As I’ve said many times, I barely have any use for the new iPad. Most technologists I know feel the same way about tablets. However, most of us understand that we’re an anomaly. For tens of millions of people, using a tablet like the iPad is infinitely easier and less frustrating that dealing with a Windows laptop. That’s why tablets are eating the bottom out of the PC market, and the trend is accelerating.

Microsoft knows this. It also knows that an alarming number of companies are allowing their employees to use iPads and some are even running trials to hand out the new iPads to lots of highly mobile employees. What’s even worse for Microsoft is that most of these employees are loving it and are gladly chucking their Windows laptops aside.

While a lot of these employees will still periodically use Windows machines for some of their work, they’re using them less frequently and that means slower PC upgrades and less urgency to jump to Microsoft Windows 8. We’re still only talking about a fraction of the market — iPad will sell 60 million units in 2012 versus 400 million PCs, according to Gartner. Nevertheless, it has Microsoft freaked out because it’s been just a little over two years since the iPad debuted.

That’s a lot of disruption in a short period of time.

Of course, that brings us to the announcement of the Microsoft Surface tablet this week. Microsoft turned a lot of heads by revealing that it is going to build its own line of Microsoft Windows 8 tablet devices, à la Zune and Xbox. The hardware design for the Surface that Microsoft showed off on Monday was impressive enough to pique the interest of the tech press and the public.

The tablet itself looks a lot like the new iPad and many of the high-end Android tablets, but there were a pair of features that stood out. The first was a sturdy built-in kickstand that stealthily pops out from the back of the tablet. The second is the magnetic cover that doubles as a keyboard and touchpad. When you put these two features together you suddenly have a tablet that easily doubles as a laptop. That eliminates the need for someone to have two devices.

Sure, the hardware of the Microsoft Surface Tablet echoes the iPad. But, Microsoft did use a special magnesium body that makes it light, thin, and durable. Sure, the cover of the Surface is a copy of the iPad’s Smart Cover, but Microsoft did innovate by adding a keyboard on the inside.

There’s plenty about the Microsoft Surface Tablet that screams, “iPad knockoff!” and the failure of Android tablets and the tablet debacles at RIM and HP show that trying to build an iPad competitor for the enterprise can be a brutal business.

Still, the Microsoft Surface Tablet has something going for it that the BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad, and the parade of Android tablets don’t — it’s going to automatically drop into the Windows networks that most Fortune 500 companies as well as a lot of small and medium businesses already have in place. That’s going to mean a lot fewer worries about compatibility, security, and data protection. In other words, it means a lot less work for IT on the backend and a smoother transition for many users

That doesn’t mean the Microsoft Surface Tablet is a slam dunk. There is still a big question about whether users are going to find the Windows 8 interface as easy to use as the new iPad. And, will spyware and malware become a big problem on the Surface since it’s running the full version of Windows? Above all, how much is it going to cost? The Pro version of the Microsoft Surface Tablet that most businesses are going to want is expected to cost about the same price as an Ultrabook — in the $800-$1000 range.

Ultimately, if you want to think of the Microsoft Surface Tablet as an iPad knockoff with a few key innovations and additions that make it a legitimate option for businesses, that’s fine. A lot of companies will be happy to pay a premium for an iPad look-alike that automatically fits into their current networks and is guaranteed to work with their existing applications.

I just found out from fellow domain blogger Kevin Murphy of DomainIncite that domain registrar Go Daddy has finally posted a workaround to their 60-day lock. Apparently their doing this is a response to the modified ICANN transfer policies taking effect since June 1, 2012.

One of the most common complaints I’ve encountered about domain registrar Go Daddy is their arbitrary 60-day transfer lock. In case you just came in, Go Daddy can prevent your domain name from being transferred to another domain registrar for 60 days if a certain condition is met.

All domain registrars have a rule wherein you can’t move your domain name to another registrar if it’s within its first 60 days of registration or recent transfer-in from elsewhere. Go Daddy is currently the only one who puts in another 60-day transfer lock on top of those.

