Startup Monday: Zendesk

No business is complete without a customer service strategy and platform, and if you have customers- you need Zendesk! Zendesk is a web-based help desk and support ticketing application that gives companies a simple way to manage incoming support requests from end customers.

User reviews say that the app is super modern, clean and easy to use with little customization to get up and running. Many also report that it is a great system overall, with fun widgets and Salesforce integration.

Zendesk has led the way in revolutionizing customer service platforms. They have had some great milestones including adding Twitter data and functionality in 2010 and Facebook integration in 2011, which has allowed customer service teams to engage with Facebook users from within the startup’s popular help-desk platform. Over 20,000 companies are now using Zendesk for customer service with upcoming plans to expand around the world.

Of course, any great idea/company is not without competitors – TeamSupport, Click Desk, Freshdesk, and Desk are just a few of the competitors in this space. Does your company use Zendesk or any other online customer service company? Have they helped your business grow? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Penetralia: Privacy Matters Event Recap

On Monday night, ABCey was excited to produce Penetralia 2013: Privacy Matters sponsored by SpiderOak and Silent Circle. The event took place in conjunction with the RSA Conference happening this week here in San Francisco. The conference focuses on advances in internet security and cryptography, attracting tech professionals from all over to gather and share the latest advancements in the information security industry.

To view the Facebook album of the Penetralia 2013 photos, click here or view our main photo gallery, here!

We were delighted to work with SpiderOak and CEO, Ethan Oberman for this important event. Their service provides a secure, central location to store all of your important data without compromising the privacy of your information. They are different from giants’ Dropbox and Box in that they make data backup, synchronization and sharing 100% private, flexible and secure.

SpiderOak — the ‘Zero-Knowledge’ privacy cloud technologies provider — launched privacy into the mainstream with the unveiling of Crypton, the world’s first ‘Zero-Knowledge’ application framework. Crypton makes it possible to build cryptographically secure applications and push privacy further into the web than previously possible. Their technology offers meaningful privacy assurance to end users because the servers running the application cannot read the data created and stored by the application. It’s the closest thing to storing your information in a locked safe!

This event was also co-sponsored by SilentCircle, a comprehensive suite of simple yet secure tools for your mobile devices that was created by NAVY Seals and Silicon Valley cryptography experts.

Penetralia 2013: Privacy Matters was a great way for professionals in the industry to further the privacy-in-technology conversation. Guests were welcomed with delicious food and signature drinks such as the Encyrpto Sour or the Alice and Bob. The atmosphere was cozy with music provided by DJ Mancub of the beloved San Francisco Space Cowboy dj collective. The walls and ceilings had interactive 3D mapping showing the history and evolution of internet privacy. There was also an experiential display of two boxes entitled “Privacy” and “Security” to emphasize the difference between the two terms.

What do you think the difference between Privacy and Security is? What does Privacy mean to you? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Tech on Tuesday: Tingo

When you’re debating whether or not to attend an out-of-town event, the last thing you want to worry about is hotel prices. Nobody likes booking a hotel room only to find out that the price dropped. UGH! ABCey came across a new service called Tingo, which automatically gives you a refund if the price of your hotel room drops. As event planners, this is something great to recommend to guests and invitees of your events.

A TripAdvisor subsidiary, Tingo aims to prevent those frustrating phone calls to the hotel or booking company trying to get reimbursed. Many times, conferences and popular events will offer you hotel deals. If, however, the designated hotel is all booked up you may rely on Tingo to get ultimately get you the best deal. For example, if you’re attending a weekday event in New York City, they saw prices drop at an average of almost $40 within a 30-day period. Here for a wedding in San Francisco? 136 hotels dropped an average of $52.

Clearly, there is money to be saved and with this tool you just might be able to convince that hesitant event guest to attend your event! Furthermore, why waste that extra money when you can spend it elsewhere and enjoy the city you’re visiting a little bit more? Let us know if you’ve had any experiences with Tingo or if you’re going to give it a whirl in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Tech Tuesday: AnyMeeting

Many of us have experienced the struggle to communicate with bosses, coworkers and contractors because we’re all not in the same spot at once. We’ve recently come across AnyMeeting here at ABCey, your new best friend for online meetings or conferences and specially tailored for small businesses!

Any Meeting is super easy to use, so even first-timers will be able to find their way around the software. Users can host an unlimited number of webinars with up to 200 users per session, and several options are offered for presenters to engage with their audience. They include status updates, chats, polls and the ability to send links which will pop up your screen. There is no client software to install, which means no last minute scrambling to join the meeting.

AnyMeeting’s complete set of features include:

Holding Small or Large Sized Meetings
Screen Sharing
Playing YouTube Videos
Recording Meetings
Twitter and Facebook Integration
Sending Invites & RSVP’s
Personal Meeting URL
6-Way Video Conferencing
Social Profile Page

Let us know what you think of AnyMeeting and if you plan to give it a try! Leave us a comment below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Tech on Tuesday: Amazon’s Interactive Love Story Map

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Amazon is at it again with a new interactive map. This time targeting those who have a special place in their heart for love stories. You might recall the last time they used an interactive map of “blue” and “red” states as an attempt to follow the top political reads in America for the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Using the same idea in a slightly different approach, they have created a map with a heart inside each of the 50 states.

