VoIP technology that enables users to make calls over the Internet is the most cost-effective way to call long distance. It’s ideal for students who have computers but don’t necessarily have the budget for expensive landline or mobile calling plans. The most widely recognized provider of VoIP is Skype, and it’s certainly used by a large number of students around the world. However, Skype has many competitors that offer a variety of features that, in some cases, might deliver more benefits to college students living away from home.

What Skype Provides
Skype is well-known for providing free PC to PC calls. Users can simply download their software and start talking to others using Skype anywhere in the world. This is a great communications tool for those who have computers and have the technological savvy to download software and obtain the right hardware needed to make a call. Generally, a USB phone or a headset attached to the computer is what’s needed. 

Skype becomes somewhat more complicated when trying to call a landline or a mobile phone. They have a “Pay As You Go” option and a variety of subscription plans that enable users to make these types of calls. However, rates vary per minute, and they add additional connection fees. There are also limitations worth noting and a “fair usage” policy in place on all Skype plans that can affect the cost of calls.

For students who have parents and friends who are also willing to talk via PC, Skype is a good option, but there are other less complex options for dialing mobile and landline phones.

MediaRing Talk Gaining Market Share
There are a growing number of VoIP providers entering the market vying to attract loyal customers who are either new to calling over the Internet or who are looking for an alternative to Skype. One company that has increasingly become well-known on campuses is MediaRing Talk. This provider, which has actually been offering VoIP service since the 1990’s, has taken a different approach to their service by primarily deriving their income through advertising, as opposed to paid subscriptions.

Like Skype, MediaRing Talk also offers free PC to PC calls anywhere in the world. However, its unique business model also allows users to take advantage of both unlimited free PC to landline and PC to mobile calls to eight countries, including the United States, Canada, the UK, and China. Calling rates to other destinations are, in many cases, less expensive than Skype and other competitors.

By giving students the ability to make free calls to PCs, landlines, and mobile phones, and by not having a complicated or expensive billing structure, MediaRing Talk has positioned itself as a smart choice in VoIP for college students, as well as for their family and friends.

What about Magic Jack?
It’s hard to turn on a television these days and not see the high energy infomercials for Magic Jack. Promoted as an easy-to-use gadget that enables anyone to call free within the U.S. and Canada, it’s basically a computer peripheral that plugs into the USB port of a PC. Priced at $39.99, it requires an Apple/Mac or Windows XP or Vista and a high-speed internet connection to function. The company offers free service for the first year and then $19.99 per year after that.

For users who are willing to outlay the initial cost, Magic Jack delivers the benefits of making free calls. However, there have been reported complaints from some customers over problems with billing, delivery, and service. It’s also not especially beneficial for individuals who primarily call overseas or for those who want to take advantage of common VoIP services such as instant messaging with presence or phone conferencing.

Google Talk
It has been four years since Google launched the beta version of Google Talk, their free Windows and web-based application for instant messaging and VoIP. Some swear by the service and utilize it for calling PC-to-PC, instant messaging, and sending and receiving voicemails. But, the service has some distinct limitations that are worth noting. Users must be signed up for Google’s email service (Gmail) to take advantage of the VoIP application, and it doesn’t provide the ability to call PC-to-landline or PC-to-mobile phones.

For students who only need the ability to call from a PC to another PC, Google Talk is free and simple to use. But, for expanded services, there are other providers that offer more options and flexibility.

College is definitely the time for students to spread their proverbial wings and discover new levels of independence. However, staying connected to loved ones back home is still important. VoIP technology delivers that ability to call family and friends and offers it for much less than traditional phone service. Of course, there are many VoIP providers to consider. Some offer basic calling capabilities and others provide a full range of services. Costs can vary dramatically. Students are wise to compare several providers before making a decision and to read the fine print before agreeing to any subscription or plan. By taking the time to do this initial research, the benefits and cost savings of VoIP can be substantial.

Visit www.mediaringtalk.com

Young Money: You started the Baltimore City Paper in the late 70s, during your last year at Johns Hopkins, is that right? How did you get started and what kind of model was there for alternative journalism in those days? Of course the Village Voice had been around since the mid-’50s. Was that an influence for you?

