Everyday Technology

Technology: Home Offices for Teleworkers

: Image via Wikipedia

Due to computers and the Internet, the way people do business and where they do business is forever changing. Recent trends show that more people are working from home as teleworkers than ever before. Gone are the small writing desks in the corner of a room; instead, there are large home offices filled with technology stations, comfortable chairs, and workstations.

Overwhelmed and don’t know where to get started? Here are a few home office technology suggestions:

• Internet-The most important tool for a home office is reliable, fast, and fixed broadband service. It will give you access to the company’s network and applications through a VPN, which can be connected via cable modem or wireless modem.

• Laptop computer-Laptops give users the flexibility to work in any room of the house or to be taken outside of the house and used anywhere with WiFi connections. Purchase a few accessories such as a docking station, wireless full-sized keyboard, flat screen monitor, webcam, and external hard drive to make it a highly functional full-time office system.

• Tools for communication-When you work from home, you need a way for people to communicate with you. Every home office needs a telephone with its own designated business line. The phone should include features such as hands free speaker, mute, voicemail or recorder, and caller ID.

The computer needs to have email for correspondence, tasks reminders, and appointment scheduling. Consider having an instant messenger service such as Microsoft Lync installed on your system. It allows for instant messages, personal notes and status, provides application sharing and uploads, whiteboard capabilities, and the ability to copy and paste content or images.

• Multipurpose products-No home office can function without a printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine. Consider purchasing a multipurpose machine that does all this. This will save you space, time, and money.

Filed Under: Advancements, Office

Buying New Technology: Should You Choose Brands or Savings?

Saving money is never a bad thing, particularly in a struggling economy. In many cases, it’s perfectly fine to choose generic items over more expensive name-brand items, and often you won’t even be able to tell the difference — except in your wallet!

However, when it comes to technology, brands are a different thing entirely. Oftentimes, more expensive, name brand products use higher quality parts and hardware that tend to last longer than their cheaper counterparts. In addition, many name brand items tend to have better warranties and customer support than less expensive off-brands.

You may also end up saving more money overall when you opt for name brand technology, especially the versions that cost just a little more than generics. If you spend more up front for better quality materials and a better warranty/guarantee, you will more than likely end up replacing it much later than you would if you have purchased something cheaper that continually breaks down or needs; these often need to be replaced less than a year after buying.

So when is it fine to choose cost over quality? If you are using your electronics or technology for personal use and you stand to lose less from technology issues, then it’s perfectly fine. But if you run a business and your generic speaker phone that you got on clearance continually goes out during conference calls, it might be time to splurge on something of higher quality so your reputation doesn’t suffer. In this case, you’re losing more than the investment; you’re losing clients.

In the end, keep in mind that just because something is less expensive, it doesn’t mean it’s poor quality. The best thing you can do when making new technology purchases is be a smart consumer by asking around for recommendations from friends and colleagues, reading online reviews, and comparison shopping.

Filed Under: Advancements, Buyer’s Guide

Cost vs. Quality: Comparing a Mac and a PC

: Image via Wikipedia

If you use a computer, then you know there are differences between a Mac computer and a PC. If you are a Mac user, chances are you are very loyal to your brand. In fact, those who use Apple products swear by them and refuse to use any other brand, regardless of the price. However, on the other side of the spectrum, you’ll find the PC user. Most PCs are a fraction of the costs of a Mac. Any PC user will tell you that his computer works just as well as a Mac. Take a look at the differences between a Mac and a PC.

Mac

Mac computers are high quality and really get the job done. If you’re a graphic designer or use any kind of design software, chances are you work on a Mac computer. It seems that the basic design programs, like InDesign and Illustrator, work better on a Mac. The graphic design elements on a Mac computer far outweigh those on a PC.

The main difference between a Mac and a PC is price. A Mac book will cost you as much as $2,000. A PC laptop can be under a thousand. When you are on a budget, price really does matter. If you aren’t doing a lot of graphic design work and mostly use your PC for home or office work, then you’re probably just fine going with a PC and saving a little bit of money.

Microsoft is by far the leader in the world’s operating systems. The company has designed its program to be compatible with all kinds of systems. Mac, on the other hand, only designs its programs to work with Apple products. You can use Microsoft products on a Dell, HP, or even an IBM computer.

The type of computer you get will depend on your budget and your preference, but you should be able to find an option to fit your personal style.

Filed Under: Buyer’s Guide

Are the new iPhones Worth It?

: Image via CrunchBase

If you can remember back to 2006, the original iPhone cost about $600 when it first came out. Now, that comparatively slow and clunky model has been replaced by a small fleet of newer, (slightly) sleeker little beauties that have millions and millions of apps which make them even more useful than the original model was. Basically, with the iPhone series we have discovered that the best way to upgrade an expensive device is with inexpensive software. While the hardware is being steadily upgraded with each new model, there will (or perhaps there has) come a point at which the upgrades simply are not worth buying a new one, if the “old” model still works for what you need it to do.

After all, how many things do you really use your phone for, anyway? For most people, their phone is their directory, their communicator, and their task list carrier or personal assistant. A lot of people do use their phones for playing games, as well, but this use usually comes second to having their very own personal assistant that is always close at hand. The question is, is it worth the extra money and hassle of buying and setting up a brand new phone when the one you already have is just fine for your purposes?

The answer is, not in a logical sense. For most people, there are about thirty people who are important enough to put into their phones, and there are a few games and songs that they really want to have close at hand all of the time. But for the rest of the additional features the new iPhones are packing (such as a five megapixel camera, and a 64 gigabyte hard drive), this is overkill. Now, if this is going to be your first smart phone, it may very well be worth the investment to get the best you can. But for a minor upgrade, wait longer.

Filed Under: Communications, Gadgets

Judging Cost and Quality When Choosing a New Computer

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Eventually, you’re going to need a new computer. It doesn’t matter how much you like the old one, it won’t live forever. When that happens, you’ll need to spend some time determining what computer you want to buy, what it needs to have on it, and how much you want to spend. Don’t just walk blindly into a computer store or a big, chain store that sells electronics and purchase a computer that you think will be a good fit for you. You need more research than that. Find someone knowledgeable, and if that store doesn’t have a person who knows about the computers that are being sold it’s time to go to a different store.

Ask questions. Explain what you primarily use the computer for and what you need it to do for you. Make sure you’re clear about your expectations, so the person you’re talking with will be able to make good suggestions for you. If you have a spending limit on your computer purchase, make sure you mention that, as well. If you don’t, you could end up being shown a lot of very nice things you can’t afford. If you have a small budget, you may also have to compromise because you can’t get everything you want for the price.

That’s where the cost vs. quality issues comes into play. Your goal at that point becomes to get the best computer for you, based on the money you’re able to spend. What features do you like but aren’t really necessary? They should be eliminated first. After that, you should start considering other features that you need but could possibly scale back on. Make sure you don’t compromise on key features that you absolutely need, especially if you use your computer for business. That way you’ll still get what you need at a price you can afford.