6 Tips For Saving Loan On Your Next Computer Acquisition

6 Tips For Saving Money On Your Next Computer Purchase

Buying a Computer does not need to be a budget breaker. A Computer purchase often includes additional components and software that are not needed and can be avoided…if you are well prepared with the correct information.

To help, the following tips can be used to save money on your next Computer purchase:

Tip #1 – Take a look at your Computer case. If it is not a name brand Computer more than likely the case is expandable and can be reused. Cases can cost anywhere from to 0. If you have a mid tower case, check how many bays are available for CD/DVD drives, and other peripherals, Are the USB and audio ports in the front?

Cases are often an over-looked item that usually can be used over and over again.

Tip #2 – Monitor Keyboard and Mouse – Just because you are purchasing a new Computer does not mean the keyboard and mouse need to be replaced. An Optical mouse last longer than the ball style mouse. The same principal applies to keyboards, unless you are a heavy Computer user and the keys are worn and do not respond, you probably don’t need a new keyboard.

Monitors may need to be replayed if want to upgrade to a larger screen size. If you are happy with your monitor and are having no problems with it, you are better of keeping it a little longer until you can afford a new Monitor.

Tip #3 – Software License – Many people forget when purchasing a new Computer the cost of the Operating System license is included in the price. If the new Computer has the same OS installed, don’t pay for another license.

The same applies for other software such as Microsoft Office. Unless you want to upgrade to another OS or Office version, save your money. Significant savings can be realized by not purchasing un-needed software license costs.

Tip #4 – Consider No Name Brand – While Dell, Hp and Sony are some of the big names with Computers, the reality is that most Computers originate from the same area in Asia, specifically laptops. Consider shopping for lesser name brands, or visiting your local Computer repair store.

Unknown brand names such as Acer, are usually cheaper, yet inside the case or laptop, the parts are the same. Computer repair stores allows for customization, so you can tailor to your need, not by what is on the shelf allowing for more savings.

Tip #5 – Warranty – With Technology advancing, what seems like the speed of sound, the life span of Computers tend to run about three to five years. Its not that the hardware starts to fail, but advancements in Software requires more processing power and increased memory requirements.

Consider the length and type of warranty at time of purchase. Also consider the warranty that comes with the Computer. It may be possible that purchasing an extended warranty may not be needed for a desktop, but may be needed for laptops.

Tip #6 – Labor costs – Adding or upgrading involves labor which amounts to additional costs. If you are somewhat technical or handy, consider installing any additional components yourself. There are lots of how – to tutorials on the Internet, with video that detail many types of installations.

As always with making a big purchase, research and shop around for prices. Understanding what your price range is will keep you from overspending, while becoming knowledgeable about what you are buying, will keep the salesman commissions from emptying your wallet!

Google’s Next Move – Video Game Ads?

Google’s Next Move – Video Game Ads?

Since AdWords was launched in 2001, Google has expanded to image ads, video ads, and print ads, and has frequently been rumored to be entering radio and television. While many think that television ads (ala Spot Runner) could be Google’s next major move, they may be neglecting a potentially larger opportunity: in-game video game advertising.

Earlier this year Massive Incorporated, a video game advertising network, announced a landmark deal with Major League Baseball and 2K Sports to provide dynamic advertising in the popular video game Major League Baseball 2K6. According to their press release, “Massive’s Network and technology allow MLB Advanced Media and 2K Sports titles to leverage dynamic advertising for ever-fresh brand messaging in their games, mirroring the rapidly changing and expanding advertising opportunities in the live action sports industry.”

Why Should Google Care?

The Entertainment Software Association put U.S. sales of video game hardware and software at .3 billion back in 2004, a figure that rivals Hollywood box office revenue. In-game video game advertising is nothing new for the booming game industry – large companies have been buying static advertisements in games for years. What is new is the expansion of online gaming into the mainstream. Once reserved for only PC Gamers, console gamers have now discovered a whole new world of competition over a broadband connection.

In a recent interview with TechNewsWorld, EA’s John Schappert, who oversees the largest interactive game studio in the world, was asked about in-game advertising: “In-game ad integration is a growing business where we see both advertisers and consumers looking for more. It’s an additional revenue stream that is still small, but growing. There’s the potential for scalability in this area with dynamically-served ads. It’s still in the early stages [in terms of] how in-game ads will grow in significance.”

Starting with Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PS2, and continuing into the next generation of online gaming with Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii, and Sony’s PS3, it has become a virtual certainty that nearly all gamers will be playing while connected to a broadband connection. With that broadband connection comes an advertising opportunity that’s hard to ignore.

Is History Repeating Itself?

