At Blue Cherry we've been fortunate enough to be one of the few people to receive an invite to play with Google Wave.

Whilst we've been playing with Google Wave and discovering its secrets, Daniel Tenner has written an excellent blog post on the problems that Wave solves, do check out his blog or read his thoughts in this blog post.

There are countless pundits and other tech gurus describing Google Wave as a disappointment, lately. Most of that seems to come from the fact that nobody seems to get what Wave is for. So they compare it to social media.

Is Wave the next Twitter? Nope. Is it the next Facebook? Nope. Is it going to replace Instant Messengers? Possibly, in some circumstances, but not any time soon.

I believe this is partly Google’s fault: they released Wave to geeks and hackers and social media folks first. But Wave is not a geek/hacker tool, or a social media tool, it’s a corporate tool that solves work problems (more on that later). On the other hand, they never claimed it would be a Facebook replacement or a Twitter killer. Google calls wave an “online tool for real-time communication and collaboration”. The way Google should have advertised Wave is: “it solves the problems with email”.

At Woobius, we’ve been working at resolving the problems with email for some time. Woobius is a solution to some of the problems of email within the construction industry. We’ve blogged and given talks about it. Perhaps that’s why it was immediately obvious to me and my team why Google Wave is awesome.

What’s the problem with email, anyway?

To read the rest of the blog please click here and thanks to Daniel for the kind use of his post.

The Telegraph reports: Users of the internet search engine are being greeted with a bar code in place of the usual Google logo, exactly 57 years after United States inventors Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver were granted a patent.

It follows recent Google doodles in honour of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius and Mahatma Gandhi, the father of modern India.

Woodland and Silver, who met while students at the Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia, originally devised a system that would encode data in concentric circles.

The lines of varying width were developed later, partly inspired by Morse code.

According to a Washington Post report, the doodle bar code appears to have been created by encrypting the word ‘Google’ using Code 128, a standard symbology.

The original patent was filed by Woodland and Silver in 1949 and granted on 7 October 1952.

However, bar codes were not used commercially until retailers in the National Association of Food Chains (NAFC) agreed on the familiar Universal Product Code designs that are still seen on billions of worldwide items today.

The first supermarket scanner that could read UPC bar codes was installed at March’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio, in June 1974. The first product to bear the bar code was a packet of Wrigley’s chewing gum.

At Blue Cherry in Leicester, we've noticed that some people on twitter have printed off the barcode and tried scanning it in their shops, apparently 'Google' rings through on the tills.

Once again clever Google marketing has made it worth going to their homepage. 

10/10

2020 Director Sally Torkington said:

PRESS RELEASE

Thriving Leicester Business celebrates Birthday amidst recession doom and gloom

City Centre PR and Marketing Consultancy Blue Cherry have celebrated their second birthday this week and proved that there are still some Leicester companies thriving despite the recession.

Mark Crosby, the 27-year old who originally set-up Blue Cherry in a spare bedroom before moving into a city centre office, said:

“Every year is a landmark and cause for celebration, but the fact that we are continuing to grow through the recession is heartening not just for us, but also a good sign for the Leicestershire business community.

We love being based in Leicester and working with Leicestershire companies; over the last year we have expanded to work with businesses and media outlets across the UK and Scandinavia, and over the next year we’re hoping to increase our workforce and provide more opportunities for people to work at Blue Cherry.  The future is bright despite the recession.”

Eric Carveth, Leicestershire Area Manager for the regional Business Link service says “It’s refreshing to hear of businesses in Leicester that are doing well.  Blue Cherry is a great example of how, with the right business model, skill and commitment levels, a young business can not only survive, but can grow and compete on a national level.”
 
Stephen Smith, Chief Executive of EMB Ltd, responsible for delivering the regional Business Link service adds: "Its great that local companies such as Blue Cherry are making the most of the Business Link service to help them start, maintain and grow their business. 

Accessing and utilising professional business expertise is always valuable and is even more important in the current economic climate. Leicestershire boasts a diverse economy and our aim is to enable companies to access the best business support and advice available to help them to realise their full potential and achieve their goals. 

We wish  Mark and the team at  Blue Cherry every success with their continued growth."

Blue Cherry works with a range of companies in the UK, including football clubs, technology innovators and exciting SME’s across the midlands and further afield.

Like most people I'm aware of the awful things that happened to the Jewish community during the second world war and show respect when dealing with these topics.

Libby at SWNS quite clearly didn't think before sending her release out to various media outlets, who quickly poured scorn on her disregard for the holocaust.

Our tip to her: Think before typing.

http://lostintheshowbiz.blogspot.com/ rightly said: "it takes a specially abled person to caption a piece about a film based on the life of the man who saved more than a thousand Polish refugees during the holocaust, "Would Jew Believe It?".

