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A Kiosk For All Seasons—And ReasonsJune 30th, 2009A kiosk is a fully self-contained audio/visual display system built around a small-format, Intel-based PC. Integrated into a housing unit with a regular or touch-screen monitor, a sturdy, enterprise-grade keyboard and pointing device are usually the only other controls needed. A sleek, attractive design fits in anywhere, and you can customize the look and feel of the graphics to carry your company name, logo and other branding components. If you manage trade shows, conventions or company conferences then you already know about all the things you need to take with you, configure and set up, things that are vital to success. Desktops and laptops, tablet PCs and projectors, marketing materials and product samples—some or all of these things are crucial to the success of your convention or trade show. Another important component, of course, is a kiosk. Some strategic planning will help you determine which of these items you want to take, and which you would prefer to have show up where and when you need them, correctly configured by expert technicians and guaranteed to work. One of many great tools Experienced convention planners and event organizers know that CRE is the leading source for Friendlyway kiosk rentals—sleek, attractive, functional and interactive gear that can run custom applications—for trade shows, conventions and promotional events. It is also the source for the laptop rentals, computer rentals, projectors and other tools you need for a successful effort. Your kiosk rental can be deployed for a wide range of functions, Customized capabilities If you want to start some marketing buzz for a new product rollout, a short- or long-term kiosk rental can help get that viral marketing message moving. Installations in shopping malls, airports or busy business centers can position your message among people on the move, ones whose attention you can grab with a smart kiosk presentation. That’s why your CRE kiosk rental is tailored to your precise needs, custom-configured to deliver the right message to the right people in the right place. You can easily have one or more set up as sales points, lead-generating devices, courtesy Internet access, interactive PowerPoint presentations or any combination of the foregoing. Whatever the critical time of year is for your business—fall fashion season, the winter holidays, spring break, summer vacation or all of the above—CRE is ready to set up the right kiosk system for you. Since the kiosk’s system is PC- and browser-based, you can use all the various media/communications formats including Quicktime, HTML, DVD, video, PowerPoint, Newsticker and RSS (Real Simple Syndication), while supplying WiFi connectivity, as well. With new tools coming out all the time for making your own news ticker, the sky’s the limit. Our kiosks’ powerful graphics abilities enable you to use dynamic, high-resolution color images for dramatic presentations that support clear, solid audio, too. Naturally, all cabling and connections are neatly out of sight, making for a handsome device. CRE technicians can configure your kiosk rental to your precise specifications so that it is ready to plug and play when you are. Contact one of our professionals today and discover the many ways CRE can help you present (and obtain) important information with a computer kiosk. Mac WWDC Recap: Apple Loves Its LaptopsJune 26th, 2009At first the news coming out of Apple’s early-June Worldwide Developers’ Conference seemed somehow un-newsworthy. It felt like an iPhone event, and the announcements about the iPhone 3GS did rise past “cool” to the “awesome” level, although they fell short of the vaunted “insanely great” status. On further reflection, however, there were some pretty solid improvements to the Macintosh announced at WWDC 2009. Nothing grabbed the initial headlines, but after a few weeks, the pundits started noticing that they’d missed a few, well, cool things in the computer category—hardware and software both. There were some good moves on the Apple laptops, too, a product category that is blazing hot right now with the arrival of more and better netbooks and “PC appliances.” Lets take a look at Mac laptops and OS X, laptop rentals available from CRE. Make room for Windows switchers At the 2002 WWDC, Apple proudly announced there were 25 million OS X users. Today, the number is 75 million, meaning that a whole lot of Windows users are switching. The crunched numbers by industry analysts suggest that many Windows users like the idea of multi-OS computers, of which the Mac is the undisputed King. Industry experts have concluded that Windows users have been moving to laptops in a big way for a few years now. Quite sensibly, then, Apple went and updated its entire laptop range. Now, it’s not as if all Apple’s decisions are based on some Windows Users Conquest Plan, but it’s not a bad game plan to keep current users happy, make the platform switch painless and you’ve got the classic win-win. Win-winning in the laptop line CPU speeds on the MacBook and MacBook Pros edged up slightly, but the most important change here was the migration of the new aluminum, unibody 13-incher into the MacBook Pro lineup.
