As a small business owner, and someone who comes from a family that owns a medium sized business, I know how important it is to run any company in the most efficient manner possible. Of course, to know if our business is being run in an efficient manner, we first need to track the current operations processes, and then analyze where improvements can be made based on the information collected.

Some improvements will be obvious from analyzing the necessary data, and others will take more planning and thought, but there are certainly improvements that can be made by any business, no matter the industry or sector. The more information we have collected on our operations, the better we will be able to streamline our processes, and in turn, cut down on costs. Any time we can lower overhead and increase production will result in increased profitability.

Computer software has the ability to help businesses better track performance, organize operations, and ultimately improve efficiency. I would say that in most industries, using a performance tracking software is necessary for success. One software supplier I have found that offers a range of business software solutions is called IBS. They offer supply chain management software which can help your business remain competitive by collecting and providing the data that your business needs in order to work in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

One thing I noticed while browsing the IBS website, is that they offer distribution software which is specifically tailored to companies looking to improve the efficiently of their warehousing operations. The software is designed to help businesses better optimize their warehouse by better managing delivery orders, managing large volumes of transactions, and helping to eliminate errors in the order entry process. The software is able to span multiple warehouses, and has a large range of functions which will be useful to the business owner or warehouse manager.

IBS also offers software solutions for other types of businesses, so check them out if you’re looking to improve the efficiency of your business operation.

Google has officially unleashed their Android source code for the world to see! They unabashedly proclaim that “this is probably the largest repository of open source code that has been released at any one time” – with the code being a very large 2.1GB, that could certainly be true.

In case you were wondering (and out of the loop), the iPhone is a closed-book kind if gadget, with Apple taking a completely opposite approach from Google. In fact, this is the only instance where a mobile’s complete OS code has been released. Geeks are certainly rejoicing.

The code is all-inclusive from the Linux built OS to the Java applications, which include a web browser, email, and instant messaging clients. The Android website provides further details and instructions.

The beauty of the internet is that when you write about things you’re interested in, you get to meet other people interested in the same things. A few days ago I wrote a few thoughts about “geocontent,” and a user named “deprimer” commented on my article and pointed me toward Socialight.

Socialight is probably the closest thing yet to what I’ve been writing and talking about for years. It’s a site that allows you to easily link content to a specific geographic location. Within 3 minutes of arriving on the site, I had an account and had created my first “sticky.” A sticky is a way to say, “Hey, this content is useful to this location.”

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The browser wars have been heating up lately with the recent releases of Firefox 3 and Opera 9.5. As a long-time Phoenix Firebird Firefox user and recent convert to Opera Mini (which is excellent, btw) on my Treo, I thought I’d run these two through their paces to see what they are made of. The hits and misses after the jump.

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The problem with the Internet is that any whacko with a connection gets to throw out his/her opinion, however wrong it may be. The Internet’s saving grace is that other whackoes can point out just how wrong the first whacko is.

Charlie Barratt wrote an article over at GamesRadar in which he points out that Wikipedia is nothing more than a haven for nerds. Sure, there may be millions of articles, but they are all about nerdy things. Wikipedia lacks real meat.

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It’s been almost one year to the day since I posted my article on TechConsumer about why “Web 2.0″ wasn’t enough, and how “geocontent” might just well be the next big thing.

I’ve yet to change my opinion.

During the past year I have seen many strides taken by many companies in the effort to link content to location. Google is interested; Yahoo is interested. We all know the latest iPhone will have GPS. It is no longer a question of if it will happen, but rather, the question is when will it happen. And who will be the big winner?

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Today’s big announcement comes from Rhapsody, the online music service previously known for its subscription-based streaming music for a monthly fee. Well, turns out people are more interested in owning their music rather than renting. So now we have another major competitor for iTunes and Amazon MP3.

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It’s been nearly a week since I installed Firefox 3. And though the end result is largely positive, the process wasn’t free of complications. As I’ve discussed before, sure enough, my major issues revolved around the Firefox catch-22: extensions.

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Ever find yourself shopping online and see something you like, but you don’t want to pay full price for it? Wish you had a way of knowing as soon as it goes on sale? Enter Savvy Circle. The site loves a bargain just as much as you do and tries to satisfy all you sale-loving, window-shoppers who shop smart.

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A few days ago TechMeme picked up a story at Search Engine Land about how Firefox doesn’t make you choose a search engine. Firefox 3 was recently released, and as always Google is still the default search engine. Sure there are some other search engines you can select but why doesn’t Mozilla give you choice? The answer…after the jump.

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