If you choose Blue Cherry in Leicester as your PR Agency, we promise:

1) Always to listen to you

2) Always to think before contacting journalists

3) Always to ensure we maintain and increase your brands image. 

4) Not to devalue your news, as Libby has done here.

The release in full is below:

From: libby@swns.com [mailto:libby@swns.com]
Sent: 21 April 2009 10:51
To: NationalNews
Subject: SCHINDLER'S LIST IS GREATEST WAR MOVIE

WOULD JEW BELIEVE IT

NEWS COPY

Schindler's List was yesterday (Tue) named the greatest war movie of all time.

The 1993 movie which starred Liam Neeson and won seven Oscars, tells the true story of businessman Oskar Schindler.

Schindler became an unlikely hero during WWII when he turned his factory into a refuge for Jews who were facing death in concentration camps.

Second place went to 1963 film The Great Escape, which is based on the true story of a allied group of prisoners of war to launch an ambitious plan to escape from the Nazis.

Third place in the poll of 3,000 movie fans was Tom Hanks' blockbuster saving Private Ryan, which is set around the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.

Enemy at the Gates, starring Jude Law and Rachel Weisz, was fourth place, followed by 1995 hit Braveheart with Mel Gibson as Scottish rebel William Wallace.

Colonel Martin Gibson, Chief Executive of war veterans charity Erskine, said: ''Schindler's List is a story that evokes the deepest emotions and ensures the Holocaust will never be thought of in the same way again.

''Of the 75,000 veterans we have cared for many remember with startling alacrity the horrors of WWII and most importantly the unsung heroes of those dark days.''

Vietnam War film, Apocalypse Now came sixth place, while 1939 classic Gone with the Wind was at number seven.

Eighth place went to The Bridge on the River Kwai while Where Eagles Dare and Platoon completed the top ten.

Other films to feature in the poll include The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes, The Pianist and Lawrence of Arabia.

Colonel Gibson added: ''Watching War Movies can bring out mixed emotions in everyone - nostalgia, sadness and a huge respect for everyone who has ever fought in a war.

''We are asking people to watch one of these wonderful films which will hopefully be a reminder of the sacrifices that our fellow countrymen and women made - and are still making and ultimately inspire them to help Erskine by making a donation.

''It is to be hoped that films of the future will honour the brave men and women of today's conflicts and peace keeping initiatives both in Iraq and Afghanistan, who are once again putting their lives on the line for their country.''

Great Escape Veteran Jack Harrison, RAF, aged 96 said: ''The Great Escape film had good background but the character played by Steve McQueen didn't exist. I think he must have been created for the Box Office takings in America.

''We did have Americans in the camp, they helped us with the tunnel called Harry but they were shifted out to another camp before the escape began.

''I am pleased that the film came second in the survey and that our efforts during WWII are appreciated to this day.''

GREATEST WAR MOVIES

1. Schindler's List (1993)

2. The Great Escape (1963)

3. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

4. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

5. Braveheart (1995)

6. Apocalypse Now (1979)

7. Gone with the Wind (1939)

8. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

9. Where Eagles Dare (1968)

10. Platoon (1986)

11. The Dirty Dozen (1967)

12. The Longest Day (1962)

13. Escape to Victory (1981)

14. Black Hawk Down (2001)

15. Memphis Belle (1990)

16. The Deer Hunter (1978 )

17. Kelly's Heroes (1970)

18. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

19. The Pianist (2002)

20. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

ENDS

Dominos has been the latest brand to take a bit of a shoeing in the social media echo chamber, following the amazingly fast spread of this video, showing two animals in a Dominos kitchen treating customers to some extra "goodies" on their sandwiches.

I've had my run-ins with Dominos. In late 2006 I convinced myself I was going to die in my sleep against a toilet, thanks to my first ever dose of food poisoning. No prizes for guessing where I'd bought my pizza. Still, they've since been forgiven and I've been able to look at their recent crisis objectively. After I'd finished laughing.

Xzibit, a leading (and excellent) West Coast rapper and regular Twitter user, picked some choice and fitting language to share this with his 13,804 followers. Not a good thing to have so many people put off your brand in less than 140 characters - and that's without all the retweets!

Any huge food brand like Dominos could've been the victim of this issue, and in a sense they can be considered unlucky to have employed this pair of socially stunted morons. More interesting, though, has been watching Dominos' response.

I covered this for our internal newsletter and my tone probably suggested that Dominos had been a little slow in responding. I still think that's partly true, but the fact is they've taken some very appropriate action.

