Two Phil’s Talk About Switching From Windows to Mac
January 13, 2011 by Phil Montero · 3 Comments
As you know I have done a series of posts (with many more to come) about my switch last year from PC to Mac. Well recently, thanks to the amazing social media tool that is Twitter, I met Phil Simon. He is the author of several books the most recent of which is The New Small. The book looks awesome and I just started reading it last night. I’ll be interviewing Phil here soon and giving away a copy of the book.
After chatting Phil and I realized we had a lot more than a first name/hairline in common – we both were born in Brooklyn NY, grew up in New Jersey, went to school in Ithaca NY and have a lot of the same views about emerging technologies and how small businesses/entrepreneurs can leverage these tools to grow their businesses. We also like the same music (especially Rush, Pink Floyd and the Police) and have a very similar sense of humor (I think that is a NY/Jersey thing).
We also both recently switched from using PCs to Macs and are both now happily plugging away on our MacBook Pros. He also wrote a series of posts detailing his transition to the Mac. I was sharing some of the great apps I discovered with him and told him about eCamm Call Recorder which makes it super easy to record Skype video and audio chats. He was excited by this and asked if we could do a video interview me about my switch to the Mac so I could share some tips. Of course I said YES – so visit his blog and check out the interview.
I’ll be returning the favor and interview Phil in the coming weeks once I finish reading The New Small and giving away a copy to a lucky reader so be sure to check back!
What technology made the biggest difference for you in 2010?
January 5, 2011 by Phil Montero · 7 Comments
Let me start by wishing you Happy New Year! At the end of each year I take some time to reflect on all the things I’m thankful for and you being a reader of this blog is certainly one of them.
The end of each year also leads me to reflect on the biggest technology changes that the previous year held – not just in technology advancements but also in what technology personally made the biggest difference in my life and work.
It also makes me wonder what 2011 has in store for us. I’m sure the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held in Vegas this week will give us a glimpse into that.
In looking at the biggest tech impacts of 2010 I found a great article from TechCocktail.com:
Best of 2010 Tech, Year In Review
This year has been loaded with innovations both online and off. Many of these innovations were made by the companies we would expect, like Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. But there were also some fresh faces that pushed us to new heights. As Tech Cocktail toured the country looking at new innovations and followed known companies throughout the year, several trends became very clear: 2010 was the year of the iPad, Facebook updates, daily deal services, mobile apps and social geo-location features. Check out our list and if you think we’ve missed anything, leave a note in the comments.
Their list hit most of the major advancements of the year. Beyond what they mentioned in their list I think another big technology step was small businesses and entrepreneurs embracing cloud computing. While cloud computing certainly isn’t new it seems people took greater notice of it and a greater understanding of what it means to live and work in the clouds (watch my video intro on cloud computing). There was certainly no shortage of commercials and articles touting the benefits of the cloud.
But what about you personally? What technology made the biggest impact in your life or business? For me it was Read more
How much time is wasted at work?
December 3, 2010 by Phil Montero · 15 Comments
How much time do people waste in the workplace? A lot more than most people probably think! I came across this great infographic today in a post on Campus Socialite called Hardly Working: A Look In To Laziness In The Workplace. They grabbed these statistics from Online MBA who put together this eye opening display:
And this doesn’t even touch on all the useless meetings and other time sucks of office life – one more feather in the cap of working from The Anywhere Office! It’s a wonder anything gets done at all. With a more flexible work schedule it’s easier to schedule some of these “distractions” into your day and still get solid work time in – but when you are in the cube farm from 9 – 5 it’s a different story.
What do you think are you surprised by any of these statistics? Post a comment below and let us know!
Switching From Windows to Mac – Cut the Learning Curve
October 14, 2010 by Phil Montero · 12 Comments
This video is the basically part 3 of my series on switching from Windows to Mac. Yes I know I said it was a 2 part series but I thought this video would make a good 3rd part. In it I share 2 great resources I found that were invaluable to help me cut the learning curve. These resources let me get up to speed quickly and be productive in no time!
Here are links to the resources in case you want to check them out yourself:
Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Snow Leopard Edition By David Pogue
MacProVideo.com – Great video tutorials on Mac programs. They are running a special sale until October 20th – use these special links to take advantage of these discounts: Read more
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (17.7MB)
Switching From Windows to Mac – Part 2
October 6, 2010 by Phil Montero · 3 Comments
This is the second of my 2-part video series on why I switched from Windows to Mac (click here to see Part 1). In this video I discuss how cloud computing, being a web worker, and compatibility made this an easier switch than it would have been in the past.
In my next video I’ll share some resources I found that really helped me get up to speed quick and shortened the learning curve as a new Mac user.
Have you made the switch to Mac or been thinking about it? Post a comment below and let me know your thoughts, what has made you want to switch, or what is keeping you on Windows.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:29 — 26.1MB)
