, keyboard size (or virtual keyboard), overall size and weight, and price. Also, ask about repair/replacement service plans, insurance options, and the warranty.
While you should certainly consider the cost of the device when shopping for a smartphone, you’ll also want to look at:
• What the various cell phone carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) offer in terms of monthly service plans
• The cost of the monthly service plan (with all of the extras you’ll want and need, such as unlimited talk minutes, data usage, and text messaging)
• The length of the service contract you’ll need to commit to (usually one or two years); if you cancel prematurely, you’ll be charged an early termination fee between $150 and $300, depending on the carrier
• The level of national and international roaming service offered, based on the areas where you’ll use your smartphone the most. For example, even the most advanced wireless carriers don’t yet offer true high-speed wireless internet coast to coast. Depending on the carrier, the latest 3G or 4G service may only be available in or near major cities. Be sure to study the carrier’s most current service coverage map.
BOOK: Start Your Own Business
10.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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