Russ Smith: Yes, I started, along with my friend Alan Hirsch, [the Baltimore] City Paper (at first called City Squeeze, in a nod to the fading hippie culture) in May of ’77. We got started with almost no money, and produced our first 10 issues, sub-rosa, at the News-Letter offices, usually after midnight when no one was around. Sure, the Voice was very influential—I started reading the Voice as a 10-year-old growing up on Long Island—but also Boston’s Real Paper and the Chicago Reader were models.

YM: How long did it take before the Baltimore City Paper started to turn a profit?

RS: City Paper began as a free paper, with an ill-fated detour from ’79-’81 where we went paid, at a quarter a copy in an effort to convince advertisers it was a more serious paper. That flopped and we almost went belly-up. All the revenue came from advertising (save a modest amount of circulation revenue during the paid period). Our start-up costs, once we incorporated in ’78, were $10,000; Alan and I each scraped together $5000 from relatives. Even in ’78 dollars that was a very modest amount. We first turned a profit in ’84 and then it zoomed after that, which led to a lucrative sale of the paper in ’87.

YM: Obviously the landscape of American journalism has changed drastically in the last 30 years. What do you make of the changes that are happening—the closures, the switch to online-only publications, the New York Times spending almost twice what they’re taking in every year and running ads on the front page?

RS: First, I like ads on the front page. It’s an example of American provincialism and self-importance that it took so long for ads to be on the front page, where great European papers were decades ahead of them on that score. I can’t add anything to print journalism’s quick decline this decade—it’s well-documented that the arrogance of newspaper companies, which were accustomed to double-digit profit margins, scoffed at the digital revolution, which was apparent in the 90s, and were far too slow to adapt. Now, it’s too late. I don’t especially like the disappearance of print newspapers and magazines, but, you get used to it, just like when CDs replaced albums in the ‘80s.

YM: When you started the New York Press in 1988, what had you learned about management and publication since the Baltimore City Paper days? What did you want to do differently?

RS: When I started New York Press in ’88 I was fortunate to have more capital at my disposal. The biggest lesson I learned from the early and lean days of City Paper was how not to waste money. For example, when New York Press began, we didn’t advertise anywhere—that would be ephemeral and a waste of money on a start-up newspaper that had to evolve. Our one relatively big investment was the purchase of 300 street boxes, which served two functions: one, obviously, as a means of distributing the paper; two, it was de facto advertising, in that our logo was on the boxes. What I wanted to do differently from CP was to experiment more: obviously New York was a much harder environment for media—it was saturated with publications of all kinds, most of them really crummy—and so, with the first issue I started a column called “MUGGER,” which was economically and politically conservative, which in Manhattan was the equivalent of porn. It was a provocative column that combined politics, along with media criticism, tales of drunken nights at dive bars, memories from childhood, and, often just what popped into my head. In a sense, it was a blog.

YM: How about starting the online magazine Splice Today ? How has it been getting into the online market? And is this a concession on your part that old print journalism is dead?

RS: Yes, old print journalism is dead, but an online start-up is just as difficult as any other new business, because of the competition, the still-developing internet market, the vagaries of how to quantify readers, and the difficulty of attracting advertisers. It’s a completely different model. With weekly newspapers in one specific city, it was all fairly clear: a retailer or restaurant or health club, for example, would buy space in the paper and if it brought people into their doors they’d continue to advertise. If not, they wouldn’t. It was all local and easy to track.

YM: What advice can you offer to anyone who’s studying to be a journalist now? What kind of skills should they be learning to stay competitive and what kind of job market can they realistically expect over the next five years?

RS: The job market for aspiring journalists has never been worse, at least in my career. While there are opportunities online, the pay stinks, unless you have an established reputation. One of the great things about weekly newspapers in the past was that a 21-year-old, who didn’t have the experience to get hired at a “legitimate” publication, unless he or she were well-connected, could write like crazy and produce a body of eclectic work that would lead to better-paying jobs at dailies and magazines, although the work and atmosphere probably wasn’t as much fun.

