I prefer to stay lean and let my staff work from the comfort of their own home and even in their pajamas if they like, I really don’t care as long as they get the work done each day and I can see they’re online working. This technique puts us at a very competitive advantage over the larger web firms and doesn’t limit me to hiring only what the local market has to offer. My team is hand picked for their specific skill sets and are located in various locations across the Country and Canada. The one thing I do prefer is to stay within 3 time zones so at most I lose a 3 hour gap in time when we’re all online together. I have virtually no overhead, only my internet connection, my power and my personal bills to account for. On top of this, I have a happy team who loves not having to commute, pay for gas and limits our carbon foot print.

This allows us to stay in the lower pricing spectrum for web design cost. We charge a midrange price of $85 an hour up to $110 for custom flash. This price structure has been working out very well for us and for our clients, because we win bids over our competitors on a constant basis.

There are a lot of things to consider when looking at building a website and considering the web design cost that will be associated. The single most important piece that is going to save a client money is having a project-discovery document with a flow chart, because this means the client has done their homework and know exactly what they need, how many pages, and how they want the navigation to function. This saves us web designers from having to meet with client, consult them and build the spec doc from scratch, saving valuable time.

I explain to clients that it takes a specific amount of time to program a certain feature, that time costs money and the more complex features or functionality they have the more time it takes. The math never lies, numbers are numbers and they always add up to a cost based on hours required. It’s a simple equation, Time + Hourly Rate = Project Cost. Go with a larger company and pay more, go with a smaller independent company like us and pay less, the choice is the clients and how comfortable they are with you getting the job done.

So in closing, if you’re looking for a quality Orange County web design company who is affordable, knowledgable and trustworthy, then give us a call or go to our website and complete the Detailed Quote request. We look forward to making your ideas a reality.

Aaron Hemmelgarn
1-800-658-0113

Below is a transcript of my chat conversation from AT&T chat support. You know, the window that pops up when you’re on a page for a certain amount of time. I learned a few interesting things in the conversation, like new iPhone subscribers to AT&T don’t get the unlimited data plan. They are limited to the 2gig maximum plan and then have to pay per each additional 1g. I pulled this directly from AT&T “more info” regarding the data plans. “What if I go over 2 GB? DataPro 2 GB for iPhone includes 2 GB of data for use in the U.S. If 2 GB is exceeded, an additional 1 GB is automatically provided at a rate of $10 for each additional 1 GB. All data allowances, including overages, must be used in the billing period in which the allowance is provided. For more details on Data Plans, go to www.att.com/dataplans.”

Now why am I posting this you ask? Because I’m hoping to save some people a LOT of money and the only way I see doing this, sorry to say AT&T, is to not choose AT&T. Why? Well look at the image attached here below. This image is from my 3G phone and as you can see, I’m only 4 days into the new plan for the month and I’ve already used over 1.8g and all I have done is check e-mail, use the Google Maps a few times, use the Facebook App of course and read the news on the USA Today app.

My iPhone Data usage.

Thank you for your patience! An AT&T sales representative will be with you shortly.

You are now chatting with Travis, an AT&T sales representative.

Travis: Welcome to AT&T online Sales support.  How may I assist you with placing your order today?

Aaron: Hi I just saw an ad for an Unlimited calling plan, but I don’t see it on your website?

Aaron: It said $69 a month

Travis: I’m happy to help.

Travis: We offer an unlimited calling plan for one line for $69.99 per month. Here is a link to this plan.

Travis: http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plan-details/?q_sku=sku3830293&q_planCategory=cat1370011

Travis: Please let me know if the page opens ok?

Aaron: is this any mobile to mobile calling?

Aaron: any carrier?

Travis: This is for calling to and from any number within the U.S. Were you looking to start new service with us today, with this plan? Or do you currently have service with AT&T, and want to change your plan?

Aaron: I have service and a 3G iPhone

Travis: You’re welcome to change to this plan by logging into your account online, and clicking the link for Rate Plans. Once changed it will take affect the first day of your next billing cycle. Have you logged into your account online with us before?

Aaron: looking at the Data features there’s no Unlimited Data for iPhone?

