Wize Blog

Apple Black Friday Sales Event

Just received an email that Apple's having a big sale online.

Here's the skinny:

"Shopping event is available only at the Apple Online Store on November 23 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PST and at Apple Retail Stores. Check your local Apple Retail Store for special hours. Sale prices are limited to stock on hand and while supplies last. Some products or promotions are not available outside the U.S. Product specifications are subject to change."

Here's the deals:

Engraving and gift wrapping free for any Ipod you buy.

Save up to $100 when you buy a new Mac with a printer.

Get free shipping on all gift guide items.

Here's the gift guide URL.

The sale site not only includes Apple products, it also includes products from other companies.

Take the 10.1 MP, dSLR camera, the Canon Digital Rebel XTi EOS Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm Lens, for example.

Lens and body is going for $799.95 on the on the Apple sale site.

The camera body rates a whooping 95 at wize.com.

Microsoft Windows for Refurbishers

Wize.com has learned that Microsoft reported today that it's MAR program (Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher) will "simplify volume licensing of refurbished computers."

According a press release by the company, "The program, which was announced today, builds on the success of a similar currently available Microsoft program called Community MAR, which is designed for charities, educational institutions and nonprofits. This new program broadens Microsoft’s offerings to include commercial enterprises."

The plan is to make it easier for refurbishers to install Windows on the computers they take in. Refurbishers take in a high number of PCs, many that are different models. The refurbishers wanted one way to get all of these PCs the Windows operating system.

Here's the solution, that both Microsoft and the refurbishers seem happy with: New licenses for refurbishers' computers that will enable them to install Windows XP Home for Refurbished PCs and Windows XP Professional for Refurbished PCs as long as the PCs that are being refurbished have a Certificate of Authenticity (COA), or proof that the computers had Windows installed in them when they were new.

Wize Releases the 'Wize Top 5' List of the Best Digital Cameras as Determined by Thousands of User and Expert Reviews

Free Web Site Ranks Best Consumer Products According to Qualified Reviews from All Over the Web

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct 16, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Wize (wize.com), the product research Web site that makes deciding what products to buy extremely easy, is releasing the 'Wize Top 5' list of compact digital cameras released this year, as determined by thousands of user and expert reviews.

Wize compiles user and expert reviews to deliver definitive ratings for consumer products through its propriety Wize Rank, a product ranking scoring system. The result - a single numerical score - instantly lets consumers know which products are worth further consideration.

According to a recent report by IDC, consumer interest in the digital camera market this year has grown twice as fast as anticipated, with worldwide digital camera shipments expected to grow by nearly 15 percent. With this influx in digital cameras from which to choose and even more information to sift through online, consumers can turn to Wize to simplify product research when looking for the digital camera that is right for them. Wize has created the 'Wize Top 5' list of compact digital cameras released this year to let consumers know which cameras are best.

The site's propriety Wize Rank scoring system has identified the 'Wize Top 5' in compact digital cameras as of October 16, 2007.

'Wize Top 5' - Compact Digital Cameras

http://wize.com/digital-cameras/filter/Camera%20Type!Compact*313

1. Canon PowerShot SD750 / IXUS 75 Digital Camera

Wize Rank: 95

2. Casio Exilim EXZ75 Digital Camera

Wize Rank: 95

3. Sony Cyber-shot(R) DSC-W55 Digital Camera

Wize Rank: 94

4. Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Camera

Wize Rank: 94

5. Olympus Stylus 770 SW Digital Camera

Wize Rank: 92

In addition to the Wize Rank and the pricing on each of these digital cameras, Wize allows users to compare products side-by-side, enabling them to easily see which products will meet their individual needs.

For more information or to view more than one million other unbiased product reviews, please visit wize.com.

Wize Featured on Vator.tv

Wize.com's CEO Tom Patterson was recently interviewed on Vator.tv. 