When you click on the heart, you’re taken to a romance novel set in that state along with additional reading suggestions. Though some picks might not scream romance, each book promises some element of love–whether it be among family, friends, high school sweethearts or simply the lessons one can learn exploring the outer boundaries of love. We think it’d be fun to choose one of the books and use it as a theme for your Valentine’s Day party!

Will you use the map to choose a Valentine’s Day read? Or perhaps as inspiration for a special way to decorate for your sweetheart? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Top 10 Travel Sites

President’s Day Weekend is right around the corner, and wouldn’t it be nice to get away for a quick vacation? There’s nothing better than a well planned and inexpensive trip. ABCey has compiled a list of the best and easiest websites for your travel needs!

1. Kayak scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fare available. The more flexible you are on time and destination, the better your chances of finding a great deal.

2. Bing Travel can help you bite the bullet and buy your ticket, or not, with its “price predictor,” which forecasts whether fares will go up or down.

3. Airfare Watchdog works best for travelers ready to take off at the drop of a deal. Their employees are constantly on travel sites waiting for price drops.

4. WhichBudget will help you build an inexpensive, overseas flight plan by using local, budget airlines — a great way to save on international travel.

5. Dishtip organizes the world of eating out in the United States a whole new way. You let it know a specific dish you want to eat, and it will find the best restaurants in the area with that particular item (rated by reviews, etc).

6. Hotels.com lets you search just one site for accommodations at more than 150,000 properties. It’s particularly great for it’s last-minute deals.

7. iExplore offers more adventurous trips (hiking and biking, for example), as well as multi-sport tours. It also boasts expert advice on “experiential travel,” such as a wildlife safari or a culinary tour.

8. Google Flights shows all flight prices on the web on one simple to use page.

9. Yapta tracks fares for you and will shoot you an e-mail or Tweet if the cost of your selected flight drops. After you buy your ticket, if the price falls below what you paid, most airlines and online travel agencies will refund you the difference, usually in the form of travel credits or vouchers.

10. Expats Blog is an extremely useful information tool by expatriates who have lived in a destination long enough to know it intimately, but still maintain an outsider’s perspective.

Do you think you’ll take advantage of these sites? Let us know if you any of these aid in your vacation planning in the commments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

TechCrunch Crunchies Coverage: Biggest Social Impact

ABCey Events is super excited for tomorrow’s 2012 Crunchie Awards here in our beloved SF! For our final awards coverage, we wanted to spotlight the startups that are up for Biggest Social Impact, those that have contributed to some meaningful and significant social impact in our society.

1. Donors Choose – Donors Choose is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers post classroom project requests on the site, and one can give any amount to the project that most inspires. When a project reaches its funding goal, Donors Choose ship the materials to the school. In return, donors get photos of the project taking place, a letter from the teacher, and insight into how every dollar was spent. Give over $50 and you’ll also receive hand-written thank-yous from the students. This truly makes giving back an easy and fun task. After all, we’ve all been there when someone ate all the glue.

2. Indiegogo – Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform where people who want to raise money can create fundraising campaigns to tell their story and get the word out. Indiegogo is also a place to discover what people all over the world are passionate about and how to get involved. IndieGoGo campaigns receive all the money they have been pledged, whether the initial funding goal was reached or not. IndieGoGo is available internationally.

3. Kickstarter – Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. They are particularly useful and great for finding and funding creative projects such as music albums or indie movies. Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers’ credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.4. Kiva – Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Loans funded through Kiva have a 98 percent repayment rate, so the money you lend to a small business owner is likely to come back to you. By connecting people through lending, Kiva has empowered small businesses and served as an important catalyst for positive change and job growth.

5. Reddit – Reddit is a source for what’s new and popular on the web. Users like you provide all of the content and decide, through voting, what’s good and what’s junk. Links that receive community approval bubble up towards #1, so the front page is constantly in motion and (hopefully) filled with fresh, interesting links. This is far more effective and significant than when you “like” something on Facebook. Interestingly, Mashable has a complete section devoted to “Reddit Facts” learned each week.

Which of these startups have made the most social impact on your life? Who did you vote for? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Startup Monday: DudaMobile

We all have had that annoying and frustrating experience while on our mobile phones… when a particular web-page we try to view just won’t load properly, is a tiny version of the desktop website or the formatting is all wrong! This week, we are excited to feature DudaMobile, a simple mobile website builder that offers features geared toward small businesses including one-click site conversion, auto-sync between the regular site and mobile site, click-to-call widget, mobile maps and site analytics.

Having a mobile site is becoming a necessity. As reported recently in CNET News, almost 1/3 of all Internet search traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets. “In some categories, such as restaurant search, mobile already accounts for that share of search. And in several categories important to advertisers — electronics, beauty, finance, and autos — mobile searches are rapidly climbing.”

