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Tag: office

3M’s Personal Projectors at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 12:28 AM on April 17, 2012

3M LogoPowerpoint and data projectors have become synonymous with business presentations and I dread to think how many people I have bored over the years. As with almost any technology, the data projectors have got smaller and cheaper, but this was the first time I’d seen how small personal projectors had become. As you can see from the photograph, most would actually fit in a (large) pocket.

3M Pocket Projectors

3M have a range of seven projectors, of which four were on show at The Gadget Show. Unsurprisingly, the different models have different capabilities and there’s more product information here (not all the new models are on the site yet), but I was genuinely impressed by how good the pictures were. The NEC is not a darkened room and yet it was easy to see the presentation or film that was being projected.

As you’d expect the different models have different features; battery size, wireless connectivity, in-built memory and a new model, the MP220, runs Android (it’s the one on the left side of the photograph). I chat with Peter from 3M about the new additions to the range.

Parax Paper Made From Stone at The Gadget Show

Posted by Andrew at 3:36 PM on April 12, 2012

Parax Paper NotebookI wasn’t expecting to see this at The Gadget Show, but it was interesting nevertheless. Parax Paper is paper made from stone rather than wood. Instead of cellulose, the main constituent is calcium carbonate, the mineral in both limestone and chalk. Unsurprisingly, this gives the paper a naturally white appearance and is extremely smooth to the touch. Best of all, it’s waterproof!

In comparison to ordinary paper, it’s less environmentally damaging on a number of fronts. Production uses no water and there’s no damaging acids or alkalis used in the process. Parax Paper is recyclable and it photo-degrades in about a year. On the downside, inks take a little longer to dry as the surface isn’t as porous as normal paper and it can’t be used in laser printers as the carbon-based toner won’t bind with the surface.

However, there was wide range of Parax Paper products on show, including notepads, stationery, envelopes, paper bag and plates. Their website doesn’t yet seem to have an on-line store but in the meantime, you can listen to my interview with Parax Sales Director Simon Stockford.

Sococo Virtual Office Space

Posted by Andrew at 8:16 AM on February 3, 2012

Sococo LogoSococo is a virtual office space for distributed teams, teleworkers and road-warriors that uses real-world metaphors to make them feel like they’re in the office. Andy gets face-to-face with CEO Chris Wheeler at CES 2012 Showstoppers.

Sococo Screenshot

As you can see from the screenshot above, Sococo creates a virtual world that is analogous to a workplace, with conference rooms, team rooms, personal offices, cubicles - I imagine there’s even a water cooler. Small avatars then represent colleagues and their activities, so if some of them are having an (online) meeting, they’ll be located in a conference room. If someone doesn’t want to be disturbed, they can close their office door, complete with sound effect!

Sococo has other collaboration tools, such as screen sharing, but even the simple office space representation makes people feel much more included and part of a team.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net.

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GNC-2012-01-30 #738 The Voice

Posted by geeknews at 12:47 AM on January 31, 2012

End of the month show, big Thank You to our sponsors and Thank You for supporting them. Starting to implement some hardware upgrades here in the studio we will see how they work out. If you have not checked it out yet be sure to listen to our live audio stream available 24/7 see sidebar links here on the website.

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Google Docs Update

Posted by Alan Buckingham at 6:51 PM on March 15, 2011

Google announced today another update to their online Docs software.  If you haven’t used Google Docs, it basically an online Office-type application that beat Microsoft to the punch.  Docs is great for online collaboration and cloud storage.  The latest update allows users to graph multiple ranges and the ability to hide sheets.

Graphing multiple ranges can be done by clicking on Select ranges… and add another range. This gives users the ability to create charts that show multiple graphs to contrast different trends.  It’s handy, especially if you want to contrast and compare such things as origins of web traffic or company income.  It’s something users have wanted for sometime now.

The ability to hide sheets is another Spreadsheet addition that Docs users will find helpful.  To enable it you simply need to click a sheet and choose Hide Sheet.  This doesn’t completely remove the sheet from a users view – to bring it back into view you can click the Hidden sheets option in the View menu.  This probably isn’t as needed as the graphing addition, but I’m sure there are users out there that were really wanting this option.

