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First Look: Will iCloud Reign?

October 27th, 2011

Although you can use it as an remote archive, Apple’s new iCloud service that debuted on October 12th is not primarily for storage. It is made to keep your data synchronized among your iOS devices and computers (Mac, PC). After it’s set up, you can work on your iPad rental and know that the document will instantly be ready for editing on any synced device. Transferring files by e-mail or USB flash drives is on the fast track to obsolescence.

iCloud by Apple

How iCloud works

First off, iCloud doesn’t work without the latest OS X Lion update, 10.7.2, and the latest iTunes update, 10.5. For better iCloud integration, Safari also got a bump to 5.1.1. Pages, Numbers and Keynote – the iWork programs that run on every Macintosh, from the cutting-edge laptops to the mighty Mac Pro – now sync documents via iCloud. Contacts, Calendar and Mail data also updates automatically on multiple devices. Just as importantly, iCloud also stores device settings, apps, screen layouts, ring tones and text messages, so all your vital data comes with you when you upgrade devices.

The new Photo Stream lets you download up to 1,000 photos for 30 days without counting against your storage total (see “What’s the deal?” below). Third-party apps can also leverage iCloud services, and it’s vital to remember that iCloud is “open territory” where tablet PC rentals running Windows are free to roam, too. Future blogs will update you on the features developers implement for their various iCloud products and services.

What’s the deal?

You get 5GB of iCloud storage for free, and iTunes music, e-books, apps and Photo Stream pics do not count toward your total. Your iCloud real estate will be populated by documents, application data, mail, non-Photo Stream photos, settings and other information. You can buy more storage for annual fees of $20 (10GB), $40 (20GB) and $100 (50GB), but Apple’s customer research indicates that 5GB of storage should be sufficient for most people. There are numerous variables – the size of your Camera Roll, how many documents you carry around, how much application data you’re amassing, etc. – so you will have to figure out what works for you.

iTunes Match confuses

There is a possible point of confusion with iCloud, and that revolves around iTunes integration. When you buy tracks from iTunes, they are automatically synced to your devices and don’t count toward your free storage total. However, if you want to sync music that was not purchased from iTunes, the privilege requires paying $25 a year for the separate iTunes Match service.

CRE, like Apple, is all about “value added” and excellence. From Audience Response Systems (ARS) to high-end digital gear and Xserve for that new post-production project, we’ve got you covered. One simple call or e-mail puts an experienced Account Executive on the job for you, while a couple of clicks gets the ball rolling with our Quick Rental Quote. We’re ready with solutions for whatever challenges you face!

E-Waste Primer for California

October 25th, 2011

With the advent of the computer era, and the ongoing miniaturization of circuitry, the world is fairly awash in electronic “stuff,” and it’s cheaper to replace many devices than fix them. So we throw away tons of electronic waste (e-waste) including TVs, monitors, laptop and desktop computers, printers, cell phones, faxes, copiers, etc. Even today’s iMac is tomorrow’s e-waste. Government at all levels has taken steps to deal with the issue. As CRE is headquartered in California – among the states that lead in eco-friendly initiatives – we will focus this e-waste primer on the Golden State.

Overview

If electronic waste is disposed of in landfills or illegally dumped, it could introduce toxic matter into the ground water and otherwise pollute the environment. Also, with limited landfill area available, it is basic good sense to reduce, reuse and recycle what we can. With these matters in mind, Electronics Waste Recycling California passed its Electronic Waste Recycling Act in 2003 (expanded in 2005). It included an “Advance Recycling Fee” of $6-10 charged at the point of sale on video displays, as well as recycling and administrative requirements.

What should I do with e-waste?

E-waste is collected for free at L.A. County Household Hazardous/ Electronics Waste Collection Events that are scheduled every weekend throughout the year. Various cities, including the City of Los Angeles, also operate centers for the public. Most services are available at no charge to residents. There are currently six permanent HHW collection centers in the County.

If your electronics are still usable, you can list them on LACoMAX, the County’s materials exchange website, or donate them to charity. Some charities, notably Goodwill, even accept broken-but-repairable electronics like obsolete computers. (If you buy instead of rent laptops, you’ll be giving them yours every couple of years, too.) In addition, you can contact your own City’s recycling department to learn of other programs.

