Four-Dollar Gas and Video Conferencing

Four-Dollar Gas and Video Conferencing There was a time when traveling was fun and affordable. With four-dollar-plus per gallon gas that's no longer the case. Add to that the appallingly weak dollar, and it's no surprise that prices are up across the board in the travel and hotel industries, no matter what the official inflation figures say. Business must go on, of course, and fortunately there are numerous new technologies that allow us to conduct business without the cost of travel. Video conferencing is one of them, and it makes ever more sense.

I remember times earlier on in my career when the company I worked for pretty much expected employees to drive to regional offices and clients if they were less than 300 miles or so away. Even with a gas guzzler, the 600-mile roundtrip cost less than $50 in gas, and if you decided to stay over, it was another $30 or so for a decent motel. That same roundtrip would now run over $150 in gas even with better gas mileage, and lower tier chain motels now routinely charge $60 to 80 per night. Go upscale a bit and it's $150 per night, $10 for a glass of wine, and $50 for dinner. If you pick up the tab for dinner with clients, it can really add up. No wonder most companies are far more conservative in approving business travel.

Now I am definitely not saying personal contact isn't important. Shaking hands, sharing a meal, or doing a round of Golf remain great ways to build trust, establish relationships, and close deals. But it is no longer the only way to do business, and in this day and age it's become an increasingly costly way of doing business. Today, there are so many other ways to connect and stay in touch without losing time away from the office and spending a king's ransom in the process.

All in all, it's a matter of picking the right productivity tools and staying clear of traps. Cell phones are wonderful ways of staying in touch at all times, but if we become slaves to them, productivity goes down the drain (and let's not even talk of Blackberry addiction!). Email remains a terrific means of communication, but unless you manage your address(es) carefully you either spend hours sifting through junk mail or risk losing important messages in all the various spam filters that sit between you and whoever you communicate with. Instant messaging is a great way to quickly get answers or resolve issues, but not if you let conversations drag on or let yourself get interrupted by buddies with too much time on their hands.

Then there is video conferencing, a tool that combines the warmth and immediacy of personal contact with the efficiency of electronic communication. You see the person on the other end, interaction is in real time, and yet you can do it all on your own computer or in a meeting room. A well-run video conference provides virtually all the benefits of personal meetings at a small fraction of the cost. What's more, video conferencing technology is now such that you can make presentations, sales pitches, conduct seminars, or have one-on-ones with spreadsheets and multimedia while seeing and interacting with your business partners or clients in real time.

With today's transportation and lodging costs it makes less and less sense to travel needlessly. Simply schedule a video conference, save, and get on with business.


Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies.
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What You Need When Looking for the Best Energy Drink

What You Need When Looking for the Best Energy Drink Today’s hectic world, require people to be more active. With this, people tend to go for health supplements that promise to provide the vitamins that a restless body needs. But the question is, do these supplements really provide them the daily requirements of our body? Some maybe but you’ll never really know until you’ve tried one. So, what can you do to achieve a more active daily life regardless of how hectic your schedules are? Among the best options is to drink energy drinks? So, how will you know if you are drinking the best energy drink? Well, the answer really depends on you. One person might prefer only a specific type of energy drink while others go for expensive drinks, thinking that these are the best in the market. As long as the drink satisfies your needs and suits your budget, then, you’ve got just the right drink right in your hands.

The selection of energy drinks available today are countless but only of those are effective when it comes to providing the oomph you need daily. So, how would you know which energy drink is best for you? Firstly, look into its contents. What nutrients will you get from it? The more nutrients you can get the better. But wait, before you get carried away choose the one with lesser sugar content. This way you won’t get too worked up because of low stamina. Caffeine in the content is also a big no-no for this might cause nervousness or worst sleeping difficulty. And lastly, check if it fits your budget because if it doesn’t, well, you better start looking for some other option.