Dominos quickly identified the restaurant shown in the YouTube clip, and dismissed the staff involved. There is also now a pair of snot-covered felony warrants out for their arrests. Pwn3d.

With that all sorted, Dominos took their response to the exact place where the crisis began. I heartily endorse this practice.

They have posted a video (below) on YouTube of Dominos USA president Patrick Doyle. The tone of the video is just right. Doyle's statement is sombre, regretful and emphatic. He reassures us that the two scumbags in the video have been severely dealt with and have more to come, that the restaurant has been scrubbed from top to bottom, that 99.9% of Dominos staff aren't subhuman pondlife, and that Dominos is very, very sorry.

Nicely done. And there's a twist in the tale too, a piece of PR spin so brilliant that I couldn't help but be impressed. Doyle refers to the incident as a YouTube "hoax", and later says that the two employees in the clip claimed that to be so.

In doing this, Doyle, without saying it's all a storm in a teacup, just sews the seeds of doubt - maybe these were just two wayward, misguided individuals having a laugh. Maybe there were no boogers.

With their response - which could have been a little faster - Dominos have simultaneously fully and comprehensively addressed a problem and introduced the possibility that it wasn't as serious as it sounded. And the video is titled in such a way that it will pop up in any search for the original vid. Nice work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l6AJ49xNSQ&feature=player_embedded

Go and show Chris' blog some love: http://silentinflames.blogspot.com

This life-size bronze statue has been lovingly created by the Sculptress JOEL and will be sited at Garsdale Station to celebrate the faithfulness of this Collie dog ‘Ruswarp’ (pronounced Russup.)

Mark Rand spokesperson for the Friends of the Settle to Carlisle Line said:

"It was important to mark this dogs part in history and through JOEL's sculpture we are able to do this. 

This sculpture is being placed at Garsdale in recognition of the tens of thousands of people and one dog who objected to the proposed line closure between Settle and Carlisle.  The one dog that protested was Ruswarp who marked the petition with his paw print and as a result of this petition the line stayed open.

I hope visitors to the area take time to admire the sculpture and learn of it's story, whilst also making use of this line that was kept open thanks to the support of people across the county - and one dog."

JOEL said:

“In 2008 ‘the Friends of the Settle to Carlisle Line’ approached me to create a life sized sculpture of this celebrated collie and after hearing the stories of the petition and the faithfulness of this remarkable dog, it was an honour to create and provide the bronze Ruswarp statue.”

“The sculpture is of a seated Ruswarp on Guard, alert and ever-watchful.  Due to my love of sculpting animals and my romantic side, this story and the scenery really inspired me and I hope visitors to this lovely part of the world will also see the sculpture and be inspired” 

This life-size sculpture is set to be unveiled on April 11^th at Garsdale station in North Yorkshire on the stunningly beautiful Settle to Carlisle railway line, to celebrate 20 years since the saving of the line.

Ruswarp stayed by his deceased Master for 11 winter weeks and was so weak that he had to be carried off the mountain.  They were found on April 7^th, 19 years ago.

END OF PRESS RELEASE

Notes for Editors on the Sculptress JOEL and Ruswarp:

For more details, interviews, photos or quotes please contact:

Mark Crosby at Blue Cherry PR

07800 829 141

mark@blue-cherry.co.uk

About Ruswarp and his owner Mr Nuttal:

Mr Nuttall, from Duke Bar, became the first secretary of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line. His tragic story cast a shadow over the Friends' early days, but proved an inspiration, too.

He and faithful Ruswarp – pronounced "Russup" – were inseparable.

Mr Nuttall lived just long enough to see the line's reprieve in 1989, for on January 20th, 1990, he went missing. He and Ruswarp got day return tickets from Burnley to Llandrindod Wells to go walking in the Welsh mountains. But Mr Nuttall never returned.

His body was found on April 7th by a mountain stream. Nearby was Ruswarp, so weak the 14-year-old dog had to be carried off the mountain. He had stayed with his master's body for 11 winter weeks.

Ruswarp lived just long enough to attend Mr Nuttall's funeral.

A plaque was put up at Burnley railway station and there is a dedication on a platform bench at Garsdale station on the Settle-Carlisle line which is about to be restored and a life-size bronze statue of Ruswarp will take pride of place.

The unveiling of the Bronze sculpture by the Sculptress JOEL of the Life sized  Collie Dog ~ Ruswarp,  for the clients (Friends of the Settle to Carlisle Line) is happening on Easter Saturday ( 11th April 2009).

It celebrates the saving of this special railway line and  heritage engineering achievement and the loyalty  of this lovely dog.

