That, my friends, will take you to an introduction to my new business.

I first found out about the SendOutCards service when I served as an alternate for my husband at his BNI group. After hearing the 45-second presentation that the SendOutCards rep gave (ironically, also an alternate that day), I chased her into the parking after the meeting to tell her that was the most brilliant thing I had ever heard of.

So what did she say? Basically that I could send real greeting cards from my computer. Cards that I designed with my own photos, logos, graphics, etc., or I could use one of their over 17,000 stock cards. I could import my contacts and send cards immediately, or schedule them. And I could even add gifts (brownies!!) or gift cards. If I liked someone else’s design, I could ask them to share it (something I’ve taken advantage of a lot!) And even customized, it was less than I would spend for a Hallmark card. I immediately thought of the possibilities – what this would mean to not only people wanting to keep in touch with loved ones and friends, but of business people that wanted to maintain and deepen relationships with their clients. And what this could mean for me, one of those people who fell into both categories.

I liked the idea of finally remembering my nieces and nephews’ birthdays. (I have 13 of them so keeping track of them is difficult.) The system will remind me ahead of time that a birthday is coming up, or if I’m really enterprising, I can go in and schedule a card with a gift card for all of them.

I also liked the idea of being able to reach out to someone on a whim, and let them know I was thinking of them. (I mean, really, how many times a week do you think, “I should call my mom.”? Or send someone a birthday, sympathy, or congratulations card. All the time, right? I know I do. But even if I actually remember to go and buy the card and stamps, half the time I forget to send the darned thing.)

I checked it out. I found out that not only could I use the product, but that I could make money by letting other people know about it. I would have done that for free – after all, it’s what I do on this blog, right? Let you all know about cool software, websites and gadgets. But making money off of a recommendation is always nice.

After about three months of due diligence that included attending one of the Treat ‘Em Right seminars, I was satisfied that this business opportunity was legitimate. By then I had also used the system to send out cards and I was impressed with the software (although there’s always room for improvement. You know me – no software is ever perfect.) I had also viewed tens of cards, and received quite a few, so I could vouch for the quality of the cards and the speed in which they were sent (within 24 hours of being created.)

So why did I take so long to apply for a license to represent SendOutCards? I was very cognizant of the fact that I have worked hard to get, and maintain, a good reputation. If I was going to associate my name with a product or company, I would have to be assured of a first-class experience for myself, for my customers, and for the team of distributors that I plan on building. There were many things that assured me along the way – from the excellent customer service to the fact that there’s no obligation to either distributors or customers. Anytime you want to quit, you can. From the website. (I can’t even do that with my Ancestry account. I have to call someone if I don’t want to continue. That really chaps my hide.)

Anyway, if you’re interested in knowing more and you have 3 1/2 minutes, click the envelope to watch the video. I’m a big believer in trying before you buy, so after watching the video, send a couple of free cards by clicking the Send a Free Card button.

It’s really free, there are no strings attached, nobody will spam you (although I will follow up with you) and it gives you a chance to try the system and send a customized card as well as a stock card. Most importantly, though, it lets you surprise someone with an unexpected greeting card. And it’s free, which is good, because you can’t put a price tag on that.

Share/Bookmark

The Pocquettes line of cases was clearly designed with the on-the-go fashionista in mind. The pebbled, full-grain leather cases rock the season’s latest ‘in’ colors (currently black, red and plum) for full color-coordination with your entire outfit.

These cases don’t just rely on looks, though; they’re as useful as they are stylish. Two gusseted, double-zip, suede-lined pockets comprise the case so there’s plenty of room for the device as well as accessories like cords and flash cards. A cleaning cloth and a Pocquettes earbud holder are included with each case.

Speaking of the Pocquettes earbud holders, they’ve traditionally been bone-shaped for easy winding of earbud cords, however, Levenger has introduced Pooch and Kitten Pocquettes.

Share/Bookmark

After dealing with all the back and forth, wiping one of the new laptops that had already been partially set up, processing the returns, setting up the new computers, and wiping and setting up my existing laptop, there was a lot to oversee on this end.

So it wasn’t until the next month that we noticed something odd. Amazon had refunded our $399 for the defective laptop but never debited us for the new one. So being honest folks, we contacted Amazon to let them know – and then had to argue with them to convince them to take their money back. The conversation was a bit difficult as it was obvious that English wasn’t the first language of the customer service rep, but eventually, logic prevailed and the cs rep agreed to have billing call us.

So imagine my chagrin when I awoke this morning, less than 24 hours later, to find my account overdrawn because Amazon had charged my account.

So no, I’m not happy. I was happy for them to get their money – why else would I have contacted them? – but I wanted to speak to someone first to confirm that they in fact hadn’t received payment before funding my account with the money.

Contacting them to point out the error was the right thing to do, and I don’t regret it, but I sure would like to see them do the right thing and cover my overage fees for what, in my mind, was an unauthorized transaction.

Share/Bookmark

Infographic provided by CreditSesame.com.

Share/Bookmark

On T-mobile, I think it still goes to the HTC Sensation because of the large 4.3″ screen, solid camera performance, HSPA+ network speeds (although to be accurate, the most you’re going to get out of the Sensation is 14.4 Mbps) and the Snapdragon dual-core 1.2 GHz processor. However, the fairly new Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Amaze look to be giving it solid competition.

