Gadzooki

Using Gadgets, Devices, and Software To Improve Business Communications

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working on the go

Even the theory of business communication is tough to wrap your mind around. When, where, how, why – what are all of those rules when it comes to being professional? Are there differences between how big companies and small companies operate? Those are questions that every business person ponders. But, lucky us – new tech in the form of gadgets, devices and software are here to help us out.

But if you want to make the most out of modern communication opportunities, you have to recognize global trends, embrace the mobile revolution, use project management software, allow remote work to happen naturally, and use time-stamping to help you out.

Recognizing Global Trends

When it comes to business communication, you can’t go too far wrong by at least recognizing global trends at the beginning of your analysis process. In other words, look to see what other successful businesses are doing in terms of contact points. What are the major forms of communication? The idea of email revolutionized nearly every industry. And now that everyone is connected all the time via mobile gadgets, it’s more important than ever that you use electronic means like that effectively.

Embracing the Mobile Revolution

Many people still aren’t aware that more people use phones than desktops now. Yes, as of a few years ago, more people connect to the web via their pockets than they do via their offices. That fact alone is of incredible importance, because it means that on a physical level, you’re dealing with a smaller screen, and on a theoretical level, your communications are going to have to move more toward bite-sized as opposed to long and detailed.

Using Project Management Software

And there’s no need for your company to run any sort of proprietary method for internal business communications anymore either. There are inexpensive but super efficient project management systems to install on main systems and on mobile devices, so now every aspect of your business communication will be entirely in sync as long as there’s any phone network available to all members.

Letting Working Go Remote

And gone are the days where people have to come into a building to do their work as well. No more fighting traffic, having to dress up, or dealing with office drama so long as you can get your work done from home. If you want better communication, allow people to communicate from their home or remote environments where they’re comfortable.

Time-Stamping Efficiency

New apps on your phone allow you to time-stamp everything as well. And that means not only things like send and receive times, but also how long it takes to do things, and what percentage of your day is spent doing different activities. The more you know about your personal time structure, the better your communication pathways will be.

Fitbit Makes Its Way to the Courtroom, Helps Personal Injury Victims

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fitbit courtroom

Fitness trackers have skyrocketed in popularity in the recent years with 19 million users in 2014. It is predicted that by 2018, there will be 57 million users of fitness trackers! This is not all that surprising if you think about it. There is a wide array of fitness trackers in the market. There is a brand and model for practically any price range, not to mention various designs to cater to different audiences. Then there is the fact that healthy living – organic food, exercise, and overall wellness – is the in thing. [Read more…]

Which Should You Get, the iPhone 6 or the Galaxy S5?

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When it comes to smartphones, we all know that the war is raging between Apple and Samsung, despite the fact that there are countless other phones in the market. And when it comes to the point, Apple fans and Samsung fans are just as passionate about their preferred brands.

iphone 6

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If you’re on the fence in the matter, and you’re looking at buying a new phone in the next months, then it’s not unlikely that you’re looking at either the iPhone 6 or the Galaxy S5. It’s rather difficult to decide right now since the iPhone 6 is not out yet, but should you wait for it or simply go for the S5?

Here are some things to consider, which may help you decide.

Disclaimer: I am an Apple fan, although I have used Samsung phones as well. While writing this post, I have made every effort not to let my bias affect things. True story.
[Read more…]

What You Need to Know About Downloading Movies

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download movies
It used to be that movies could only be watched on the big screen, then technology evolved to allow us to watch on the little black box, thanks to things such as the Betamax and VHS. Do you still remember those?
Today, we can watch movies practically anywhere – from TVs to laptops to phones. We can even watch movies without having a separate disc that contains the material. The storage drives in our devices work just as well, maybe even better, and there is the possibility of streaming movies directly via the Internet.

There is, of course, the ever present question of the legality of downloading and/or streaming movies. Just so we are clear, this post does not mean to promote illegal downloading, although various methods and alternatives for downloading movies will be covered.

Read on to learn more about downloading and watching movies online. [Read more…]

Some Cool VoIP Gadgets

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Just like many other internet based technologies, VoIP has its share of dedicated gadgets that make the use of the technology easier and/or make it more fun. For those who like gadgetry it pays to know about all the cool stuff that is available. So here are some business VoIP gadgets that users might consider:

voip gadgets

VoIP Recorder

The gadget records all your VoIP conversations. It offers a number of different formats for the storage of these conversations such as wav, mp3, ogg, and spexx and can record in mono or stereo. One possible usage of this besides just reviewing things you and your friends have said is conducting interviews and then uploading them for podcasts. [Read more…]

How to Get the Most out of New Gadgets

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With the vast array of new technologies that are becoming available these days, it pays to take a certain approach to the gadgets that are available and being used more and more frequently. Used rightly, technological devices can make for faster communication, better access to information, greater interactivity, and can simply be fun in and of themselves. The following are some tips on getting the most out of the tools and toys of the electronic age.

