HispanicTrending

This C-segment car has the look and feel of a much, much luxurious one.

Besides it’s gadget-packed interior, which simply elevates the driving experience, the new Focus is simply crazyglued to the pavement when driven in a winding road at an “interesting” –yet legal- speed.

Its revamped look will definitely be responsible for plenty double takes all across the nation.

This car, in my opinion, is the perfect ride for singles and families with no children, since its only caveat is somewhat limited backseat leg room.

January 10, 2011

The eMoneyPool.com concept was created by Francisco & Luis Cervera in August of 2008. Born and raised in San Diego, California, the founders have had the financial model known, as “Tandas” be a large part of their lives through close family and friends.

Tandas, Cundinas or Ahorros are known by hundreds of different names depending on the geographic location. However, the American media uses the umbrella term “MoneyPool” to encompass any variation of the Tanda name.

 MoneyPools today are used by millions, in private group settings, as a means of mobilizing credit and savings at the grassroots level. A MoneyPool is effectively an agreement between a group of individuals who come together and make regular cyclical contributions into a common fund, which is then given as a lump sum to one member in each cycle. For example, a group of 10 persons may contribute $100 per week for 10 weeks. The $1,000 collected each week is given to a different member until all members have received their lump sum; members alternate between being lenders and borrowers.[1]

MoneyPools thus help individuals manage their cash flow by successfully taking the bits of surplus funds that come into a household and translate those bits into a large chunk that can be used to fund a major purchase[2], pay off a credit card or for unexpected expenses. These groups accelerate the economic benefit of a traditional savings plan and apply social “peer pressure” to enforce the individual’s commitment to save.

Although a foreign concept to some, a recent Reuters article discusses how these MoneyPool groups are thriving throughout the United States.[3] The founders polled the Hispanic Market in Phoenix and Los Angeles to determine the exact penetration of MoneyPools today. The results are shown below:

Prevalent as the concept may be, its concept was established centuries ago and has not kept pace with the modern technological realities of today. The online application of this model allows users to automatically have their contributions debited and credited to their bank account, thus drastically increasing the efficiency of the model. Needless trips to and from meeting locations are no longer necessary as well as eliminating the risk of carrying large sums of capital.

 With the increased efficiency of the system comes a reduced participation fee of 5%, as opposed to the traditional 10% charged today. A sample payment schedule reflecting a $1,000 MoneyPool is shown below:

The eMoneyPool system has not only made the model more efficient but has also incorporated member Trust Ratings for each user, think eBay, which mimics the real-life self regulating nature of these groups. A complex algorithm will automatically calculate each member’s numerical Trust Rating based upon each user’s MoneyPool payment history; thus giving the eMoneyPool community an indication of each user’s credibility.

 Members will thus be able to make decisions and form peer-selected groups based upon these ratings and the perceived risk each user represents to their group; thereby excluding unreliable members. This process of heavily scrutinizing peers is actually how MoneyPool groups operate today.

In addition, eMoneyPool will also help users to establish or re-establish their credit through their regular timely payments. The ability to report timely payments to the credit bureaus will help improve member credit scores by an average of 52 points over a 4-month period[4], a benefit that is unheard of in the traditional MoneyPool groups.  

This feature alone is a huge benefit to our users when taking into consideration the millions of people that had their credit adversely affected from the downturn in the economy and suffered from foreclosures, bankruptcies, repossessions and even the more common late credit card payments.

eMoneyPool is not only giving users a tool to better their finances but also has plans to ultimately provide a learning environment that will teach and foster fiscal responsibility. The lack of experience and education on how to manage personal finances is a hurdle for many people. A recent news article titled ‘Latinos in the US struggle to build savings’ features a young woman in New York who is not able to save because, like one third of Latinos in the United States, she uses her credit card to make ends meet. “Every time I manage to get out of credit card debt I fall into it again,” she said.[5] The learning environment will be in the form of One-on-One group workshops and Online Tutorials that will supplement their participation in their MoneyPools, while guiding them to make sound financial decisions.

