Software Industry Announcements and News
Software Marketing with SoftwarePromotions: a New Name for the Same High Standards
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.29.10 under ASP Member Companies, Business
SoftwarePromotions, formerly known as SharewarePromotions, have a range of new services for online businesses to maximise exposure, gain market share and increase sales. With the recession behind us and recovery underway, now is the time to gain market share.
New Forest, Hampshire, UK (PRWEB) January 29, 2010 — With the worldwide recession over, consumers and businesses alike are reaching for their wallets and opening their budgets. Companies fortunate enough to have survived the economic downturn are already seeing an upturn in spending. Now is the time to be seen. And SoftwarePromotions Limited (formerly SharewarePromotions Limited) are delighted to announce a range of new services for maximising online exposure.
According to Dave Collins of SoftwarePromotions, there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence to suggest that individuals and businesses alike are once again spending – and in some sectors they appear to be making up for lost time.
“Website analytics showed us that while the number of visitors to most websites remained static during the recession, many online businesses saw a fall in conversion rates. However the trend appears to have been reversed. We’re now seeing higher conversion rates and more sales across the board.”
And while many are still feeling the after-effects of the global downturn, there’s little doubt that spending is back. According to Dave Collins, now is the time to be visible. “Hatches that were battened-down need to be opened up quickly. It’s time to start making a lot of noise again”.
“Google AdWords is as viable a solution as ever before, and most industries are seeing less competition than a couple of years ago. Now is the time to gain market share. Now is the time to take advantage of lower costs”.
SoftwarePromotions is an online marketing company with more than twelve years of experience. With a team of qualified AdWords Professionals, Google AdWords Management is one of the opportunities that they offer companies wishing to reach the world with their products and services.
Further information and a no-obligation AdWords Account Audit may be found at http://www.softwarepromotions.com/adwords-pr.asp.
SharewareJunkies.com reviews Modern Investment Technologies SmartFolio
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.25.10 under ASP Member Companies, Business
Reviewer Arthur Williams Jr. takes a good look at SmartFolio. SmartFolio is an investment tool that uses a number of different methods to analyse financal data so that the smart invester cdan make better investment calls. It can use data from a number of sources and provides multiple methods of analasis.
With SmartFolio you can use walk-forward optimization, Value-at-Risk methodology (VaR), and the Black-Litterman mathematical model for portfolio allocation too.
Arthur highly recommended SmartFolio.
To read the complete review go Here.
eCommerce Provider Avangate Announces Strategic Plan for 2010
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.23.10 under ASP Member Companies, Business, Development
Focus on software sales channel integration, optimization and expansion into emerging markets
AMSTELVEEN, The Netherlands–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Avangate, full service provider of electronic software distribution and reseller management solutions for software vendors, sets strategy for 2010 with focus on sales channel integration: direct online, affiliates and reseller partner network.
“Our approach regarding sales channel integration will enable software vendors to leverage each available channel while reducing overall management costs.”
Furthermore, Avangate will bring in even more services and tools in the areas of localized search engine marketing, web usability, shopping cart optimization, web analytics & multivariate testing, social media and email marketing to proactively help clients maximize revenues through optimization of software sales related processes and marketing campaigns.
“Avangate has seen significant growth in 2009 despite the economic crisis and we have great confidence in our 2010 evolution”, mentioned Carmen Sebe, CEO at Avangate. “Our approach regarding sales channel integration will enable software vendors to leverage each available channel while reducing overall management costs.”
Sebe added, “Continuing on the successful cooperation with Intel for the Intel® Business Exchange Store in Europe and with partners such as TrialPay, Uniloc or Alipay -, Avangate will establish additional strategic integrations with key players in the industry. The aim is to enhance exposure and sales opportunities as well as to increase return and reduce effort for our clients’ sales and marketing departments.”
Avangate will keep on expanding its offering to cater for key global regions such as the BRIC countries. This is in line with the current strategy to support software vendors’ expansion plans and to assist them implement more effectively their eCommerce and channel distribution strategies on targeted local markets.