Travis: I’m sorry we do not offer an unlimited data plan for the iPhone any longer. We offer the $15 Data Plus for 200 mb, or the $25 Data Pro for 2gb of data. Do you currently have the $30 unlimited data plan for your iPhone?

Aaron: WHAT

Aaron: seriously

Aaron: but what if I already have this?

Travis: If you already have the $30 unlimited data plan, you’re welcome to keep the same plan.

Aaron: So does this mean if I upgrade I lose my Unlimited

Aaron: ok

Aaron: does this include if I upgrade to the new iPhone4 also?

Aaron: so $69.99 unlimited calling

Aaron: $30 unlimited Data

Aaron: $20 unlimited text

Travis: You’re welcome to keep your unlimited data plan, even if you change your plan.

Travis: You’re welcome to use the same plan for any of the iPhones we offer.

Travis: With the $69.99 unlimited calling plan, $30 for unlimited Internet, and $20 for unlimited messages it would be about $120, plus taxes each month.

Aaron: right

Aaron: ok cool, thanks.

So as you can see right from the horses mouth, this is a great deal, considering I’m already paying $59.99 for only 900 minutes. Here is the graphic they sent me in the e-mail. Remember, if you’re wanting to get an iPhone from AT&T and you’re not a current subscriber to the Unlimited plan, then you ARE going to pay out your, you know what as I’ve proven here in this post.

Feel free to comment and give me your feedback and thoughts.

They are also offering true multitasking for apps such as Pandora and Skype, using background audio and VOIP services that give apps the ability to play audio and use VOIP in the background. This gives a user the ability to run Pandora, while searching the web, reading the news, viewing maps, etc. The VOIP is important because that gives the ability to receive calls and Skype messages while using other apps as well. These are two big improvements in 4.0 and the Skype will come in very handy for me for sure.

Another feature being added because of this background processing is the ability to keep the GPS receiver active, so it can track your location at all times. Can you say (Big Brother)… This is a bit scary to me, but I think you have the ability to turn it off, otherwise I’m sure people would go nuts on the privacy issue. This will be useful when using the Maps, which will allow the map to open to the exact location you’re already at so you don’t have to wait when you select the locate icon.

One more cool new feature is Task Completion. This allows an app to continue with a task you’ve been working on in the background, giving you the ability of switching to a new task or app. or opening a push message that comes up. Before you would lose what you were working on in another app when you switched to a new one or responded to a push a notification.

Now, my favorite new feature, Taa Daa, Spell Checking, that’s right, they’re finally implementing spell checking, woohoo. This is great news for people like me, who for some odd reason, still have trouble spelling certain words, even though I received high marks in English haha..

and lastly, the ability to Gift an app to a friend. This is a cool new feature which should have been thought of and added in the beginning. Imagine how many people would have purchased apps for their friends or family already. Apple left money on the table with this one, but they finally got it in 4.0. I’d be curious to see the numbers on app purchases for friends along with total purchases. Apple share holders should be happy about this new feature, because it only means more revenue.

Well these are just some of the important new features coming in 4.0, but I think I listed the ones that mean the most to most of us. Chime in and tell me what you think? If you would like to watch the full Keynote speech, here’s the link.

Step 1: Go to the Accounts, Privacy Settings.

Step 2: Click Applications and Websites.

Step 3: Click the “Edit Settings” box under “Instant Personalization”

Step 4: Un-Check the box that says “Allow”

Step 5: After selecting “Confirm”, select the small text link at the bottom that says “Learn More”. Then on this page, you’ll be given a bunch of links that are meant to confuse you and make it difficult for you to know where to go and what to do next. So scroll down and select the 3rd link from the bottom “How do I opt-out of instant personalization?”

Once you’ve done this you’ll see links to the “Third Party” companies that Facebook is partnering with to share you and your friends information. Here are the three companies currently, Microsoft Docs.com, Pandora, Yelp. If you click on these links, you will be taken to their page, then all you have to do is select “Block” under the image on the upper left. BAM… you’re done..!

The real problem lies in how often and how fast Facebook will partner with new Third party companies. This means you will have to come back and repeat these steps for any new links that appear.

I hope this helps. Feel free to comment if you know a better or faster way.