Noting the increasing number of major news stories that have been broken via eye-witnesses 'twittering' from the scene, the Sky memo tells its journalists: "The Twitter phenomenon continues to explode. A phono with an eyewitness in Lahore yesterday came to us through Twitter. Last night's breaking story on the death of a Briton in the Alps came to us from Twitter. The first phone on the Buffalo plane crash came from Twitter. The first photo of the Hudson River rescue came from Twitter. Convinced?"

The memo reports that one of Sky's online team, Ruth Barnett, has been given responsibility for scouring the Twitter network for any breaking stories, meaning anyone posting timely updates about newsworthy events to their personal Twitter feeds could be getting a quick response from a journalist looking for a more formal comment.

With Channel 4 News already using its Twitter feed as a way of interacting with its audience, and getting viewers to input on breaking news stories before they air, an increasing number of media are likely to embrace the micro-blogging service as both an audience engagement tool and a newsgathering resource.

Which poses an interesting challenge for those in PR.

Twitter potentially provides two opportunities for communicators – both a platform through which to connect with consumers directly, and a new forum where to seed news stories which may then be picked up by editors, journalists and bloggers. The challenge is how to do this without carelessly gatecrashing the personal networks of existing Twitterers and annoying media contacts or vocal consumers.

Meanwhile, if it's PR news you're looking for on Twitter, well, may we suggest you start with the esPResso feed at www.twitter.com/espresso_prnews?

This blog post was first seen on the esPResso newsletter.

You can follow Blue Cherry MD Mark Crosby on twitter by following: www.twitter.com/markcrosby

PR professionals have slammed Plane Stupid's latest 'green custard' stunt as unjustifiable and ultimately ineffective.

The climate change campaign group threw green custard at business secretary Lord Mandelson earlier this morning, protesting at his involvement in approving Heathrow airport's third runway earlier this year.

'If you are attempting to persuade government, alienating them is probably the wrong place to start', said Westminster City Council director of comms Alex Aiken. 'When you start using tactics that involve physically attacking someone, I don’t think any PR professional can justify that', he said.

Bowel Cancer UK's director of press, PR and public affairs Ian Beaumont questioned the effectiveness of the action. 'If you are trying to get a serious point across, then I've very wary of anything that has the word stunt attached to it. All people remember is the stunt, not the cause. If you’ve got a strong enough cause, that speaks for itself', said.

But Plane Stupid campaigner Leo Murray defended the actions. 'Yes this is a silly prank, but it is a silly prank that has allowed us to articulate the reasons why we did it', he said. 'There are other ways to have your voice heard but they are being pursued by established organisations like the National Trust and they haven't worked. Democracy is failing and corporate interests are dominating the discourse'.

'We have tried not to alienate people in the past, but the green movement has failed. Emissions are still going up and we are careering headlong into the end of the world as we know it. So if today's stunt smacks of desperation, that's because we are desperate', said Murray.

---

At Blue Cherry in Leicester, we believe that some PR stunts are useful, however they must be part of a wider Public Relations campaign in order to get your message across.

In this instance we believe it was the wrong tactic to use; alienating the people you're trying to persuade is never the right course of action and it may come to pass that the campaigners regret this stunt.

If you want to to discuss with us ways that we can help you with PR to ensure that your message gets across successfully, just phone us on 0116 298 7388.

The original article was seen on PR Week: http://www.prweek.com/uk/home/article/888249/green-custard-stunt-unjustifiable/

Safari 4 includes the new Nitro engine for rendering Web pages, which Apple claims makes Safari not only the world's fastest browser -- something we'll be testing, naturally -- but also the fastest renderer of JavaScript, with rendering speeds 30 times faster than Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 and three times faster than Mozilla's Firefox 3.

Other new features include 'Top Sites', which shows users the most frequently visited Web pages, 'Full History Search' for searching through not only the URLs and titles of visited pages, but also the complete text within the page itself -- something Opera has been doing for a while.

Apple's Cover Flow has also been incorporated for browsing bookmarks, in the same way album art can be browsed in iTunes.

At Blue Cherry we are firm fans of Firefox, we like Chrome but don't love it; but if Safari is as fast as they say it is it could give Chrome a run for it's money and maybe even Firefox.

Article orginally seen on cnet.co.uk

1.       Don’t cut your communications budget; now more than ever you need to be communicating with your customers, investors and staff. 

2.       PR is reinventing itself, online PR has become increasingly important for Search Engine Optimisation; by investing in the right PR campaign you are also increasing your chances of being located online and therefore increasing your sales potential.

3.       Don’t let word-of-mouth dictate perceptions of your organisation; gossip about companies failing or letting people go is rife, by using PR effectively you can dispel rumours and reinforce trust in your company.

4.       PR has credibility that enforces trust and gives your organisation an air of authority; this is key when your customers need to make a recession decision.  Use PR to enhance your reputation in these difficult times and portray good feelings towards your business.

