Technology and Gadgets

September 2, 2010

Getting The Right GPS Products

Probably the most important modern car accessories, GPS products give a new meaning to the concept of traveling. Since there are so many devices available, buying the right GPS system should not be taken lightly, as it requires the comparison of lots of GPS products. You can only call it a good purchase if you have made a comprehensive GPS auto comparison and have analyzed all the items that may or may not correspond to your navigational needs. Hand held devices, PDAs, dashboard-integrated GPS receivers and mounted units are the best sold of GPS products.

Although design makes the difference between the various GPS products, the receivers do have a great number of features in common. First of all, they all depend on a clear sky view to operate, then, the voice announcement feature is present with almost all models, even if there is graphic display too. Monitors, antennas, batteries, car power adapters and memory cards are other important elements included and shared by most GPS products. As for the best GPS products classified by manufacturer, there are three brand names of international reputation: Garmin, TomTom and Magellan.

The choice of features becomes the main challenge with top rated GPS products. Comparisons prove unnecessary beyond a certain quality standard In fact, with high-quality standards, there is no longer necessary to make comparisons; hence, you just have to decide what GPS features you need to use daily. Top notch GPS products differ in the number of functions not in quality terms. You will probably get two or three more features with a product as compared with the competition. Check how the GPS products work, repeat the test after you buy the unit.

There are rare cases when the GPS products do not work as expected; when this is the case the return policy allows you to get a replacement from the manufacturer. The problem is that GPS receivers are very intricate devices with lots of circuits, and something may not be in the right place thus causing a malfunction. Instead of having to go through all the trouble of changing the GPS, go through every feature before the purchase and make sure that the device functions within optimal parameters. The warranty terms and the usage instructions should not be overlooked either because operational troubles could result from mis-handling as well.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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Internet Telephone Service Can Save Your Business Money

Business owners can save a lot of money if they are willing to go over their monthly local, long distance and internet bills, and do a little online comparison shopping. Some businesses spend too much on telephone service when they don’t need to, and if their telephone service and internet service are paid automatically by debit card, credit card or automatic check withdrawal, they may never even look at their bills. There’s a reason that telecom type companies want you to pay via automatic debit, credit or ACH, and that is because as long as you don’t see the bill, you don’t know what you’re spending. And that can end up getting a business into trouble.

The first bill that you should look at is your local phone service provider’s bill. How many lines do you have coming into the office, and do you need them all? Once you’ve counted your local lines, look at the phone bill and check which features each telephone line has, and then decide if they are are worth what you’re being charged for them. Business telephone lines, with local service only, can cost up to $45 for each local phone line each and every month with some providers, and if you’ve got a bunch of them, they can really cost you a lot of money.

Once you’ve broken down the local phone service bill, look at your long distance bill and see if your long distance carrier is providing you with a good deal on long distance service, or whether they are an expensive long distance carrier . Also, check the long distance bill to see if there are any calls outside the US or Canada. Different long distance providers charge different fees for domestic and international calls, so a $1.98 per minute call to Afghanistan with SBC may only cost $0.47 per minute with a discount company like TCI or Powernet Global.

Now that you can see what you are being charged for the local landlines and for the long distance calls, look at the rest of the taxes and fees on the bill. In most of the United States, the taxes and fees on landline phone service are %25 to %30 of the total bill. So, if your telephone bill was $100 for 2 or 3 local business lines, and $50 for domestic and international long distance calls, there might be an additional $40 to $50 in taxes and fees, for a total bill of around $200. Now let’s check out some internet phone companies and see about lowering your business’s telecom costs.

Broadband phone service requires a fast internet connection to work, so there is going to be an additional charge for having high speed internet service coming into your office. If you don’t have high speed internet service, you can get it from your local cable company for around $60 per month for 4 to 12 MB of service. That much bandwidth can run a lot of phones and a lot of computer apps, especially when you consider a T1 line has 23 channels, and that’s only 1.5MB of bandwidth. In my office, I run 2 internet phones and 3 computers, plus pipe in Pandora for office music, all with an 8MB plan from Charter. (It’s in my house, so I only pay $29.95 per month.)