Initially, Go Daddy’s 60-day transfer lock kicks in if the registrant or administrative contact’s name or contact details is changed. Go Daddy since evolved their 60-day lock to only if the registrant name is changed for whatever reason.

Before I describe the workaround, it might be important to know what ICANN’s recent policy change is, and how this affected Go Daddy.

ICANN mostly made just some language changes in their transfer policy among registrars, but there is one major change relevant to this. Namely:

Upon denying a domain transfer request for any of the following reasons, the Registrar of Record must provide the Registered Name Holder and the potential Gaining Registrar with the reason for denial. The Registrar of Record may deny a domain transfer request only in the following specific instances:

Express objection to the transfer by the authorized Transfer Contact. Objection could take the form of specific request (either by paper or electronic means) by the authorized Transfer Contact to deny a particular transfer request, or a general objection to all transfer requests received by the Registrar, either temporarily or indefinitely. In all cases, the objection must be provided with the express and informed consent of the authorized Transfer Contact on an opt-in basis and upon request by the authorized Transfer Contact, the Registrar must remove the lock or provide a reasonably accessible method for the authorized Transfer Contact to remove the lock within five (5) calendar days.

I bolded the portion starting from “a general objection” to indicate ICANN’s recognizing Go Daddy’s 60-day lock. However, they’re also requiring the registrar to allow the “authorized Transfer Contact” a means to do away with that within five calendar days.

In short, Go Daddy is being allowed to maintain their 60-day thing, yet allow the domain’s registrant or so a way to get around that if ever. The wording can be argued either way, but all this is a means of balancing competing interests.

I bolded the portion starting from “a general objection” to indicate ICANN’s recognizing Go Daddy’s 60-day lock. However, they’re also requiring the domain registrar to allow the “authorized Transfer Contact” a means to do away with that within five calendar days.

In short, Go Daddy is being allowed to maintain their 60-day thing, yet allow the domain’s registrant or so a way to get around that if ever. The wording can be argued either way, but all this is a means of balancing competing interests.

Domain Name Wire also has more from Go Daddy’s director of policy planning James Bladel:

“We understand our 60 day lock has been controversial,” said James Bladel, Director, Policy Planning for Go Daddy. “What is boils down to is, while it’s a very good tool for intercepting and preventing hijacking…we recognize that our efforts to address that problem shouldn’t be a hindrance to legitimate users of domain names that want transfers to be a little more simple.”

Kevin quotes Bladel’s rationale further:

“The bad guys are not going to call and ask us to take a second look at this,” he said. “The bad guys want it to happen under the radar.”

Bladel explains the lock can be lifted after a human review unless they suspect a hijacking is going on. Additionally, the domain name’s WHOIS information is changed to its original state.

I think that second part is going to pose some problems, particularly on ownership changes after a recent sale. Time will tell how this goes, and Go Daddy is surely going to adjust to that if need be.

So step by step, here’s how it goes:

1. If you change your domain name’s registrant name at Go Daddy, it turns on their 60-day transfer lock. They do post notices of this before you make the change, and they do email about it. (unless caught by your spam filter, knock on wood…)

2. You’ll get an email with an email address to contact a team at Go Daddy to appeal the lock.

I’m sure some of you wish it’s a way to call that team directly instead. Would be nice if Go Daddy accomodates that, though I also know they “need” to control that if ever.

I wish they thought of this sooner rather than have to inconvenience a lot of people unnecessarily because of this, though I know some people want this done away instead. Like I said, it’s a matter of balancing competing interests.

In any case, at least there’s now an option to go around their 60-day lock. 