This leaves a single 13-inch, white-bodied MacBook as the sole survivor in the intro-laptop line. Thankfully, the Firewire 400 port returns from its short absence. The Pro laptops got the new, five-to-seven-year battery (not user accessible, not if you value your warranty, anyway), 4GB of base RAM, an option for a Solid State Drive (256MB) and more powerful Nvidia graphics. The 17-inch is the only one to retain the ExpressCard slot, as the other models are now sporting a SecureDigital slot, and the big boy of the bunch also keeps his top-of-spec Firewire 800 port. The fact is, any top computer rental company will stock a solid mix of classic, recent and brand-new models, since different configurations (especially connection ports) make certain models preferable for certain tasks. Supplying the entertainment industry with rentals, CRE is ready to configure a system to any and every particular need. Just ask! The inside story: OS news By all accounts, Snow Leopard, Apple Macintosh OS X 10.6, appears to be a large-scale optimization of Leopard. It takes up a whopping 6GB less hard drive space and is faster at everything. Along with a new Dock and Service Manager, Safari 4 (free and available now for Windows and Mac) has been beefed up and given iTunes-style visual bling. There are so many upgrades announced for Quicktime X—cropping, screencasts, direct upload to YouTube, etc.—that some are guessing that the QuicktimePro application is history. Other powerful features will touch just about every nook and cranny of the Mac system, teaming a slicker, smarter OS with ever-more-powerful processors to make work faster of even the most demanding tasks. Forget RAM limitations, folks. Snow Leopard will theoretically support and access up to 16 billion GB of RAM, and will leverage graphics-card horsepower to help the CPU by way of OpenCL technology. With these and other evolving standards and components, the last bastions of time-intensive computing—science and math, video and film editing, rendering, audio recording and 3D modeling—will be falling like bowling pins as the fast Macs keep rolling along. And remember—we keep them rolling right out of here, delivered where you need them and when you need them, too.
Conferences, Trade Show Events for a “Creative” JulyJune 23rd, 2009DAC – Moscone Center, San Francisco The 46th Design Automation Conference (DAC) is scheduled for July 25-31 at San Francisco’s famed Moscone Center. Known as the premier show for designers of electronic systems and circuits, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and diverse “silicon solutions,” a worldwide community comprising representatives of 1,000+ companies, universities, research groups and technology organizations attends each annual event. Participants range from logic and circuit designers, system designers and architects, validation engineers and CAD managers to senior managers, executives, researchers and leading international academicians. Nearly 60 technical presentations will offer news of recent developments, insights into management practices and the introduction of new products, processes and technologies. Interestingly, when top firms want to outfit their booths with the most powerful presentation devices, they can work with CRE for DAC rentals. Comic-Con – San Diego, CA
Comic-Con 2009 is taking place at the San Diego Convention Center from July 23-26, with the ever-popular “Preview Night” set for Wednesday, July 22. This is Comic-Con’s 40th birthday, so promoters promise the “biggest and best convention ever” and are commemorating the event with a new collector’s book of “rare photos and art from 40 years of Comic-Con.” At the junction of popular culture, graphic arts, filmmaking, literature and technology we find … comic books! From its beginnings in 1970, Comic-Con has been the world’s leading “comics and popular arts convention [for] comic art, films and science fiction.” As fascinating as the graphic novels, TV shows and movies are, the technology behind them is a key focus the “efx” masters that create realistic “new worlds” with powerful computers and 3D modeling, texture mapping and animation software. Any number of Comic-Con veterans have availed themselves of CRE’s powerful workstation rentals to finish a film special effects sequence or an entire movie, just as special effects, animation industry and computing exhibitors rely on CRE for Comic-Con rentals to outfit their booths. This is a can’t-miss event for creative professionals. NAMM – Nashville, TN The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is a not-for-profit association that represents the $17 billion global musical instruments and products industry. Its 2009 Summer NAMM trade show runs July 17-19 in Nashville, Tennessee, with a Pre-Show Party on Thursday, the 16th at 7pm. Some 15,000 industry professionals, from over 30 countries, attended the 2008 Summer NAMM, and the 2009 show promises to be even bigger and better. Like last year, this year’s show—for which CRE is the official