Cliff Sarkin, Duda’s Director of Operations tells us, “as more and more people search and browse the web on their mobile devices, businesses are stepping up their game to get in front of their customers by having a mobile presence. Duda is knocking down hurdles by making mobile websites easy to build and cost effective.”

At ABCey, we’ve just created our new mobile site and found our experience with Duda to be quick and fun! And, we love the results! Check it out below — and on your iPhone, Android or Blackberry.

While they do offer a custom build option, DudaMobile is primarily a DIY (do-it-yourself) website maker. You can create your mobile site in 3 fairly simple steps which we pictured below. Once in the editor, you can choose from a large selection of templates and pallets, and there are lots of ways to customize your own design.

DudaMobile was first launched as a white label platform in 2010; now it is a self-service website builder. They now host more than 3.2 million mobile sites, with the addition of 100,000 sites monthly!

Our favorite advantage of using Duda is that their patented auto-sync technology keeps your mobile site automatically updated, reflecting any changes made to your original website with zero maintenance necessary. How much does it cost? Only $9/mo. They also have a free offering (with limited features and banner ads).

What are your thoughts on DudaMobile? Let us know if you’ll get mobilized with Duda in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Tech on Tuesday: IllumiRoom

What’s better than seeing your favorite movie on a giant screen in a (somewhat comfortable) movie theater chair? Seeing your favorite flick on a big screen with the movies’ atmosphere recreated in your own room- making it worlds more realistic- and way more appealing on your own comfy couch! ABCey came across this new Microsoft invention we just have to share with you.

IllumiRoom is the new Microsoft invention blurring the lines between real and fake. In better terms, it uses a Kinect for Windows camera and a projector to blur the lines between on-screen content (the movie, video game, etc) and the environment we live in, allowing us to combine our virtual and physical worlds. It takes away the reality that we are, in fact, only watching a movie or playing a video game.

The Microsoft press explains the technology behind this idea: “Our system uses the appearance and the geometry of the room (captured by Kinect) to adapt the projected visuals in real-time without any need to custom pre-process the graphics. What you see in the videos below has been captured live and is not the result of any special effects added in post production.”

Would you install this in your home? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

ABCey’s Top Gadgets from CES 2013

For those who don’t know about CES (The Consumer Electronics Show), it’s the gargantuan annual gathering of the gadget industry. CES takes place each winter in the Las Vegas Convention Center, a complex so massive that it spans a highway. It was reported that this year, many of the best products came out of startups, and even Kickstarter!

We also saw that CES 2013 featured more innovation from the digital health and fitness world than ever, including everything from health monitoring devices to mobile fitness apps. Also, there was a star studded guest appearance by President Clinton, who discussed the importance of mobile technology to help people around the world.

We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite products that we hope you enjoy!

1. Interaxon’s Mind Controlled Headset | Interaxon designed Muse, a four-sensor brainwave headband to work with brain health, fitness, stress management, and other applications. Sensors in the headset read electrical frequencies emitting from the brain’s neurons (electroencephalography or EEG). Though this is old technology, Interaxon’s adaptation resulted in a lightweight headset that syncs what you’re thinking with an iOS or Android device- potentially very convenient.

2. Nano Nails touch screen stylii | For a woman with long nails and a touch screen smart phone, it can be a little difficult to get a lot done. Fortunately Sri Vellanki of Tech Tips created an over-the-fingetip stylus- but it then became a challenge to make it fashionable. Nano Nails uses the same design, but places it underneath the fingernail. In May, they will be available in a full press-on nail, or nail tip for around $10 per pack (4 or 6).

3. Moneual Smart Table | This Touch Table PC is going to revolutionize the restaurant industry. The idea of going to a restaurant, looking over the menu, ordering and paying, all without the waiter (and tempermental attitude) sounds beyond appealing. It can also be used for surfing the web, reading newspapers and magazines, and even playing music. We don’t know yet when it will be released, but hopefully soon!

4. Fitness Sensor Earphones | The Iriver, by Valencell, has taken a little longer than expected, but will be available in March of this year. The best thing about the Iriver On is that it’s integrated with a device you already wear while exercising: earphones. There are no annoying clip on’s; you just monitor your heart rate, distance, cadence, speed, and calories burned while you rock out to your favorite songs. There is an app that will process all of the information it collects, as well.

5. Soft Headphones for Sleeping | SleepPhones “pajamas for your ears” were invented for those who want to lie down while listening to music with a pair of headphones. Regular headphones or earphones tend to feel uncomfortable and cause an slight annoyance, especially while you rest on your side. It can even be used on a flight as an eye-mask…that plays your music. How rad!

6. Cloud-based computer | Dell Wyse, the cloud computing subsidiary of the American Dell electronics company quietly revealed its latest product- Orphelia. This cloud-based computer on a USB-like device is going to be your best friend. It easily converts any TV or computer monitor into a functioning computer. This small device boasts an Internet accessible capability, keyboard and mouse support. Long gone is lugging your computer around on business trips or family vacations. Orphelia is all you’ll need.

Which of these products are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook & Twitter.