So, what is the ideal choice as the best energy drink? Some might actually prefer water than the rest. But you see, drinking water all day long can get very dull. What you need is a little bit of change. How about vitamin water? This healthy drink contains vitamins that are most essential to the body. It’s not as expensive compared to other energy drinks, but it is as effective when it comes to providing the energy you need every day. So, if you’re after the best energy drink, choose what’s really good and not just base your choices on the price.


Amber is a very busy woman.Even if she is so very busy she find time to teach and instruct people on how to have a good well-being because it is a part of her interest during leisure time.

What Is SEOLINKPRO?

The Latest really evil and powerful that is sure to change the face of the Internet is going to be out soon - it’s known as SEO Link Pro and it’s a tool that will be be released by Syndk8.

This tool will revolutionise how people build links. From what I hear from Earl Grey, the cumulative efforts put into the writing of this tool are larger than perhaps any blackhat tool released to this date.

Best Cell Phones With Free TV's

During the last couple of years cell phone costs have fallen, whilst the price of contracts offered by the mobile phone networks has remained mostly unchanged (though you do get more free airtime having said that, you can get more free minutes and texts than you once did). This means that the price of a mobile phone handset is proportionally lower than it was when compared to the full price of the mobile phone contract. In the past mobile phone retailers would provide free handsets as an incentive for consumers to take out a contract. In the past some retailers would even charge a fee for the handset on top of the price of the contract. Mobile phones were extremely expensive, and often seen as a luxury product or status symbol. These days with increasingly common use and resulting economies of scale even the top mobile phones are affordable.

This presents something of a dilemma for mobile retailers trying to market mobile phone packages in terms of incentives offered to their customers. The result of this has been increases in the number of different deals with incentives, for example mobile phones with free broadband dongles, mobile phones with fee TV sets, mobile phones with free automatic cash-back, and especially mobile phones with free laptops.

TV's are one of the more recent products added to the range of free items obtainable with cellphones. Just a few years back, the idea of getting a free 32inch flat screen television cost free with a mobile phone would have seemed crazy. In the past couple of years though, there have been monumental changes in the market for televisions which make these deals achievable.

The technology used to manufacture televisions has transformed immensely during the last few years resulting in the dominance of LCD and HD televisions, and the trend toward digital transmission. This has resulted in sizeable numbers of consumers have updated their old television sets. Large sales numbers have caused rapid price reductions of LCD television sets, which had been extremely overpriced when first launched.

This upsurge in sales of new television sets, along with their relatively low price has made them an attractive bonus for prospective cellular telephone customers. There are numerous people considering upgrading their television to a better model. If some of these people are also in the market for a new cellular telephone and sees one of these mobile phone free television incentives it can be a significant incentive to buy. Wherever possible, try and find a deal of a respected make of tv set as these are usuallymore reliable, for example, search online for mobile phones with free Sony televisions.


As with any purchase, one sould understand the actual price of what you are getting, so, take time to compare the cost of other mobile phone free tv offers to make sure the value of the goggle box you are about to buy is comparable to the value of other freebies on offer. In particular check the instant cash back promotions available at the time, and then see how much you can buy a television for from a cheap online retailer. You may find that that you could actually get a better deal by accepting cashback from the retailer and buying the television set yourself.

Best Cell Phones With Free TV's

During the past few years cell phone costs have fallen, whilst the cost of monthly plans offered by mobile phone networks has stayed pretty much unchanged (though you can get more free airtime having said that, you can get more free texts and minutes than you used to). This means the cost of a mobile phone handset is proportionally less than it used to be when compared to the total price of the mobile contract. At one time mobile phone retailers would give away free mobile handsets by way of an incentive for buyers to purchase a contract. In fact, many would actually charge for the cell phone in addition to the contract price. Mobile phones were extremely expensive, and often considered a luxury product or status symbol. Today with increasingly widespread use and resulting economies of scale even the best mobile phones are quite cheap.

