Thanks to the folks at WOMWorld/Nokia I have received a brand new Nokia E7 mobile device to evaluate. I made the following video of the opening of the package and unboxing the device. It is embedded below, or follow this link and view it on YouTube.

As you can see (if you watched it) WOMWorld/Nokia outdid themselves again and created a custom outer wrapper for the device with a tweet I sent and signed by Nokia’s new CEO Stephen Elop.

The E7 is a solid device – made of metal, and feels solid when you hold it. This isn’t the first time I held an E7, as I got to try a pre-release model owned by Nokia staff when I went to Microsoft TechEd last fall in Berlin, but this is the first time I got to try it out myself. As a result, I gave the slide-up of the display to expose the keyboard a good workout, for as I said in the video, I work a device to its fullest extent!

Off To The Races But With Caution

Now that I have unboxed the E7, I will charge it, put in my T-Mobile SIM card, sync the device with my contacts and calendar and use it as my primary device. I am interested in getting to know the Symbian^3 operating system, use the camera and make my own observations on it, take advantage of the full keyboard and just plain see how it works for me.

That being said, as I was charging it and I was getting a feel for device, I made an observation I hadn’t heard before – there are no holes in the device to attach a wrist strap! I say this with an exclamation, as every Nokia device I have used over the years – going back to the Nokia 105 I had in the early 90’s - had them. Though I don’t have a wrist strap on my Nokia E72, I see the need for one on the E7 namely due to how I see using the camera. As it has a full touch screen and with the positioning of the shutter button, I would want the strap for both positioning the camera and ensuring I don’t drop the device! As the E7 has a flip screen, I can’t see how a case could be wrapped around it which would have wrist strap holes.

Look for more to come on the E7. Is there something you would like me to try out on the device? Share your ideas and thoughts in the comments for this post.

Did you enjoy reading this? You are welcome to subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS feed or by email.

Build • Mobile Technology • Technology • (3) Comments • Permalink

The next likemind will be Friday, April 15, 2011 in dozens of cities around the world.

In Chicago, it will be at Argo Tea, 140 S Dearborn St. at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets in the Loop from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.

I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more on likemind, read this great article on likemind Chicago from the Newcity and likemind from the New York Times.

Follow @likemindchicago on Twitter. You are welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.

Watch for future date announcements at http://likemindchicago.com/ - and Web site coming soon at that address!

Did you enjoy reading this? You are welcome to subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS feed or by email.

Announcements • Thrive • Web Design • Web Development • likemind • (0) Comments • Permalink

Can QR codes be artistic? Of course, and if you need examples right away check out the QR Arts site. When large corporations use QR codes, many notice. When major corporations do something artistic with QR codes (or anything artistic for that matter) people notice even more. That is, if you recognize it is an artistic QR code.

The accompanying photo is of a bus kiosk ad in Chicago for Time magazine. The familiar red border of Time is clearly visible. It looks like soldiers are walking in a swamp, but they are actually walking in a QR code! The code itself is rotated 180 degrees so all 3 large corner squares are visible, which is a very valid use for them. It is also angled back. Both of these are why I question if to the casual person walking by, will they realize it is a QR code? Upon scanning the QR code, you are taken to a page on Time’s Web site on the topic of war.

What do you think – upon first glance would you think this is a QR code? Your thoughts are welcome in the comments for this post.

Did you enjoy reading this? You are welcome to subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS feed or by email.

Business • Mobile Technology • QR Codes • QR Codes In Action • Technology • (4) Comments • Permalink

We at my Web consulting firm Dunkirk Systems, LLC are proud to announce the re-launch of a Web site that barely looks different than before, but has a completely new infrastructure behind the scenes.

Valcour Strategic Group, LLC is a long-time Dunkirk client and we have collaborated on mutual client projects in the past. Valcour is a Strategic Growth Focused Consulting Services Firm committed to developing and launching New Technology Products that benefit the Water, Food, and Beverage Processing Markets in North America. Their Web site at www.valcourstrategic.com has been live for several years, and has been a static Web site, meaning any changes to the content of the site were a technical task to change hard-coded Web pages. This posed issues with making even the smallest of changes as soon as they were needed. Valcour needed greater content management capabilities with their Web site, but their needs were straight-forward and didn’t need a robust CMS, at least not yet.

