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Blazing New Trails with Both Macs and PCsOctober 30th, 2009We are truly living in a virtual world now. Many of the best new ideas in computing and communications are technologies that transport your voice, your face, and your mouse, keyboard and touch-tone commands through cyberspace into someone else’s computer or other device. It’s all about “connectivity with control,” at least for this news cycle. PC remote control If you need help on your computer, it is now possible for someone at a remote location to log right onto your computer with you and even take control of your system. This is not some advanced, expensive add-on technology. It’s built right into Mac OS X’s iChat application, and is easily done in Windows Vista and the new Windows 7, as well. This could completely change how your company maintains its PCs. Remote operators can log on to corporate workstations to perform a remote computer repair and/or ongoing maintenance—for PCs across the hall or across the country. You can also train remote employees by taking control of their screens and showing them what to do. If you want to test all of these capabilities without interrupting any ongoing work flow, consider renting iMacs from CRE. The iMac runs both Mac OS X and Windows, so you can test all the different setups and combinations. Telephonic control Let’s say you’ve decided to host your own Web site and/or a company intranet. Imagine being on the road and remotely monitoring CPU, memory, disks, uptime, load averages and more, using only your iPhone. More Apple talk New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller may have inadvertently disclosed Apple’s long-rumored tablet computer device as he was speaking to his paper’s digital media group last week. Keller was discussing his hopes of delivering the news via an assortment of online media when he said, “I’m hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple Slate…” Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab posted a video and transcript of Keller’s talk. Online pundits and rumormongers pounced on the errant statement as a case of “Nerdian slip” (with apologies to Freud). The Times has allegedly met with Apple executives about the future of digital media and many have guessed that such discussions touched on the possibility of delivering content to an e-reader-like device from Apple. With sales of its desktops and laptops making records every quarter, some still question whether Apple would cannibalize its own business with a netbook or tablet, even one that “thinks different.” Interested in renting a PC or Mac? Request Rental Quote today. CRE Rentals Gives You Plenty of Options for TrainingOctober 28th, 2009Do you want your company to stay ahead in today’s high-tech business environment? Then, you need computer- and Internet-savvy people—and you need to make sure they stay up-to-date. How? By offering in-house training that teaches employees new business applications or software programs. Allocating your company resources is tricky when new, special, short-term projects start stacking up. If just a few employees need training, why not rent Logistics of Online Training Today’s office applications, including the reigning champ Microsoft Office, usually have built-in tutorials, some of which are animated and include graded testing. There are also free online training packages, ranging from computer applications to marketing. Naturally, you must evaluate the source of online training since not all programs are created equal. If a company employee has sufficient technical expertise, it may be a good idea to combine that expertise with some additional low- or no-cost online materials. If the presentation is to a group, you can easily connect a PC or laptop to a CRE projector rental and test their knowledge during the training with an audience response system rental. A few high-tech gadgets will help you train a room full of employees. Low Cost Training Alternatives If you don’t have a qualified employee up to the task of training, consider talking to your high-tech vendors in IT services or telecommunications. You may find a software geek or an IT service tech that can come in to train your people at a great rate. You might also benefit with the recent news about Utah’s abandonment of its OpenCourseWare Project, which folded because of the economy. Download what you need before it goes to cyberheaven for good. Consider finding a training course on DVD in the bargain bin at the electronics store (or online). You can create an in-house, cost-effective course by hooking up a DVD player to a projector and projecting onto a screen rental that will handle any size audience. If you don’t ask around and do some online digging, you will never find these inexpensive training opportunities. You really do have lots of options. Whatever you need, CRE’s Account Executives are ready with expert guidance, so give us a call, send an e-mail or get a Quick Rental Quote in a snap. As always, we’re here to help. Windows 7 Debuts… Today!October 22nd, 2009One of the main marketing phrases for the long-awaited Windows 7, officially released today, is, “Your PC, simplified.” This seems to parallel one of the main themes of the recent Mac OS X upgrade, Snow Leopard 10.6, which simplifies and accelerates many basic operations like starting up, opening folders and saving documents. Windows 7 is claiming better, faster ways to find and manage files, with handy tools like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews. Computer desktop rentals available from CRE Rentals have already proven the stability and usability of both Mac and Windows for scores of customers doing every conceivable type of work, and we will continue to do so with all new OS releases.
