Small Business en-us Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:39:17 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 5 The simple USB port has had a huge impact on our business computing lives. We attach printers, sync iPods, charge cell phones, connect mice, and plug in keyboards using some form of USB. It's comforting to know we can swap the cables around, plug and play, and just simply have things work. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:18:39 EST When the BlackBerry first hit the market more than a decade ago, little did we know the game changer it would become for businesses big and small. While we don't yet know if the new iPad will transform the business world the way smartphones have -- and most observers say it probably won't -- there's little doubt Apple's latest innovation will make will make a whole host of tasks easier, especially on the go. Here's a look at three ways small businesses could put the sexy slab to use, once it hits store shelves in March. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:10:59 EST Someone comes to you with an idea for a new business and asks for your opinion, as an entrepreneur. No doubt about it. The idea looks dead on arrival. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:20 EST Seems the ultimate TV mom of the 1970s has the pulse on a hot market for 2010: tech for seniors. Making the leap from The Brady Bunch to entrepreneurship, Florence Henderson has started the FloH Club, a membership-based telephone tech support service for seniors. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:48:41 EST In 2003, Avon Products Inc. spun off its youth-focused beauty line Mark into a Web 1.0 world. The company -- and brand -- has evolved to be anything but. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:46:41 EST With market research firm Gartner predicting that every third cell phone sold will be a smartphone by 2013, it's no surprise that wireless service packages will be constantly changing. In fact, the four major carriers have made significant changes to their plans within the past six months, says Billshrink's CEO Peter Pham. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:43:58 EST The questions about how much federal government contracting money is actually being spent with real small businesses continue. By law, Washington is required to spend 23 percent of approximately $433 billion in annual procurements with small companies. As defined by the Small Business Administration, that includes manufacturing companies with fewer than 500 employees. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:41:02 EST Small business lending dropped dramatically last year, as a consequence of the banking crisis. According to the U.S. Treasury, major banks cut their small business loan balance by $1 billion in October 2009. This came after the 22 banks receiving the most bailout money reported to the Treasury that they had decreased small business lending by $11.6 billion since April. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:36:43 EST Maybe there's no such thing as a free lunch, but there is such thing as free office space. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:34:36 EST So, you think you're tough? You're the sort of business owner who can go from city streets to forest roads, cross through the desert in summer, take a boat to meet a client and stroll across the highest level of a skyscraper construction site. Not every entrepreneur sits in a cozy office all day. When you're away from the desk and out in the elements, you need technology that can keep up with you and not fall apart into a quivering mass of circuits and silicon at the first run in with a thunderstorm. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:31:04 EST