To find a recycler in L.A. County, use the DWP’s Smart Business Recycler Locator or check the databases maintained by CalRecycle (particularly useful for businesses). Here are the links:

• LACoMAX materials exchange website

• The DWP’s Smart Business Recycler Locator

• CalRecycle database listings

• Erecycle.org – another great resource

Remember the three Rs

• Reduce waste – buy only what you need, use only what you buy. CRE’s business model is green at its very core, as our entire inventory – from event production rentals to high-tech production gear – is available without making large capital outlays. We’re “sharing the wealth” tech-wise and reducing unnecessary consumption.

• Reuse what you have – by giving useful items to friends or charity.

• Recycle things – when they’re no longer useful to anyone.

CRE is your one-stop shop for high-end post-production gear, convention rentals, computers, office equipment, audio/visual support – everything you need, for everything you do. Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive, or use the Quick Rental Quote form, and get exactly what you need for what you do!

iOS vs. Android – Feature by Feature

October 20th, 2011

Although Apple has monopolized the headlines lately – Steve Jobs’ death, the new iPhone 4S and iOS 5 – Google hasn’t let Android gather any dust. In fact, Honeycomb advanced to 3.1 before iOS 5 debuted, but runs only on “large display devices” (tablets). Android phones have to settle for version 2.3. On the other hand, Apple’s iOS 5 runs on the iPhone, the iPod touch and the iPad. Let’s take a quick look at both.

iOS vs. Android

What’s New: The best additions to iOS 5 are iMessage, iCloud support, native Twitter, enhanced Camera features and “multitasking gestures” for iPad 2. Android 3.1 rolled out the new “refined” UI (User Interface), a Recent Apps list, customizable Home screen and improved browsing.

Battery Life: This depends on your hardware, and there are many different Android tablets. You can rent laptops with battery time up to five or six hours, but tablet batteries last longer (up to 10 hours). In limited tests, iOS devices seemed to have slightly shorter battery life than Android models.

Browser support: Web surfing on a iMac rental is no different (except for screen size) than on an iOS device. Safari Reader now displays web articles without ads for offline reading. Android 3.1 also improved browsing, but has been weaker in this area.

User Interface (UI): Apple’s UIs changed the world. OS X Lion (10.7) is fabulous on a Mac Pro rental, while iOS 5 is also efficient and elegant. Google’s primary goal with Android 3.1 was refining the look, but it’s still a work in progress.

Third-Party Support: Android is open source software, based on Linux, which means more opportunities for more developers to improve it over time. Apple’s iOS 5 platform is not open source, and developers need to register with Apple and jump through the many hoops keeping Apple’s “ecosystem” in order. Of course, many of these hoops are actually quality control steps, which is why iOS apps meet a higher standard.

Apps & Games Availability: Apple’s App Store has over 300,000 apps – utilities, games, networking, social media, productivity, etc. – while there are some 100,000 in the Android Market.

Flash Support: Flash support used to be a big advantage for Android. The new iOS 5 provides full Flash support (for you tech-heads, it is done by “on-the-fly transcoding”). Flash apps are still not usable, but Flash video is now viewable, a welcome addition for iPad rental users, but an original feature of Android.

Conclusion: It’s silly to condescend to either Apple iOS 5 or Android 3.1. Both have new features making them even more efficient, reliable and robust. There is tough competition ahead between Android 3.1 and Apple iOS 5, as new products are introduced to make maximum use of their advanced features. We will keep you posted.

CRE’s high-tech rentals solve production bottlenecks, while our expert event production services empower you at trade shows and conferences. One call or e-mail (or a few clicks on our Quick Rental Quote page) puts an experienced Account Executive on the job for you right now!

High-Tech Eco-Heroes: The 2010 Green Rankings

October 18th, 2011

Newsweek magazine’s second annual Green Rankings for 2010 rates the most environmentally conscious, least wasteful companies in America. For the second time (the list started in 2009), the rankings were dominated by technology firms, which took eight spots in the top 10. The Green Rankings reward firms that save energy and eliminate waste, with a company’s “green score” being a weighted average of three “subscores” that quantify green policies, environmental impacts and company reputation.

High-Tech Eco-Heroes: The 2010 Green Rankings

New for 2010 is an additional assessment of corporate transparency, that is, how much data each firm discloses about its environmental policies, procedures and programs. CRE’s own Green Statement makes clear our own commitment to transparency, sensible stewardship and sustainability, and we feel it’s important to recognize the great work of other high-tech firms. So, who’s the greenest of them all?

Who’s on first?

Computer maker Dell won the #1 spot on the second annual Green Rankings with such strong and innovative environmental policies as free product recycling worldwide and a strict ban on exporting e-waste to developing nations. At #2 this time, and the 2009 winner, is Hewlett-Packard, whose energy-efficient models are well represented among CRE’s PC desktop computer rentals.