CRE will evaluate the Windows 7 software with its computer and laptop rental inventory to ensure that the speed improvements, a big part of the hype, translate into stable support for both 32- and 64-bit applications. Windows 7 PR releases claim it will help you take full advantage of high-end CPUs. If true, this will give businesses doing CPU-intensive work—animation, video editing and audio engineering—a compelling reason to make the transition. Good looks, good features Windows Vista’s signature feature, the colorful Aero environment, was a resource hog that barely worked on some early-2007 PCs promoted as “Vista-capable.” Windows 7 should perform well even on small, low-horsepower netbooks. CRE will be testing Windows 7 on its desktop and laptop rentals, but will make a measured, transparent transition and keep all modern Windows OS installs—XP, Vista and Windows 7—available for its diverse customers. Operationally, the taskbar has been revised, and the thumbnail previews improve on Vista’s and work well even with multiple windows open for one program. The system tray offers far more user control and customizing, while User Account Control (UAC) is now usable—whereas the Vista version was so annoying that “off” was most users’ default. Another new feature, called Libraries, uses “virtual folders” to combine the contents of specified folders into a unified view. If you’re using Sony Vegas or other high-end video editing program on a powerful PC like H-P XW 8600 computer rental, this will really help keep your video clips at your fingertips. There’s always something Reviewers have pointed out a few disappointments. HomeGroups sounds great—it lets you share media and documents across a network—but it doesn’t let you make your own password, making you copy its 10 auto-generated characters of alphanumeric nonsense. To top it off, Microsoft takes a giant step away from interoperability by requiring all HomeGroup-connected PCs to run Windows 7. Not only is there no Mac compatibility, there isn’t even Windows compatibility. On the plus side, there should be no problem at all installing Windows 7 on an Intel Mac, like the Mac Pros, MacBooks, MacBook Pros and iMacs that CRE rents. Windows boosters are hoping that “7″ is the lucky number that finally earns Microsoft-powered PCs parity with Macs among the creative pros. Whether you need a powerful PC, a legacy PowerMac G5 with Kona card, an Intel Mac or a special-use t0uch-screen tablet PC, CRE has you covered. Call or write our Account Executives for expert advice, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form. At CRE, we keep you working, no matter what. Is “7″ going to be lucky for Microsoft or not? Let us know. Correction to November Trade Show Listing of 10/6October 21st, 2009In the CRE blog of 10/6, about upcoming November 2009 trade shows, there was an error in the first listing regarding the HD Expo 2009. The details given are actually for the HD Expo 2010 show being held May 19-21, 2010 at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. The error seems to have arisen from similar Web site addresses, in addition to the November event being called both “HD EXPO” and “Createasphere.” The November event is being held at the Burbank Marriott near Los Angeles, with Expo dates of November 4-5 and workshop dates of November 1-8, 2009. It is a two-day, intensive, interactive expo, networking event and conference, with info-packed, topic-driven panels and instructional workshops. Hands-on time with new technology will equip attendees with the know-how and the tools to compete in a fast-changing marketplace. Information for the HD Expo 2009 “Createasphere” event in November is at www.hdexpo.net, while information on HD Expo 2010 is at www.hdexpo.com. CRE Declares “Peace” in Mac-PC WarOctober 20th, 2009When Apple announced its new Macintosh in the legendary “1984” commercial during the 1984 Super Bowl, it positioned the diminutive computer as the “anti-PC.” It boasted point-and-click simplicity with its novel “mouse,” a graphical user interface with “folders” and “windows,” and the desktop “look and feel” that redefined the relationship between humans and computers. Now, 25 years later, that little breadbox with the 9-inch grayscale screen has evolved into the potent Mac product line of laptops. iMacs, servers—and the creative pro’s number one favorite, the Mac Pro. Add Apple’s Final Cut software and an AJA Io HD rental from CRE Rentals and you have an editing and post-production solution that puts you in the big leagues. There are certainly some cutting-edge PCs out there, and some very good Windows software, too, but somehow the Mac made a splash with creative types, from art directors to filmmakers. Chips and dips