Broadband telephone calling plans themselves are cheap, coming in at between $19.95 and $79.95 per month, depending on who you go with. Two of the internet phone companies offering cheap broadband calling plans are Lingo and Phonepower. Lingo offers unlimited calling to the US, Canada, and 45 other countries for $21.95 per month, while Phonepower offers unlimited calling on 2 lines in the US and Canada for $19.95 per month. Both broadband calling plans come with a ton of free features like 3-way calling, voice mail and others, that would cost a lot extra from a landline telephone carrier. and what’s really neat is that the taxes and fees on VoIP lines are cheaper than the PIC-C fees land-line carriers charge per business line.

If we do the math between landline telephone service and broadband telephone service, broadband telephone service wins in most cases. You can get 3-4 broadband telephone lines from Phonepower for around $45 per month, including tax. Add to that the $60 for high speed internet service, and the whole bill comes to around $105 instead of the $200 that landline service would cost you. And, if you figure in the fact that most businesses already have high speed internet service, the savings increase to around $155, instead of $95, per month. Any way that you look at it, broadband telephone service in this case is going to save you $1100 to $1900 per year over what you would pay for 2 or 3 landlines plus long distance service, plus taxes and fees.

For more information on saving your business money, visit calling-plans.com and use their home phone service, broadband telephone service, and wireless telephone rate calculators to compare cheap long distance phone service. I know that my small business can’t afford to give away $1500+ per year to the telecom companies; Can Yours?

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 31, 2010

Are Refurbished Laptops Just As Good?

That depends.

Brand new computers do have their disadvantages when compared with refurbished laptops. This is certainly true when it comes to the topic of affordability.

Some people equate the word refurbished to be used or second hand with the end result of buying cheap laptops. This is not necessarily the case.

Refurbished cars are a great example of this reality. I asked a friend of mine what type of refurbished car he would be happy with.

His response?

  1. 1967 Chevy Impala, two-door hardtop, or convertible
  2. 1962 - 1967 Chevy Corvette, Coupe or Convertible
  3. 1963 A C Cobra, Hi-Potential Engine

If having the latest greatest technology is what you want, then a refurbished computer may not be your best answer. A refurbished laptop is more than enough for those living paycheck to paycheck.

At this point we come full circle on the topic of refurbished verse new technology.

My answer, for the most part would be yes for several reasons.

• Guarantee
• Affordability
• Value
• Excellence

It is not the unit that needs to be in question but rather where that equipment was refurbished at.

*** Guarantee ***

Companies that provide refurbished computers would benefit greatly from providing a guarantee with their equipment. A number of them do.

Why?

Because a guarantee, even a 90 day guarantee, lets the buyer know that the company is willing to stand behind the product that they bringing to the market. Therefore, if support becomes necessary with the purchase the customer can know they are covered. Finding yourself without a warranty or guarantee is reason enough to not consider a refurbished device. If something goes wrong you have nothing to fall back on except a brand new computer purchase.

*** Affordability ***

This was something we addressed earlier. This may very well be the most import piece of the refurbished laptop purchase puzzle.

Generally speaking, a refurbished device will cost much less than its newer counterpart . When your budget is the concern their are definite advantages to considering a refurbished purchase if it comes with a guarantee like I talked about above. Even better if they offer an extended warranty of some sort, generally speaking I avoid such options but not with refurbished computers.

*** Value ***

Refurbished laptop computers can come with many more options for far less cost compared to that of a more expensive new laptop.

This again depends on you and your individual circumstances. It is quite possible for you to just secure the basic necessities at a much lower cost than new, or if your pocket book will handle it you can get more value for less.

The bottom line is that refurbished units provide more affordable options when compared with there more expensive and new counterparts.

*** Excellence ***

A refurbished laptop and the word excellence, how can that be?

Again it depends on the person or company providing the unit. However, it would be my own belief that those who want to receive referrals and future business for their efforts are going to do whatever they can to get people talking about their work. That is why selling computers which are not working right would be an extreme problem for their own future well being.

Companies that take this approach to business will do all they can to produce high quality products

*** Summing It Up ***

I call this my GAVE approach because I GAVE myself a break while I GAVE myself the technology I needed within the refurbished laptops that I purchase. Why not be the one that GAVE you your own break?

