I was asked to take a look at HP’s Total Care package for small and medium businesses. I am in no way affiliated with the company, and was more than happy to look at it, as I own HP equipment myself. I have an HP desktop, along with a Compaq laptop. Prior to owning this HP desktop, I owned another. When my mom needed a computer, I chose an HP for her as well. It’s a company I trust. They’re Total Care solution is looking to help support and finance small and medium businesses with their equipment needs.

I love their silly spin on this latest video. You have to watch this one!!! I got such a kick out of it. Humor is a great way to bring your point home! The video features HP and their financing options for small and medium businesses. Take a moment to watch the creative work here. They did an excellent job on this one! Kudos for a job well done.

Anyway, let’s talk about HP Total Care and look at what it is, what it does for a small business, and how it can benefit you. One of the big issues with having a small business is money. You may not have the disposable income for all the equipment that you need. This is where HP steps in offering finance options, so you can use the equipment that will make your business run more smoothly and efficiently.

In looking at the overview of the program, you have to look at the company you’re dealing with. In this case, HP has a solid reputation, a great product and offers support and reliability. I’m working on an HP desktop now, so you can see it’s a brand I know and trust. HP offers support 24/7 which a lot of smaller companies can’t do for you.

Maybe you’re not sure exactly what you need, with the Total Care package, you can get customized recommendations, and speak with an advisor, so you don’t over spend or under spend choosing the wrong equipment. With an advisor, you’ll find what will work best for your individual needs. You can also use their selection guides and tools, if you want to get started on what can help you.

When it comes to purchasing, whether you’re a small business or a medium business, budget concerns are always an issue. What I like is that you can look at financing options, as well as looking at refurbished equipment. For someone just starting out, looking at refurbished products and overstocks, you can save up to 35% off of these items, which can add up.

Looking at the buying guides and tools, you can not only look at comparisons with other vendors, but you can learn how to choose the right products whether you need handhelds, notebooks, desktops or other units like printers or servers. In the “help me choose” area, you’ll answer a few questions which will help you get started and narrow down your needs. Some of the questions are basics like what the units will be used for, will they travel, how much display size do you need, along with others. You can even put your budget in. I played with the notebook advisor tool, and was shown a couple of units that would work. They showed me a side-by-side of the units, and sure enough it showed me a Compaq quite similar to the one I chose a few months ago after doing some research.

One thing I can’t say enough to you is never stop learning. I’ve held many different jobs in my lifetime, and that’s just in my personality. I like variety and can get bored. I’ve been able to train others in a telecommunication field with a large company on modems and digital equipment, to helping a day spa open, to building websites and other things. When I say variety, I mean variety! Did you know I’m a licensed skin care specialist on top of it all? I meant it when I said, never stop learning! Now at 40, I have a multitude of experiences behind me, and when I saw that HP offers free online classes, along with how to guides and more, I was thrilled. I’ve written about their free online classes previously on my personal blog back in July. I believe in HP, and like what they’re offering. Feel free to read more about them at my site, or at HP.com. Take advantage of them! There are also IT training programs available. This is one section of their website you should check out immediately.

Back to Total Care, another aspect that shines is the ability to keep track of all of your devices. Their Client Automation software allows security measures, tracks hardware and monitors how often it’s being used. These are all things that help you better manage your business. When you know how your systems are being used, and how often, it can help you with things like productivity, and understand strengths and weaknesses.

For a small business on a shoestring budget, equipment can be costly. One of the things I love about Total Care is that they’ll help you trade up if and when you’re ready. You can get cash back on your equipment to use towards upgraded equipment. You also have the option of just getting cash. Of course all your private data is scrubbed, and your confidentiality is maintained.

If you’re a small or medium business looking for a company for equipment, solutions, and support, you can’t go wrong with Hewlett-Packard’s Total Care solution.

When a friend decided to open a spa, one of the first things I said to her is don’t waste money on bad equipment. You need equipment you can rely on, and you need it to work. You want someone who can offer you support. She wasn’t opening a huge business, but her business needs were just as important as a larger business. She needed her equipment to work, work well, handle her individual needs, and if there was a problem, she needed support.

It doesn’t matter if your business is huge or small, you want things to work. If you have to waste time figuring things out, if things don’t run smoothly, you’re wasting time and energy and it’s misplaced. You should be able to focus on your business, not focus on problems that your equipment gives you. Let’s face it, reliability matters!