5.        PR requires a smaller budget than advertising and has the potential to reach more people whilst delivering a stronger message.

Spotify is currently receiving a huge amount of hype online and to see what the fuss was about we asked about on Twitter and got an invite (the website is invite only at the moment) from Football blogger Chris Nee.

According to the Spotify website "Spotify is a new way to enjoy music. Simply download and install, before you know it you’ll be singing along to the genre, artist or song of your choice. With Spotify you are never far away from the song you want.

There are no restrictions in terms of what you can listen to or when. Forget about the hassle of waiting for files to download and fill up your hard drive before you get round to organising them. Spotify is instant, fun and simple.

Because music is social, Spotify allows you to share songs and playlists with friends, and even work together on collaborative playlists, Friday afternoon in the office might never be the same again! We’re music lovers like everyone else."

As avid music listeners, Spotify seems to hit the mark. You can stream music based on your searches or on genres; first you have to download Spotify which took a couple of minutes, then open the programme and begin streaming.

If you find something new that you like (which happened within 30 minutes of us using it), you can click through to the itunes store to buy it. Spotify is 100% legal, you can listen to tunes, buy them AND the artists get paid.

Andres from Spotify is quoted on getsatisfaction.com as saying: "We have deals with all the major record labels and indie aggregators to ensure that all artists who have music on Spotify are properly paid.

Artists get compensated from both the ad version and premium version, the "Buy this track" feature sends users to iTunes at the moment and therefore is not part of our compensation to artists.

We're always looking for new labels and more music to add. If you know of a label or run one yourself you can contact us [on their website]."

What we at Blue Cherry love about it most is it just works, no technical knowledge required, no faffing around, no add-ons, just a simple download and within minutes you're on your way.

We prefer the layout to last.fm, which is an excellent resource and can work with Spotify, but for us Spotify is flavour of the month and we are sure that the future is bright for these musical boffins.

The Daily Mail: How boring - celebrities sign up on Twitter to reveal the most mundane aspects of their lives.

Michael Litman finds his new job via Twitter.

While Web 1.0 media is busy having a pop at Twitter and other social media sites, Web 2.0 media is busy putting these sites to practical use. Like job hunting, crowdsourcing and flat swopping.

It’s a good job there’s not some kind of credit crunch on in an industry that’s not quite sure where it’s going or even what the future will hold as said industry moves onto assorted platforms that many in that industry can’t or won’t understand.

Oh.

At Blue Cherry we use both old and new media with great success.  Any PR campaign we undertake will use the best media outlet available, which more than likely will include a mix of old and new media. 

If you want to find out more about how we can help you with a PR campaign, please contact us and we'll happily meet you for a coffee and a chat.

Incidentally you can follow Blue Cherry's MD, Mark Crosby, on twitter at this link: www.twitter.com/markcrosby or Gary Andrews at www.twitter.com/garyandrews

The men's fragrance, which is being sold at a New York retailer and online, is being touted as "the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat".

Meat-loving consumers can buy a bottle of the scent for just $3.99. Burger King has also launched a website called FireMeetsDesire.com to accompany the cologne. The site reads: "The Whopper sandwich is America's favourite burger. Flame by BK captures the essence of that love and gives it to you." Users are also greeted with the caption: "Now you can set the mood for whatever you're in the mood for."

Burger King released the fragrance earlier this week and an informal survey carried out by the Boston Herald revealed that some men would actually wear it. The fast-food chain's latest promotion follows on from a publicity stunt at its UK chain earlier this year, which saw the introduction of a £95 burger.

The burger, which contained Wagyu beef, was launched as part of a plan to emphasise the chain's premium credentials over its competitors such as McDonald's. The Sport said the scent was based on the natural aroma of a woman, and was based on the "smell" of Cherry Dee, who scooped the paper's Miss Sunday Sport 2007 title.

At Blue Cherry, after we'd finished laughing at "Flame", the penny dropped at this excellent PR opportunity that Burger King have lavished upon themselves with the flame-grilled fragrance. All over the world bloggers are tapping angrily at their keyboards at the state of the world, journalists are mentioning it in their "It's odd but true" section of the paper.

Readers of these blogs and articles are then thinking about Burger King, about the fast food smells that waft out onto every high street and before they know it they'll be heading into Burger King for a Whopper.

At the same time increasing numbers of brands are adding their name to merchandise of any shapes, sizes and colours.  So surely it was only a matter of time before one of the Fast Food Chains went into the perfume sector.

Should Calvin Klein be nervous? No

Should the marketers who came up with this be patted on the back? Yes

We will be buying it? No

Has it caused us to salivate at the thought of an unhealthy burger? Yes

Will we go into BK over the golden arches next time we have the urge to destroy our body with fast food? Quite possibly.