The newly minted iPhone 4s makes the competition a little stiffer for the other 3 networks, but on Verizon, it’s going to have to go to an Android phone. Why? iPhone 4s simply doesn’t offer 4g speeds. That’s why I’ll have to go with Droid Bionic for Verizon’s winner, even though the 4.3″ screen doesn’t knock my socks off. (I’m super excited about the Samsung Note coming out on Big Red in Q1 2012, though.)

Even with the new iPhone, Sprint’s best phone still goes to an Android device, the Samsung Galazy S II. Snappy response time, graphics that pop and great speakerphone performance are just some of the reasons Samsung’s latest Galaxy model has been labeled an ‘iPhone killer.’

AT&T is the only carrier to give the new iPhone model 4g, or more accurately, faux g, love, and that is why I ‘m choosing it for the best phone on AT&T. The 8 megapixel camera delivers pretty stunning photos, it’s compatible with a huge array of accessories, and of course, there’s the Siri intelligent assistant that has everyone talking. (Get it? Talking? Ha! I kill myself!)

**If you’re in the market for a new phone, or simply want to research the latest mobile technology, PhoneScoop is a good way to get the information you need. http://bit.ly/ormu4F

Share/Bookmark

I took over 1500 photos during my two-and-a-half days of shooting. I started processing them on the plane for home and finished up at about 7:30 this morning. I am just waiting on approval from the CheerSurge folks. Once I receive that, I’ll have the photos available for sale.

In the meantime, here’s my favorite shot from the camp. It’s not the best one – in fact, it’s really not even a good shot. It is, however, funny, and shows the skill level necessary to do cheerleading.

Share/Bookmark

I was fortunate enough to get an invite yesterday to Google+ from one of my Twitter buddies and I’ve pretty much spent all my spare time since then on the site. The odd thing is that on the face of it, there’s nothing overly compelling about Google+. In fact, I find the barrage of information sort of overwhelming. (Although, to be fair, I find the barrage of information on Facebook overwhelming as well.)

There are plenty of articles on the web that explain what Google+ is and how to use it, so I’m not going to cover that. Rather, this will be a brief overview of my impressions.

First, I rather like that Google+ seems to be a cross between Twitter and Facebook. It’s like Twitter in that if you share something as public, then anyone on Google+ can comment. I like the openness and network building this encourages. It’s like Facebook in that I can keep posts restricted to particular groups, or Circles, such as friends, family, or even individual users. I also like that I can just click the name of the stream I want to see and everyone else is filtered out.

The Sparks feature is a favorite of mine – sort of a keyword-centric, curated Google Reader stream that resides unobtrusively on the left side of the page, waiting for a click. Hangouts, a group video conferencing tool, has been a big favorite of everyone else except me, mostly because I don’t feel like bothering with hair or makeup to talk tech.

Photos is where Google+ really shines, though. Tightly integrated with Picasa Web, Google’s online photo service, the interface is snappy and slick. Photo comments are listed to the right, and tagging and EXIF information are available as well. If you’re lucky enough to have an Android phone, you can choose to have any photos you take from your phone instantly available to your Google+ account (they’re set to private by default.)

I’m still getting my feet wet and there’s a lot to discover. I think it’s early yet to tell if Google+ will be a “Facebook killer” but its strong privacy controls, as well as the Google Takeout feature (you can export all your data and take it with you) make it a strong alternative to those that have concerns over Facebook’s usage of personal information. As of today, Google+ is a hit, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that most of these early adopters are techies. I look forward to seeing how it develops as more diverse groups of people join and utilize it in real-world situations.

Share/Bookmark

This is why their new 4G ads bug me. It’s not the fact that they are taking liberties with the definition of 4G (technically HSPA+ is not 4G/LTE.) It’s the rather spurious claims they’re making about the superiority of their data network overall.

Until recently, I had no reason to doubt their claims. However, a recent trip to New Orleans for the holidays proved to be an exercise in frustration and futility. With the exception of major cities (Houston, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans), the maximum download speed I was able to reach on my MyTouch 4G was about 13kbps. Meanwhile, my husband’s iPhone 3Gs was getting speeds in the neighborhood of 2015 kbps. (We were a bit closer on upload speeds; 10k for me, 14k for him.)

Upon reaching home, I did a little research and compared the two carrier’s coverage maps. AT&T’s map shows consistent 3G data coverage running the length and breadth of most of this nation’s highways, including the stretch of I-10 between Houston and New Orleans. T-mobile’s map shows small pockets of 4G speeds along the same route, but the Mobile Web (EDGE/GPRS) speeds are what’s primarily offered. Now I have no idea what top EDGE/GPRS speeds are supposed to be, but as I said, I never got above 13K in those areas.

I find it rather annoying that T-mobile is now focused on adding 4G to their lineup when they don’t even have the basics built out. I would much rather stop and ask for information in a busy city than along a deserted stretch of highway. AT&T apparently understands that one has to walk before they run; I have a lot more faith in their long-term plan at this point.

Share/Bookmark

The camera on the iPhone 4 is indeed much better, and although image quality noticeably drops off in low light, it’s still a huge improvement over the 3GS. The flash, however, is a different story. While it does illuminate the subject, I find the red-eye and the overwhelming yellow tint to often not be worth the tradeoff.

I have posted some pics taken last night at the Eagles concert here in Houston for your viewing pleasure. (The first photo was taken a couple of nights ago at Santos Mexican restaurant on Westheimer and demonstrates the overly-warm cast of pictures taken with the flash.)

As you can see, the photo quality is excellent for a cell phone and it performs pretty solidly in low-light situations. Note, though, the washed-out effect that was caused by me inadvertently leaving the flash on during a low-light shot.

Share/Bookmark