About Avangate
Avangate provides electronic software distribution and reseller management solutions assisting software vendors worldwide sell and promote their software online as well as through channel and distribution networks.
Tailored for software sales, the company’s offer includes a full-featured, secure eCommerce platform, results-driven web marketing services, an affiliate network and the ARMS reseller management system. Avangate’s expertise in the software business can help vendors increase their visibility on the Internet, maximize access to additional selling channels and generate software sales online and offline.
More information can be found on the corporate website, at www.avangate.com, and on the company’s blog, at http://blog.avangate.com/
Taxes, Refinancing and Mortgage Modification: Four Useful Tips
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.23.10 under Business
If you’re like most Americans, April 15 is not your favorite day of the year. The day the tax forms are due. With all of the economic upheaval, filing this year may be trickier than others, which weren’t all that easy in the first place. If you are a first –time buyer refinanced your home or had your mortgage modified, though, the extra complexity could work in your favor.
Ryan Boyajian is President of We Save Homes, Inc., a software company whose eTurboMod package makes applying for a loan modification as easy as filing your taxes with any of the programs that have become so popular lately. He offers some advice for homeowners who want to take advantage of the many changes to the tax code that were recently passed.
“First off,” he says. “get an expert opinion if you are unclear about whether you can take certain deductions or claim various credits. That doesn’t mean you need a lawyer or accountant. The IRS will let you know your status. The key is to call them now because it April, you’ll probably get a busy signal.
“Second, to get most of these deductions and credits, you’ll have to itemize your deductions by filling in Schedule A. That’s extra paperwork, but we’re talking about saving thousands of dollars. And there are plenty of other deductions that you can claim beside mortgage-related items that make this worthwhile.
“Third, pay special attention to recent innovations. For example as of 2007, cancelled or forgiven mortgage debt doesn’t count as income that you have to report. So, it you had more mortgage modified in 2009, the amount forgiven won’t count against you. Your lender will have to send you a 1099-C form. If you don’t get one soon, call and ask for it. In most cases, this applies to refinancing situations. And if you paid points for a refi, that’s deductible as well.
“Fourth, remember that your state may have different rules than the federal government. Check with your local tax authority to see if there is a special part of your local tax code that can save you even more.”
Get Organized With the Powerful Information Manager
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.22.10 under Business
CSoftLab has announced the release of C-Organizer Professional 4.0, the new major version of the advanced information manager providing the tools to organize and conveniently store all the important info in one place. The new version supports the Standard, Mixed and Ribbon interfaces, various color schemes, ensuring that a user will get comfortable with the program in no time.
If you store the important information in several places, you most likely suffered the inconvenience of this method. Retrieving contact info, looking for a sketch or in a pile of assorted papers, remembering all the appointments and scheduling meetings can come as a quite complicated task. What you need in this case is an integrated solution for information management that will store all the necessary info, so that you would always know where it is and be able to find it with just a few clicks. To meet this need, CSoftLab has developed C-Organizer Professional.
Designed to make information management quick and easy, C-Organizer Professional enables a user to plan and organize business and personal life, thus helping to save time and improve productivity. The comprehensive software offers a planner, an address book, password and bookmark managers, a notebook and a calendar of events all rolled into one PIM that smoothly integrates with your default e-mail client and web browser.
C-Organizer Pro features built-in Calendar to schedule tasks, appointments and meetings. And you can be sure that you don’t miss anything: the smart program will remind you of an upcoming deadline, holiday, birthday and other important events. The PIM allows you to make To-Do lists for your employees and teammates, group them and share over the network.
The program also offers the Address Book that allows storing pictures along with the usual contact info and features easily configurable database structure. To prevent information leaks, your sensitive data can be password protected and encrypted. You, on the other hand, will be able to access your info anytime, even while on the go, thanks to the support for synchronization with Pocket PC and Palm devices.
Pricing and Availability
C-Organizer Professional runs under Microsoft Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7, and costs $49.95 for a license. Licensed users are entitled to unlimited technical support and free lifetime updates. Further information on the product as well as its free 30-day evaluation version is available at http://www.csoftlab.com/C-OrganizerPro.html.