I can’t offer any advice to young people starting out in journalism because I’m a relative dinosaur who can’t exactly decipher what the next great wave of journalism will be. It won’t disappear, and the present glut of blogs and small websites probably won’t survive the next New Journalism. But I’m betting, as I tap this out, that smart young entrepreneurs are figuring all this out, and they’ll be the ones who set the pace, not all the bitter graybeards who are pontificating about whether daily newspaper web content should be free or paid or go non-profit. All of that isn’t really germane to the future; it’ll be a new communications world and the people who are making predictions now will almost all be wrong.

Zach Kaufmann is a freelance writer and music critic at Splice Today, an alternative online publication.

Twitter has more than 50 million users but no way of generating revenue. There are no ads, no fees, nothing; which is a bit surprising for one of the fastest growing services this year. They have $55 million in venture capital and beyond that… nothing. So how are they going to pay their bills?

Twitter isn’t the only popular site with no income. Google, Inc bought YouTube for $1.76 billion and has yet to see any profits.

Even though Twitter isn’t yet making any money the company, NeXt Up Research estimates that Twitter is worth between $441 million and $589 million dollars. To put this in perspective, Facebook is worth upwards of $5 billion.

Twitter has big plans

According to DigiDaily, “Twitter claims that it has plans to generate $140 million in revenue this year.” They are in the first phase of offering premium, paid accounts. Of course, the basic Twitter service works just fine and it’s free. But major companies might want to pay for a premium account—especially if it gives them valuable information about their users. It will offer premium services like detailed analytics and “certified accounts” (accounts that certify they are owned by the ‘real’ business or person). They are considering building business-oriented application programming interfaces (APIs) to add a business layer to the company.

The basic idea is to build a set of features that people are willing to pay for, at least willing to pay something.

There are currently third party developers who make money off Twitter. Companies which help brands manage their customers and followers. Will Twitter be able to coexist with these third party developers, or will it simply push them out of business?

Many people feel that selling advertising will quickly alienate users, but others are so addicted to Tweeting that they might be willing to pay to continue using Twitter.

Follow us on Twitter: @YoungMoney.

What do you think? Would you pay to continue using Twitter?

Keeping a close eye on all bills, receipts and statements is the best way to fight back against unwanted and undeserved fees. But as we learn to rely more on cell phones for Web surfing, photo uploads, video downloads, you name it, we have to watch carefully for extra charges (some hidden) that come along.

Here are ways to keep cell phone costs under control from Cellphones.org and me:

Ask the activation fee to be waived: Today consumer is king and queen. Take advantage of the cut-throat competition between cell phone companies. Even offices in the same franchise are trying to outdeal each other. And it never hurts to ask.

Dial 411 for free: Go ahead and get that number to your favorite pizza joint, but avoid extra cell phone charges by dialing 1-800-FREE-411 or 1-800 GOOG-411.

Be courteous: Finding an overcharge or other problem on your bill does not mean you have the right to shout, demean or otherwise be rude to a customer representative. Be kind if you want the best shot at getting that charge erased or fee reduced. I recently learned I had gone through all of my roll-over minutes and racked up overage charges. A friendly phone call to my carrier helped me find a better plan and get rid of some of those charges.

Learn to read your bill: The Federal Communications Commission breaks down all those little charges and fees on a typical wireless bill. Now you’ll know where every penny goes.

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(c) 2009, Sun Sentinel.
Visit the Sun-Sentinel on the World Wide Web at http://www.SunSentinel.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (http://www.mctcampus.com) .

Well enough that Microsoft’s new search engine may be worth a try the next time you’re doing a specific kind of search on the Web, like comparison shopping for products, travel planning or searching for Web videos.

After months of rumors, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer finally presented last week at a Wall Street Journal tech conference in California.

Ballmer acknowledged that even with Bing, Microsoft still has a long way to go in the search business. The latest report by research firm comScore said Google’s share of U.S. Web searches in April was 64 percent, compared with Microsoft’s 8.2 percent.

Gaining search stature is going to take "lots of years," Ballmer told the Journal’s Walt Mossberg during the "D: All Things Digital" conference.

But Bing isn’t a frontal attack on Google as much as a collection of new search tools that challenge the market leader from different angles.

Bing is also an attempt to clarify the confusing series of identities given to Microsoft’s search service, which had previously morphed from MSN to Live.

Ballmer told Mossberg the company needed a short, memorable name different from the brands used for its Web portal and services attached to Microsoft’s Windows and Office franchises.