Originally seen on Brand Republic.

Twitter is a way in which users can create short status updates or 'twitters', so rather than writing blog updates on their life and what they're doing they have a micro-blog through twitter and then update it (with a maximum of 140 characters) whilst they're waiting for the kettle to boil, whilst on hold or when they have something they want to say.

Each user then communicates with other users to see their 'twitters' and respond to what they have to say.

A good friend of mine who works in Search Engine Optimisation uses this to ask questions of other optimisers: networking and sharing ideas without needing to leave the office.

PR Blogger have just released a list of PR Twitters in the UK who are worth following, of which the MD of Blue Cherry, Mark Crosby, is on the list.

See the list here: http://www.prblogger.com/2008/11/uk-pr-people-on-twitter/

or follow Mark Crosby through http://twitter.com/markcrosby

We also recommend using Viadeo as a great online networking resource.

Pros

Great interface.

Superbly designed including the packaging.

The touch screen works just the way you want it to and is very easy to adapt to.

The applications are easy to find and download, with some silly and some very useful.

Email works amazingly well, including the way you can view documents and PDF's.

The size is surprisingly small, but large enough for all that you will need.

Having email/camera/address book/internet/phone/calendar/calculator/map/itunes all in one place is incredible and cuts out the need for multiple gizmos.

The GPS works well, but the exciting news is that TomTom are working on a download for iPhones that will enable your iPhone to work like a TomTom Sat-Nav.

The ability to tap into wireless networks is great, meaning that you’re not always reliant on 3G networks.

In essence the iPhone 3G is unbelievably fun AND cool.

Cons

Short battery life, which can be aided by turning off 3G and the frequency which the phone ‘fetches’ your emails.

No copy and paste function.

No MMS, although if you're that way inclined you can 'crack' the iphone and download some opensource software to allow MMS.

Bluetooth is poor, it has no ability to transfer documents between one Bluetooth device and the iPhone.

Safari sometimes crashes for no reason.

Summary

Now that the iPhone has 3G and a lower price tag it is more accessible to regular phone users and not just the early adopters. The battery is a huge let down, but the features and ability to sync with itunes makes up for this.

The iPhone is much like (the old) VW beetle, it’s fun and everyone secretly wants one or is happy to admire them from a distance. However, whilst the VW Beetle owners look great and have lots of fun it isn’t long before they’re stranded on the hard shoulder, whilst the sensible boring cars chug on by en-route to their final destination.

If you want fun, mixed with multi-functionality, a dollop of new technology and a dash of smugness then the iPhone is for you. If you need something that will not conk out on you whilst you’re nipping up the M1, then save the iPhone for the weekends and get a blackberry or a nokia.

Having said this, I wouldn’t swap my iPhone for anything, except when the battery icon veers unnervingly towards 0% and I’m a long way from a charger.

Click me for Leicester Wireless Hotspots

Run by former workers at Google, Cuil (pronounced "Cool") say: "it [Cuil] uses more than 120 billion webpages to build up its index of the information it finds on the web...this is more than Google uses" (though the search giant has stopped reporting how much it indexes.)

Their website states that: "The Internet has grown exponentially in the last fifteen years but search engines have not kept up—until now. Cuil searches more pages on the Web than anyone else—three times as many as Google and ten times as many as Microsoft.

Rather than rely on superficial popularity metrics, Cuil searches for and ranks pages based on their content and relevance. When we find a page with your keywords, we stay on that page and analyze the rest of its content, its concepts, their inter-relationships and the page’s coherency.

Then we offer you helpful choices and suggestions until you find the page you want and that you know is out there. We believe that analyzing the Web rather than our users is a more useful approach, so we don’t collect data about you and your habits, lest we are tempted to peek.

With Cuil, your search history is always private." "The time may be right for a challenger," said Danny Sullivan, editor in chief of Search Engine Land. "Competing with Google is still a very daunting task, as Microsoft will tell you."

At Blue Cherry in Leicester we love our Search Engines, as we prove from the high level of success we achieve in Search Engine Optimisation. However, forgive us for sounding cynical if we say that we don't think "Cuil" will catch on and overtake the might of Google.

We did dabble doing a few searches and honestly did not like the look and feel of Cuil. It may fit more searches onto a page, but when it comes to convincing millions of web users to stop using Google and begin using Cuil, it will be like pushing water up hill.

Read the BBC article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7528503.stm

And go to Cuil here: www.cuil.com

Despite there being stores in Birmingham, Solihull and Milton Keynes, Apple have rightly made a decision to house their newest store in the Highcross centre in Leicester. (Less than a 5 minute walk from the Blue Cherry HQ on Swan Street.)