The potential flaw in what Massive Incorporated does is that their ad network still only includes the large advertisers. Massive’s website gives no specific information regarding how to purchase advertising, only mentioning that “blue-chip” advertisers can work with their “veteran” sales team to start an account. I think it’s safe to say that small businesses aren’t their target market. So while they are implementing dynamic ads, those ads are still only affordable to larger businesses. Anyone familiar with internet advertising can see the potential for history to repeat itself.

Way back in 1996, long before Overture (now Yahoo! Search Marketing) and Google AdWords, a company called DoubleClick pioneered website advertising. Their downfall, however, was that they required a formal sales contract, limiting their potential client base to only large companies. Overture and AdWords made it easy for the small advertiser and small site owner to participate in their ad networks, essentially opening their service to anyone on the web. Several years later, one would think that Google is keeping a watchful eye on what’s going on over at Massive Incorporated. Massive may be the first to enter the market, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the small business owner remains shut out. Could Google make Massive the next DoubleClick?

How Would Google Do It

There’s no doubt that with the best programmers in the world Google is capable of developing and improving upon the technology that Massive has. It’s also not hard to imagine advertisers paying per thousand impressions (PPM) for their text or image ads to be shown in specific games, much like they do now for specific sites. The tough part for Google, however, would be the distribution of those ads.

As opposed to signing up websites to display their ads by copying some code on to their site, Google would have to work with game programmers throughout the development process. This would be much more time consuming and would be a much larger risk for Google. In the same way that Massive signed the contract with 2K, Google would have to sign large contracts with game developers and work with them for several months to integrate their ads.

This enforces the fact that the main difference between what happened with DoubleClick and what could happen with video games is that it would probably be more work for Google to distribute their ads over multiple channels (i.e. more games). Since each game is programmed differently, there is no game equivalent to the JavaScript used in all AdSense ads. Every game would need to be tailored to Google’s ad network individually. Difficult: yes. Impossible for Google: no way.

When Will They Do It?

In my opinion it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. The potential revenue from the gaming industry is too big for Google to ignore. Oh, and if you still aren’t convinced, consider this: Microsoft, one of Google’s main competitors, also produces the Xbox 360. If Microsoft decided to integrate their newly launched adCenter into Xbox games, would it really surprise anyone if Google countered by announcing a deal with Sony or Nintendo to integrate in-game dynamic advertising for the PS3 or the Wii?

New Ideas To Put Into Your Next Mobile Marketing Campaign (2)

New Ideas To Put Into Your Next Mobile Marketing Campaign

With the increasingly widespread use of mobile devices like cell phones, smart phones and tablets, mobile marketing campaigns that make use of these devices are growing in popularity. If you are interesting in taking advantage of such a campaign to promote your business, this article can give you the advice you need to get started.

Keep your mobile marketing messages short and sweet. Although many cell phone and smartphone users are signed up with plans that offer unlimited data transfers, not everyone has this luxury. If your ad consumes a great deal of their monthly allotment of data, chances are good that your efforts will go unappreciated and even resented.

Treat your customers like people. Instead of just bombarding them with sales information constantly, consider messaging them occasionally with relevant information to their everyday lives. If you find an interesting blog on saving money, for example, send them a link. This lets them know you are not just considering them to be a source of income for you.

Harvest those opt-ins. Opt-ins are essential in mobile marketing. You need a squeeze page on you website. That page should have coupons ready for anyone wanting to opt in. You should run campaigns on TV, radio and in the newspaper to collect opt-ins. All your opt-ins gathered should be integrated in your mobile marketing.

The point of mobile marketing is to give your customers quick and direct access to your business. The longer your message is, the less likely you will be to actually pull them in. Be clear and concise. Tell them only what they need to know, and they will be easier to pull in.

When it comes to mobile marketing, one great way to connect with your customers is through QR codes. This is a great in-store idea because the customer can can scan a bar code with their mobile device’s camera and obtain either an exclusive coupon, a video or other information.

Make sure that your business has a presence on social media websites, and includes links to them on your business website. Social media have their own mobile versions of their websites in addition to mobile apps that have a relationship with them. This is another way for your business to connect with consumers easily.

Compared to general Internet marketing, mobile marketing must be short and specific. For example, when targeting users on desktops, it is fine to use a banner ad that points to the main page of your web based store. However, on a mobile ad, even if you manage to get users to visit your website, the vast majority of visitors will not spend time browsing your website. It is far more effective to choose a specific product, and use a concise message that links them directly to a purchase page.

Mobile devices are only going to continue to become more popular and their use more widespread, so any successful marketing strategy is going to have to take advantage of this fact. By applying the techniques you’ve learned from this article, you can make sure that your company isn’t left behind.