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Solar Battery Chargers

July 14, 2010 By

The other day, quite by accident, I stumbled across a short news article posted on http://www.cnet.com/. It reported that on July 8th at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland a solar powered airplane built by the Solar Impulse Corporation, http://www.solarimpulse.com/, had successfully taken off and flown for a full 24 hours. I realize we live in an era when amazing things are occurring on a daily basis. However, I was struck by this announcement for two reasons. The first was simply the technology required to accomplish this feat. The second was how little media attention it had received.

The announcement raised a further question: If airplanes can be engineered to stay aloft for 24 hours using strictly solar and battery technology, can these same technologies be used to power computers and other portable devices?

The answer is yes, the technology can and is being used, but the computers and devices currently available are not yet mainstream enough to catch the attention of most consumers. Laptop computers in particular, such as the one designed by Nikola Knezevic, http://www.nikoladesign.com/, seem to only catch the attention of researchers and adventures doing work in very remote areas. The good news, however, is that at least someone out there is trying. Currently the most practical and affordable option is the use of a solar battery charger. There are several good options available; here are a few for consideration.

1)      Brunton SolarRolls  (http://www.brunton.com/) – easily transportable and have proven to be very popular with campers and backpackers.

2)      Voltaic Systems  (http://www.voltaicsystems.com/) – offer a variety of computer cases and back packs fitted with external solar panels.

3)      Apple Juicz  (http://www.quickertrek.com/) – a solar charger and stylish carrying case specifically designed for MacBooks.

If you have questions concerning wattage needs or other technical issues, please feel free to contact us here at My Technology Pros and we will be pleased to help you identify a solar charging system that is best suited to your needs.

Filed Under: Green Tech Tagged With: ,

Hotels and Resorts use of Social Media

July 9, 2010 By

It is becoming increasingly difficult to view a hotel or resort website that doesn’t have the Facebook, Twitter and/or Linkedin icons somewhere on its homepage. Recently, I was involved in a project that required me to visit literally hundreds of hotel and resort websites, and I was shocked by what a poor effort so many properties put into their social media marketing. I definitely had a few “OMG” moments when leaving a beautiful, well done website only to link to their neglected and poorly managed Facebook page. 

If you decide to incorporate social media into your internet marketing plan, there are a few basic, yet important, details to keep in mind:

1)      Don’t treat your Fans to a daily dose of specials. The Fan base of most hotels and resorts will be quite widely dispersed, so keep in mind that receiving your daily dinner special will become quite annoying to someone located hundreds of miles away.

2)      Keep your postings reasonably short and to the point.

3)      Keep your messages upbeat and positive. Fans don’t want to read complaints about the third straight day of rain.

4)      Reinforce the reasons people become fans in the first place. If it’s because of your sunsets, post photos of sunsets. If it’s because of your great staff, then post notes of interest about key personnel and photos of them in their work areas. In short, reinforce the great memories and positive experiences.

5)      Periodically post a “Special for our Fans”. No one wants to be marketed to every day, but we all enjoy receiving a truly special deal once in a while. Remember… a 10% discount off rack rated rooms is NOT a truly special deal.  Be imaginative.

6)      If you use your site as a platform to discuss broader issues (political, environmental, social), do so in a way that positively conveys your efforts rather than condemns the actions of others.

7)      Closely monitor posted comments. You have a choice of how to deal with negative posts. You can either post a response, or you can delete it. Simply deleting the comment, however, may not always be the best course of action.       

Great!  So now what? Well, if you are already involved in Social Media, I recommend you take a look at what is being done, or not being done, on your behalf. Is it a positive reflection of your property? Does it follow most of the guidelines above?  If not, then I suggest getting more active in those efforts. If you are not currently involved in Social Media, but are feeling the desire to get started, make sure you have thought through the details and the commitment required. Foremost, it really needs to be a part of someone’s daily routine. That person or team needs to have a clear set of guidelines and practices. Only then can your Social Media marketing efforts truly be successful.

Remember, too, that My Technology Pros is always ready to help with your technology, web and, yes, even Social Media needs.

Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , , ,

Flash With Discretion

June 16, 2010 By
Hotel and resort marketers should begin the “experience” the moment a prospective guest or meeting planner visits their website. The imagery of beautifully landscaped grounds, luxurious rooms and suites, exceptional dining options should captivate the visitor. The opportunities to showcase well appointed meeting spaces, breathtaking outdoor function areas or outstanding recreational amenities are extremely important components for a successful website. But equally important is a website that is highly functional.
In recent years there has been a trend toward the use of Adobe Flash to convey property images with a bit more punch. Before you choose to go down that road, there are a few things about utilizing a browser plug-in such as Adobe Flash you should first consider. Listed are a few of the key considerations:
  1. Security concerns (http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html) surrounding the vulnerability of Flash to exploitation and attack have led many charged with maintaining system security simply to block sites employing Flash.  Other users find Flash advertisements on websites bothersome, leading them to download Flash blockers like ClickToFlash, which stop Flash from playing altogether. This means certain viewers simply won’t see your photos at all.
  2. Some web browsers will not play Flash content before the user clicks on a content download link.
  3. Apple does not allow Flash on its mobile devices. According to AdMob’s April 2010 report, the iPhone accounts for over 41% of all smartphone web traffic, while the iPod Touch accounts for more than 90% of “mobile internet device” traffic. Furthermore, though Adobe is still reportedly working on making Flash available for other smartphones, it is not, as of this writing, available on  any smartphone. Add in the iPad, the device currently flying off Apple Store shelves, and the percentage of mobile users not viewing Flash is well over 90%.
  4. Many users become upset with sites where Flash is utilized when surfing on their laptop due to the heavy battery drain caused by Flash. 
When it is time to give your website a fresh look or major overhaul, don’t be afraid of introducing some multimedia. After consulting with your web design team, you may still even elect to use Flash because you are comfortable that the positives outweigh the negatives in your particular situation. However, before making that decision, don’t be afraid to ask if there are alternatives such as simply embedding video in a web page, or employing new HTML5 and CSS3 code. If you want the viewer to be engaged from the very first moment, remember that high functionality will undoubtedly play a role in that experience.  
Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , ,

Keep Your Content Fresh

June 6, 2010 By

Perhaps the one most important thing any hotel or resort can do to assure the success of its website is to update continually the copy content. There is nothing worse than poorly written, outdated information. This is not to suggest that all of the site copy needs to be rewritten constantly. In fact, you will want to avoid undoing all of the excellent SEO work your internet marketing company may have done on your behalf. Instead, have areas on your website where you can comfortably change and update such items as:

  • an activities calendar
  • a listing of local events
  • the profiles of key associates
  • new menu offerings
  • copies of recent press releases

If you have a sufficient inventory of good photography, you may also want to consider swapping out a photo or two now and again. Keep it fresh; remember this is not like the printed brochure you redo every couple of years.

Changes to your site generally can be made quickly and easily by the person or team that did your website design work. If you are comfortable with a “do it yourself” approach, talk with your site designer about installing a WordPress section where after 15 minutes of basic instruction you can start making your own changes.  A quick word of caution, though, is simply to be diligent about managing consistency. Once you are comfortable that those proper quality assurance procedures are in place, then go ahead and get started. Search engines will love you for it as will your loyal, repeat guests and customers.

Filed Under: Hotels & Resorts Tagged With: , ,

The Future of TV

June 2, 2010 By

There was a time when we in the tech world discussed “convergence” devices. These were far-off and mystical devices that combined several functions into one great device–web surfing, eMail, telephony and chat were usually the most desired apps. Well, for the most part those convergence devices have finally appeared in the form of Smartphones. Certainly the iPhone and iPad are convergence devices.

But now that we have these fabulous convergence devices, which also happen to be brilliant media players, we want our content with us all the time. We’re tired of having the Tivo and the Playstation tied to the TV, with content that is locked to those systems and the TV they are attached to. What we want is all our media, all the time, on any device.

Well, that future is coming, but if you want it sooner rather than later, you best write your Congressman and tell them you’re ready to end the stranglehold the Cable TV industry has on your content. Because companies like Apple, Google, Sony and Microsoft are all ready to stream content on demand to your favorite tech device, but the content providers like Fox and Disney are wont to strike deals with new distribution services for fear a company like Comcast or Time Warner will simply stop carrying their channel. Just like Comcast/Time Warner has done to ABC in New York City several times.