Name: DooID

Quick Pitch: DooID combines the basic ideas of business card websites and e-mail signatures to create a useful service for everyone.

Genius Idea: DooID is a free business card website tool that lets you put an attractive, accessible page together with all of your social networks, contact information and work info in one place. You can also choose to make some information available only to users who have access to a special “guest password.”

Inspired by Tim Van Damme’s beautiful business card website, DooID is a nice option for users that want a way to showcase all of their information, but either lack the time to handcode the JavaScript or CSS or don’t know where to start.

When you sign up for the service, you choose a username that will become the basis for your DooID URL. From that point, you fill in information you want to share. You can add in user profiles from social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and more. Plus, you can add links to other websites.

You can also choose to add your personal and business contact information. This information can be publicly available, or you can choose to make things the details viewable only to users who are given your guest password.

We really like that you can customize the look of your DooID. Here’s what mine looks like, using one of the pre-built color templates and font options:

My DooID Business Card

DooID has pro features that you can purchase for either $35.88 per year (or $2.99 per month) if you pay at once or $3.99 per month. This lets you add an e-mail contact form, upload your CV as PDF, have more control over your RSS feed, have access to more themes and also have access to an iPhone version of the site for an enhanced mobile look.

DooID lets all users — pro or free — embed an easy link to their DooID onto their website or on other social networks.

We really liked how easy it was to create a DooID, and think that this is a great idea, especially for users that don’t have time to build something themselves. If we had any requests, it would be that a) The Twitter icon get reversed (the “t” is currently backwards) and b) That the pro option also include the ability to map to an external domain. Even if domain mapping was a feature that cost more money, I think it would make DooID a really good option for users looking for a good landing

Apple’s (AAPL) iPad tablet computer, introduced Jan. 27, may have component costs of as little as $219.35, according to a preliminary estimate by market research firm iSuppli.

Materials for the iPad, due to go on sale in March and April, include a multitouch-screen display that may cost about $80 and a $17 processor designed by Apple and manufactured by Samsung, according to El Segundo (Calif.)-based iSuppli.

Even the lowest-priced iPad, with 16 gigabytes of memory and a retail price of $499, may be beyond the reach of some budget-conscious consumers, some analysts have said. The relatively low price of the iPad’s materials gives Apple scope to reduce the retail price over time, iSuppli analyst Francis Sideco says.

“There’s certainly a decent amount of headroom in there,” Sideco says. “If they had to reduce the retail price, they certainly could.”

Price Cut Speculation

Credit Suisse (CS) analyst Bill Shope fueled speculation over price cuts when he released a research note Feb. 8 saying Apple may be flexible on pricing if the iPad doesn’t attract as many buyers as hoped. “While it remains to be seen how much traction the iPad gets initially, management noted that it will remain nimble,” Shope wrote in the note, citing recent meetings with Apple executives.

The cheapest model lacks features some consumers may want in a tablet computer and therefore may not be the most attractive option, says Roger Kay, an industry analyst and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “They wanted to be able to say the price is $499 and I think they shaved everything off to get there,” Kay says. “You can make the argument that the $499 model appeals only in the most limited range of use scenarios. If you want to put anything significant on it or take it anywhere, you need the more expensive models.”

Colin Smith, a spokesman for Cupertino (Calif.)-based Apple, declined to comment on iSuppli’s research as well as the prospect of price cuts for the iPad.

Research firms including iSuppli conduct so-called teardown analysis of consumer electronics to determine component prices and makers and estimate margins. Researchers at iSuppli didn’t have an actual iPad and instead relied on Apple’s public statements on its features. The analysis includes material costs, though not other expenses incurred by Apple, such as marketing.

The iPad’s most expensive component will be its 9.7-inch multitouch display, similar to the one found on the iPhone but more than twice its size. At $80, the display will cost Apple about five times the cost of the display used on the iPhone 3GS. South Korea-based LG Electronics (066570:KS) is the most likely supplier of the display, Sideco says. Apple hasn’t disclosed the identity of the maker, and LG spokesman John Taylor didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

A4 Chip Manufacturing

The chip running the iPad is called the A4, the fruit of Apple’s 2008 acquisition of PA Semi for $278 million.

