community
The Joy of Work
The right mixture of digital communication and entertainment technologies can inspire productivity and lighten any workload.
The latest communication tools and services are making the virtual office commonplace and bridging the worlds of work and play. Apple's new iPhone, for instance, seamlessly combines communication with a media-rich work style. This $599 stylish smartphone includes many powerful functions beyond the obvious combination of iPod and connectivity. Visual Voicemail, for instance, is a useful application that lets you view a list of voicemails, and choose which ones to listen to, save, or delete.
Ultra-light multimedia computing devices, such as the Samsung Q1, can have a powerful, positive effect on the way we work and play. The $1,499 Q1 Ultra-CMV portable MS Vista and Tablet PC weighs only 1.5 lbs., and features a brilliant 7-inch, 1024 x 600 WSVGA LCD touch-screen, an 80GB hard drive, an Intel Ultra Mobile 800MHz processor, and built-in cameras for digital photography and videoconferencing. This small wonder provides virtually limitless connectivity, including integrated Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and a 3.5G HSDPA high-speed cellular modem for seamless access to remote data and communications.
We found this unit to be well thought out for mobile power-users. The Q1 Ultra is ergonomically configured for thumb typing on its split-QWERTY keypad, and its standard battery life is rated at a healthy 4.5 hours. A time and power saving "AVS Now" instant-on feature also lets you enjoy videos, movies, music and photos--without booting Windows.
Synergy Now
Even greater benefit from digital tools can be realized when they are combined in a synergetic way to open up new vistas of interaction and productivity.
With a Slingbox PRO at your home base, you can remotely view and control cable or satellite TV, DVRs, security cameras, and similar devices from any Internet connected PC. We set up Sling Media's Slingbox PRO ($250) with a Slingbox HD Connect Cable ($50) at our office and were thrilled with the ease of connectivity and remote access to our HD media resources. With Slingbox PRO and a wide-area wireless mini-PC such as the Samsung Q1 Ultra, you'll never have to miss the news or your favorite shows while you're on the road.
To deliver even greater synergy around the office, the new Linksys One solution combines high-speed wired and wireless data access with advanced VoIP functionality and software services. This hosted solution provided by participating VARs, offers a cost-effective combination of hardware, software, and services for access to business critical applications.
The overlap between leading edge consumer systems and small business solutions often provides opportunities for innovative business applications. We recently previewed a prototype Microsoft Windows Home Server, running on a multi-drive PC from Hewlett Packard, which could produce a real competitive advantage for certain types of businesses. The system can automatically organize hundreds of gigabytes of video, audio, photos, documents, and other content--and serve it up in a secure way to as many as 15 groups or individuals anywhere in the world.
While it lacks e-mail support and some other functions available in MS's Small Business Server, the sub-$1,000 Home Server promises to be a good solution for small companies that need to share a lot of rich-media content with dispersed workgroups.
Traveling Light
The right portable devices can help make business travel easier, more productive, and more fun. DLO's iBoom Travel is a particularly useful arrival among the plethora of new iPod accessories. This compact iPod dock and speaker system, with FM radio and iPod alarm clock delivers pleasing, full-bodied sound. The $90 unit weighs 19 ounces, measures just 8.6 x 4.6 x 2.4 inches, and runs on 4 AA cells or the included AC adapter.
With travel security measures increasing at airports and computers available for use almost anywhere you land these days, portable storage devices offer a good alternative to toting a small PC. Imation's new pinkie-size (52mm x 18mm) 8GB Swivel Pro Flash Drive offers the highest capacity yet available in a Flash drive, weighs less than an ounce, and delivers fast data transfers via a USB 2.0 connection.
External hard drives are also getting smaller in size and higher in capacity. The Maxtor OneTouch III Mini Edition is perfect for carrying lots of data, and for backing up files on a laptop while traveling. The $140 compact drive offers 160GB of data storage, and measures only 5 x 3.5 x 0.75 inches. For even higher capacity, consider Western Digital's sleek and stylish 250GB Passport hard drive ($200). About the size of an actual US passport, but twice as thick, this pocket-sized unit will function without an external power supply when connected via USB 2.0 to most modern PCs and Macs. The WD and Maxtor hard drives come bundled with good backup software and provide a great way to travel with tons of data in your pocket. Show Time Presentation tools are one area where the boundary between work and play has virtually disappeared.