[tags] HP, hewlett packard, total care, small business, business, totalcare, equipment, support, solutions [/tags]

Pragma Systems announced on November 9th that they had attained their Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status. Pragma Systems is a company that offers products and services that offer secure connectivity. In their product line, they carry products for financial institutions, health networks, along with retail stores and more. They offer secure network solutions, and are a leader in Telnet and SSH technology. SSH stands for “secure shell” which means creating a secure connection between two computers.

They offer a solution when you’re looking to make sure your wireless network is secure, your distribution channels, CRM or even your mobile networks. Pragma Systems also has products to help with connectivity. Their Pragma Fortress SHH offers a secure answer for file transfer and application delivery, along with many more features.

With companies like Coca-Cola, Dell and BlueCross using Pragma Systems, you know that Pragma Systems is a name you can trust. This post has been brought to you by Pragma Systems. If you’d like more information on their products or services, visit them at PragmaSys.com.

I get my nails done regularly, and one of the things I enjoy is that they have a nice flat screen television I can watch while I’m drying, or getting a pedicure if I choose. At a doctor’s office, I don’t mind waiting a little longer if I have something to watch. I’m tired of the old magazines that are never updated. If you’re a business, and you’d like to add an element of entertainment for your clients or customers, consider adding a television in your waiting area. I can even tell you where to find a great deal!

SecondAct.com offers flat screen televisions, Hi-Def, plasma tv’s, audio, visual and more. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for, since you can shop by brand or even screen size. One of the things that’s unique is that you can find a refurbished item which can save you a bunch of money. Check out the reviews, because people are thrilled with the savings, and their excellent products.

SecondAct.com handles overstocked items, close-outs, opened boxes, and refurbished products and pass the savings on to you, the consumer. The founder is the same gentleman who founded Damark International. We got a refurbished steam cleaner from them years ago, and it was well worth the savings, and the product was top of the line! If you’re looking for a great deal, be sure to check out their daily deal which goes live at 7am each day.

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There was some exciting news for Zabaware! Their Ultra Hal software won a prize for Artificial Intelligence! It was voted to be the “most human” computer. Have you seen their Ultra Hal Assistant software? You can go to their site, and then Download AI software, which allows you to try it for 30 days free! See how cool it is yourself. Below, with permission is a copy of the latest press release on this exciting win.

Press Release:
Zabaware’s Ultra Hal software won the “most human” computer of the year in the 17th annual Loebner Prize Competition for Artificial Intelligence (AI). The contest was held in New York City hosted by philanthropist Hugh Loebner.

The Loebner Prize is an annual competition where software programs attempt to convince human judges that they are actually people. The format of the competition is called a Turing Test. In a Turing Test a judge talks with 2 “entities” simultaneously through a text-based instant messaging system. One entity is a human and the other is a computer. It is up to the judge to decide which is which by typing questions to both entities and receiving answers.

Zabaware is an Erie, Pennsylvania based company that specializes in artificial intelligence technology. The company’s mission “giving your computer the power of thought” once considered a futuristic pipe dream is becoming a 2007 reality.

It is one thing to talk to your computer it is quite another to have a conversation where you are exchanging information and the computer learns and utilizes the information in the future. Zabaware’s Ultra Hal technology and its associated brain are currently doing just that. The software can give your computer a personality using AI technology, speech recognition technology, and real-time animation. It can be used as an entertainment program, a companion, or an office assistant. It learns from conversations and evolves and improves the more it talks with a person. In addition to chat it can perform useful functions such as remembering and reminding of appointments, keeping an address book, dialing phone numbers, launching program, and more.

Zabaware’s Ultra Hal software runs on most standard Windows computers. The artificial intelligence software is available for download at www.zabaware.com as a free 30-day trial.

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You’re setting up shop and it’s time to find the perfect phone system for your business. It’s harder than it seems sometimes with so many companies and systems out there to choose from. On top of choosing systems, you have to choose services, features, options, and more. One company worth looking at is Packet8. They not only offer you service for your small business, but they help you understand what services you may want or need, and explains what each option is. They don’t hide their pricing, so you know up front what it would cost to add an option onto your system. When a company starts hiding pricing, run as fast as you can away from them. That’s not the case with Packet8; they are upfront and let you know exactly what you can get and for how much money. Before going elsewhere, check out the Packet8 Virtual Office.

