Apple would have consumers believe that the iPhone should act as a phone and iPod replacement, but JVC [NYSE: MC] has widely picked up on the fact that there are plenty of Apple buyers out there with more than one i-device. For those folks who want to charge and display two of 'em at once, JVC has announced the $150 NX-PN7, which is essentially an iPod dock speaker system with two docks. It also features an AM/FM radio, alarm clock, timer and video out port.
Canadian smartphone maker RIM [NASDAQ: RIMM] is reportedly expanding its BlackBerry Internet Service in preparation for its next generation of BlackBerry devices, which will require a more feature-rich Internet experience than previous generations of the device. The most salient upgrade is support for HTML emails, a long-awaited revision that many users have been asking for since the first generation of BlackBerrys. The new BIS, which is being dubbed version 2.5, will also include OTA upgrades and calendar improvements as well as a handful of new -- though yet unnamed -- features.
Apparently content to leave US buyers wanting, Asus [TPE: 2357] has started shipping its powerful gaming notebook in the UK. The G70 is a 17-inch beast of a machine, featuring a WUXGA/WXGA+ panel that is ultra-wide and optimized for watching Blu-Ray video. It also features a Core 2 Extreme chip, two (yes -- two) GeForce 8700M GT graphics cards, a rather measly 1GB of RAM and an optional Blu-Ray writer. In addition, there are the usual specs: gigabit ethernet, Bluetooth/WiFi and a bunch of LED lights that look fancy and high-tech.
For the Shaolinquan – Mandarin for “Martial Arts” – Nike consulted with wushu masters and martial artists the world over to perfect the stylish and practical design. Weighing in at only 4.75 oz., the Shaolinquan is made with kangaroo leather and has the Chinese characters for “Hero Inside – Release It” stitched into the heel.
Down to the Wire Shoe designers craft their work around an idea, not a foot. Nike’s big brainstorm, Flywire, replaces all of a shoe’s heavy structural materials with support threads that resemble the steel cables on a suspension bridge. But the Vectran filaments may also soon help replace Nike factories in China. The see- through shoe is reportedly so inexpensive to make that Nike may move some manufacturing back to the United States. The Flywire-based ZOOM VICTORY (1) middle-distance spike weighs only 93 grams, or 3.28 ounces.
She was 15 years old at her first Olympic Games, in Athens. Now, at 19, Katie Hoff is looking to Beijing, and experts are calling her the “female Michael Phelps.” She could win multiple golds in China, thanks at least in part to her SPEEDO LZR RACER (pronounced “laser”) swimsuit, which compresses her body at key points to reduce “form drag,” making her smaller (and thus faster) in the water. The dark, NASA-tested panels also shed water. Speedo eschews fabric stitching, instead bonding the panels to the suit’s nylon core using ultrasonic “welding.”
For a long time customer service has been a strong strategic tool for many service-based companies like USAA Insurance Company and the Four Season Hotels and resorts. However, today, product-based companies like Apple and Lexus are relying more on customer service as a complement to their products. The strategy works, although the line between product and service has become blurry. Today, what matters more is the total experience.
I have to say that lately, myself and my staff are loving that we all
work from home. We have nearly two dozen people who freelance for our
company and they do some from the confines of their own residence. As
I was watching the news this morning, I see that companies are starting
to talk about possible four day work weeks to combat the high price of
gas. Typically four 10 hour days that would replace the standard five 8
hour days. As I was watching that, I felt suddenly blessed. Read more
On the Internet, your process is your brand. Have a good process, and people will keep coming back to buy, read, interact. Have a bad process, and you need to re-think your business or communications goals. Amazon, eBay, GE, iTunes, The New York Times, Google, epicurious.com, all have time-proven advantages over their competitors.
But one of the primary keys to a finely calibrated brand is consistency of message.
Writers of the Round Table Inc develops manuscripts with clients who
are looking to engage the world in a massive conversation. What we do
is work with a client to 1) Organically define the message; 2) Build
the Vision; and 3) Create the delivery vehicle for the conversation.
Our company principals have defined our process over more than a
decade, building stories in film and now in manuscripts. What is unique
about our company is that we only use story to engage readers in the
higher level conversations our clients are looking to pioneer.