"We wanted something that unambiguously said search," he said in the interview, excerpts of which were posted online.

Bing also feels different. When Bing demonstrates its fancy tricks during specialized shopping searches, it feels more like a collection of Web 2.0 sites than a traditional search engine.

Instead of the simple list of results flanked by ads, with a few pictures or videos mixed in, Bing gives clusters of results with buttons, tabs and charts.

It shines when doing shopping for a particular product. The results include compilations of reviews pulled from Web sites such as Amazon.com.

Microsoft also integrated its Cashback program so that Bing displays the cash rebates Microsoft provides if you shop from participating sites.

Yet one of my first Bing searches fell flat. I searched for Hewlett-Packard’s Windows Home Server to see what sort of Cashback deals were available.

But Bing was stumped when I mistyped the name — I entered "HP medismart server" — and gave me a blank page with no results.

When I entered the same typo in Google, it asked "Did you mean HP mediasmart server?" It also guessed that my entry was a typo and gave me the MediaSmart results anyway.

Yet it’s good that Google is getting some competition.

I don’t care whether it’s from Microsoft or another company, but I’m getting uncomfortable with a single ad-funded company being the undisputed, universal portal to the Web.

Google is a wonderful tool, but it’s like getting all your news from CNN, your coffee only from Starbucks or your operating systems only from Microsoft. Those companies defined cable news, ubiquitous premium coffee and the PC platform, but it’s nice to have alternatives.

The thing about search is that it’s incredibly hard to do well, and nobody’s come close to matching the quality of Google’s service.

It’s become almost a utility, like electricity, that people take for granted. Do they care that much about the provider as long as it works well?

After spending part of a day browsing with Bing, I’m not going to pull the plug on Google.

But I’ll bookmark Bing and give it another try the next time I’m launching an intensive search, like shopping, where I’d like a wide variety of information without having to click through page after page of results.

Video searches are especially cool on Bing. It returns thumbnail images, just like other search engines. But when you hover over the images, the video starts playing right there, without clicking through.

Travel shopping is another highlight of Bing. It draws heavily on the price-prediction technology Microsoft obtained when it bought Seattle startup Farecast last year.

Other Bing standouts include listings of topics, such as local restaurants, which are displayed with maps and ratings. Buttons on the side can be clicked to tailor the search and set price ranges, again adding the sort of controls common on specialized Web sites.

Bing makes you wonder if Microsoft executives regret selling or spinning off some of the Web services it built in the 1990s, such as travel site Expedia and entertainment directory Sidewalk.

It basically re-created some of their features to give Bing its bling. Imagine what might have happened if it had rolled them into MSN Search back in 2000.
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(c) 2009, The Seattle Times.
Visit The Seattle Times Extra on the World Wide Web at http://www.seattletimes.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Used to be we had only one choice when it came to television reception over the air by using an antenna. While analog TV is destined to fade away on June 12, you will still be able to get TV signals over the air with new digital TV sets equipped with digital receivers. Older TV sets will still work using a digital receiver box. Typically the selection of stations over the air is small and limited to the local area. When you want access to literally hundreds of stations that offer just about everything you could ever want, you can choose your local cable company if there is one in your area, or choose a satellite service such as DirecTV or DISH. However, there is a new player in town (or coming to your town) that offers yet another alternative to these services, it’s from AT&T and it’s called U-verse.

U-verse delivers television programming via AT&T’s growing network of fiber optic cable. The bandwidth of fiber optic cable is enormous and U-verse takes full advantage of that capability. In addition to television services, U-verse offers high-speed Internet access of up to 18 megabits per second download and 1.5 upload. VoIP telephone services are also available. For now, however, I am going to focus on the TV offering. I have had U-verse installed in my home for about two months now and it has some unique abilities. For starters, U-verse TV comes with a DVR. Like any other DVR, it can record shows and lets you time-shift live programming. But what makes the U-verse Total Home DVR different is that it lets you network up to eight other TV sets in your home to it. The high capacity DVR will record up to 233 hours of standard definition or 65 hours of High Definition (HD).