Highcross will be centred around two specially created public squares - St Peters Square and Grammar School Court. The restaurant quarter will provide a new focus for casual eating and fine dining at the heart of Highcross.

You will also be treated to food outlets from YO! Sushi, Wagamama, Canas y Tapas, Carluccio's, Nandos, Real china and Handmade burger company.

Read more about Highcross here: www.highcrossleicester.com

And more about Apple products here: http://store.apple.com/uk

As we continue to expand we needed an office which could accommodate our ever increasing business, which serves the lovely people of Leicester and the midlands with Public Relations, Marketing, Graphic Design, Web Design and Search Engine Optimisation.

Our email addresses and phone numbers are all the same, but our new address is:

Blue Cherry

Business Base

16 Swan Street

Leicester

LE3 5AW

If you're passing by feel free to pop in and say hi.

• Web Design and Programming
• Graphic Design - including logo design
• Search Engine Optimisation

To work specifically on this areas we have brought on board Kate - a skilled designer, website builder and SEO connoisseur.

Kate will be working on all of these services and a few more related ones in due course.

As always we can cope with small and large projects, but price ourselves so that small Leicester based businesses can afford high quality Marketing, Public Relations, Web and Design services.

If you would like us to take a look at some web or design work for you, please email info@blue-cherry.co.uk where we will be more than happy to meet up with you and discuss how we can help you.

Our website will be updated in due course to give you all the information we will need, but it's busy in the lab at the moment. Watch this space!

For your viewing pleasure we have just finished phase 2 of Bassenfell Manor's website which they are thrilled with, as well as with the way in which we are driving enquiries to them through our skilled SEO.

For those that don't know: Internet Explorer is a common browser that comes as standard on most computers. Firefox is simply a different (and better) browser. It's free, it's fast and the new version is out today.

According to a BBC Technology article today, Mr Schroepfer (vice president of engineering) said Firefox 3 promised to be faster, easier to use and more secure than rival browsers.

He claims that Firefox 3.0 loads webpages three to four times faster than Firefox 2.0 and more than seven times faster than Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

We love firefox 2.0 and are already on board with 3.0. All you need to do is download it from the link below and follow the simple instructions, then each time you want to surf the interweb, just click on the Firefox icon rather than the Internet Explorer icon. It'll still connect through the same Internet Service Provider (ISP), but will give you a faster and slightly better browsing experience.

The makers of Firefox are aiming to break the world record for most downloads in one day, so if you want to join them in their mission to break a Guiness World Record, pledge to download Firefox 3 by clicking below...

Mark is suitably pleased with the accomplishments his business has achieved, but is looking forward as the business looks to expand:

“80% of businesses fail in their first year, so although it’s important that we’ve passed that milestone we’re not focusing on that or easing up.

Over the next year I’m looking to expand the business, get larger premises in the city centre, give opportunities to graduates from the Leicester universities and continue to serve businesses across the midlands.

A year after it’s launch the Leicester PR and Marketing consultancy boasts an impressive range of clients, from Welsh footballing side ‘The New Saints FC’ through to new technology company ‘Textboards’.

Mark added: It’s a very exciting time for us and there are a number of Leicester based businesses that we’re thrilled to be working with.

I graduated with a degree in Marketing and PR and whilst I was lucky enough to launch myself straight into the PR industry, I had friends who struggled to gain experience in a commercial environment but not through a lack of talent and so I understand the challenges that graduates and students face today.

As a result of this I would like to offer Blue Cherry as a place where students and graduates can gain valuable experience in order that they can succeed in the challenging PR world.”

As Mr Crosby made these announcements the birthday wishes were pouring in from happy customers, Ian Williams the General Manager of The New Saints Football Club sent this message:

“Blue Cherry is always delivering for us. From successful events and post-match press coverage through to fun and innovative ideas to raise our profile. Everyone at The New Saints Football Club would like to wish Blue Cherry a very happy birthday!”

Whilst Leicester based Nicholas Maguire of innovative Bluetooth Company ‘Huetooth’ sent this message:

“Blue Cherry deliver time and time again. The press coverage that they have achieved for us has successfully raised our profile and introduced us to many new customers. We wish them many happy returns on their birthday.”

Blue Cherry is a fun, lively, creative, professional and ethical Public Relations and Marketing Agency based in Leicester at the heart of the Midlands. If you are a PR student or graduate and would like to talk to Blue Cherry about a career in PR, just email info@blue-cherry.co.uk

It's hard to believe we have been going for one year and yet have crammed so much in and are so well established, we have already achieved front page coverage for several clients, master-minded successful viral marketing campaigns, won awards for clients, achieved numerous newspaper, magazine and online articles, as well as countless other success stories that we are immensely proud of.