To put it another way, I GAVE up on high priced expensive laptops in favor of affordable refurbished laptops while finding a great place to read about affordable laptops at BuyComputerAccessories.org. If you’re like me and want affordable technology that is not necessarily cheap laptops then you owe it to yourself to check these people out for all your refurbished laptops.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 29, 2010

PrinterOn Powering Select Networks Of Public Printers For HP EPrint

KITCHENER, ON, April 21, 2010 - PrinterOn is pleased to announce that it has come to an agreement with HP to HP ePrint users access to search and print to the PrinterOn public network of PrintSpots.

The HP ePrint application for public print locations allows users to print directly from their BlackBerry Smartphones while they are on the go. Many HP ePrint locations are powered by the PrinterOn network of public printers called PrintSpots. PrinterOn is HP’s print network partner for relevant print locations, including today’s announcement with Hilton Worldwide.

“Today’s announcement is a major step towards the worldwide adoption of mobile printing from Smartphones,” said Ken Noreikis, Vice President Sales & Marketing, PrinterOn Corporation. “Our collaboration with HP, the world’s largest technology company, will facilitate this adoption by enterprise mobile professionals and help increase their productivity by allowing them to print simply and easily on the go to PrinterOn PrintSpots locations worldwide.”

More than 1,300 hotels in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands will have PrintSpots accessible via HP ePrint including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels and Homewood Suites by Hilton.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to meet our guests’ needs, and HP’s ePrint application provides them with on-the-go and convenient technology,” said Robert Webb, Chief Information Officer, Hilton Worldwide. “Using HP ePrint, guests can quickly print out e-mail, spreadsheets or other documents from their BlackBerry Smartphones while waiting for the hotel elevator, and by the time they get downstairs, their copies will be ready for them to pick up.”

The users of HP ePrint will not only have access to all of the Hilton PrintSpot locations, but they will be able to search and print to thousands of other printers within the PrintSpots public print network located at hotels, airports, cafes and public libraries. This gives the BlackBerry Smartphone user the freedom and choice to print at locations convenient to them wherever they are.

“Accessibility to almost everything is at the touch of a button on mobile devices, and printing documents should be no different,” said John Tomesco, Vice President of Market Development and Worldwide Enterprise Sales, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “By working with companies like PrinterOn Corporation, we are able to provide our enterprise customers with technology such as the HP ePrint application on their BlackBerry Smartphones, enabling them to print remotely in convenient locations all around the globe.”

Please read the following for more information on remote printing.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 27, 2010

Finding The Best GPS Receiver

GPS products and accessories make traveling efficient, pleasant and safe. With the wide availability of devices, buying the right GPS system is not at all easy given the pros and cons of different GPS products as well as the car specificity. A good deal is recognized if all the individual navigational needs are met. Hand held devices, PDAs, dashboard-integrated GPS receivers and mounted units are the best sold of GPS products.

Although design makes the difference between the various GPS products, the receivers do have a great number of features in common. Almost all GPS units have both vocal and visual forms of announcement and they all need a clear view of the sky. Monitors, antennas, batteries, car power adapters and memory cards are other important elements included and shared by most GPS products. As for the classifications by manufacturer, there are three brand names of international reputation: Garmin, TomTom and Magellan.

The GPS products provided by these top producers no longer pose problems of system choice but rather of feature choice. Comparisons prove unnecessary beyond a certain quality standard In fact, with high-quality standards, there is no longer necessary to make comparisons; hence, you just need to make up your mind about how you are going to use the GPS features you have available. Top notch GPS products differ in the number of functions not in quality terms. You will probably get two or three more features with a product as compared with the competition. Check how the GPS products work, and run the test again right after the purchase.

It has happened for some GPS products to function below expectations; when this is the case you should use the return policy and get a new product as a replacement. Malfunctions usually occur because of the way circuits could go wrong, given the high level of complexity shared by GPS devices. In order to see whether the device works properly, go through all the features in the shop and then buy it. Also check the warranty conditions and the usage instructions so that the transaction may be really advantageous.

