Toluu

Tech Success

One man's quest to find success in the worlds of technology and finance.

5 Great Apps For (Almost) EveryoneMay 29

If you're like me, you are always looking for an app upgrade. You can't stand to have an adequate program when there is a better one out there, even if it's only a smidge better. At the same time, you are always on the lookout for that killer app - the one that will change the way you do X, Y, or Z. Well, with both game changers and mini-upgrades, this list is for you.

1. Spotify

This is the music program to end all music programs. Well, in truth, it doesn't have any real pluses over Rhapsody. Well, there is one: its free. Yup, unlimited streaming music, with full track controls, and playlist sharing, all in one slick lightweight desktop app. There are ads, but they are thankfully few and far between - and rank about a 3 out of 10 on the annoying-scale. Also, it is not officially available in the U.S. yet...but there are workarounds. Did I mention that this is FREE?!@!

2. Things (30-day Trial, $49.99 for license, Mac only)

Ahh task management. Love it or hate it, it is (or should be...slacker!) a big pa

Seth Godin on Business ModelsMay 5

Seth Godin has a great post on rethinking business models. Even if you don't think business models are going to see revolutionary changes in the near future, the post does get one thinking critically about business models, and that can be invaluable. Check it out:

Seth's Blog: Thinking about business models

UpdateMarch 31

Image via Wikipedia

It's been far too long since I posted and I wanted to update you on what I have been doing and what I will be doing.
For the last month I have been living in the library, studying for examinations and preparing my PhD proposals. This has occupied all of my time, free and otherwise. However, expect to see the following topics addressed here over the next month or so:

An Outline of the Future of Our Digital World
The Best Self-Help Books for Business--Reviewed

And more. See you soon!

Pros and Cons: An Internet Radio RoundupFebruary 14

Image via CrunchBase

Internet radio is a big deal. Millions of people are listening. And there are a ton of internet radio sites out there. The first big one was Pandora. Then came Last.fm. And then a pile of little competitors showed up. But in Spring of 2007, the royalty fees for internet radio went way up, which you'd think would result in only internet radio stations with viable business models surviving and growing. But you'd be wrong. There are still a ton of services out there, which claim to be doing internet radio right, and claim to know how to make money off of it. I've been experimenting with three of them lately, namely last.fm, grooveshark, and spotify, and I'm going to compare them briefly here.

The big name in internet radio is last.fm. On the plus side, it has an enormous catalogue (the biggest, according to them). In practice, its radio stations are pretty good at selecting music, although not customizable enough. You ought to be able to choose certain tag

Why We Need Better International Web 2.0 CoverageFebruary 9

Image via CrunchBase

I get emails from Friendster occasionally and always forget to remove myself from the mailing list. I don't want Friendster mail because I don't want to use Friendster. Why? Because my peers are all on Facebook (or LinkedIn). I never really hear about Friendster in the web 2.0 circles anymore, either. This has me wondering...does anyone use Friendster anymore? Which brings up the further question - why doesn't Friendster just throw in the towel? Well, the answer to my first question is that, yes - Friendster is still used by many people. 90 million, in fact. It's just not very big in the U.S. and continental European markets. In East Asia, and particularly Singapore and Malaysia, it is the most popular social network! In the Phillippines, it is the second-most popular website, PERIOD.

Wow.

There are a lot of lessons here for me, but the biggest thing I've learned from my bit of research is this: Western news outlets deliver tech news through a Western lens. And that means that many of the real changes in social media, in adoption of new technologies, in the growth of compa