Each TV set in your home requires a U-verse receiver to be on the network. Once connected, you can watch anything recorded on the DVR on any of the TV sets. In fact, you can watch a recorded show on one set, pause it, walk into another room and continue to watch that paused show on another TV. You can also watch the same recorded show on up to four different TVs independently of each other. I don’t know of anything out there that can do something like that. And there’s a lot more.

The fiber optic bandwidth currently brings four TV streams into your home. You can watch up to four different shows at the same time and up to three of these can be in HD. U-verse also offers Video On Demand that includes a large library of recent and older films. VOD lets you watch shows immediately so you’re not a slave to a channel’s schedule. Charges vary depending on what you want to see. Many are free while others begin at $2 and up. You also have access to some network programming such as NBC through VOD in case you missed a favorite show. And while network VOD offerings are small, it is my understanding that more networks with their shows are on the way. If you subscribe to some of the premium channels such as HBO and Showtime, much of their content is available as VOD and at no extra charge. You can also see and control the DVR via any Internet browser. So if you want to record something remotely, you can program the DVR to do so.

U-verse is still in its infancy and there’s room for lots of improvement. For example, currently you create and delete a recoding, and pause live programming only from the TV connected to the DVR. However, I am told that the next release of the U-verse software will allow you to do all of that from any of the TVs remotely connected. There are some additional user navigation issues that are still somewhat clumsy but this is the first iteration of the U-verse software and I’m sure that these will be corrected as newer versions are released.

The bottom line is that my wife, the crash dummies and I like U-verse. Changing stations is instantaneous and the overall feel is a good one. And if it’s this good right out of the gate, I can only see it getting better over time. If you can’t get cable in your area or you are unhappy with satellite service for whatever reason, check to see if U-verse is available in your area or coming soon. It’s another alternative worthy of your consideration. Check out the U-verse website for plans and pricing information.
www.u-verse.com

Craig Crossman is a national newspaper columnist writing about computers and technology. He also hosts the No. 1 daily national computer radio talk show, Computer America, heard on the Business TalkRadio Network and the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network — Monday through Friday, 10 p.m.-midnight ET. For more information, visit his web site at www.computeramerica.com.
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(c) 2009, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Get more for your gadgets

Our generation’s most treasured electronic devices include cell phones, MP3 players, laptops and game systems. Following the coolest trends means constantly upgrading to the market’s newest models. This year, when you finally get the gadget you’ve always wanted, think twice before throwing out your old electronic devices with the trash.

Why? Many electronics are made with toxic chemicals like mercury and lead that can leak into soil at landfills and pollute groundwater. Fortunately, a number of electronic manufacturers and retailers including Apple, Best Buy, Dell, Gateway and Sony have recycling programs that allow you to earn discounted merchandise or gift cards for returning outdated electronics. Here are some that we found:

• Sam’s Club members can trade in old digital cameras, laptops, MP3 players and printers in exchange for gift cards to use in their stores or Wal-Mart. Gift card amounts can range in value from $1 to more than $1,000 depending on the condition and model of the item.
• At Best Buy’s Online trading center, a working video iPod can earn you $60-$100 in store credit.
• Bringing in your iPod into any Apple retail store can save you 10 percent on any new electronic device.
• You can also donate some working electronics like old cell phones to charity for a tax write off. Learn more about electronic recycling by visiting http://www.mygreenelectronics.org/. Your savings could give you a headstart on next year’s hottest trends!
 
Put the brakes on high gas

Gas prices are soaring. Economic downturn, the oil crisis overseas, and lack of alternative energy sources mean conservation is more important now than ever. Increasing your car’s fuel efficiency can spare you pain at the pump and conserve earth’s oil reservoirs.

Driving smart can save you a ton of money. Do your part by properly maintaining your vehicle and changing your driving habits to get the most out of a tank. Here are a few tips:

• Check your tires regularly. Driving with under-inflated tires is like riding with your parking brake on. Statistics suggest that under-inflated tires can increase fuel use by three percent costing you an extra gallon of gas per mile.
• Reduce vehicle emissions and save gas by maintaining a modest and constant speed while driving. Driving at speeds above 60 miles per hour can reduce gas efficiency.
• Combine errands when possible to reduce the number of short trips taken on a cold engine.
• For short trips, try walking or invest in a bike. You can save money on gas and parking and reduce your carbon footprint. For longer trips, try hopping on the subway or your local bus.