rental vendor for NAMM—will continue to celebrate and support the crucial role of community music stores. NAMM members that take advantage of the opportunity to meet with suppliers, as well as peers and consumers, will come away with valuable knowledge for positioning their businesses for successful fall and holiday sales efforts. The fabulous NAMM University will hold free breakfast sessions on all three days of Summer NAMM. These sessions feature industry professionals with firsthand knowledge about music products retailers and the challenges they face. Current trends in social marketing (“How Tweet It Is: Using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Other Social Media to Build Community and Drive Store Traffic”), as well as ways to support traditional music education, are among the many timely topics. CRE is intimately involved in the entertainment and music industry. Everything from commercial jingles to punk rock records have been recorded on the same Pro Tools HD 3 systems that CRE rents. It is the ultimate for studio recording, fieldwork and post-production chores, as many NAMM members know quite well. They also know that CRE is the “go-to firm” for event management, A/V equipment and top tech expertise—and the message seems to be spreading! Basic PC Maintenance for Non-Nerds, Part 2 of 2June 18th, 2009In Part 1, we dealt with registry issues, fragmentation and “file bloat”; isses that arise within your own computing environment. Read Part 1 here. In Part 2, we’re dealing with issues that attack you and your system from outside, mostly over the Internet but also via infected or booby-trapped CDs, DVDs, floppies (for those who still use them) and USB thumb-drives. Malware, spyware—what’s in a name? All of these nasty-sounding things are harmful, but many people use the terms interchangeably, thus creating even more confusion. Let’s take a look at the major offenders in the “foreign enemies” list: Malware: This used to refer rather narrowly to software, often just a few lines of code, intended to disrupt normal computer functionality. It has more recently evolved into the blanket term for any harmful computer code or software. Spyware: This software is used to log and track users’ data and website visits, then make it available to the “spy” in some manner, often by using a second program of some kind. Some “legitimate” programs also engage in this activity. Keyloggers: This kind of program captures typed keystrokes, including valuable user name/password combinations, as well as bank accounts and PIN numbers. Adware: Often considered a kind of spyware, this kind of software will display pay-per-click ads without users’ consent. Virus: The classic computer “Public Enemy Number One,” viruses are software programs that can replicate themselves and then infect other computers. These infections can range from relatively innocuous to downright destructive. Botnet: This is an ad hoc network of computers, all infected by the same code and controlled by the malware sender. Botnets comprising hundreds of compromised PCs can be used to send spam or DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks. Fighting back As the number and kinds of attacks against networked PCs rose to new heights with the Internet explosion of the last 15 years, the tools for protecting, disinfecting and inspecting computers have advanced, as well. As opposed to even 10 years ago, the narrowly focused utilities (anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc.) have been outnumbered by all-in-one “white knights” that ride to the rescue and vanquish all kinds of foes. Freeware programs from TrendMicro, AVG, Avast and Microsoft itself are capable and effective as long as you stay current with your “virus definitions” and updates. Some, like TrendMicro’s HouseCall, are online services, while others, like AVG Free, are standard Windows programs that you download and install. Both the online and stand-alone programs can be the free introductory version, often a “limited edition” with features missing from the paid programs. When purchasing these kinds of software “suites,” you can spend from $10 to $100 or more, particularly if you are looking for an enterprise-grade solution like Sunbelt Software’s VIPRE. The price of a clean computer The price of liberty, it was once said, is eternal vigilance. That’s also the price for having a clean computer that is free of the dangerous, destructive software discussed here. Other common sense habits can keep you safe, as well, like not downloading things willy-nilly, making sure to scan all removable media and restricting access to your computer when you are away from it. And once upon a time, Macintosh users could claim to be above the fray, but with Macs now using Intel processors and running Windows, Mac users need to have a strategy, too. Of course, when you rent a computer from CRE, Basic PC Maintenance for Non-Nerds, Part 1 of 2June 16th, 2009Along with death and taxes, you will also have computer problems, too. However, a few simple maintenance steps taken every few weeks, as well as some good daily work habits, will keep your PC running smoothly. (Note: The advice is for computers running Windows XP or Vista. For Macintosh maintenance, see a previous two-part blog entry.) Depending on how your PC is configured, a basic maintenance routine should take only 10-30 minutes and can be done by any level user. With simple instructions, and a few low- or no-cost downloads, you will experience a measurable improvement. Let’s break the routine down into the five steps that resolve the most common reasons for degraded performance. 