Samsung (005930:KS) has supplied the main applications chip used in the iPhone 3GS and two previous iPhone models. In the case of the iPad, Samsung is playing a role akin to a chip foundry, building the chip under contract based on Apple’s design, Sideco says.

Chip foundry companies including Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and United Microelectronics (UMC), both of Taiwan, similarly manufacture chips for so-called fabless chip companies that don’t have the means to build their own semiconductor factories. Sideco estimates the A4 will cost Apple about $17, only about $2 more than the Samsung chip used in the iPhone 3GS, which cost $14.46.

Of the six iPad models Apple plans to release in March and April, three will have access to 3G wireless data networks and three will work only with Wi-Fi, each with 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of memory. The memory chips are the key variable cost across all six models, Sideco says. The price of 16 gigabytes of flash memory is $29.50 while 32 gigabytes cost $59 and 64 gigabytes cost $118.

The most profitable of the six iPads is the 32-gigabyte version with 3G network access, Sideco says. Its combined materials and manufacturing cost of $287.15 amount to 39.4% of the retail price. The least profitable is the 16-gigabyte non-3G version, which sells for $499. Its combined costs amount to $229.35 or 46% of the retail price, leaving the slimmest potential profit margin of the six.

Hesseldahl is a reporter for Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

If you don’t have a Google Gmail account, you can get one here. Gmail blows away any other e-mail service out there, yes even Yahoo. There’s an old saying that we live by in my Industry and it applies here as well. It goes “Good Artists Copy, but Great Artists Steal.” - Pablo Picasso Google has definitely stolen the successful works of Facebook and Twitter, but has done so in a very smart way, by combining it with their very popular Gmail.

I like they took the @mentions from Twitter, so if you mention one of your friends in a Buzz post, it will notify them and they can read and comment back.

The Mobile version is nice as well and you don’t need to download an app if you own an iPhone. All you have to do it go to the webpage in your mobile Safari and you’re good to go. The address on your mobile phone is buzz.google.com

I’ve embedded their video below, watch, buzz and enjoy.

Please feel free to comment on what you think and if this will be a game changer or fizzle out like Wave. I’m interested in hearing what everyone thinks.

Hello! We hope you find this calculator useful. Mail us if you have a suggestion or question. And don’t forget to visit FreelanceSwitch

What is This?
We have developed this hourly rate calculator to give you a guide based on your costs, number of billable hours and desired profit. It is a simple tool for you to play with.
Remember your hourly rate should always take into account factors like market demand, industry standards, skill level and experience - things that unfortunately we can’t put into a calculator!
Use these calculations as a guide and then modify to suit your circumstance and conditions.
It will take you about 5-20 minutes to complete depending on how much attention you give each calculation.

Ok, now this is a cool product. Dyyno.com allows you to create your own Streaming Video Channel and broadcast it out to anyone viewing your Unique URL and the best part of all this, It’s FREE. How cool is that? The possibilities here are limitless really. You can stream anything you want and even in full 1080p HD. So for example, if you’re watching a Movie on HULU and you wanted to watch it with a loved one, or just a friend, but they’re not with you, all you have to do is start up Dyyno drag a small element from your desktop onto the Window for the movie or the webpage or the game you’re playing. Then who ever is viewing your live feed can watch along with you. There’s only one slightly large problem! They don’t currently support MAC, so no I can’t enjoy it..Argggg. That’s a shame too, because this is something I see being very useful for training and for showing clients how to use our CMS or Shopping cart.

Video: Dyyno Personal Channel

Curious about how to get started with the Dyyno Personal Channel?
Click the Link above to the left to watch a video.

Dyyno — Industry’s First 1080p P2P HD Online Video Platform!

Dyyno lets webcasters with any size organization manage their entire online video lifecycle. Dyyno’s Hybrid Reliable Streaming (HyReS™) technology:

• Supports 3 modes of HD online video: Live, Replays, and On Demand (VOD)
• Easy to use, setup and stream in literally minutes without any IT help
• Seamlessly scales from 1 to 100,000 concurrent viewers per stream

Startup of the Day at CES 2010