About CSoftLab
Founded in 2000, CSoftLab is an independent software development company focused on providing information management solutions. C-Organizer Professional edition remains the company’s bestselling title since the product launch in 2001. Originally developed in 2001, the program has since gained wide recognition from media and enjoyed popularity among customers. For more information, please visit www.csoftlab.com.
Digital River and Softonic Announce Strategic Partnership
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.13.10 under ASP Member Companies, Business
MINNEAPOLIS & BARCELONA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV), a leading provider of global e-commerce solutions, and Softonic, a leading European software download site, announced a strategic partnership. As part of a joint agreement, Digital River acquired a less than 15 percent ownership stake in Softonic for a $26 million USD cash investment. Digital River’s final percent of ownership in the privately-held, Barcelona-based business will be determined based on Softonic’s future financial performance. Softonic will maintain its independence and organizational structure. Softonic is recognized as a top download site and market leader in software downloads in Europe and Latin America, offering thousands of software titles for Windows, Macintosh and mobile phones.
“We are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Softonic and excited to work with them in offering the global marketplace an unrivaled collection of downloadable software titles”
As part of the strategic partnership, Digital River will become the exclusive third-party e-commerce provider for digital buy-now software titles on the Softonic site and significantly increase Softonic’s existing software catalog by adding a major portion of Digital River’s collection of approximately 100,000 downloadable software titles. The expanded software collection will provide Softonic added opportunity to drive global sales and strengthen its leadership position in key markets.
“We are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Softonic and excited to work with them in offering the global marketplace an unrivaled collection of downloadable software titles,” said Joel Ronning, Digital River’s CEO. “By working as their e-commerce partner and marketing our software catalog through Softonic, we are expanding our presence in the European marketplace and further differentiating our e-commerce solution from our closest competitors in the region. Through this agreement, we can deliver even more value to our global software clients, broadening their market reach by giving them access to a sizeable population of European software consumers that frequent the Softonic site.”
“The announcement of our relationship with Digital River reflects our ongoing commitment to developing key alliances with industry leaders that expand our position in strategic markets such as the US and Asia and reinforce our leadership presence in Europe and Latin America,” said Tomás Diago, founder and president of Softonic. “There are great synergies and opportunities to grow our businesses. We signed an agreement with Digital River because of its high-caliber software catalog and powerful, industry-leading e-commerce system. Through this single relationship, we look forward to offering our customers both a significantly expanded selection of downloadable software titles as well as a superior online shopping experience.”
No additional terms of the investment and agreement were disclosed.
About Softonic
Softonic is a market leader in Europe and Latin America in free software downloads and sales. Founded in Barcelona in 1997, the company has over 170 employees. Softonic offers one of the largest collections of shareware and freeware software titles and commercial demos analyzed, evaluated and validated in different languages by an expert team. Currently, it has more than 100,000 software titles for Windows, Macintosh and mobile phones. Softonic is available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Polish. The Dutch and Japanese version will be launched in the first half of 2010. Softonic’s headquarters is located in Barcelona. The company has offices in San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Madrid as well.
For more details about Softonic, visit the Web site at www.softonic.com.
About Digital River, Inc.
Digital River, Inc., a leading provider of global e-commerce solutions, builds and manages online businesses for software and game publishers, consumer electronics manufacturers, distributors, online retailers and affiliates. Its multi-channel e-commerce solution, which supports both direct and indirect sales, is designed to help companies of all sizes maximize online revenues as well as reduce the costs and risks of running an e-commerce operation. The company’s comprehensive platform offers site development and hosting, order management, fraud management, export controls, tax management, physical and digital product fulfillment, multi-lingual customer service, advanced reporting and strategic marketing services.
Founded in 1994, Digital River is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices across the U.S., Asia, Europe and South America. For more details about Digital River, visit the corporate Web site at www.digitalriver.com or call +1 952-253-1234.