1. Remove unused applications Don’t waste space by overfilling your drive. If you’re like the majority of users, you have games, freeware or utilities that you’ve forgotten about or never used. Go to the control panel to manage programs installation and removal—Add/Remove Programs in XP and its predecessors, Programs and Features in Vista—and remove (“uninstall”) whatever you do not use. If you don’t use it, simply lose it, after confirming that you don’t need it. 2. Delete unneeded files A common problem for most users is the proliferation of space-stealing files. Your hard drive is continuously adding, deleting and modifying the files on your hard disk. A rightly famous tool for getting rid of temporary files and other garbage is CCleaner. Download, install, run it and be done with it. This freebie has been downloaded over 285 million times and has an excellent safety record. 3. Dump invalid registry entries Tweaking the registry is vastly overrated as a means of enhancing PC speed, but the area does get bloated with invalid references that can cause problems. Since the registry is a spot the average PC user should avoid messing with, it is best to use a trusted utility. CCleaner (see above) has a safe, solid registry cleaner built right in, so you can clear out the invalid entries safely and thoroughly. Do so! 4. Manage your startup items Startup items are a major culprit on the average user’s PC. The icons that march across the lower right edge of the task bar on startup are items being loaded as you watch, and use up memory just by sitting there. Although removing unneeded startup files takes a little more know-how, you are certainly capable of doing it, especially with CCleaner. Because startup routines load drivers and other programs your PC may need, you must be very careful about removing items you don’t know about. 5. Defragment your hard drive(s) When drives are fragmented beyond a certain point, the reading and writing of data is slowed down due to the time the disk heads need to move among fragments on the media’s surface. Microsoft included a disk defragmenter in Windows, but the consensus is that it’s not a very good one. However, various good (and free) alternatives are easily available, such as IObit SmartDefrag, a freeware program that has many happy users. JKDefrag offers a basic, one-click defragmentation routine without as many customizable actions. Computers rented from CRE, of course, have been maintained in top working order. In Part 2, we will get into malware scanning, virus protection and the anti-spyware battle. Audience Response Systems: Interactive Tool for Business (Part 2 of 2)June 11th, 2009Read Part 1 here if you missed it! Although there are a few kinds of Audience Response Systems (ARS),
The computer that is running the ARS software connects to the base station/receiver and, as it also runs the presentation software, to the projector itself. The various ARS software applications have different minimum computer system requirements, so make sure you are using the right combination of components. A typical ARS-enabled presentation would run like this:
Types of ARS’s Early systems used wired keypads but most professional ARS applications now use wireless models. The two technologies used are RF (radio frequency) and (IR) infrared. The newest offering is browser-based software, which routes response data via an IP address, a system that obviates the need for keypads—wireless laptops, netbooks and hand-helds (Palm PDA’s, Pocket PC’s or browser-equipped cell phones) can be used instead. Let’s take a look at each. RF systems are well suited to larger group environments. The base stations and keypads are typically larger than infrared models and, despite being bulky, can accommodate a larger number of participants and longer ranges. No line-of-sight is required because radio signals are used. IR systems are good for small to medium-sized environments such as executive meetings, corporate training and college classrooms. As IR keypads need line-of-sight to the base station, they won’t work in large rooms, and sunlight affects IR transmission outdoors. Although not as powerful as RF systems, IR systems are lightweight and affordable. Browser-based ARS’s are an emerging technology in early development. A software-only system, they are compatible with existing wireless devices. IP addresses are assigned to polling sessions