However, that is not going to stop the television manufacturers from putting more and more Internet connectivity and application ability into their TVs. This is going to force companies like Apple to redefine their computers. I mean honestly, the only difference between an iMac and a TV is the TV has an HDTV tuner built-in and the iMac doesn’t.

Television is changing, both in the way content is delivered and in what we are going to think of as a TV. In a few short years, TV will be any device that plays what used to be called a TV show.

My guess is that within a decade, we’ll just say, “Have you seen this week’s episode of ‘Beach Bingo Death Match’?” because we’ll all be watching the show on different devices at different times throughout the week.

Filed Under: Future Tech Tagged With: ,

Going Green (Tech)

June 2, 2010 By

One of our goals here at My Technology Pros is to play an active role in helping the businesses with whom we work reduce their usage of paper, printer cartridges…etc. We feel that it is important to be a shining example in this effort, and as a result are virtually paperless — with one gnawing exception. Our marketing guy, Jim, can’t seem to kick his addiction to legal pads. We keep telling him that using green ink isn’t the same as going green. By last count he easily consumed two full pads in last month alone. There is a glimmer of hope however. It appears that he has scaled down from the true legal sized pads to now using only the letter sized. Next step: iPad!

Here is a list of some of the other green tech measures we have attempted to implement.

  1. All billing and contact management is handled online. Customers are eMailed all correspondence and invoices.
  2. We all telecommute and teleconference. Although we have an office, we rarely all drive there, preferring to conserve energy by driving directly to appointments and meeting with each other online or at a local business.
  3. I’ve worn the same socks for the last month (okay, I’m kidding, fortunately for all of us).Seriously though…we all know there is a cost savings potential for businesses that are able to reduce the flow and storage of paper. We are currently designing an intranet project for the City Mattress Company which will greatly assist their internal communication and efficiency. We would be pleased to consult with you on how to better use technology to help boost your bottom line.
Filed Under: Green Tech Tagged With:

iPad doesn’t do magic, but it’s pretty amazing

May 14, 2010 By

Unless you’ve been in hibernation the past couple of months, you have probably heard that Apple has introduced the iPad. No, we didn’t camp out over night at the Apple Store to be first in line when the store opened. For once we were very patient when it came to our own new product purchase – we waited until just after lunch.

Once again, Apple has not disappointed. Yes, it is a very cool device and as Certified Apple Consultants, we can attest to its ease of use. Of all the great apps and features, here is our top 5 list:

  1. Media – Above all else, this is a media device. The video is sharp and crisp, the built in speakers put out impressive sound for their size. But reading on it is something special. Where the Kindle and other eReaders fail – and where Apple always shines – is in the details. Turning a page “feels” real. The support for graphics makes children’s books come to life in a way that is simply not possible on other devices.
  2. The Elements – this application is interesting even if you’ve never really understood chemistry that well. It makes excellent use of the graphics chip, with nice 360-degree photos of the elements and their uses. The text is witty and interesting, and there is a live connection to the Wolfram database for additional information.
  3. Scrabble – this classic game translates extremely well to the iPad. Their programmers really took advantage of the underlying operating system by adding features like playing on a local network with other players or joining a game through your Facebook account. Our favorite is the ability to use your iPhone as a tile rack when playing with other players with iPhones in the same room.
  4. Notes – a simple but powerful notepad app like the one on the iPhone. We use it daily in meetings.
  5. The Internet in your pocket. The iPad is a magnificent eMail and web device. The Safari browser on the iPad is quite possibly the fastest browser we’ve used on any platform. Checking eMail on the iPad is actually a fun, rather than tedious, experience. Once Mail threading is available with iPhone OS 4 (which also runs the iPad), you’ll never check mail on a desktop or laptop computer again.

If you are tempted by the iPad, but think it may be too much of a toy for business use, don’t be fooled. Though it doesn’t always compete with a normal PC or laptop, excellent apps are available for word processing, spreadsheet work and business presentations.

Contact My Technology Pros for iPad help.

We would be happy to discuss how the iPad may be the right tool for your business needs and how it can be integrated in to your existing network.

Filed Under: Apple News Tagged With:
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