In conclusion, by bringing this financial model online and making it accessible to the masses eMoneyPool is effectively advancing a cultural tradition that has aided our community in saving for their needs. This can also be used as an alternative credit market for millions of individuals who are currently unable to qualify for traditional credit due to strict lender guidelines and qualification hurdles such as credit score or proof of income.

By Juan Tornoe

During late July and early August I had the chance to drive a brand new Ford Fusion Hybrid literally across Texas, from Austin down to McAllen, and then all the way up North to Amarillo, as a way point to beautiful Lake City, Colorado.  After putting 3K+ miles into it in a couple of days, with my entire family on board, we can say we intimately know this vehicle. Yes, we played with every single gadget it has and loved it! Please do keep in mind that I am NOT a car freak, and I won’t share with you details on gears, torque, horsepower and the sort. I kinda focus (pun intended) in all the cool gadgets it has and, of course, in how much I’m spending on gas.

For starters – must admit it was my first experience driving a hybrid – turning it on is funny! I mean, you turn the key and “nothing” happens, yet the car it ready to go. Actually a little light with the form of a car lights up on the dashboard to let you know the car is on. Once you get the hang of it, it is hysterical to see passengers’ reactions to the whole process.

There were other things that my family and I begin noticing after the first 500 miles or so… As amazing an invention as the GPS is, wouldn’t it be cool if you were able to choose between several voices to guide you? I mean, the lady is OK for a while, but wouldn’t it be comical to switch into let’s say, a Sam Kinison-like one? "Ahh, Ahh, Ahh! Make a legal U Turn Noooow!" It would certainly break the monotony.

Gas-wise, you just get a good feeling all over after pumping about 17 gallons of gas into the car and having it tell you that you are 560 (give or take a few miles) away from an empty tank! On top of that it has an “EcoGuide” feature which basically trains you to drive as efficient as possible, through the use of “Efficiency Leaves” which multiply or disappear from the dashboard depending on how well or bad you are driving. After a while it turns into a very entertaining game… you trying to get as many leaves as possible on the dashboard and wonder how much of the dashboard you could actually cover with them.

The interior was impressive, and I’ll let it “talk” for itself:

Briefly wanted to mention some other cool features that blew my mind:

• It has a radar that identifies when another vehicles enter your blind spot, triggering an indicator light on the corresponding side-view mirror warning you that a vehicle is approaching.
• The SYNC system seamlessly integrates any “Bluetooth-enabled” cell phone with the car, enabling you to make and receive hands free calls.
• A reverse camera system turns on when you shift the car into reverse, giving you a clear view of what’s behind you.

By Juan Tornoe

Although its outside looks are impeccable:

It does not compare to the experience from behind the wheel:

I tell you, there was serious discussion at home on what needed to be done to keep one of these babies for good; both kids are eager to part with their piggy banks in exchange to keeping the Shelby.

On a side note, the machine is a magnet for guys, young and old alike, who crave for performance and  speed; I drive what my kids have unanimously labeled now as a lame car (undisclosed make and model, I’ll only say it is made in the U.S.A.), but while cruising with the Shelby, we’ve definitely noticed heads turning, thumbs “upping”, fingers pointing, and hands gesturing among other things the car’s incredibly cool logo.

by Juan Tornoe

Slick, easy to use, oozing with cool features, but best of all connected 24/7. If you don’t want to become hopelessly addicted and start to be one with an awesome piece of technology, don’t even glance, let alone stand close to T-Mobile’s Sidecick by Sharp.

Its Interchangeable faceplates (mine came with black and a cool Neon Green) are easy to slip in and out and give you several options to personalize. At home we all agreed that the green was the best looking one.

Even though it is not the smallest cell phone on the block, it is quite easy to grasp; it kinda feels like a playstation, only better.

It is easy to flip open and shut; once you are comfortable with it (which doesn’t take long at all) it feels almost like a trigger (Yep, I did a couple of Lone Ranger impressions, but please don’t spread the word about it). It’s screen has an outstanding resolution… amazingly clear.

It has a keyboard with perfectly distributed keys, making writing an unexpected comfortable and easy experience. I have to admit, I’ve never had a blackberry, cut after experiencing the Sidekick, I don’t even want to.

