Ah look at this…Android the Google Cell phone operating system is nearing release!  T-mobile may carry the first phones, but they’ll come with a marketplace just like Apple’s “App store” on the iPhone.

But Android is open source so you can get some really cool applications for it.

For example:

How about using the camera in your phone to take a photo of a bard code on the product you are looking to buy…then having it go out on the Internet and bring back comparative prices?  Yeahhhhh baby.

“Bye bye” new iPhone market share…I’m holding out for Android.

MSNBC News link about android: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26674814/

BrandDoozie – Do it yourself marketing , why not?  Actually, this could be kind of interesting.  Not everyone can afford to create great collateral when they are first getting started.  If you are a tech company, you should budget for it…if you are mowing lawns, you may not care.

This is kind of interesting….

• Create a Logo
• Use Stock art and templates to create a brand
• Create documents and publish them as PDFs

I had to create an account to test things out…they used Flash for interactivity, makes sense and it looks like a lot of work…unfortunately, the site would stall when making complex changes.  I finally closed it out and gave up.  It could still be a good idea…even though it’s all template based.  It would be nice to have some elements that are modified to suit your colors and then be able to upload your logo and create some simple sales sheets, etc.  Maybe soon, it’s still in beta.

If you are like me, your to do lists range from using your email inbox to using sticky notes.

I don’t have to tell you that none of those work very well.  In search of a better option to help organize, we started using Basecamp by 37 signals.  There are other GTD (Get things done) applications, but we use this for our business communication so it was natural to use it for daily organization and personal organization.

I started with creating a personal project…these are personal items I need to do, i.e. get the oil changed, take my daughter out on a date, you get the point.  From here, I can create To-do lists daily…and anything left from the previous days list I can move to the new list for today and then prioritize the to-do items.

This gives me rolling to-do lists and I can see what’s been carried over from last week and what’s new.  I can organize them by priority or when something is due by setting a milestone.  Each morning, I create a to-do list for the day and fill it based on appointments, emails, previous to-do lists, project tasks, or obstacles any of our programming teams are facing.  This let’s me see everything that needs done and let’s me choose what’s most important and get it done first.

In addition, I can also use Basecamp to track time for each item…I haven’t found a really good use for that yet with my personal lists, but I’m sure I will.

Remember to stay organized > stay efficient > make progress in business and your personal life.