and participants log in via their own wireless devices (phones, PDAs, laptops). Data is transmitted by wi-fi then displayed for the audience by the projector, as well as on every participant’s device. Final considerations In both the world of business and higher education, Microsoft’s PowerPoint is far and away the most popular presentation software. More than a few companies have developed plug-ins enabling a presenter to seamlessly integrate polling data into pre-fab PowerPoint presentations. ARS’s don’t just collect data for display. They also have reporting functions to help analyze it. The pre-formatted reports export Excel and other common file formats, making possible participant tracking and grading for those in training and education environments. For corporate environments, the advantages are clear—an ARS is a “hearing aid” that gets good information and ideas that would otherwise be missed. CRE can equip your next conference or meeting so you don’t miss out on any great new ideas! Audience Response System: Interactive Tool for Business (Part 1 of 2)June 9th, 2009Everybody’s talking at me, I can’t hear a word they’re saying… At times it seems that listening is an endangered skill. But the better the salesman, and the wiser the business owner, the more apt they are to keep their mouths on standby and their ears wide open. Salesmen know that buyers will tell them everything they need to know to make the sale, while enlightened executives know that some of the best new product ideas, as well as solutions to existing problems, come from their customers. A meeting, seminar, conference or convention can provide a wealth of good information because the hosts know who will be offering the input. If they want real-time feedback from a staff of 12 or a convention hall of 1200, they will need an Audience Response System (ARS). Part 1 of this two-part article will give you the background, the overview and the rationale for using an ARS, while Part 2 will delve into the technology itself and how it works. The “back story” Briefly (and simplistically) an ARS combines hardware and software to bring interactivity to group settings. In a typical ARS setup the presenter and/or a technical assistant makes a presentation with which participants interact by means of handheld keypads, usually wireless. ARS’s have been shown to improve learning in classrooms and build consensus in corporations. These systems can track and identify the participants, or collect data from them anonymously. There are good reasons to do both. When convention delegates are voting, anonymity is important and privacy can be respected. When a company’s board of directors is making decisions on important matters, especially for a publicly held firm, the meeting minutes need to identify them. An ARS can go both ways. Better input, better output The unique versatility and simple flexibility of ARS’s have made them popular across a wide range of industries. Large corporations use them for shareholder meetings and employee conferences. Marketing firms use them to conduct focus groups, do polling and present “mass questionnaires,” while educational institutions employ the technology in small classrooms as well as huge lecture halls. The possible uses for an ARS are virtually unlimited and, as with most technology most of the time, the systems are getting faster, smaller, better and more dependable all the time. Buying an ARS, however, is still a substantial expense, which means larger firms with ongoing needs for the technology are buying most of the systems. Fortunately for SMB’s (Small and Medium-sized Businesses), there is a healthy audience response system (ARS) rental market. If you know you need one, drop CRE’s ARS specialists a line and they can tailor a setup just right for your event. If you’re still not sure, surf around the Internet while you wait a few days for Part 2 of this article, and learn how using an ARS “hearing aid” could be good for your business. Harvesting Entertainment from Render FarmsJune 4th, 2009Before the present Digital Everything Era, film editing was accomplished with the aid of complex, Rube Goldberg-like electromechanical contraptions—plus seasoned professionals wielding sharp razors. Classic animated films owe their existence to small armies of illustrators, colorists and photographers—plus other seasoned professionals wielding sharp eyes. Both kinds of productions were labor-intensive, costly, time-consuming, repetitive and tedious. We are now three decades into the modern computer era, dating from around the time that serious processing power began landing on desktops. The new personal computers (PC’s) eventually evolved to give these animators and filmmakers, as well as the rest of us running businesses or playing games, capable combos of hardware and software onto which we could dump our labor-intensive, costly, time-consuming, repetitive and tedious tasks. Perhaps the most powerful symbol of how far we have come is the “render farm.” Farms in Hollywood?
