Putting The “Customer” Back In Customer Service

Posted by: danc on Jul 14 2008 - 27 views

In an age of increasingly poor customer service I was pleased to see Doug’s post about the amazing treatment he got from UltimateEars. I will be posting a review of a pair of the Ultimate Ears super.fi 4vi headphones in the next few days (bottom line- they are amazing!) and it is nice to know they treat their customers’ experience as well as they treat their customers’ ears.

Doug’s post prompted me to share another positive customer service experience.

I had ordered a customized MacBook Pro a week and a half ago and it finally arrived last Friday. I booted it up for the first time, did all the requisite updates and loaded my software and data. It is a stellar machine! It is fast, quiet, has a beautiful screen and is a whole lot lighter than I expected.

Unfortunately my enjoyment at my new notebook was short lived as a disturbing clicking sound began coming from beneath the keyboard. It wasn’t an awful screech or a bone-chilling whine but rather a regular clicking sound that obviously should not have been there. Not sure what to do I called Apple Care. Read more »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

SplashData Launches SplashMoney for BlackBerry

Posted by: danc on Jul 08 2008 - 98 views

In the same week that SplashData prepares to release iPhone versions of three of their products they are showing a little Blackberry love, as well.

Earlier today they announced a version of their SplashMoney personal finance application for BlackBerry smartphones. With SplashMoney, BlackBerry users now have the ability to instantly download their most recent banking account activities through a wireless connection and synchronize with a Windows PC. SplashMoney allows users to securely record transactions, track account balances, generate reports and budgets, and manage finances while on the go.

According to their press release

SplashMoney may be used as a stand-alone application on a BlackBerry or Windows desktop computer, and is optimized for two-way synchronization between the two. Changes made to both mobile and desktop versions will be retained and merged into one up-to-date file upon synchronization, rather than the most recently updated version overwriting the other version.

Those concerned with online privacy issues (as everyone should) will be glad to know that SplashData has built-in secure password protection using 256-bit Blowfish encryption to protect against malicious hacking or
other threats.

"Managing finances on the go has never been more important, with many families using multiple credit cards and checking accounts," said MorganSlain, SplashData CEO. "SplashMoney makes it easier than ever to get an instant overall picture of your finances and delivers a complete end-to-end
financial management solution of unparalleled integration, simplicity and value."

SplashMoney is available now for $29.95 at www.splashdata.com. It is also available as part of the SplashWallet Suite, which includes SplashID, SplashPhoto and SplashShopper as well as SplashMoney at a 50% discount. A full functioning 30-day trial version is also available for download.

Tags: Splashdata, SplashMoney, Blackberry

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Skooba Design Soon To Release Travel-Friendly “Checkthrough” Bags

Posted by: danc on Jul 08 2008 - 97 views

Let’s face it, travelling by air has become a painful process. I mean, it was never a lot of fun to begin with but in recent years increased security measures (and ummm- "pseudo security measures") have made it even more painful.

I’ve been lucky. I’ve travelled with my MacBook Air a few times and never had an issue. Sure I had to take it out of my bag for inspection, but at least the TSA personnel recognized it as a notebook. But while I didn’t have to endure a pat-down, let alone a cavity-search, it was still a pain.

Fortunately, Skooba Design  will soon have us covered with their upcoming Checkthrough bags. Coming by summer’s end, Skooba’s President Michael Hess has told us that interest is already high. And no wonder- back in March the TSA put out a call for "check-point friendly" bags. Skooba, a leader in the design and manufacturing of highly protective notebooks cases will be among the first to rise to the call.

As Skooba’s site explains-

There are NO "TSA-approved" laptop bags on the market , from any company, as of now. However, Skooba Design will be introducing security-friendly bags, we anticipate by summer’s end. We are in the final stages of testing and pre-production, already have multiple patents and trademarks pending, and are moving full speed ahead, while continuing to work and coordinate with the TSA on final details. On a technical level, these bags will indeed be 100% x-ray scannable, and will include a variety of other unique features designed to improve the travel/security situation. These bags are intended to be "ready for action" if/when the TSA and/or individual airport screening locations in the US or abroad determine that security-friendly bags will be accepted for scanning with laptops inside.

Tags: Skooba, Checkthrough, notebook cases

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Do You Really Want To Touch Me?? Otterbox Offers Ultimate Protection For Your iPod Touch

Posted by: danc on Jul 05 2008 - 250 views

I was given an iPod Touch a few weeks ago and although I have an iPhone, I decided to keep it. I’m more than a little surprised by how much I am using and enjoying the Touch.

Sure, since it is basically an iPhone without the telephony or Edge connectivity one could argue that it is just a “stripped down” iPhone”, but there is something about it…

I love the fact that it is thinner and lighter than my iPhone and has double the capacity. I especially love how thin and light it is. At about half the thickness of the iPhone, the iPod Touch is an absolute pleasure to hold and use. It has become increasingly clear to me that it is, for all intents and purposes, the first mainstream successful MID (mobile internet device) on the market.

Because it is thinner and lighter than my iPhone it also feels even more delicate. The back scratches like "nobody’s business", and because it feels as slippery as a wet snake it can easily find its way from the hand to the floor. 

Clearly protecting a device as thin and expensive, not to mention delicate, as this is important. I put an InvisibleShield on my Touch immediately but “immediate” wasn’t quite immediate enough- it was already a bit scratched. While the InvisibleShield took care of preventing future scratches it didn’t do anything to prevent serious damage from “droppage”. Unfortunately I learned that the hard way too. I have never dropped my iPhone but within hours of getting the Touch it had a slight “mishap” with the floor.

I quickly learned my lesson. I would prefer to not use a case on the Touch but it spends most of its time in an Agent18 EcoShield.

While the InvisibleShield/EcoShield combination does a decent job protecting the device, there are times when I need even more protection. For example, I will be spending time this summer on a lake up in the mountains. If I drop the touch while out with my golden I want/need better drop protection than the EcoShield offers. And when I am sitting on the dock reading I want/need some degree of protection from the water. For while I love the lake water, my Touch doesn’t. I have no intention of tossing it into the lake but I have already learned the hard way that anything can happen.

Thank goodness OtterBox offers two excellent choices when it comes to keeping my iPod Touch truly safe. The OtterBox Defender Series for iPhone Touch gives tremendous protection. The OtterBox Armor Series for iPod Touch give OUTRAGEOUS protection.

Let’s take a quick look at both.

Read more »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Review: Etymotic ety8 Bluetooth Stereo Earphones

Posted by: danc on Jun 28 2008 - 329 views

For the sake of full disclosure let me begin this review by noting that I am a huge fan of Etymotic’s headsets. I purchased the E6i headphones shortly after getting my iPhone last August and really liked them. When the opportunity to review some of Etymotic’s other products came up I was more than happy to do so and I have been consistently impressed by their products. I am so much a fan of Etymotic’s products that I use a pair of ER 6is or hF2s daily, and the etyBLU is my iPhone headset choice whenever I drive.

So how did the ety8s stack up? Read on to find out.

Read more »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

MacBook Air Wretched??? Say It Ain’t So!

Posted by: danc on Jun 28 2008 - 214 views

Dan over at UNEASYsilence isn’t feeling the MBA love. In fact, he referred to the MacBook Air as “wretched” and has put it on his list of 5 worst machines he has ever owned. OUCH!!!

Them’s some strong words for the device. So let’s have a closer look at some of his complaints.

Read more »

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!