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The Gadget is a Tool, not an End in Itself

The gadget should be regarded as a tool rather than an end in itself. This distinction comes up over and over as new technology hits the scene. The whole point of new technology is to make real contact between people easier, faster, and more connective. The end result of using the technology should be actual in person contact, real activities, and tangible work results as much as possible, unless time and distance factors make this impossible. [Read more…]

The IRIS 9000

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The IRIS 9000 by ThinkGeek is a new companion to the iPhone 4S that merges speaker phone and Siri voice command functionality with a bit of spooky sci fi. This is intentionally done. The parallel that will be easily recognizable to science fiction fans is to the HAL 9000 of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey fame. [Read more…]

5 Reasons to Avoid a Long Term Cell Phone Contract

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When cell phones first started growing in popularity, the only way to get one was with a long term contract. Then, companies started releasing prepaid cell phones and users suddenly had a choice. Over the years, no contract or prepaid phones have grown into a very popular market.

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No Bill Shock

Prepaid means that what you pay for is what you get. There’s no chance that you’ll go over your minutes or you’ll send too many text messages and rack up extra charges. You know exactly how much you’re spending per month and you can manage your expenses accordingly. You never have to worry about getting an outrageously high phone bill in the mail because of some unforeseen occurrence. [Read more…]

Sony S1 and S2 Tablets Specs Leaked to CNET

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Sony S1

I may be in love with the iPad, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate other real headturners, and Sony S1 and S2 tablets are just that.

So far, what we know about the Sony S1 and S2 tablets are still quite sketchy, but just a look at the prototypes makes me want to try it out. The S1’s wedge design gives it extra oomph, while the S2’s “closable” dual screen design is just like no other tablet in the market. It isn’t their pretty hardware that’s the talk of the town these days though, but the fact that CNET was able to get inside information on the actual specs of the tablets. ((Source))

Prior to the leak, information about their OS have already been reported, with both models said to be built using the latest Android version. Though the Honeycomb wasn’t explicitly mentioned, it’s just logical for Sony to use the Honeycomb, it being the tablet version of Android. Aside from the OS though, we now know more about the S1’s and S2’s hardware.

According to CNET’s sources the S1 tablet will be available in the following four versions: 2 Wi-Fi only versions at 16GB and 32GB, and 2 Wi-Fi and 3G versions also with 16GB and 32GB memory space. All S1 models will also come with a built-in SD memory card reader, so that you won’t have to worry much about running out of memory. Other specs and features that were mentioned include a 9.4-inch display that will be using TruBlack and Bravia technologies, a vague estimation of the S1’s battery life (“comparable to the iPad 2”), and two important tablet accessories – a dock and a Bluetooth keyboard.

Less information was gleaned about the S2 model, but what is known is that there won’t be any Wi-Fi only versions released for this model. However, the Wi-Fi and 3G versions will also be available in 16GB and 32GB. There was no mention of the battery life or accessories that will come with the S2 tablet.

Both tablets are said to be due for launching either late August or early September, just in time for the IFA 2011 in Berlin. Sony will be releasing the real names of both tablets then, and will probably be announcing price points as well.

DIDO: Wireless Technology Game Changer?

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Wireless Antennas

No we’re not talking about the artist, we’re talking about the latest baby that Steve Perlman, Onlive Founder, developed with his team of engineers and scientists as San Francisco – DIDO. DIDO, which means “distributed-input-distributed output”, is a new wireless system that is being touted by Perlman as the future of wireless.

DIDO is supposed to revolutionize the wireless world by making wireless networks more reliable (Read: Fewer dropped calls.) and speedy. It does this primarily by addressing the problem with interference. That does not mean that it eliminates interference though. On the contrary, what the DIDO system actually does is it “embraces interference rather than avoiding” it. As users access the Internet through multiple transmitters, what the DIDO data center does is simultaneously access the Web data from the multiple transmitters, processes it, and transforms it to unique signals that carries the data to invidiual users. Since DIDO relies on interference from multiple transmitters to create the unique signals,it means that the system would need to have a lot of transmitters deployed in order to give each user in the network the maximum data rate. The good thing though, is that if conditions are met, users can actually experience speeds at 100 percent, something we all know current wireless technologies do not deliver.

A major loophole of the DIDO system is that it can’t work with signals other than that transmitted by DIDO transmitters, which means that it is unlikely that the technology will be adopted in areas where current Wi-Fi technologies are already pervasive. As Perlman said, “Frankly, I think the first deployments will be outside the U.S.”, which is only sensible considering how wirelessly connected the United States is. Still this is good news to regions and countries where Wi-Fi accessibility is still a problem, since there is no barring their use of the technology. For the rest of us though, unless everyone’s willing to tear down existing cellular phone and Wi-Fi transmitters, we’ll just have to deal with dropped calls and slow, congested internet connections until another technology that can coexist with current technologies arrives.

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Photo via osde8info