The GPS receiver is the basic device for the operation of the radio-navigation system that uses orbiting satellites to determine a geographical position. The GPS receiver is in fact one of the three elements required by the Global Positioning System, and from the certain point of view, the least significant. The satellites together with the control and monitoring stations have a higher preponderance in the structure. When the signal is caught by the GPS receiver it is decoded according to three-dimensional factors, altitude, latitude and longitude, also providing information on the time. Anyone can purchase a GPS receiver with the accessories necessary from commercial retailers.

Air navigation, military and maritime operations, disaster relief interventions and emergency services would be paralyzed without the Global Positioning System. Moreover, the GPS device provides accurate timing for mobile phone operations, power grids control as well as banking operations. The GPS receiver is the modern way to be accurate, safe and in control of an unlimited number of activities no matter where you are on the globe. If we only consider the efficiency of highways, mass transit systems and streets when coordinated through GPS receiver systems, we understand the importance of this new technology worldwide.

You can reach destination on the shortest route possible or simply identify a lost vehicle: the number of features included in a GPS receiver is very high. From the receiver, the signal is decoded and processed by a special software that allows for vocal announcements and graphic displays of the routes. Most drivers find it very easy and efficient to just periodically check the GPS receiver, and follow the vocal instructions most of the time. Furthermore, the very efficiency of a trip is enhanced by the possibility to take alternate routes and avoid traffic, and all thanks to the GPS device use.

The GPS receiver technology also finds application in the constant monitoring of roads and highways by the authorities. Information on road damage, service stations, supplies, maintenance and entry or exit ramps is thus both accurate and in real time, allowing for rapid interventions if necessary. The data gathering process adjacent to the Geographic Information System (GIS) allows the formation of large databases of knowledge that is afterwards processed by lots of drivers and transportation companies that have to maximize the efficiency of the rides. There is in fact active support between the GPS and the GIS systems, and their applications are often shared.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 26, 2010

PrinterOns Board Of Directors Gets A Familiar Face

KITCHENER, ON, March 15, 2010 - PrinterOn Corporation, the world leader in mobile internet printing through it’s PrintSpots Printing Service, announced today that Jim Estill will be reuniting with the PrinterOn’s board. Jim Estill has experience running companies from zero to $2 billion in sales, is a writer, speaker, reader, freelance marketer and business consultant, blogger and social media expert. Research In Motion, which went public in 1997, is one company in which Mr. Estill sits on the board of. Glen Wright, PrinterOn chairman says, “We are excited to have Jim Estill return to the Board to help propel PrinterOn to the next level as the mobile Internet experiences explosive growth.”

“The growth of the mobile Internet has no doubt been driven largely by massive adoption of Smartphones, like the Blackberry

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 25, 2010

Florida Moving Companies: Moving Technical Things to Florida

Moving to Florida is a wonderful factor, particularly if it is something that you have wished to do for a long time. You can get, however, things that you may have to handle in the course of such a transition, wherever you are relocating from. One of the leading things is finding out precisely how to relocate several of the more expensive and tech related goods from one place to another. Countless possibilities exist available, but special Florida moving companies have the experience and understanding that you will have to have so that you can get where you might be going without any issues whatsoever. Irrespective, keep several things in mind when relocating those geeky goods to the state of heaven.

Engineering is delicate and it normally will break easily. You can get several things you can do, however, to make the procedure a tad bit more steady so that you can quickly count on getting your things to your new dwelling without destruction. If it is at all probable, it is best to try to relocate these things in their initial packaging. This initial packaging will provide the highest amount of security for these things. For everybody who is not able to find the initial boxes for these possessions, then you will have to buy unique packaging supplies for them.

For those who have chosen to pick a company that will relocate your things, then you may rely on their expertise to help get your possessions to your new dwelling safely. Search on the internet for ‘long distance moving florida’ in order to identify a number of corporations that are amply trained in the state of Florida, along with relocating things such as delicate electronics. Not only will they be able to supply correct packaging for these things, but they will have the knowledge to pack and load them in a method so they are secure and maintained. This is your best bet, it doesn’t matter what else the relocate entails. Having the ability to draw on the expertise of moving companies will greatly assist to making sure your things get to where they are going without problems.