Although we're based in Leicester our customers now reach right across the Midlands, up as far as Newcastle on the east and Keswick on the west. In fact as I type this I'm sat in Telford after a day with a customer.

We're excited about the forthcoming year, with a new office on the horizon, more staff, bigger expectations but still the same ethics, level of effort, creativity and love for what we do. Our customers love Blue Cherry nearly as much as we do and so couldn't wait to wish us many happy returns:

"Blue Cherry deliver time and time again. The press coverage that they have achieved for us has successfully raised our profile and introduced us to many new customers. We wish them many happy returns on their birthday." - Nicholas Maguire, MD of Huetooth.

"Blue Cherry are great to deal with. I am continuously impressed with the quality and work ethic behind Blue Cherry and would like to wish them a very Happy Birthday!" - Sian Williams, North Wales Newspapers (not a customer but a great group of newspapers who produce some brilliant publications.)

"Blue Cherry are always delivering for us. From successful events and post-match press coverage through to fun and innovative ideas to raise our profile. Everyone at The New Saints Football Club would like to wish Blue Cherry a very happy birthday!" - Ian Williams, General Manager, The New Saints Football Club.

It's all very exciting and I'm thrilled that other companies appreciate our work and spirit.

We're off to blow out the candles and have some Birthday cake now...

Here's to many more Birthday celebrations.

Mark

Launching on July 11 the new iPhone has addressed previous issues like the lack of 3G and the cost.

It is also now available on a pay as you go tariff; free on certain tariffs; but only comes in 8gb or 16gb. Bad news for the 32gb fans.

Announced as always by Steve Jobs and to rapturous applause although to listen to the crowd you would have thought that the most exciting bit was when he announced the new headphone socket, which you can watch here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7443543.stm

At Blue Cherry we're waiting for them to confirm rumours that the new iPhone will come with Bluetooth headphones, enabling you to listen to your music with no wires/cables coming out of the phone, through the power of Bluetooth.

If Bluetooth is your thing why not head over to Huetooth.com and see how friends of ours are forging ahead with Bluetooth technology.

For iPhone demonstrations, inspiration and to be blown away by this soon to be market leader, just visit http://www.apple.com/iphone/

With increasing awareness around Values Lead business, Binary Ink are not only highly skilled at what they do, but they also have a genuine social conscience.

We recently undertook some Marketing work for them and were thrilled to learn more about them. Here's some points for you to digest: Binary Ink have three main values:

1. To Minimise Environmental Impact

2. To Donate an Average of 20% Profits to Charity

3. To Use Community Positive Suppliers

They also conduct superb work - something we can vouch for. If you like the sound of Binary Ink, why not head over to their website to find out more and tell them we sent you.

For further reading we can also recommend a great book by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's fame, the book entitled "Ben & Jerrys Double Dip: How to Run a Values Led Business and Make Money Too" is well worth a read for anyone with an interest in having core ethics in the DNA of theis business.

The outcome of a meeting could be influenced by the range and quality of biscuits, according to 1,000 business professionals quizzed by Holiday Inn.

The chocolate digestive was deemed to make the best impression followed by shortbread and Hob Nobs. Lawyers were most impressed by good boardroom biccies, the survey added.

Dunking Do-Nots Jammie Dodgers and Bourbons were also among the biscuit types thought to help sweet-talk customers. However crumbly biscuits are a big no-no in the meeting environment, the questionnaire found, with 30% frowning on a regular digestive in the work environment. And when it comes to helping yourself to biscuits from a communal plate, the most acceptable number to take is two, the research concluded.

However more than half of respondents looked down on dunking biscuits in tea or coffee during a meeting. A survey released last year, which quizzed 7,000 people, suggested that the custard cream is the nation's favourite biscuit.

At Blue Cherry HQ we are firm believers in the power of good coffee and food, so if you want to meet up with us in Leicester to see how we can help you with your Public Relations or Marketing just give us a shout and we'll happily treat you to a Starbucks so we can enjoy good coffee as we find out more about your business.

Incidentally our favourite biscuits are Tim Tams as championed by the aussies, with a nod of the head going to the delicious Cherry Ripes.

The full BBC article can be found here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7432092.stm

Blue Cherry had the pleasure of meeting Miss Universe finalist 2008 Sarah Rowlands at a The New Saints FC match last week.

Sarah Rowlands is a Miss Universe Finalist 2008, pictured in a home 'Saints' shirt with Colin Benbow a Vice-President from The New Saints Football Club.

Blue Cherry would like to wish Sarah all the best as she aims to reach the grand final in Vietnam.