I get a lot of flak from fellow VOXUS employees about my attraction to startups that have catchy names. But TrenchMice, a Seattle-based startup, not only has a great and very descriptive name, its purpose will be hotly debated in the HR hallmarks of our area's tech companies. TrenchMice's goal is to level the playing field in the hiring arena for established and start-up tech companies; if you want to know the inside facts about a company or its management staff, TrenchMice's website is the place to go. Today, even bloggers frequently can't post something critical about a company, particularly their employers, so TrenchMice is filling that gap with alternative sources of information in a community monitored environment. Check it out if you're on the employment track...or more particularly, if you're a manager.

-posted by Rachel

Enough already!!! Did you hear, iPhone can cure cancer, heat your home and serve as a mediator for the middle eastern peace process. Okay, not really, but the media machine sure has hyped this little device. Maybe it's warranted. Perhaps it is the first seed of a new generation of mobile devices -- at least that's what the analyst community is claiming. Hell, after watching the demo and reading all the reviews, I'm ready to go buy one. Apple has done a great job of convincing the entire industry to drink the koolaid. Since its debut at CES, it's all my boss can talk about. Every day a new feature is unveiled and every day we talk about it. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic when technology sparks true intrigue and giddiness. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when cell phone service providers went through the bidding process for exclusive phone rights. For Cingular, or is it AT&T, this should help cover up the fact that their coverage area sucks and their network constantly drops call. With analysts predicting sales in excess of 1.6 billion in the first year, we'll soon see this phone everywhere. I can see it now, people praising the phone, and cursing the provider.

-posted by Justin

For all you network managers at SMB who struggle to centralize and simplify management, we might have a solution that will answer your prayers. Last month Netreo announced a new network management application that is SaaS-based (software as a service). This is the first SaaS network management product designed for SMBs, with all the bells and whistles associated with an enterprise-class product. Called OmniCenter OnDemand, it's based on the widely-deployed appliance-based OmniCenter technology and breaks significant new industry ground by delivering the features and tools of OmniCenter in an easily-deployed suite. This allowing SMBs to enjoy complete device management, configuration management, performance management and real-time fault management without having to purchase or install new hardware and software.

If you're an IT manager reluctant to implement a network management solution for fear of a workload spikeage, you owe it to yourself to check out Netreo. In addition, there should be an in-depth product review at Network Computing in early February.

-posted by Justin

Good news -- our client, Centennial Software, was given the Silver Medal for SearchWindowsSecurity.com annual "Products of the Year" Awards. They gained this accolade in the "Endpoint Security" category for Centennial DeviceWall. Centennial was the only software vendor that controls the use of portable storage devices on a corporate network to be given an award. Together, the Awards span 28 product categories and single out nearly 70 new products that enterprise IT professionals should consider adding to their "A" lists of products to evaluate.

The products were judged by the editors of each Web site in conjunction with teams of users, industry experts, analysts and consultants. Judges evaluated more than 200 products that were introduced, upgraded, and first shipped (depending on the product category) between September 30, 2005 and October 1, 2006; after October 1, 2005 and before November 1, 2006; or after October 31, 2005 and before November 1, 2006.

To see the entire list of winners, click here.

-posted by Justin

Yet another Internet service that you didn't know you couldn't live without is debuting on the Seattle scene. Wishlisting.com is now in beta and I have to admit, I think it has some possibilities. Basically, it's an online site for you and your friends/family to post your wish lists for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and more -- the potential tie-ins with retail establishments give this Web 2.0 social networking company a real shot. It could also effectively end the current "regifting" phenomena for those priceless presents that you just can't use. Wishlisting is the brainchild of Tom Lianza, a serial entrepreneur in F5 Networks land.

-posted by Rachel

It's such a rich market for startups in Seattle...Lilipip is predicting that it'll launch its beta product this summer. It's described as a series of 10-minute wallet "videos" that are downloaded to a mobile device (such as a cell phone) and that teach toddlers pre-reading skills. The sample that's currently up on the website is extremely entertaining and worth a look due to its clean and clever animation. Could be another Baby Einstein in the making.

-posted by Rachel

Congratulations to VOXUS client AccessLine Communications! The company was recently awarded Internet Telephony's Product of the Year award for its SmartVoicePlus, a VoIP-based replacement for a small business's key system or PBX. This is the second year in a row that the company has won an award from Internet Telephony for its products.

-posted by Rachel

Finally - a useful tool to help navigate the Web 2.0 world! For some time now, we've observed the escalating rhetoric being used to describe emerging companies that are hoping to create a leading edge product that we don't know yet that we need. Thanks to the folks at Seattle 24x7, we learned about the Web 2.0 B.S. Generator. Any respectable PR person should check it out -- if the tagline you just spent hours creating is already in the B.S. Generator, you might want to re-think your message. And hey, it's just plain fun.

-posted by Rachel

Here's something that's sure to brighten the day of our VOXUS associates who are wild about shoes. Amazon.com has just established Endless.com, its new shoe and handbag site with 250 brands and 15,000 styles and colors.

-posted by Rachel

Bellevue-based MessageGate gets extra points for a very entertaining press release to kick off 2007. The email security company issued its Top 10 E-Mail Mistakes and Mishaps of 2006 -- and it's a list worthy of David Letterman. My personal favorites are #9 and #1 -- every company's nightmares.

-posted by Rachel

The producers of Ignite are bestowing another geek night on Seattle in mid-February and you're invited. The two-part event begins with a warm-up "Make" event where attendees band together in a hands-on creative project (last time they built bridges out of popsicle sticks...) followed by a speedy round of "Ask Later Talks," many of which center on -- you guessed it -- technology. So, if you're a self-professed geek or are interested in experiencing the Seattle tech underground at its finest, this event is for you.

-posted by Lindsay