After making many changes to their Web site and understanding their needs, I felt a new CMS called MojoMotor would solve their needs, and it is now live powering their Web site. MojoMotor was released last fall by EllisLab, who also offer ExpressionEngine, Dunkirk’s preferred CMS upon which we have built many client Web sites, blogs and forums. MojoMotor positions itself as “the publishing engine that does less,” and the question was if less was more for Valcour. After reviewing the technology with Norman LaVigne, Valcour’s founder and president, he gave the ok for the project.

So how has MojoMotor worked for Valcour? In hs own words, Norman said, “I have made numerous text updates since going live with MojoMotor. I like the ease of doing this so I can tweak something on the site quickly and keep it aligned with my business without having to accumulate changes and do them all at once later.”

Dunkirk is now offering MojoMotor as part of our CMS offering. There are many times when a robust CMS is needed, and in some cases it is not. A great feature of MojoMotor is a built-in upgrade path to ExpressionEngine. Where a Web site may start out with basic needs, when those are exceeded, there is a path to expansion, and greatness!

Did you enjoy reading this? You are welcome to subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS feed or by email.

Announcements • Build • Web Development • (2) Comments • Permalink

On Wednesday Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill repealing the death penalty in the state. The next day Quinn signs a bill into law creating a new death penalty, for Illinois Internet entrepreneurs.

House Bill 3659, what was commonly referred to as the Amazon tax bill, changed the definition of what is an out-of-state retailer. If a company has a physical presence in a state and someone from that state buys from them, they must collect taxes on that purchase. If someone from one state buys something from a company in another state, that company does not have to collect taxes on that sale, and – many people don’t know this – the purchaser must report to their home state what taxes they “should have” paid to their state on that purchase! As many people buy online from firms outside of their home state, they avoid paying sales tax.

The Amazon bill targeted Amazon.com and other companies who do not have a physical presence in the state, but do have affiliate marketers in the state. In the case of Illinois, someone like myself, and thousands of others who place links on their Web sites for products, now are considered a physical presence in Illinois for that company. As an Amazon Affiliate, by being in the Land of Lincoln, in the eyes of Pat Quinn, State Senate President John Cullerton and the rest of the short-sighted legislators who voted for this, Amazon IS in Illinois if someone buys from a link on my Web site.

Amazon, Overstock, other out-of-state retailers, myself and many others believe this is unconstitutional. It was pushed by in-state retailers as a way of “leveling the playing field.” But does it really? By canceling affiliate partnerships with Illinois businesses and residents, Amazon remains an out-of-state retailer. Illinois residents can still purchase from Amazon and others and not pay sales tax. Illinois businesses and residents who earned affiliate revenue previously no longer are – and those people were paying taxes on their earnings!

As a result, this is a true lose-lose situation for the fiscally unstable State of Illinois and its residents. But don’t try telling Pat Quinn this. This is the same person, in his budget for the state, had a line-item for repairs to the Governor’s Mansion. Meanwhile, the state is not paying its bills. A disaster if there ever was one.

For myself personally, I did not make a significant amount of money from Amazon. There are many out there whose sole income is from affiliate marketing, both individuals and businesses. There’s no wonder New Jersey, Wisconsin and Nevada have been trying to lure Illinois-based businesses to their states.

Below is the text of the email I got from Amazon canceling my affiliate accounts. A great article on the math of the Amazon tax bill at the Chicagoist blog is worth reading. There is also a lively conversation at Revenews on this as well. I welcome your thoughts on this move by Illinois in the comments for this post.

Hello,

For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of Illinois residents. Unfortunately, a new state tax law signed by Governor Quinn compels us to terminate this program for Illinois-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by Illinois-based affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.

We had opposed this new tax law because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It was supported by national retailing chains, most of which are based outside Illinois, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that its enactment forces this action.

As a result of the new law, contracts with all Illinois affiliates of the Amazon Associates Program will be terminated and those Illinois residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to April 15, 2011 will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of April 15, 2011, any final payments will be paid by July 1, 2011.

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of Illinois. If you are not currently a permanent resident of Illinois, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state after April 15, please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.

To be clear, this development will only impact our ability to continue the Associates Program in Illinois, and will not affect the ability of Illinois residents to purchase online at [url=http://www.amazon.com]http://www.amazon.com[/url] from Amazon’s retail business.

We have enjoyed working with you and other Illinois-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to Illinois residents.

Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

Did you enjoy reading this? You are welcome to subscribe to The Hot Iron by RSS feed or by email.

Blogging • Business • Thrive • (4) Comments • Permalink