"Your Business Technology - Review and Recommendations

Hello!  Welcome to WomanOwned.com - I'm Christina Blenk, the founder and small business owner.  My business is technology, specifically web site development and web software development, and over the 10 years that I've been in business, I've tried a lot of different hardware and software that was advertised to help me do more in my company.  The good news is that some of it was (and is) really great, and I'd like to share some of my experiences with you.  Hopefully, you'll find the right hardware, software, cell phone, or web service that can make your life easier.

Dell Business Deals - Small Business Computers and Servers This is where I get all of my computers.  I'm typing this on my Dell Latitude D800 (love the screen) and in my office I own close to 20 Dell desktop computers and servers.  Some of these I've purchsed from Ebay.com (see the recommendation further down) for even less than the great deal that Dell charges.   My current favorite thing from Dell?  I've got a stunning  DELL ULTRASHARP 2407WFP 24" LCD Monitor on my desk that makes going to the office a joy.  I can run one side of the screen with Quickbooks and the other side is our internal time tracking software that the staff uses so I can process billing.   How is the support from Dell?  In my 10 years of owning Dell's I've had only three support needs.  These were all done over the phone, and new parts were shipped to me promptly.  My last call did reach someone in India, but he did a good job, and the problem got fixed.  I even had one support person go above and beyond to find no-longer-made server rack rails that would allow me to install my Dell servers into a new rack that I had purchased. See more about Dell and Dell products...

Apple - Ipod and Iphone "What's this?" you say - "Didn't she just go on about how great her Dell's are?"  Yes, I love my PC and Microsoft world (such is the world of an Internet marketer and software development company) but I think Apple has done a lot of things right with their IPOD and IPHONE products.  I LOVE them!  And it's not because I'm a 20-something - I'm about to turn 40 years old and have two kids.  Apple understands something that has driven me crazy in regards to technology for many years now.  It's not just about features, it's also about form.  It's the software and interface that run these proudcts.  It's easy to use and so we want to use them more.  I'm going to get my hands on an IPHONE as soon as I can because I'd love to drop-kick my Verizon Pocket PC off the nearest 20 story building.   See more Apple products and how they can make your life more than about business....

Palm Treo SmartPhone Yes, I think the IPHONE is the hot product to have in the cell phone category - but it's expensive!  My next pick is the Palm Treo SmartPhone - I had one for almost 3 years and I still wish I had it back.  (I traded it in for the Pocket PC that I want to drop-kick, remember?)  If you want a reliable phone for business, this is the phone.  The best feature is the email synch that works consistently and quickly.  My first week with my Treo, my husband was making fun of me with the whole "email all the time" thing.  The little gem paid for itself that day, though.  I had tried to set up an appointment to close a web site deal with a growing financial services company, but was not getting any firm response from my contact.  After my early meeting at a client location, I stopped in the ladies room to "check my email".  There was a message from the prospect that basically said "If you can be here at 12:30, we will see you."  It was 11:30 and I had to contact the prospect, find out where they were located, get there and look prepared.  Because of the email/ web functions on this phone, I mapped their location and sent an email to the prospect confirming the appointment.  Turns out, they were located two floors down from the ladies room cubicle I was in.  I sold the site and they have been a client ever since. See details on the two most recent Palm Treo's and where to get them...

What do the Geeks Know that You don't Know? They know about NewEgg.com I learned about this site from one of my programmers, and have been hooked since.  They have over 50,000 technology products at great prices.  I really like the reviews (people actually rate products like on Amazon.com) and you can decide between those two video cards that will make your monitor finally look good.