One of the features that I really like is that a small business with Packet8.net can get a toll free virtual number for a small cost. It only adds a very small charge to your service. A toll-free number is a necessity today, and customers look for them; I know I do. Depending on your needs, you can add things like extensions. I like the Virtual Attendant personally. I’d probably add in something like unlimited calling as well. Whether you want to add other small things like holding music is totally up to you. You decide the services and options you want.

If you’d like more information on a Business VoIP, then Packet8 should be your next stop!

What if one simple line of HTML integrated into your website could improve business? It doesn’t seem possible does it? What if that one simple line of HTML made the difference between being able to offer support chat to your clients? Imagine being able to actually monitor what customers are searching for on your site, and being able to help them. A satisfied customer, one who knows they’ll get the help they need will not only remember your site, but most likely talk about it to others. A happy customer spreads the word of good business.

If you’d like to refer back to that chat conversation later, the logs are kept for a 2 month period. Have you heard of LiveHuman.com? With an extremely low cost to the business, less than $15 a month, you can’t afford not to have LiveHuman.com. One tiny feature that I personally love on chat features, is that they let you know when the person on the other side is typing a message. Last week I was on a chat with someone and on the bottom it said the person was typing a message. I had a bit of lag that day, so I knew they weren’t ignoring me, or weren’t off doing something else. It’s the little things that make a difference!

If you’ve thought about adding a chat feature, why not try it out. At LiveHuman.com you can try the service out for 7 days before deciding. If you’d like to learn more, go to LiveHuman.com and click on the Product Tour. They show you an overview of the program and what information you’ll have access to.

Are you into multimedia? There’s something new I want to tell you about called the Mvix High-Definition Wireless Multimedia Center (MX-760HD). It’s going to bring you to a whole new level! I was reading about the Mvix Multimedia Center, and it’s pretty cool! It allows you to connect to your computer, or into your TV directly!

Imagine all those files and how they’re going to look on your HDTV! If you install a hard drive, you can take all your digital media, and keep it together, and that’s brilliant. The best part is you can see the great output with great quality. Another cool feature is how it can decode all sorts of files. I hate when I need different programs to open different types of files, but with the Mvix Multimedia Center, you can open so many different kinds of files, there’s no need for anything else when it comes to media! The best part is it doesn’t take up a lot of space. It stands a little over 7 inches tall, 7 inches long, and just about 2-3 inches wide! You can check out their website at MvixUSA.com.

I love that it’s wireless, or you can choose to hook it up. I love wireless, where my husband prefers to be wired. The setup is supposed to be a snap to use, which is great for people like me! I don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to the set up process. I want it to make it easy. You can select things like music playback, videos, pictures and more once you’re up and running. If you’re ready to stream media, have an easy set up, have portability of a unit, and want lots of storage space, this is something to put on your wish list this holiday season!

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My aunt just switched from a dial up modem to a high speed modem. I didn’t realize she was still using dial-up. She couldn’t believe the difference! I remember when high speed modems were just launching. I actually worked for Comcast for 5 years. It’s been a few years since I’ve worked there, but what was cool is I was around for the launch of high speed modems, digital services, and HDTV services. It was exciting to see them release them here. They tested the waters in the Bensalem area of Bucks County in our neighborhood, and they took off! It was exciting to see the transition, and one of the things the company did was give their employees access to it in their homes, so they would know the product, and understand how great it was. I loved having access to it, and was in heaven.

Then I got married, and moved to my husband’s house. He had slow, or should I say painfully slow dial up service. It was worse than medieval torture going backwards in technology! Finally, I convinced him to switch over a few years ago, and we’ve never looked back. High speed modem service is just heads and shoulders above other types of services. I am on my computer for hours a day, so I rely on the efficiency of it.

Now they have Comcast Digital Voice service too. It just became available in my smaller town, so we’re looking forward to making the switch soon. The great thing is if you bundle the services together, you get a break on your bill. I can tell you that while I worked for this company, they treated their employees well. This is a company with integrity, and I’ve seen them in action. It’s been a few years since I’ve worked for them, but I know the quality they strive for. I know the hours people put in to give you the best service possible, and I know the guys who go out in all weather to make sure it stays that way. If you haven’t tried their services yet, this is something well worth trying. The technology is fabulous, and the company stands behind what they do.

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Another cool site from the people that bring you PayPerPost. Check out the video!

Here’s the latest offerings on eBay. If you’re looking for a new laptop, you can check out the deals here.

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