Ironically this presents something of a problem for retailers who are trying to market mobile phone deals by way of of incentives offered to their customers. The result has been increases in the number of different deals with incentives, such as mobile phones with a free broadband dongle, mobile phones with free televisions, mobile phones with automatic cash back, and especially mobile phones with free laptops.

Televisons are one of the more recent products to be added to the line up of gifts to be bundled with cellphones. Even a a couple of years back, the thought of getting a free 40inch lcd tv free with a cellular telephone would have seemed ridiculous. Since then however, there have been considerable changes in the market for TVs which have made these deals possible.

Television Technology has transformed dramatically during the last couple of years resulting in the introduction of HD and LCD TVs, as well as the the trend toward digital television. This has meant that great numbers of customers have upgraded their old TVs. High sales have resulted in fast price reductions of LCD TVs, which had been prohibitively costly when they were first launched.

This upsurge in sales of new TVs, along with their relatively low cost makes them an attractive incentive for potential cellular phone customers. There are numerous people thinking about upgrading their television to a more modern model. If one of these people is in the market for a new cellular phone and notices one of these mobile phone free television deals it can be a great incentive to buy. If at all possible, aim to find an offer of an established brand of tv set as these tend to be ofbetter quality, for example, search online for mobile phones with free LG televisions.


As with any cellphone deal, one sould know the actual cost of the products you are buying, so, take time to compare the price of other mobile phone free tv offers to ensure the value of the tv you are about to buy is comparable to the value of other freebies being offered. Make sure you check out the instant cash back promotions available at the time, then find out how much you are able to get a tv for from a cheap online retailer. You may find that that you could get a better offer by accepting cashback from the retailer and purchasing the television separately.

Wireless Broadband

After a long debate, I eventually decided that I wanted to try out Verizon's wireless broadband for myself. I had heard reports of great speeds and reports of slow speeds, but never personally heard from someone who used the service. I also knew that Sprint and Cingular offered similar services, but I found it impossible to get any sort of information about their coverage areas. Once I heard about Verizon's 15 day money back guarantee, I knew I had to find out for myself what the service would be worth.

At home I utilize a Qwest DSL connection, wirelessly, quoted as 7.0Mbps, much faster, and cheaper, than any cable service offered in my area. I expected Verizon's wireless service to get maybe a fraction the typical speeds I receive on my DSL connection, but I was still pleasantly surprised. On average, when downloading updates to my Linux computer I average speeds of 120-200Kbps, not bad for service I could use nearly anywhere. It was probable that I could have even faster signal if I lived in a town of more than 22,000 people; my signal probably came from a cell phone tower nearly 10 miles away.

In order to get a better idea of the service quality, I had traveled from point to point in town with my laptop patiently downloading several update files in the passenger seat, to get an estimated range of where I could find the best signal. Surprisingly, the service stayed constantly connected, and I received a pretty consistent connection speed. To further test my luck, I decided I would go out of town, at least a little ways, to see exactly how much signal speed I would get. I went about two miles out of town, about as far as I would ever go, and found the speeds were still excellent. Overall, the signal quality varied as any cell phone would, but I never completely lost signal, and speeds hardly dipped below 50Kbps.

But, as with anything, there were drawbacks. The first was obvious, the price tag. $80 a month might be a bit much if quality service can come straight to your home or office for half price. And if you don't travel much, its hardly worth it. The second drawback was hidden away deep in the fine print; Verizon's "Unlimited" Wireless Broadband service had a limit, and it was only 5GB per month. If you used more than that they could disconnect you without notice (although they say the service isn't supposed to be used for file-sharing, streaming music, etc). The terse language makes me wonder what might happen if I need to download something big and important.

But so far, even though an extra $80 per month can be hard to come up with, (the service costs less if you have Verizon cell phone service), I've decided that the ability to browse the Internet, work on my articles, and do my homework anywhere would be well worth the price tag.

Mobile PDA Woes