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“It embodies hardware and software working together. People want to work and play,” Steve Ballmer said today amid much fanfare at Milk Studios in downtown Los Angeles. Microsoft has officially entered the ring with the Apple IPad. Microsoft views the Windows 8 Surface Tablet  as a “stage for Windows 8.” It’s 9.3mm thin, has full size USB 2.0 ports, a massive kickstand and weighs only 1.5 lbs. The casing is made out of magnesium (specifically, a material Microsoft calls VaporMg) and screen is covered in the Gorilla Glass 2 and optically bonded, a feature for the Microsoft Windows 8 Surface Tablet brags was specifically made for the Surface Tablet. The Microsoft Windows 8 Surface Tablet is directly aimed at consumers, and with that, the iPad.

Windows 8 is at the core of  Microsoft’s Surface Tablet. As such, it’s Metro device but also has access to all the Windows, not to mention Xbox features. Microsoft Surface Tablet is clearly the product Microsoft had in mind when it announced the Xbox SmartGlass feature at E3 earlier in the month.

Microsoft also announced several accessories for the Microsoft Surface Tablet including a clever 3mm thick cover that features a full (albeit super-slim) keyboard. Since it’s held on by magnets, it will likely be called a copy of the iPad’s SmartCover, too. The backside of the Surface even features a massive, unit-wide kickstand.

There will be two hardware options for Microsoft’s Surface Tablet, with both an ARM option and, for the full Windows experience, an Intel chip.

But like most hardware, it’s nothing without the right software. Ballmer was very clear at the beginning of the announcement event that the Microsoft Surface Tablet’s strength is the Windows ecosystem. This tablet runs Windows 8, and with that, both Metro and the traditional desktop environment. Every application that runs on Windows, save perhaps Skyrim and the like, should run on a x86 Surface.

Still, if Microsoft is attempting to take on Apple, it will need to court a new crop of developers. The iPad’s strength comes from its legions of small 3rd party devs that for the most part completely ignore all things Microsoft. Up until this product, there wasn’t another tablet platform with the same sort of penetration numbers as the iPad. But with the Surface Tablet, Microsoft is essentially giving developers a massive user base as the applications will hit both mobile and desktop units — and Metro’s dedication to the touchscreen makes the deal even sweeter.

The new Windows RT-powered Surface Tablet will sport either 32 or 64GB of storage depending on the purchaser’s preference, while the more traditional Intel variant will come with either 64 or 128GB. Microsoft declined to dive into specifics about their new tablet’s release, though they were quick to note that the Surface tablets would be priced “competitively” when they make it to market.

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Takeaway: Change a few key default settings in Word and you won’t have to make the same tweaks over and over.

Word does a good job of assuming how the average user works, but some of Word’s default settings can be annoying and inefficient. Some users don’t know they can permanently change these settings, so they continue to reset them for each new document or just struggle along. Users should consider resetting the following defaults to work more productively. Of course, there are more defaults to set.

1: Line spacing

The default line spacing setting in Word 2007 and 2010 is 1.15, not 1, as it is in 2003. Microsoft believes 1.15 is more readable online. If you’re not generating Web content, adjust the style(s) you use in Word’s template (Normal.dotx), as follows:

1. Click the Home tab.
2. Right-click Normal in the Styles Quick gallery and choose Modify.
3. Choose Paragraph from the Format list.
4. In the Spacing section, change the At setting from 1.15 to 1, as shown in Figure A.
5. Click OK.
6. Check the New Documents Based On This Template option.
7. Click OK.

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GoDaddy, probably the world’s largest domain registrar was sold in 2011 for $2.25 billion dollars. This is a hell of a deal. I can not believe that an Internet company would cost that much. Internet is an intangible business and it is really hard to believe that anyone dot-com based company could cost billions.

Does GoDaddy Worth That Much?