However, even with the fastest individual PC or 8-core Mac Pro, there can be a lack of computing power when it comes to rendering—performing the final output—from one of these software programs. While an editor or artist will use a single workstation to create and modify their movie or animated film, they can avail themselves of a group of networked computers—the render farm—to output their files into the final product we will see on screen. This means that the creative process can continue on a standalone workstation while the render farm crunches the numbers to produce those final, finished images. No more bottlenecks .. rent a PC or Mac CRE has been configuring render farm rentals from fast PCs and Macs for years, supporting the work of animators, filmmakers, video game artists and post-production professionals. When projects start backing up, clients have a rush job or a system goes on the fritz, entertainment industry veterans know that renting a PC-, Mac Pro- or Xserve-based render farm from CRE can be configured, flight checked and on its way to Ground Zero in no time. Considering the price tag on these potent computers and high-end graphics software, a render farm rental is a cost-effective way to get the work done (fast!) without making a five-figure purchase. We have pre-configured our capable “render farm toolboxes” to handle most anything you throw at them. An extra 16GB of RAM in the 8-core Mac Pro rentals and the crystal clear, accurate color of the 23-inch Apple Cinema Display HD monitors add serious muscle to these state-of-the-art workstations (and we have 30-inch displays, too). When you request a render farm rental quote from CRE you can specify exactly what you need, tell us precisely what you’re doing and be 100% sure that our Account Executives will configure and deliver not just hardware and software, but an efficient, effective solution to your production bottleneck. Event Producer PotpourriJune 2nd, 2009Here is a roundup of some helpful tips, practical insights and valuable resources for the event planning professional. CRE is your headquarters for projectors, displays, computers and all your event production rentals and service needs, as well as your trusted source for good advice. Consider today’s blog a buffet and take just what you want. Let us know if you like “the food,” and we can make the buffet a regular feature. Two computers are better than one If you are making a presentation at a meeting, conference or tradeshow, take a lesson from the military and use the “redundant system” approach. All that really means is, whether you are using a laptop or a computer rental, make sure to bring a second unit with the same videos, PowerPoint presentations or other materials on it. Any computer can malfunction at just about any time, for any (or seemingly no) reason. A backup is cheap insurance. You should have someone working with you so that as the main computer makes its way through the programmed material, your helper is keeping pace with you. (The backup, ideally, should be a laptop, regardless of what the main computer is, as the laptop will be easier to move and set up if needed.) If the main computer crashes, you will be able to switch to a backup that is right in sync. You are then faced with a manageable 10- or 20-second fix – disconnect the main computer, connect the backup – rather than a show-stopping tragedy. Make the speaker comfortable There are plenty of professional speakers who make presentations over 200 times annually, and are poised and relaxed at all times. Others like to rehearse, sometimes for hours, and tend to fret. You should do your best to make them all comfortable, and here’s how you can do that:
New networking resource An internationally known event professional, Italian veteran Julius Solaris, has a blog especially for event planners where he shares his many experiences and insights. The Event Manager Blog is written with an international readership in mind, and Solaris offers suggestions for reading and study, interviews a number of industry experts and asks tough questions of the virtual “event pro” community. Solaris, a strong supporter of “open source” software, is presently working on an open source software solution for event planners. While that is being finished, Solaris debuted another terrific resource, a LinkedIn group called, appropriately, the Event Planning & Management Group. With more than 1,000 members worldwide, it is definitely worth a look! |
When presented with questions and a number of possible responses, the participants make their selections, the data is fed into the computer running both the presentation and the ARS software, and the numbers are “digitally crunched.” The results can even be displayed graphically right 
