The official website of the Samsung group, www.samsung.com is loaded with information about the company and its products. A multi-national company and leading electronics company of the world, Samsung originated as a small export business several years ago in Taegu, Korea

Features

The website is customized as per the countries it is being viewed from. The main products are displayed upfront. The main categories of information presented in the Samsung website are: consumer, business, support, experience, news, and about samsung.

One of the noticeable features of the Samsung website is that the upper part of its web page, which is static on all pages, has its text completely in lowercase.

The center of the website’s home page displays a big image followed by the names of a few of the company’s new products. Clicking each product’s name displays a new image in the center. This gives visitor’s a good idea of what’s new from Samsung.

Unlike several other product websites, Samsung.com lets you register here. Registering on the website gives you access to offers and news related to the company and its products.

Tips and Tricks

Rolling the mouse over the main categories brings sub-categories in sight. Click the sub-categories instead of the main categories for easy access to information you are looking for.

Below the central image on the home page are some very useful sections dedicated to product information, offers, and support. The support links have handy guides to operate or troubleshoot a Samsung product. You can even download user manuals from here.

The bottom of the web page has links for RSS feeds and the Samsung newsletter.

The link for contacting the company is provided in miniscule letters at the bottom of the page.

If you are looking for career opportunities at Samsung, you will find the relevant link at the bottom of the page. The ‘about samsung’ link will also take you to a page that has a link called Careers.

Newbie Friendly Rating

Being a big company, the website has a lot of information to offer. The interface has managed to include all information in a neat way. The look and feel of the website will appeal to the first-time visitor. Moreover, a curious newbie will have access to all information of the company. Given the abundance of information available and the ease of exploring the website, Samsung.com deserves a rating of 8 out of 10.

IBM.com is the website of global computer giant, International Business Machines. As you would expect from a Fortune 500 company, the site is expertly designed and tremendously laid out. It’s a clean site and very easy for the beginner to use and comprehend.

The site registration process is quick and easy to complete.

Features

Basically, the site is for more than just the shopper looking for computer hardware. IBM.com caters to the shopper, businessman, educators, journalists and business administrators. Two primary methods of site navigation are available. A navigation bar on the top of the homepage has a drop-down menu that lists various site destinations. For example, educators can browse throw all the products IBM offers schools and colleges as well as any special deals.

The computer hardware and software can be found under the products tab. Users can browse the companies’ vast selection of computer products and place orders directly on the site.

Another useful feature is the case studies posted on each section that serve as testimonials about various products being used in different industrial sectors. The education section contains success stories of how IBM products are being used to facilitate educational programs around the world.

Tips & Tricks

The “support and downloads” tab contains a troubleshooting section where users can find answers to any problems they might have with IBM products. Users can also open a service request under that tab to get a specific response from an IBM technician.

The “About IBM” tab at the bottom left of the homepage contains a detailed history of the company. In addition to the company story, users can learn about IBM’s global initiative, the latest IBM news and their collaborative efforts with other businesses.

Newbie Friendly Rating

IBM.com is as professional a website as you’ll find on the Internet. It’s an easy site for the beginning user; the homepage is clean and easy to understand. The site contains a wealth of information and shopping for products on IBM.com is quick and the transaction process is simple. We give IBM.com a Newbie Friendly Rating of 8.

Zedge.net is a virtual warehouse of cell phone ringtones, games, videos, wallpapers and themes. The company refers to themselves as the “coolest mobile community site ever.” Zedge.net takes phone personalization to another level with fantastic downloads guaranteed to please everyone that tries the site. Currently, the site offers 2.5 million downloads for mobile customers.

Features

Zedge.net is relatively easy to navigate and downloads are easy to implement. Almost all the products on the site are free except for certain “send to phone” features.

Zedge allows users to create their own customized ringtones, wallpaper and mobile themes using their original “Zedge tools.” Users may also upload their own ringtones and wallpaper for others to use on the site. A navigation bar at the top of the page provides a quick link to all downloads on the site as well as the creation software and the user community pages. With a glance, you can view profiles of the top-ranked Zedge users and learn about their favorite downloads on the site.

The homepage has an easily visible “get ringtone” button that takes you to the specified download. Downloading times are relatively quick and the quality of the wallpaper and ringtones is good, if not spectacular.

Once you’re on the homepage, users should look for the cell phone icon at the top right of the homepage and register their cellular device. Once you’ve completed this process, the icon with your phone name will appear on the homepage and downloading will become much easier. Zedge delivers download capability to all phones, regardless of brand.

Tips & Tricks

If you’re looking for a specific ringtone, be sure to utilize the search bar at the top of the homepage. You can enter the song name, band name or a simple keyword to search the ringtone database.

If you are looking for an especially social experience at Zedge, make sure to register a profile on the site. Once you’ve done this, you can browse other profiles and become virtual friends with fellow “Zedgers.”

Newbie Friendly Rating

The site is easy to follow and downloads of all the fun products are easy to complete. A drawback to the site is the annoying pop-up messages you’ll receive as soon as you register your phone. The “messages” are actually elaborate pop-up ads and are quite annoying. Since the site is free, there is nothing you can do other than to tolerate them. Zedge.net is a mixed bag. It provides some excellent free content, but it’s not an especially friendly site for the new user, or any user for that matter. We give Zedge.net a Newbie Friendly Rating of 5.