It definitely does! It was reported that the company has a portfolio of 48 million domains and 9.3 million customers worldwide. 73% of those domain names are .com TLDs. GoDaddy nets about $2.95 from each .com registration. The average price of the .com domain registered with GoDaddy is $11.99 per year. Some TLD’s like .net and .org cost $14.99 while most of the other popular web addresses are priced between $12.99 and $19.99 per year. If we calculate the annual revenue the company makes form domain registration, it accounts at more than $500 million per year. However GoDaddy is not just a domain registrar. The company sells Shared Hosting services, VPS, dedicated servers as well as email hosting. Among other web services and products in the company’s portfolio are SSL certificates, DNS, Web design and website analeptics as well as SEO services. The Arizona based company has been cash-flow positive since 2001. That year it had $4.3 million in revenue. In 2004 GoDaddy’s revenue rose to $73 million. The next year – 2005 – the company lost $13.8 million on revenues of $139 million, according to its SEC (http://www.sec.gov/) filing. GoDaddy’s spending on marketing has exploded from $1.2 million in 2003 to more that$15 millions in 2005. The company planned to go public in 2005 and planed to raise $200 million through an IPO. However it has in 2006 GoDaddy decided not to attempt an initial public offering. In 2008 GoDaddy reported a revenue of $497.9 million, $750 million in 2009. The domain registrar has steadily grower its business within the last 5 years. It is also believed that the company has a strong sales team. The average online order which customers submit on GoDAddy’s website is $26.81, while the average one posted after a the new customers talked to a customer service representative was $65.00. Domain Name Wire reported that before the deal the GoDaddy’s CEO Bob Parsons “owned 78% of the company and employees owned 22% through stock options”. Mr. Parsons, who has got himself involved in a scandal earlier this year and sparked outrage by releasing a video of himself killing an elephant, will remain with GoDaddy as Executive Chairman of the Board. The company president Warren Adelman is the new CEO.

What Would Happen After The Sale? I do not have an inside information about what the new owners of GoDaddy would do with the company. However I’d project that GoDaddy would probably try to expand aggressively in the web hosting service market. The company would try to grow its portfolio of VPS and Dedicated server customers and to grab larger share in the server market. It could also try to become an important player on the market of Cloud hoisting services. Whatever the new owners decide to do GoDaddy could become even bigger within the next few years.

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I’m excited to announce the launch of our new RingCentral Cloud Touch platform, the first and only phone system that enables businesses to set up, manage and use their phone system from smartphones and tablets.

We’ve completely re-imagined the phone system, enabling businesses to turn any location into an office while giving employees the flexibility and freedom to access the system from any connected device. We help businesses, administrators and end users work the way they want to – from anywhere and on any device.

Our new platform includes three key components:
1. RingCentral Touch – Fully touch-powered platform for phone systems, enabling full management capabilities from any tablet or smartphone. Intuitive customizable settings for administrators and users provide unmatched flexibility and control.

2. RingCentral Presence – Presence is extended beyond desk phones, enabling users to see availability based on smart mobile devices. Enabled with simple controls, users can access from everywhere. Employees are better connected with presence that integrates mobile users.

3. RingCentral Connect – RingCentral integrates with Dropbox, Box and Google Docs, enabling customers to share documents and files in the cloud, providing enhanced productivity.

We’d love to hear how RingCentral Cloud Touch enables you to work from anywhere and manage your phone system with ease!

Today’s guest post is written by Joe Ballarino, President and Co-Founder of Amerivest Realty, a full service real estate brokerage. Amerivest switched to RingCentral service last year to address business challenges and improve business operations. Here Joe shares his thoughts about why he made the switch and its positive effects on Amerivest Realty.

Challenges with Our Old Phone System

Previous to RingCentral, we hosted an on-premise phone system. The system often had technical issues which required costly consultants to repair. More importantly, these issues were often total outages which were not only inconvenient, but also adversely affected our business, potentially causing loss of revenue for the brokerage and our associates.

Additionally, system configuration was always challenging. As real estate professionals, most of our associates work outside of the office, relying on their cell phones to properly conduct business. Our system could forward calls to cell phones, but this was an insufficient and inelegant solution because we had no way to monitor or manage calls from our office.