Irrespective of where your relocating experience goes, you will see certain things that you may have to concern yourself with. One such factor is precisely how to get your delicate electronic devices to your new dwelling. Countless families have households that are full of such devices, and it can be overwhelming to figure out precisely how to relocate all of them without hurting anything on the way. Luckily, experienced families are available waiting to assist you. Remember this as you prepare your transition so that you can be sure that your things will get to where they are going without getting damaged on the way.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 24, 2010

Is Phone Recording Software The Best Choice?

Are you one of those types of people who like me are questioning what phone recording software can do? Well it seems it can do many things for us. It’s really a digital telephone recorder that is going to be attached to your telephone and to your PC. In this manner you can record your telephone conversation into your computer without delay. It may also be recorded in your network hard drive. This device is so convenient that it doesn’t need an external power source or a computer sound card. It has a built in sound card and gets power from the computers USB port.

Uses
The USB Phone 2 PC hardware and software are very easy to use. You plug it into your PC and it simply installs. Its uses are the following :

  • Your call recording software will automatically store or save recorded conversations on the local hard drive or a network server. You can easily find it.
  • It comes with an external microphone for easy dictation, meeting and interview recording. You don’t need to bring additional devices like tape recorders to document your files.
  • You can save files with prefixed and/or date/time automatically. It is easier for you to remember the files because you can just look at your day planner to help you remember the file names. It is also a great organizational tool because you can save your conversations in folders and directories just like when you save your Word or Excel files.
  • You can easily switch from recording phone conversations to recording from the external microphone. You can play the audio files through your phone set.
  • It can record both sides of the phone call and from both incoming and outgoing calls.
  • Because it is a compressed wav file you can easily send it as an attachment to an email. You can also archive it for future use.
  • It automatically saves as compressed wav files so you don’t have to convert it unless you want to convert it to MP3 files later on.

Lastly, but not the least, the best feature is that it is compatible with any standard Microsoft Windows two thousand, XP, Vista or Windows seven Operating Systems. These are only some of the things that your phone recording software can help make your job or business easily manageable.

Application
On work journeys, you can save flight ticket as well as hotel expenses because you do not need to bring your secretary along with you. You can already record and hear your critical phone chats and even dictations. You can simply email it to your secretary for encoding or you can share your telephone talks with your business colleague or manager and record what are your thoughts are on the talks and email it also.

Catching up on your paper work isn’t tough to do with your phone call recording software because with the employment of the external mic, you can dictate letters or memos and send it to your secretary for transcribing. Gone are the days where you have got to sort thru your cassette tapes as you can record it straight to your computer. If you’re nervous about your PC getting lost then you can easily upload it on the net in the site I have discussed above.

All of the uses and the applications for this phone recording software is just the top of the iceberg. As you keep on using it, you may learn more nice things about it. All that you need to remember is that it is convenient to use, it’s got many uses and it can help to save you thousands of money from the savings on not having to bring your secretary with you on your work journeys. As the owner of your company, you can save cash by limiting the men and women that has to go on work trips because they can just bring the software and the external mic and everyone in the company can already benefit from it.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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August 21, 2010

Within 1 Month My Little Girl Destroyed Her New iphone4

A short while ago my husband gotten a lttle bit overly enthusiastic on the web and purchased the revolutionary Apple company iphone for our older child. The reason why he paid that kind of money on a new iphone I do not understand, he just went on-line to look at the costs on a modern memory foam mattress.

I was a lttle bit upset with him really, since our little girl may have misplaced and broken her last a couple of telephones within weeks of having them, therefore it looked a daft plan. My hubby did not even obtain any iPhone insurance along with it, therefore he obtained a swift babbling too and I sent him back to his pc to look at the cheapest mobile phone insurance plan that guarded you from reckless kids.

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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HotSpot Now Located In Admiral Club Lounge - PrinterOn

Business travel has become more and more prominent, meaning professionals are spending more time away from the office. Conducting business seamlessly is especially vital. Recognizing our members’ and guests’ demands, the latest in mobile print technology is now available in Admirals Club lounges: the Ricoh HotSpot Printer ™ - Powered by PrinterOn

Filed under Technology and Gadgets by ckahuna

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