Springwise - A Mine of Business Ideas

Ideas ideas ideas, sometimes we have them and most of the time we don't. However the Springwise website (www. springwise.com) and newsletter can bring you those new business ideas straight to you. I've been a subscriber for well over a year ( if you ask me how I came across it i couldn't tell you) and there are some really good business ideas being generated around the globe. Some will travel, some won't as they are specific to that region or country. Give it a look and see what you think you could adapt for your own local market. 

The website is at www.springwise.com   

Well Done Jaime

I was flipping through last Thursday's edition of the Manchester Evening News and in the business section I saw that ex-Innospacer tenant Jaime Markey of JAMpr had been named as one the UK's top 29 PR practitioners aged under 29.  Excellent news and it was great news to read as I can remember her time in Innospace always on the phone, a born grafter, bags of confidence and someone who believes in her clients (I better stop now). JAMpr  is a great example of a new business startup and JAMpr moved out to The Express buildings in Ancoats, which I think was a very good move.

I wish her all the best for the future and the MEN online article is here.

The JAMpr website is here 

Windows 7 Student Deal - Initial Thoughts

Yes, I took up the £30 student deal (downloaded only) and loaded it onto my Macbook, why well I wanted to see how good it was as I never gave vista a look after such negative reviews from users so XP it was. I only really needed it for one or two applications, which are specific to Windows.

The install was done in less than 40 minutes which was fast and on first look Windows 7 had me in a state of wow, things have improved greatly and I mean greatly.  It's slicker, faster and more intuitive so it seems that they've taken a leaf out of Apple's book!! A couple of nice touches are the fact that you can 'pin' applications to the task bar and review them by holding your mouse over them. The broadband/Wi-Fi set up was the simplest I've come across and yes it just works. I loaded safari for windows and its seems faster than under OSX.

The offer finishes in January, so snap it up as the price at Amazon is a lot more but remember it's download only but you can turn it into a self-loading disc, plenty of info on that floating about.

I think Microsoft have actually got things back on track and should get those XP users to switch to Windows 7 quickly and they won't be disappointed.

However you may be quite happy with your existing version of XP or Vista but remember that Microsoft will stop supporting XP in a few years.

Oh before you do upgrade check to make sure you have the minimum system requirements needed to run Windows 7.

A fully licensed copy available for £30 who's complaining not me.

Windows 7 Student Deal

There's a great student deal which is available at the moment in which you can purchase Microsoft Office 2007 for £39 and Windows 7 upgrade for £30 to good to be true, no as the details are here.

E-Book Readers

Try as I might the Kindle from Amazon just didn't make me want to say "I want one now" maybe because I don't read enough books to warrant the expense. However the 'Nook' by Barnes & Noble (big US based bookstore) did make me go mmm, why, well it has a much better design, a colour screen, it also has 3G and Wi-Fi. I doubt if it will make it's way across the Atlantic anytime soon but it just doesn't allow you to read books, as you can download newspapers onto it and photos. I am sure the      e-book market at the moment is hundreds of millions but if e-book readers do catch on then it could easily become a billion $ industry. The 'Nook' is a good place to start but I am eager to see how the 'Nook2' shapes up.

Rumour has it that Apple has a tablet in the pipeline, which will incorporate an e-book reader into it and if that is the case Apple will really be knocking the ball out of the park. An Apple tablet (think larger iPhone/iTouch) and would  I buy it? I doubt it as I gave up being an early adopter of new tech products years ago. If the rumours are true the tablet will do a lot more than allow you to read books on it and therefore will come at an Apple price. therefore watch this space.

Iceland Waves Goodbye to McDonalds

The golden arches will no longer shine over Iceland as that bankrupt nation loses it's McDonalds franchise as it was just too damn expensive to business there. As all it's food products were imported from germany and the Iceland currency pretty much worthless it was only a matter of time.

However the owner of the franchise is going to reopen with a different name using locally sourced products and the question I have to ask him is why did he say yes to such restrictive terms in the first place but I guess at the time things were looking good.

The land of Bjork, Magnuss Magnusson and hot geysers is suffering more than most due to the credit crunch. There's a good article on it here

Warren Buffet

Billed as the worlds greatest money maker Evan Davis meets Warren Buffet Tuesday 27 October on BBC 2 at 11.20pm, which will be a must watch for me as I'd love to know his view on the current situation. If you miss it you can probably watch it on iPlayer.


- Posted using BlogPress from Glad's iPhone

50 Cents

I have never been a big fan of rap music but I do like Jay Z recent album. However it's 50 cents who I admire for his business acumen. This is the smart guy who invested in the company that made Vitamin Water which was a big thing in the USA when I was last there in 2007. Coca Cola bought the company for $4.1bn and 50 cents made $400m on that deal. I don't like his music but I do like his business savvy.

He's also been in the UK for the film premiere "Dead Man Running" in which he stars and he's also published a business book called 'The 50th Law', there's a short BBC interview with him here

- Posted using BlogPress from Glad's iPhone

The Microsoft Courier Kind Cool

I am not following tech as much as I should be, too busy on Twtter talking about, oh well nevermind. Anyway Microsoft have a secret project called Courier, which is a tablet PC and if the film is to be believed then it's gonna be a laptop killer perhaps or just maybe something else to put in your bag along with the phone and your laptop. It really did blow me away and I reckon it'll be out in about 12 months time but at what price?

However from a business point of view it's got 901 uses, that I can think of.

Check the video here and believe me it's very cool.

The Recession in the Barcelona Region

A good article that focuses on Barcelona and the effect on its retailers of the recession as well the winners and the losers! I am a little shocked at olive oil being sold for €70, which is a hell of a price, so no surprise at it not selling as well. It's about being able to adapt to the changing environment, which will ensure a businesses survival. Sticking your head in the sand and doing nothing will only ensure a business goes under quicker without a fight.

The BBC article is here