In the interview Patterson describes how Wize is trying to provide those answers to consumers questions around their purchasing decisions, by crawling the Web and allowing the best products to rise to the top based on a collective showing of virtual hands.

Ezra Roizen goes on to write:

"Wize is the Web 2.0 equivalent of Consumer Reports. Rather than covering a couple thousand products each year (Tom estimates that Consumer Reports covers about 1,500 a year), Wize has the potential to cover an unlimited number. At Wize, we are already tracking around 50,000 individual products on the site, and continue to grow in size and scale. 

While Consumer Reports employs a staff of 450 to perform product tests and comparisons, Wize takes a technological approach. It combs the Internet for product references among bloggers, commentators, and reviewers in the open-media community. Wize’s algorithm then interprets these online reviews and creates a single score between 1 and 100 for every product. Wize also aggregates consumer comments from other leading sites like CNET, Amazon, and Buy.com—which adds a nice qualitative touch to the quantitative scoring."

For more information on Wize.com please feel free to contact us.

Add the Wize Blog as a Technorati Favorite

If you like what we have been up to, you now have the opportunity to let us know.  Readers, yes you, can mark our Blog as a favorite with the handy button below now that we are officially a featured blog within Technorati. 

Wize Pressroom Updated

Quick update on site progress before the holiday traffic rush -- we've updated the Wize Pressroom. Now members of the press and dedicated Wize customers can easily find the latest Wize press releases, view our recent press coverage, and access our press kit containing screen shots and company logos. More site enhancements are coming soon in support of our goal to provide the best consumer products and consumer product reviews. Meanwhile, have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Wize.com Simplifies Product Research with New Website - Ranks Products Based on Public’s Collective Wisdom

Wize.com launches a new website designed to ease online product research with products listed by Wize Rank™, a ranking system based on the consolidation of expert and user reviews.

Minneapolis, MN, September 20, 2006 -- Wize.com, a free website consolidating user and expert reviews, has today launched a new website designed to simplify online product research.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, product research is the fifth most common use of the Internet and is conducted every day by more than 17 million Americans.

"One of the most valuable -- and most frustrating -- uses of the Internet is product research. Using search engines to conduct product research usually wastes a lot of time," said Doug Baker, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Wize.com. "Wize.com was built to help customers find great products quickly."

Wize.com allows people to make better product decisions. The website consolidates high-quality expert and consumer-written reviews for more than ten thousand consumer products. These products are sorted by Wize Rank™ -- a score that represents the public's collective wisdom, good or bad, for each item. Wize Rank is determined by the content of the consumer and expert product reviews and allows people to quickly determine which products are worth further consideration.

Each product on Wize.com is presented along with reviews and links back to the original sources so that customers can easily read the full reviews. Among hundreds of others, consumer review sources on Wize.com include Amazon.com, BabyCenter.com, Cooking.com, Crutchfield and Yahoo!; expert review sources include Cooks Illustrated, About, Parenting, Macworld and PC Magazine.

"The concept of collective wisdom is gaining traction; especially since New Yorker columnist, James Surowiecki, released his book on The Wisdom of Crowds in 2004," said Baker. "Websites like Digg.com and Google.com draw on collective wisdom to provide the most relevant content to their users. Wize.com is applying the same notion to product research."

Wize.com has used Wize Rank™ to publish an official Wize 100 list. At any given time, consumers can visit the Wize 100 list to view all products that have recently gained a perfect score of 100.

View the Wize 100 list.

About Wize.com
Wize.com simplifies product research. The free website consolidates user and expert reviews for more than ten thousand consumer products into a single source. Products are sorted by Wize Rank™ - a score that represents the public's collective wisdom, good or bad, for each item. Wize Rank allows people to quickly determine which products are worth further consideration. Wize.com was founded in 2005 by Doug Baker. Previously, Baker was founder and CEO of Private Accounts which was acquired by E*TRADE in 2000. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., Wize.com is privately held. http://www.wize.com.