While Microsoft’s online version of Office, known as Office 365, continues to languish in private Beta, Google Docs is moving forward.  It’s encouraging that they are coming closer to a full suite that can rival Office.  They aren’t there yet, but in terms of online applications they are probably ahead.  And that, going forward, is probably the best place to be.

The Man Who Lied To His Laptop

Posted by tomwiles at 4:36 PM on September 19, 2010

I just finished listening to the unabridged Audible audio book version of “The Man Who Lied To His Laptop” by Clifford Nass and Corina Yen.

After many years of working as a software interface design consultant, Clifford Nass has developed the theory that human brains cannot completely and fundamentally distinguish the difference between interacting with people and interacting with devices. This book details nearly 30 experiments Nass has performed that back up this revolutionary theory.

Remember “Clippy” from Microsoft Word? Chances are, the mere mention of the dreaded Microsoft Office animated paperclip brings up wildly negative feelings. Clippy’s main flaw was that he couldn’t learn and kept badgering Office users over and over for carrying out repetitive tasks that were not mistakes. Even though users “knew” that Clippy was just an animated character, part of their brain actually related to Clippy as a real, despicable character that lived in their computers.

Similarly, BMW had a big problem with male German car owners complaining loudly about the integrated BMW GPS units. It turns out that German men objected over and over again to BMW’s help line that the BMW GPS units came equipped with a female voice, and that just wouldn’t do, because it just wasn’t “right” to take driving directions from a female voice. “Knowing” that mostly male engineers had developed it wasn’t enough to eliminate the problem.

The book is filled with some rather amazing results of experiments that indicate just how suggestible the average person really is. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Microsoft should reward customer Loyalty

Posted by todd at 12:54 PM on December 17, 2006

Microsoft-loyaltyMost households in America are now starting to see more than one computer in them. Today my kids share a single PC, and as they get older I am sure each will have to have their own. My wife and I each have laptops. Not to mention the desktop machine I use for show production. A road trip earlier in the year caused me to have an extra laptop that the wife uses, but before she went house mobile she had her own desktop machine.

This makes for a grand total 5 computers in my household all running Windows XP, of those machines 4 of them will be able to upgrade to Windows Vista and all five to Office 2007. When I start putting the calculator to this I realize that probably I can only afford to upgrade two of them with the respective versions I will want to run.

Here is where I get into the crux of the issue. I am a loyal Microsoft user and have a number of computers in my household that I will want to upgrade and because consumers are not afforded volume discounts I will be unable to upgrade them all.

Granted Microsoft usually deals with companies that buy bulk license but how come a consumer who needs to upgrade lets say more than 3 computers cannot be cut a break on the software cost. This reduces the chances that a consumer will try and apply a hack to save some money.

How about it should loyal customers be given discounts on volume purchases?

GNC-2006-11-14 #216

Posted by geeknews at 3:19 AM on November 14, 2006

Well we have another winner and he who won will be very surprised. I go after Microsoft and the Zune player in a big way tonight and I think you will agree with me they just don’t get it. Some serious Soap Box time tonight!

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Show Notes:
RIAA Spin Machine
Response to RIAA
Black Friday
Windows WiFi Vulnerability
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Zune and Microsoft Points!
Method to Zune Madness
Zune Install HELL!
Zune and apparently no Microsoft Transparency!
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Notebook Fire
Breaking into a Mac!
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Google Custom!
Mars Global Surveyor
Win a Island!
Astronauts Prepare
Bill Gates
Sun Dumb in RL versus SL
Vista & Office Hacked
YouTube Revolt

Blogging Support in Office 2007

Posted by geeknews at 12:07 PM on May 25, 2006

I guess this revelation and the comments of Chris Pirillo may actually make me consider the upgrade. It’s not perfect yet according to the reviewer but at least it’s a start. [blogs.msdn.com/joe_friend/] [Chirs Pirillo]