Hi Everyone!

Long time Kinetic employee, first time blogger. But better late than never, right? As many of you by now have purchased the awesome iPhone 4, you have probably been on a quest for the perfect case. While there are a lot of options out there, I came across a new company called DefaultCase that has developed a unique case design for both the iPhone 4 and 3Gs .

The thing that really caught my eye about this case is that it is initially being offered for just 1 cent. What? Yes that’s right, just one cent. That is 99.9% off the regular purchase price of $34.98 for those of you who struggle with math. Isn’t it about time we did something with those smelly little coins that collect in our pocket or car console. We don’t want to throw them out but what are we saving them for? iPhone cases my friend, iPhone cases!

Apparently DefaultCases’s 1 cent marketing strategy is paying off for them as the case is becoming very popular. I waited about 7 business days for mine, but they kept me in the loop on shipping and were very quick to respond when I emailed them inquiring about my shipment.

Ok, enough of the pitch, the really cool thing is the case. It is very low profile with a smooth but not slippery texture. The case has hundreds of tiny holes which, according to DefaultCase is part of the uniqueness to the case design, allowing for better antenna reception. I will add that since using my iPhone 4 with this case I have noticeably fewer dropped calls than with my old case which shall remain nameless Incase you were wondering. It also just looks cool and comes in a variety of colors to suite almost anyone or any mood. Heck! you could buy one for each day of the week at these prices. Shipping will run you $3.99 which brings your DefaultCase to a grand total of $4. Compared to other cases of this quality you are still saving lots of pennies.

So why am I blogging about this? Not because I am getting a kick back from DefaultCase, although a free case would be nice, but because I like to pass on info about products and services that I believe in. My new DefaultCase is one of those great products and is really turning heads with the ladies. Shipping aside, what have you got to loose but a penny? And if you don’t have a penny you can snag one from your local convenient store check out counter. Tell them you need it to buy an iPhone case.

So if you did not get in on Apple’s iPhone 4 Case Program, this is your opportunity to get a great case at an unbelievable price.

Thanks for reading.

I loved watching The Wonder Twins as a kid.  Somehow, two ordinary heroes would use their special powers to achieve crazy cool results.  Apple and Kerio are two such heroes.

I wanted to follow up our previous post by looking at the mini server landscape, and drawing some conclusions that may help the small business owner make an informed decision when looking to buy their own mini server.

First, let me point you to Daniel Eran Dilger’s latest post at AppleInsider. Please read this.  He does a fantastic job painting the picture of cost, features, performance and overall value in the mini server marketplace. He also points out all of the limitations of Microsoft’s Small Biz Server. Something Snow Leopard Server does not have.

Dan is right, as usual, except for one line (in my opinion). He states about the Mac mini Server, “There’s no missing features, no usage limitations, no client access licensing, and no essential server software that has to be purchased separately.”  If you have read my last post, then you know that although Snow Leopard Server excels in an all Mac environment, if you have to include Windows users and mobile devices besides the iPhone, the paradigm breaks down.  Kerio MailServer does an excellent job of stepping in as the 2nd Wonder Twin, to make this mini server “Activate”.

I won’t bother to cover all of  Snow Leopard Server’s features. Nor will I dive into all the great features of Kerio MailServer.  There are plenty of pages dedicated to their superpowers individually. But I do want to look at the combined cost, and ease of use of these two. I mentioned last time that Kerio does add to the cost of the Mac mini Server, but that any self respecting small business person will see the inherent value and shell out the cash.  But how much more cash are we talking about? Let’s take a look. Here are the 3 choices compared by Dan Dilger. I’ve split up the cost of the Mac mini and Snow Leopard Server just to compare the hardware and operating system cost more easily.

If you ignore the glaring performance gap in the PC vs. Mac hardware comparison, then you are looking at an extra $300 to $500 investment up front.  That’s pretty cheap.  If your business needs more than 10 email accounts (let’s say 30), then you will be spending another $400.  Still, not much in the scheme of things.

As for ease of use, Kerio does an even better job than Apple, who obviously does a smash up job compared to Microsoft. All of your Kerio MailServer settings are managed in the simple (iTunes like) Kerio Admin Console.  A few of the best features are , Open Directory integration, live highlighted text in the log files, and insanely great SPAM controls. Kerio also offers McAfee virus protection as an affordable add-on. (Some Kerio features are setup within WebMail – but it’s still a simple task to undertake, and will allow your staff to share and collaborate more freely)

As you manage your Mac mini Server, you’ll be using either Apple’s Server Admin, or Server Preferences. Here you can see Server Admin in action.

All 3 of these management tools are simple enough for the “tech inclined” business owner to figure out.  As with any server, mail or otherwise, there’s a lot of tech under hood, and things can go wrong with a few innocent mouse clicks. If you fear messing something up, then by all means, contact your local Apple Consultants Network member for help. (If you are in the DFW area, by all means, give us a call).

When sticking to 30 users or less, Apple’s Mac mini Server loaded up with Kerio MailServer is an amazingly powerful Wonder Twin for any small business. If you are stuck using an aging Small Business Server from Microsoft, it’s time to yell “Wonder twin powers – Activate”!!