At Amerivest Realty we pride ourselves on the service we provide to our associates and their customers, and strive for an efficient office and business practices, and we knew the on premise system was woefully inadequate to meet these goals.

Why We Moved to RingCentral

The timing was right to make a decision on a new platform because we were about to open an additional office in a new area code. We wanted a single system to accommodate all offices, but the cost of expanding the on-premise system was exorbitant. As we researched the market, we were impressed with RingCentral’s service offering.

In addition to solving issues with hardware and remote associates, RingCentral also let us combine phone and fax services into a single number. We have less to manage, our associate have less to manage, their customers have simpler communication channels, and we could retire the old fax server.

Are We Happy with RingCentral? Yes!

Our switch to RingCentral reduced our telecommunications costs by almost 30 percent, and RingCentral’s cloud-based phone services have exceeded our expectations.

The Genie in the Phone Cloud: Top 5 Small Biz Features

Entrepreneurship is at an all-time high and innovative small businesses are sprouting and flourishing. Personal service, attention to detail, and feeling good about supporting local and sustainable companies are some of the most popular reasons people choose the little guy over big, aggressive brands.
Maybe you sell delectable gluten-free scones out of a food truck, or are a general housing contractor with a small team of employees. Being great at your trade is one thing, but there’s also the matter of managing communications and connecting smoothly with your customers. With a cloud-based phone system from RingCentral, small businesses are able to walk (and talk) in big business shoes. You can become the wizard behind the curtain, orchestrating spectacular feats with ingenuity and some smart technology.

The Auto-Receptionist is always in and on

Your Auto-Receptionist is the personal assistant that never calls in sick! You or your administrator set the parameters so you can be reached anytime and everyplace. Define the routing criteria, and you’re connected to customers, vendors, and your cycling group, with calls forwarded to multiple numbers and devices, text-to-speech translation of messages, and department-specific messaging. Want someone with a crisp English accent orating your menus for callers? Greetings are customizable, and you can even source professional talent for your recordings. Your three-person organization can perform with the finesse and functionality of a traditionally larger and more established operation.

Unlimited Toll-Free, Local, and Vanity Numbers

Your phone number says a lot about you. Literally it could spell out a memorable word or two. A standard toll-free number, including the classic 1-800 number, tells your customers you’re well established and ensures that your customers can reach you at no cost to themselves. Choose a few local numbers for areas you want to service and instantly become a hot, new, neighborhood business.

Yes, that’s my Department

Getting dumped into a general voicemail box or simply not being able to reach someone in a timely manner is alienating for callers and can send potential customers searching for a more responsive and better-prepared business. Instead, create virtual departments with a group of extensions as a fantastic way to add real structure to your business and make it easy for your contacts to connect with you. For example, create the ‘Sales’ department and when the designated reps aren’t available, the system puts callers on hold until someone can take the call. Hold times can be customized as well, so your callers never feel lost or unimportant.

Get ahead with Call Forwarding

So what happened to the caller on hold for sales? Realizing every second counts and all’s fair in love and brand loyalty, you set Call Forwarding to reach you or another contact after, say, a 30-second hold time. The call instantly goes to your business partner’s mobile phone. If they’re also not available, the call finds the next contact and, as a last resort, it routes to the extension at your poolside cabana in Orlando. You can set specific parameters for After Hours as well and avoid the cost (and antiquated style) of an outside answering service.

The thrill of the (easy) chase

You want your business to be pursued and easily caught. FindMe-FollowMe is the cyber stalker you’re glad to have on your side. You control connectivity by directing incoming calls to any and all your phones, whenever you want. You can even set it to call multiple phones simultaneously, in a specific order and even by date, time, the caller’s Caller ID, or the number dialed.

You had the vision and grit to launch your business, and the progressive thinking to ditch the room full of obsolete and costly phone system hardware. Your contacts will be amazed at how you always seem to magically appear when they need you. Building a successful business starts with the basic steps like establishing a phone system, and being easily reachable by customers whenever they need to reach you.

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