Kill your energy bill

Okay, so maybe “kill” is a harsh word. What we really mean is that you can save tons of money by using energy wisely. Statistics show that the typical American family spends more than $1,600 a year on home utility bills, and much of that energy is wasted. Improving your home’s energy efficiency can increase your level of comfort and help the environment. 

Try these tips to save energy in your apartment or house:

• Make the switch to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFLs can last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs, use 75 percent less energy and provide a quick return on investment–saving about $30  in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime.
• Despite common belief, your screen saver can actually use more energy than turning off your monitor or putting your computer in sleep mode while idle.
• “Vampire” electronics continue using energy even when they are not in use. It is estimated that 75 percent of home energy is used while products are turned off. Be sure to unplug appliances or use a power strip and cut all power to the appliance when not in use. Playstation 3 is a good example of an electronic appliance that consumes energy even if it’s not switched on.

Bring your own bag

Paper and plastic bags used to carry groceries and most retail purchases are produced at a high cost to the environment. Government data shows that between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed globally each year.  Even more unfortunate, statistics reveal less than 1 percent of these bags are recycled.  The impact on forests could be lessened if we carried our purchases in reusable bags.

As an incentive, some grocery stores pay customers for bringing your own bag to the store. Although these sums may not be large, every little penny adds up! Here’s what we found:
Whole Foods pays customers five cents for bringing in their own bag.
Bringing in a reusable bag to participating Trader Joe’s stores could win you a cart of free groceries.

Shopping in your neighborhood can also save you the time and gas money it takes to commute to stores far away. If you have to venture outside of your local stores, try carpooling to run errands with a friend and splitting the cost.

Making Sense of Your Savings

Hopefully you’ve read our tips and now you’re inspired to live green! The bottom line is this: you work hard for your money and saving can be tough! A few small changes can keep more dollars in your pocket and help the earth out. Try our ways to go green or investigate some of your own, but remember that helping the planet is our responsibility, and the perks aren’t bad either. After all, who doesn’t want to save a few dollars?

Copy the library folder to a large flash drive or a portable disk drive. (To use an iPod, see support.apple.com/kb/HT1329.) Attach the storage device to the new PC and transfer the songs to any file folder. (If you want to use the default iTunes file folder in Windows Vista, it’s under your personal data file, whatever you named it. Then click music, iTunes and iTunes Music.) Once you’ve transferred the songs to the new PC, use the iTunes "add file to library" function (under the "file" heading) to make iTunes find the songs. (You can add all the songs at once by holding down the right mouse button to define all the song titles.)

If your transferred songs won’t play, they’re protected by Apple’s digital rights management software, which Apple is phasing out. But when you click a protected song you’ll be prompted to "authorize" the song online so it can be played on the new PC (you can authorize a song to play on up to five computers.)

Q. My wife says the text sizes in her Gmail account and Internet Explorer Favorites are very small. How can we increase the size?

A. To make the type on Gmail or other Web pages larger on Internet Explorer Version 6, go to the View heading and click "text size" to choose your font size. (On newer versions of Internet Explorer, go to the Page button on the upper right side of the screen and click either Text Size (changes the type size) or Zoom (makes everything on the page, including photos, bigger or smaller.) To make Internet Explorer Favorites text bigger in Windows XP, go to Windows Start, click Control Panel, click Display and click the Appearance tab. Use Font Size to alter the text in most Windows programs. In Windows Vista, go to Start, then Control Panel, then click Personalization. On the left choose "adjust font size."
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(Steve Alexander covers technology for the Star Tribune. E-mail your technology questions to steve.j.alexander@gmail.com or write Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488-0002. Please include a full name, city and phone number.)
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© 2009, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Visit the Star Tribune Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.startribune.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (www.mctcampus.com).

Richard Park: How did Skullcandy start? 
Jeremy Andrus: Skullcandy was founded by CEO Rick Alden. The company was based on Rick wanting to listen to music while he snowboarded and being able to take a phone call at the same time.  The concept was a simple one—developing a pair of headphones with two plugs, one for your music player and one for your phone.

