Verizon Wireless Rolls Out Online Storage for Files

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• Verizon Wireless Rolls Out Online Storage for Files
• Edit Images Interactively With Adobe Photoshop Elements 11
• UK Online Merchants Must Manage New Royal Mail Rates
• 20 Grammar Rules for Business Owners

Verizon Wireless Rolls Out Online Storage for Files Posted: 30 Apr 2013 02:00 PM PDT Verizon recently rolled out 500 MB of free online storage for its customers that use certain smartphones and tablets. It allows them to sync stored data between some Android and Apple devices. Called Verizon Cloud, Verizon customers get the first 500 MB for free.  After that, customers of Verizon pay for more storage through either of two plans: $2.99 per month gets you 25 gigabytes of storage and $9.99 for 125 gigabytes.  TheVerge.com points out that Verizon’s 125 GB offer compares favorably with Dropbox which offers 100 GB for the same price.  But Google Drive and Microsoft’s Sky Drive are offered at about half that price. One thing that sets the Verizon offering apart is that it can store call logs and text messages — along with music, video, and other files. According to Verizon’s David Samberg, “Additionally, as customers use multiple devices, sometimes running on different operating systems, Verizon Cloud will allow for the transferring of some content between Android and iOS devices, making it accessible across smartphones, tablets and computers.” PhoneDog.com reports that the Verizon Cloud service will only be available on a limited selection of devices initially, all devices manufactured by either Motorola, HTC, or Samsung. A Consumer Product – But Some Business Implications Keep in mind that this offering  is positioned as a consumer product, and not intended for businesses.  No word was given about whether the storage can be used with Verizon small business plans. However, many solo entrepreneurs and home-based business owners use consumer plans for their wireless devices. Also, sometimes employees use their own wireless devices in work situations, due to the BYOD trend.  Keep that in mind when it comes to record retention and other policies.  Employees may be saving files in the cloud, from their personal devices that they also use for work – one more thing for your IT Department to consider. The post Verizon Wireless Rolls Out Online Storage for Files appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Edit Images Interactively With Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 Posted: 30 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT You have probably heard of Adobe Photoshop. The Lexus or Mercedes or Ferrari of photo editing tools. Many small business owners dream of such a powerful tool, but often find that it is too much “engine” for their needs.  This product review is for small business owners who need to edit images with a photo or image editing tool, but want something fast and simple. Enter the latest light version called Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 – a raster image editor that lets you paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen and save them in formats such as JPEG, PNG, GIF and TIFF. It helps the user create, edit, organize and share images from one place. It has most of the features of Adobe Photoshop CS (the full premium level version) but at a lower cost. Aimed at hobbyists and consumers, even non-expert individuals can use it with relative ease and this makes it ideal for the small business owner. The straightforward color management system and effortless removal of the red eye effect, the no-fuss ability to change skin tone along with the other plugins are available in a simpler, trouble-free format. Advanced edits are also possible. You can see on the screenshot below that I have also opened the Advanced Editor tool which gives you even more options than what you see on the right side of the screen here. It is easy to see that a small business owner, such as a retailer, blogger, service provider, freelancer, or affiliate marketer, can make use of the basic editing and advanced editing features – different photographic effects, adding drama, creating monochrome, or illustration effects. Video playing and tagging are also available. Business owners who want to explain or demonstrate a concept, service or new product will find this feature essential. What I Really Like: Great screenshot tool. Super useful for when you are surfing the Web and want to capture the screen you are looking at — and want to edit later. Geo tagging is now a way of life for hobbyists and business owners and is supported in this version of Photoshop elements. The program helps you access GPS data embedded in photos or lets you tag spots on a map. Cost factor. The program costs about one sixth of what Adobe Photoshop CS costs. For small business owners who want to grow their venture on a smaller budget, this is a key factor. There is a trial version also to allow you to try before you buy. Ease of Use. Unlike its bigger cousin Adobe Photoshop CS, this program is easy to use even for the amateur. It is more intuitive and has a cleaner interface; you will not have to take classes to learn how to use it. Business owners without a tech background or a lot of time will appreciate this. The editor has three sections: Quick, Guided and Expert to cater to different levels of users. They can be used independently of each other, or you can alternate between them. What I Would Like to See: Although the Import Media is pretty self-explanatory, if you have information divided into specific folders on your computer, you have to select each of those, one at a time. I’d like to see some sort of tool that lets me pick more than one folder at a time. When I go into the library, I don’t see all of my photos and wonder why. Adobe is world-renowned for creating elegant and powerful tools to help the artist, photographer and other creative types. They are just as useful for the business owner – think about the last time you opened a PDF file. The tools are often expensive.  However, to their credit, they have listened to the market and created lighter versions that not only cost less, but work in a way that helps the business owner who doesn’t have time for a steep learning curve. If you are in the market for a robust, affordable photo editing tool, take a look at Adobe Photoshop Elements. You can find it online at Amazon and often in stock in Costco for prices ranging from $69 to $99. The Adobe site sells it for $99.95. I was provided with a media copy to evaluate it for this review. The post Edit Images Interactively With Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 appeared first on Small Business Trends.