And today? Today, all new Macs have Intel CPUs, and powerful ones, at that. On Intel Macs, like the iMac rental available from CRE, you can run Windows both natively and under virtualization (with such products as VMware and Parallels Desktop). If you have a business and you’re upgrading workstations, you only need a couple of iMacs to replace whatever office PCs you’re running. Covering all the bases If your demands are a little greater, upgrade to the Mac Pro rental to keep all your work going forward in both OS environments. The quad- or 8-core Mac Pro will fill the bill no matter how much horsepower you require—for animation, video and audio work, Web and publishing layouts, 3D, texture mapping and the whole range of high-intensity creative jobs. In fact, no matter what the job—on a Mac or PC, for office applications, interactive presentations or video editing—CRE has got you covered when you need a potent computer workstation rental. Truce time There is little left of the bitter Mac-PC war. Apple’s devices, from its computers to its non-Mac products like the iPhone, iPod and iTunes money makers, prove their productivity every day. In addition, all tech professionals respect the power, affordability and utility of the best PCs, like the powerhouse HP XW 8400 that CRE rents. Macs are shining so brightly these days that they may steal a little bit of the late-October limelight that Microsoft was hoping to keep focused on its Windows 7 release (learn more about Windows 7 features). Apple sales are big, for Macs, iPhones and iPods, and ongoing improvements to the MacBook line (like MacBook Pro rentals) have lifted Apple’s laptop sales figures to double that of its desktops. Our expert Account Executives can show you how two former foes, the Mac and the PC, can work together to bring you solutions for events, trade shows, rush jobs and creative “crunch time.” Contact one of our Account Executives by e-mail or phone, or use our online Quick Rental Quote form, today. Who do you think won the battle? We would love to hear from you. Yes, You Really Can Afford Managed IT ServicesOctober 15th, 2009In the “old days”—say, the 1980s and 1990s—it was hard and/or expensive for solo creative professionals and small firms to handle their own computer maintenance. If the designer wasn’t a hardware geek, or one of the partners couldn’t handle the tech work, solving problems was costly. Somewhat counter-intuitively, as the Internet has matured and technology has gotten more complex, tech and web solutions have gotten less expensive. Some information technology (IT) terms are being turned into empty buzzwords because of the way they’re (mis)used. One such term is “managed services.” What it means in practice is that creative types, like the many animation and video pros that use Mac Pro computer rentals, can run their operations affordably with full network backup capabilities, distributed computing and other now-affordable IT services.
Order just what you need There are hundreds of firms that want to be your IT partner if you are a solo computer professional or small firm. Just like ordering from a Chinese menu, you can decide exactly what services you want. You can get a “total solution package” or a narrowly defined one, like off-site backup and one-click restoration of your files. Before investing in a storage solution, you might want to rent Xserve RAID array and see what your true needs are. Once you figure out what services you need managed, you can choose just the company and support you need. You might determine you have the production side covered with the computers you own, complemented at “crunch time” by an LCD monitor rental or two for those widescreen video and animation projects. However, in addition to your own on-site backup, you may want the added security of offline storage. When you can’t afford for your work flow to be interrupted by crashes, you can ‘order’ off-site network backup services with disaster recovery services. Ask lots of questions “Managed services” can mean just about anything and cover a few or all of your needs. Before you decide what IT services you need, you should always consult a few experts. Check out the tech blogs, visit a few IT company sites, write e-mails, ask questions and take your time making a decision. CRE is not an IT firm, but when you’re ready to do some serious backups to prepare for your new “managed package,” we have storage solutions to aid your transition. We also have the PC and Mac desktop rental to keep you on schedule if you need to take your systems offline to get your new IT solution set up. With your IT services managed by an outside firm, you will get exactly what you need, right when you need it. Companies that are specifically organized to provide wholesale amounts of network services can do it at a wholesale price, so the affordability might surprise you. À la carte solutions with the best IT firms are as good as solutions that are part of a larger package. Whatever IT managed services you need, a few or a “total” solution, there are plenty of firms out there ready to compete for your business. Since their business is to keep you in business, it should be happy hunting for you. Of course, whatever your needs, CRE is here with Account Executives ready to answer questions, make suggestions and devise solutions. From our Contact page you can call or send an e-mail, and our Quick Rental Quote form is ready if you know what you need. We’re ready to help, all the time. Get Your Head In (or Out) of the Clouds with CREOctober 13th, 2009“Cloud computing” is the buzzword of the day (maybe even the month). Is it ready for prime time? CRE helps businesses get their head in (or out) of the clouds.