I usually test the phone’s  “user friendliness” by trying to figure it out without having to once go to the instructions, which as you all know by now for every electronic gadget you buy, are worst than a boring text book. The Sidecick passed with flying colors; in no time I had figured it out completely.

Other test, well not much of a test but a gadget coolness factor I like to observe, is having my 8 year old grab it and figure it out by himself. It took him less time that I to master it and find all the games it had. BTW, it has some very cool games, actually making my wife prohibiting my boy to use it that much, since it really handled itself like one of them playstations that are strictly prohibited at home. We figured out a way to work around that 😉

I signed to my AIM account with ease, checked several email accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, etc), scheduled appointments, wrote notes, and took pictures all in a very easy, intuitive and easy way.

Getting online was a breeze; me being a Google freak, was pleased to see that it perfectly handled all the latest mobile versions of all of their products: Gmail, Reader, Notebook, Maps, News, and of course Search.  Going to other sites was a great experience as well, being able to navigate them almost as if I was on my laptop. It was very hard to stay away from it. One feature I really appreciated was that it gives you several webpage display sizes; a great pleaser for four-eyes like myself who sometimes struggle to read the tinny font on cell phone screens.

The track-ball was very comfortable to the touch and extremely accurate. I loved the fact that while scrolling down a web page or email message and running into a phone number , URL or email address, the phone immediately gave you the option to go/call there with one simple click, no more.

Sound wise, quality was great all around. One thing that I loved was that one of the ringtones it had was that of an old-time telephone… call me nostalgic (or an old geezer) but I really love that sound and enjoy the dichotomy it creates when coming from a new millennium machine like this one.

Bottom line, it has all the standard functions all other phones offer, only better, and much, much more.

Easy to hook up to your computer, long lasting battery, tons of memory space… I could almost work directly from it if I needed /wanted to. Actually, my cable connection went berserk one day and the Sidecick lived up to its name, helping me keep on working during the couple of hours of cable internet downtime.

As I hinted before, I became quite addicted to the Sidekick during my short rendezvous with it. The only downside I could find was that I could not keep it for good. Now I am having a hard time adjusting to life Sidecick-less. It is as Seinfeld said about flying first class, “I’ve flown first class, Elaine– I can’t go back to coach. I can’t…”.

Yes, I honestly believe the Sidekick is the “First Class” of cell phones. I highly recommend getting one.

April 1, 2007

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to get a new 8GB Zune on my hands.   

Many of my friends have iPods and kept showing me all the “amazing” things their gadgets could do. I must confess my expectations where set pretty high when I began unpacking my Zune.

Being on the run all the time, I have to admit I did not read through the instructions, other than how to turn it on! Once that was taken care of (Duhh!), in no time I was handling the device and its downloadable computer software like an expert… both very intuitive.

The one thing that completely blew my mind was the way that it displayed the album’s covers while you listen to one of its songs; it is a great use of screen space; the sleekness of the Zune serves as a way cool frame to the memories that each image brought to mind.

Sound-wise, the fidelity was outstanding… it brought to new heights the listening enjoyment of many of the songs I heard on the old 33 rpm records during my teenage years; yes I’m that old…

The battery life is great; its look and feel is awesome, the control after just a few moves, practically becomes an extension of your finger… sweet.

Another cool feature that turned out very useful while out and about and at the gym is the built in radio, which by the way has great reception.

I’ve used the Zune for one of my son’s school projects. He’s almost 8, and had to do an interview so we recorded it and transferred it to the Zune… The interview was in Spanish and he had to translate it into English.  With the Zune’s ease of use of, he was pausing and going backward and forward as if he’d done it for a long, long time.

The included headset is very ergonomic and it holds amazingly well in place (have not been able to do the same with any other pair of headsets!).

Even while the screen is relatively small, you can watch videos with sparkling clarity!

The only thing that is missing, not from the Zune, but from the computer software is access to online radio stations (which I am pretty sure they’ll soon incorporate). Other than that, I am ready to fully remove every other similar software from my computer and fully switch into Microsoft’s Zune. Did I mentioned that many of the songs available available for purchase are less expensive than on other online music stores? Sweet!

Bottom line: I highly recommend it.