UK Online Merchants Must Manage New Royal Mail Rates Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT New Royal Mail rates in the United Kingdom have affected small business owners adversely. The issue should serve as a cautionary tale for businesses in the U.S. dependent on the U.S. Postal Service. The Royal Mail said in a statement when it first proposed the increased rates in December that the changes will bring the service “in line” with other similar postal services across Europe. Online merchants, especially small businesses, are now being forced to reconsider how they handle their shipping operations, according to a post at WholesaleForums. There, John Hayes writes that business owners in the U.K. need to examine different ways to manage the new rates. Royal Mail rates rose 3p for First Class standard letters, to 47p per item, and 2p for Second Class standard letters to 33p per item. Metered Royal Mail rates for “large letters” rose 5p per item, to 71p for First Class and 58p for Second Class, according to Post & Parcel, a jobs site for the global mail and express community. For merchants on a site like eBay, offering free shipping on items is an incentive to the buyer, but the merchant must now consider the new rates when posting a price. Merchants may have to consider slower delivery methods or forgo offering free shipping. EBay’s Manager of Strategic Shipping Partnerships, James Miles, said in a statement to Tamebay, “These changes are an important reminder that getting the right portfolio of services to serve your customers is vital, with research showing that over 4 in 10 shoppers have abandoned a purchase due to the delivery date not matching their expectations.” Royal Mail Photo via Shutterstock The post UK Online Merchants Must Manage New Royal Mail Rates appeared first on Small Business Trends.

20 Grammar Rules for Business Owners Posted: 30 Apr 2013 05:00 AM PDT Your high school and collegiate days might be behind you, but that doesn’t mean the English lessons you learned are over as well. Even in today's professional business world, I run across endless grammatical errors in my business dealings. While most typos are forgivable, others cause confusion and don't provide a good impression. Whether you're posting content for your brand or simply exchanging a business email, it's extremely important for anything you write to be error free. After all, you don't want to make a negative impression with poor grammar. Clean and compelling content influences both B2B and B2C consumers. Follow these 20 grammar rules below. 20 Grammar Rules for Business Owners Who Versus Whom "Who" correlates with the pronouns he/she while "whom" correlates with him/her. Continual Versus Continually "Continual" means always occurring whereas "continuously" means never ending. You definitely wouldn’t want to mix these up in a business contract. Nor Versus Or This is one of the grammar rules that is a simple one to remember. Just think of the N. Nor follows neither while or follows either. Complement Versus Compliment A “complement” enhances or adds to something, such as a pair of earrings complementing an outfit. On the other hand, a “compliment” is something nice that is said such as, "I like your earrings." Affect Versus Effect Affect is a verb, "That song affects my mood." Effect is a noun, "That movie has such an inspirational effect." Bring Versus Take You “bring” something with you on vacation, but you “take” something away from it. Me Versus I If there are other people in the sentence such as, "Mary, Bob, and I" or "Mary, Bob, and me," then take out the other people and see what makes sense. There, Their, They're “There” refers to a place, “their” refers to someone's possession of something, and “they're” is a contraction of they are. Most of us already know this, but it's easy to exchange these words. Unfortunately, spell check doesn't catch these mistakes. Your, You're, Yore Similar to there, their, they're, spell check usually can't tell the difference between these. "Your" is possessive, "you're" is a contraction of you are, and "yore" refers to the past. To, Too, Two Phew, there are so many triplet words to watch out for. Use "to" when you're going to a place, "too" to denote also or as well, and "two" to specify the number 2. Fewer Versus Less If you can count it use fewer, but if it's uncountable, then use less. Principal Versus Principle Just think of the last 3 letters of each word. PrinciPAL is a person whereas principle is a moral or standard that is upheld. It's Versus Its "It's" is a contraction for it is, while "its" is a possessive pronoun. Literally Do not be sarcastic if you use the word "literally," especially in the business world. "I am literally starving to death," means that you're about to die from dehydration or starvation. Don't say literally unless you literally mean it. Capital Versus Capitol When talking about Washington, D.C., this is especially tricky. "Capital" is a city such as D.C., but "capitol" is the building where lawmakers meet. So the capitol is usually in the capital. By the way, capital can also reference wealth. Ultimate It means “the last.” For instance, "The Titanic's maiden voyage was its ultimate voyage." Be careful when using this word. Your innocent "ultimate last day at work" might translate to the last day of your life. Who's Versus Whose "Who's" is a contraction of "who is." If who is doesn't make sense, then use whose. Than Versus Then When comparing use "than," and in all other instances use "then." Enormity CAUTION: Do not confuse "enormity" with "enormous." Enormity means "evil" and does not associate with the size of something. "The enormity of our marketing campaign" doesn't refer to how enormous the campaign is – it refers to it as evil. Elicit Versus Illicit "Elicit" is the process of evoking something. You want to elicit a response from consumers with a marketing campaign. "Illicit" means illegal. Your business wants to avoid illicitly acquiring products. The post 20 Grammar Rules for Business Owners appeared first on Small Business Trends.

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