Head in the clouds? Cloud computing is like grid computing—it uses shared computers instead of local PCs to run applications. This is the “distributed” supercomputing model scaled down for corporate IT folks, promising trillions of computations per second. The cloud computing model uses groups of servers with consumer-level PC components, creating networks that share the data-crunching chores. Right now, cloud computing is a hot “new thing,” and its potential for “sharing and multiplying” PC power makes it attractive to corporate data centers. It is all rather nebulous, though, and early adopters need courage as well as big budgets. Some have found it economical to test the theory, as you could do by networking a number of computer desktop rentals and getting a trial account with a cloud computing service. This way you can keep your experiment safely separated from your mission-critical work and find your own, best answer to the cloud conundrum. The cloud bandwagon The term “cloud computing” can mean “utility computing,” “grid computing” and “software-as-a-service,” among other things. Someone using the term may be thinking of one (even several) of these definitions, and the reader/listener may be thinking of another concept entirely. Many people believe the term cloud computing is just another doomed buzzword, and that it refers to too many technologies, making it confusing. The tech forums are full of folks who have high-traffic web sites—around the 10,000-hits-per-day range, not “high-traffic” as in iTunes—with enough demand for a dedicated server. Some are enticed by the cloud’s claim of “huge cost savings” with “the cloud,” but discover additional monthly charges beyond the utility billing. You also need to establish the actual need for cloud computing. Perhaps you just need a more powerful server, like an Xserve rental. You can try this out before you make a commitment either way. The problem, clearly, is that there’s no way (yet) to make a good cost-benefit calculation. It is difficult to get a quick, definitive answer on cost, especially since cloud companies’ online “usage and cost calculators” only give an estimate of a monthly bill based on predicted bandwidth and storage needs—at rates that might change later on. If you try a cloud setup, it might behoove you to benchmark your results against, say, the performance of a high-end PC or a Mac Pro rental from CRE, just to see if you’re realizing any actual advantage. Does it even work? One user forum participant discussing cloud computing worked for a cost-conscious startup. He stated that his company had moved to hosting “in the cloud” for “all the advertised reasons,” but three months later, he said, they were “looking at moving back because it’s too expensive.” Being drawn in by the hype is a common thing for early adopters to say. Once the advertising hype has settled, that will be the first clue that cloud computing is getting closer to being “ready for primetime.” Take Project Management Solutions for a Test DriveOctober 8th, 2009No matter what kind of business you’re in, you have projects to manage and tasks to complete. Over the centuries many systems have evolved to keep you on track, on schedule and on budget. Project management tools are now primarily software-based, although they can run as applications locally or reside on a Web server. Desktop applications
Desktop-based project management software normally stores data in files, although applications that allow network storage often store data in centralized locations. If you have vast amounts of customer or inventory data to include, you may need an Xserve RAID array from CRE to store it all. Users can even share file-based project software data as long as it’s on a networked drive and is accessed by only one user at a time. Web-based solutions Other project management solutions—Workspace.com, Smartsheet, QuickBase—are implemented as Web applications, hosted on your own firm’s intranet or the solution provider’s server. This gets you the normal pluses and minuses of web programs. On the up side, users have access from any computer (Mac, PC, Linux), no software is installed on individual PCs and there is only one installation to maintain. On the down side, Web-based applications respond slower than desktop ones, and project data is available only when users and servers are online. Types of applications Single-user systems assume that just one person will have the project file open at any one time. This works for small companies and firms where just a few people are doing “top-down” planning. Most desktop software is in this category, and some applications (especially inventory-related ones) are optimized for pen-based computing. During your trial phase, consider a Tablet PC rental, too, so you can test-drive these specialized applications. Collaborative systems support multiple users that may need to edit different sections of a plan simultaneously. Users update and edit their particular part of the project plan, which is then integrated into the whole. Web-based tools, on your intranet or the Internet, usually work this way. So you needn’t be online all the time, some tools offer a “Rich Client” for desktop PCs. This sends updated, individual project data to every team member via a central server when users connect to the network and/or perform certain tasks. This keeps files updated and synchronized. There is a very handy project software comparison chart at Wikipedia that may help you decide how to proceed. CRE’s expert Account Executives know just what you need in the way of a laptop rental, desktop rental or storage solution when you decide to try out various project management solutions. Get a rental quote now. CRE would love to hear from you about which project management software you use. Leave us a comment. November Trade Shows Focus on Gaming, Auto, HospitalityOctober 6th, 2009HD Expo 2009
The Hospitality Design Exposition for this year is right around the corner. HD Expo 2009 will run November 4th and 5th at the Burbank (California) Marriott, providing a matchless annual resource for the newest products and services. Most important for attendees, it puts them in touch with the global hospitality design community. HD Expo 2009 will feature over 1,200 exhibitors, the manufacturers and artisans behind the hottest hospitality products and services. Informative and innovative sessions on hospitality design will cover the latest and most important issues facing the industry. With some 11,000 attendees, 2009 HD Expo is the best way to establish your firm and reach the design professionals that dominate the industry. You will also connect with established buyers and sellers in the industry, so making your booth stand out with a special convention rentals package from CRE is a smart move. Raise awareness, expand your marketing reach and promote your product—with CRE’s help. SEMA Show 2009
SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) will take over the Las Vegas Convention Center November 3rd to November 6th. The SEMA 2009 Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing an international attendance that needs to stay abreast of the ever changing opportunities in the automotive, truck, RV and SUV markets and aftermarkets. The show offers attendees product demonstrations, educational seminars, special events and important networking opportunities. Staying in touch with your marketing team at the SEMA Show has never been easier, thanks to tablet PC rentals from CRE. With a pen-driven, touch-screen interface, WiFi and a full complement of efficient software, you can manage staff and notes at the same time. If you want to show booth visitors sell-sheets, animated logos or new TV commercial, an interactive kiosk or SEMA plasma rental (including the magnificent 61″ NEC) provides an excellent way to do so. We’ve created a lot of great, custom rental packages for SEMA conferences, and can take care of you, too. Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
The Global Gaming Expo 2009 (G2E) is set for a four-day run, also at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from November 16th to the 19th. G2E is the world’s largest, most comprehensive exhibit and conference for the gaming industry. The 100+ presentations and educational seminars are developed by leaders in the industry to educate attendees in the latest technologies, emergent management practices, amenities and marketing. G2E helps gaming professionals succeed in today’s volatile marketplace. The exhibitor list is a long one, and many of them will be ready with kiosk rentals, monitors and other helpful technology. If you deal in products and services that serve any of the many aspects of the gaming, hospitality and entertainment industries—such as video gaming, cashless systems, game design, customized and electronic games, furniture, etc.—then you know you’re going to be there. You should also know that when you need a LCD monitor rental, CRE Rentals is ready to help. In fact, we are ready to help you at a conference or a trade show—or help you put on your own—with powerful projectors and portable screens plus everything else you could possibly need. CRE is also your source for special processing tools, like the new Mac Pro rental powerhouse, powerful PC desktops and a full range of special video editing workstations. Whatever you need, our expert and efficient Account Executives can get you set up quickly and cost-effectively. Fill out the online Quick Rental Quote form, give us a call or send an e-mail, and you’re one huge step closer to having everything 100% covered. Many Benefits of Renting Computer & Office GearOctober 1st, 2009There is a good economic case to be made for renting computers and other office equipment. However, there are other good reasons to opt for a rental instead of a purchase. We will look at the environmental, practical and logistical considerations that might also affect your decision. The economics of renting The first obvious advantage of getting, say, a high-powered desktop rental is reduced upfront expense. This is especially compelling if your needs for the equipment are intermittent. If your marketing department only puts together one or two “viral video ads” each month, for YouTube and other PR purposes, then it makes sense to get that Mac Pro rental from CRE. This kind of planning maintains financial flexibility, and the same reasoning applies to other equipment needs. It is also easier to get a fully outfitted computer, with the hardware specifications and software programs you need, when you rent computers from CRE. No shopping around, no loading applications—just get what you need and get to work. You save time, money and aggravation at the same time. Practical benefits CRE’s long track record speaks to the fact that we really deal in solutions, not equipment. With a proactive customer service philosophy, we solve your problems—we don’t just rent you a piece of equipment. If you are working on an important print project that requires precise color matching, we know that you will need a properly calibrated LCD monitor rental to do it right. CRE is a one-stop shop, for expertise as well as high-tech tools. When it comes to parts, service and maintenance, the practical benefit is easy to see—they’re free. You don’t have to worry about faulty equipment with our expert technicians, or spend money keeping things running right. For CRE, it is also easy to accommodate your growing needs. If your job turns out to be bigger than you thought, one phone call to CRE gets you the X Serve RAID rental that can hold an astounding 10.5TB of your data (terabytes, as in “trillions” of bytes). Logistics: A rationale for rentals For companies planning trade show appearances, the rationale for rentals is clear. Even if you have all the computers and displays you need for your booth, packing them up, moving them, and getting them ready to run videos or take customer input is a daunting task. CRE has the additional expertise gained from years as an expert convention and event production firm. Not only can we arrange the projector rental that you need—in a wide range of makes and sizes—we can provide you the screen, deliver and set everything up, do a test run and (most important) put your mind at ease. Sharing and caring for the environment Quietly and gradually, CRE has been helping to reduce “carbon footprint” for all kinds of companies. Fewer computers, monitors and projectors are shared among more companies, creating efficiencies of use that reduce the proliferation of electronic waste.
Think, for example, of four companies that each need a half dozen tablet PC rentals for a week each month. Instead of 24 tablet PCs being purchased, used inefficiently and then added to the landfill at some point, the same six units can service two dozen users and four different firms. Add it all up, nationwide, and you can see the tremendous environmental benefit that high-tech rentals offer. Whatever you need to get the job done, CRE is here to help you do it effectively, efficiently and sensibly as well. Our experienced Account Executives can help you ask and answer all the practical, financial, environmental and logistical questions you may have. Fill out a Quick Rental Quote web form, pick up the phone or send an e-mail. We’re ready to help right now. |
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