That is not only the beginning of Skullcandy from a product stand point but also a cultural standpoint.  We make products that enhance our lifestyle, whether it be from a function standpoint or a brand standpoint.  But from a function standpoint, we’ve done things like use the Link technology, which is patented, into ski helmets.  So we can listen to music directly from the helmet and if someone calls me I can switch over and switch back in between my music and phone calls.  So it’s integrated into helmets and jackets. 

We sold our technology to companies like Burton.  It’s tucked into your jacket with a speaker and headphone jacks.  We built it into backpacks so you can be walking down the street listening to music with speakers in your straps. 

So a lot from a function perspective these products in which we believe help us live our life better because we like to have music.  From a brand standpoint, Skullcandy developed in action sports like snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing. It’s active sports and it’s heavy music, hip hop and indie rock.  From a brand standpoint and product standpoint we believe that what we do speaks about our lifestyle and that’s really what a good brand does.  But no one has done it in headphones and in accessories before. 

It’s all about lifestyle branding.  We consider ourselves a lifestyle company not a headphone company because we are taking that lifestyle brand and putting it on all sorts of products like apparel, T shirts, belts, hats, and iPod cases. 

Our consumers really appreciate and love our product.

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RP: It seems like you got a niche market, wouldn’t you say so? 
JA: It’s definitely youth culture focused.  I think our target audience is 14-24 years old.  But we also find that we get older consumers as well.  Conservative folks actually buy edgier products since it’s a little bit more interesting. 

RP: So what about yourself?  First off, congratulations on your promotion to President, but how did you get yourself into this business? 
JA: I started the company as Vice President of Operations and then promoted to Chief Operation Officer and then to President.  What this means is as the organization grows my role evolves from not only simply doing the day-to-day heavy lifting of the business, but it means focusing on leading people and making sure we are recruiting the right team.

At the end of the day small and grown companies win because of not only how good the concept is, but also how good the team is.  It’s a big part of my responsibility to make sure I recruit the right leadership.  I also make sure that we have a good process, so that sales are properly communicating with manufacturing, accounting, and marketing.  When we started the small company with 4-5 guys,  I was sales, I was accounting, and on a day-to-day basis I was managing accounts.  And as we change it was not about how much I can do but about how the organization functions.  Rick Alden focuses on the creative and I focus on the business. 

RP: You started off with 4-5 people, and what is it now? 
JA: We have 55 full time employees.

RP: And this was in a span of how many years? 
JA: I joined about four years ago.

RP: How did you get into the skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding market?
JA: Rick’s first venture was related to that field.  He had a snowboard event tour, and his next business was again another entrepreneurial business.  He developed the first boot binding/clicking system without straps.  He really came from that industry.  He knew pro snowboarders and he understood action sports.  Sponsoring athletes has always been part of our motto because what better way is there to gain credibility amongst action sports enthusiasts then by having the best athletes in the world knowing that Skullcandy is cool.  They are the ambassadors of the brand.  The best snowboarder/skateboarder is going to speak better to the world then anyone can because the consumer will be reading a skateboard magazine and see someone skateboarding with headphones on their head.  It’s a very authentic way of building brand, and we do it within every sports we operate in.  We have a snowboard team, a ski team, skateboard team, we even built a DJ team, because music and DJ’s are important part our music lifestyle.  So when we build our teams we go out and find the most iconic figures in their sports or in their music genres. 

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RP: What other ways do you market? 
JA: We focus on our core consumer like the skateboarders and snowboarders.  We do a lot of event marketing.  We market at skate events or clubs and parties.  We give out products like music and stickers and also hold contests.  We market online, we focus on building content on our website.  The website is the place for our consumers to come and watch videos and enter promotions, and really to learn more about the brand.  We sponsor tours, we are a big sponsor of the Warp Tour.  We do some advertising in some very focused publications like Transworld Snowboarding.  It’s really ground swell marketing.  It’s creating a buzz without plastering it on every magazine in the world. 

RP: How do you market your brand  on the online social networks? 
JA: We have Skullcandy TV.  We provide information to blogs.  We are working on applications that send announcements to people from their phones.  We’ve done things like online widgets where you can have a Skullcandy widget to store your music on.  We have a MySpace page. 

RP: What new products do you have lined up? 
JA: The Skullcandy product line really likes to get refreshed; like a fashion product line refreshes their products.  At Skullcandy we believe our product is really lifestyle- and fashion-driven so we add new products at least once a year and refresh the lineup with different ear buds and designs.  It’s really about introducing new products like Skullcandy apparel. 

RP: Any celebrities attached to the brand? 
JA: Aside from the athletes, we are launching a new series for artists.  One of our first series is the Metallica headphone.  We launched it with a music download so you can actually download the entire album after you buy the headphone.  The second one that is getting a lot of buzz is the Snoop Dogg headphones.  It’s called the Skullcrushers, which has a bass amplified subwoofer built into the headphones, so you get a real kind of bass.  We got to know him because we saw him in various public places wearing Skullcandy headphones, and so we contacted him to do a signature Skullcrushers which he designed. 

RP: Overall, how have these athletes and celebrities affected the company’s growth? 
JA: It’s been huge.  They give us an authenticity.  Rather than us going out and saying Skullcandy is cool, it has well known people wearing it and saying it’s cool.  Which appeals more to our audience.

RP: Has Skullcandy been affected by the current economic crisis? 
JA: We have not felt the impact of the economy because we have such loyal consumers.  Everyone has cut back in terms of the dollars they spend but everyone still has money to spend, and there is enough appetite for the brand for consumer spending.  We had a great fourth quarter, it was the best quarter we ever had.  And in fact we just had data which was released by the MPD that showed Skullcandy as the #2 headphone manufacturing company in the country.  So we passed up a lot of big names and it’s pretty phenomenal.  We are not a mature company. We are continuing to grow.

RP: What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs? 
JA: Starting a business is about three things:  having the right concept, having the right team to execute it, and having some money to do it.  You got to have something unique and well-established in the marketplace.  But it all starts with a great concept.

Rock Band II. Guitar Hero and Rock Band are the most popular cross platform games, and have helped breathe some life into bands you had almost forgotten. Did you ever imagine yourself being a lead singer or lead guitarist? Both games offer you an experience most people dream of: taking control of a guitar, drum set, microphone, or bass.  The only thing they don’t provide is the groupies. Both games are available for all three major systems: Wii, Xbox, and PS3.But our pick is Rock Band II: it comes in a special edition that includes a Fender guitar, new drum set, and a microphone. There are now over 500 playable songs, including AC/DC Live and music from punk rock legends the Dead Kennedys. Check out www.rockband.com.

Nintendo Wii. The Wii changed the way we think of video games. Not only is the Wii really fun, it’s exercise. It’s still the only video game console which allows you to lose weight and get in shape while playing. No more couch potato! And while you may love the classics, there’s a lot to look forward to in 2009:Wii Sports Resort, a sequel to Wii Sports, will let you play Frisbee with a dog and have a sword battle. Punch-Out!! promises to bring Wii boxing to the next level. Arc Rise Fantasia is a traditional turn-based role playing game, Muramasa: The Demon’s Blade is another RPG, this time set in ancient Japan, while the gory Madworld is all about the blood. The Conduit is a graphically impressive first-person shooter game with online multiplayer roles and voice chat that also lands at the top of our list. Finally, RockBand II will also be available for the Wii in early 2009.

Dell is Going Green. Dell is becoming fresher, cleaner, and greener. Not only are they thinking about the environment, but Dell has optimized their computers for even greater efficiency.
Take the Dell Studio Hybrid computer—it’s constructed from bamboo and only consumes a small amount of power, as compared to regular desktop computers. Also, the computer comes with a recycling kit, so rather than disposing of it in the dumpster, you can no recycle the computer and clean your conscience as well.

ezVision Video Glasses. These are just like they sound: a 50” virtual screen that fits like a pair of glasses. They are super light and have built in earphones and a rechargeable battery pack. You can use them with your iPodvideo, DVD Players, and all current video game consoles. The picture is great and they’re easy to connect. Imagine a super high-tech version of those picture wheel viewers you had when you were little and you’ll get the idea. Check out www.ezgear.com.

Vudu Home Video Player. TheVudu BX100 home video player is a direct competitor to Netflix and AppleTV.
They offer more HD movies on demand than any online rental service—1,100 to be exact. The Vudu player is a sleek black box, complete with futuristic remote control and an intuitive menu .At around $300, this is a definite threat to your local cinemaplex.