Like Dell, #2 HP brings its new, clean, future-oriented thinking to bear on all facets of its business. So, while warm, fuzzy, feel-good ads might interest some potential customers, making efficient products will actually get green consumers buying. Dell, H-P, #3 IBM and other PC makers now produce desktops and laptops that use up to 25 percent less energy than 2008 models. Many such models are available when you rent laptops from CRE.

Not only hardware

Media companies like #8 Yahoo earned points (and respect) for unique cooling solutions in their data centers, which are voracious consumers of energy. Yahoo’s “evergreen” data centers now consume 40% less energy and an astonishing 94% less water than typical installations. With all the tablet PC rentals, iPads, smart phones and mobile web gadgets in the world, and the growing demand on such data centers, this is an important development.

The rest of the tech firms in the top 10 (U.S.) are #4 Intel, #5 Sprint Nextel, #6 Adobe Systems and #7 Applied Materials.

You’re the top!

Every CRE client and customer is a “top firm,” and we’re ready to give you our very best to help you overcome a wide range of challenges. From trade show convention rentals to high-end post-production gear like mass storage and render farms, we’ve got you covered. Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive today, or “go self-serve” with our Quick Rental Quote form if you know what you need. Either way, we’ll equip you to succeed as “greenly” as possible!

iOS 5: Mobile Operating System on Steroids!

October 13th, 2011

Apple’s October 4th event may have been overshadowed by the death of Steve Jobs, but there was still some “insanely great” news. Although the event was touted as “an iPhone thing,” the most excitement seems to be about iOS 5. Before we get to the new features, here are some fast facts about Apple’s mobile OS.

Announced at Apple’s WorldWide Developer Conference 2011 in June and fully previewed at the October 4th event.
Release date, via iTunes 10.5 download, is October 12th.
Numbers: 200 million iOS devices sold.
Compatibility includes the new iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and 3GS; both iPad models; and the iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation models.
The OS now updates wirelessly, and you’ll just get what’s new or changed instead of a huge 600MB download.
Devices can now be activated without plugging them into a computer.
You can now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes.

And don’t forget iCloud! You will simply enter your Apple ID and password to keep all of your mail, calendars, contacts, apps and media updated across your various devices – without ever connecting to a computer. On the flip side, you can access iCloud and interact with iOS devices whether you use a Macintosh or a PC desktop computer rentals.

New features on iOS 5

The new iMessage is like text messaging or BlackBerry BBM and is available to all iOS users. With an iPad rental you can now send text, pictures, videos or contact info, over both Wi-Fi and 3G.

The Notification Center aggregates all your Notifications so you can access them with a simple swipe down from the top of the screen.

The Newsstand is another aggregator, for your newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

Twitter support is now native. Sign in once through the Settings menu and any app can be integrated with Twitter. It is fully integrated with the Camera and Photo apps, too.

Safari’s new Reading Mode provides a single, scrolling story with no ads. Other new features include tabbed browsing and a Reading List option to save articles for later. Some folks still don’t know that Safari also works with Windows on tablet PC rentals and other PCs.

The Reminders feature lets you store Lists, assign reminders to any date(s) and save location-specific data, all syncing across devices (and via iCal).

The Camera has a new button on the lock screen, and you can also use the volume button to take pictures. Basic photo editing software (cropping and general enhancements) is now included.

The Mail app now features draggable addresses, flaggable/searchable messages, rich text formatting, a built-in dictionary and, on the iPad, a split keyboard.

CRE is your source for high-tech solutions, whether you need render farms for production or audio visual (A/V) equipment rentals for a company event. One call or e-mail (or a trip to the Quick Rental Quote page) will put an expert Account Executive at your service!

Watch for an upcoming blog, iOS 5 vs. Android, feature by feature, to be posted on October 18th.

Android Grows Up

October 11th, 2011

The old cliché about comparing apples to oranges has a high-tech version that cautions against comparing Apple products to, well, anything. Apple’s build quality, style and innovation set the firm’s products apart, but software is key, too. On its Mac Pro and other computers, the hardware works seamlessly with OS X Lion (10.7). For the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, Apple’s iOS – version 5 of which debuts October 12th – offers the same quality user experience.

Android Grows Up

Google presents the biggest challenge to Apple in the smart phone and tablet sectors, courtesy of its Android OS. Despite the obvious similarity of many Android and iOS apps, features and capabilities, people choose one over the other for a variety of reasons. There is no objective way to determine which OS is “the best,” but this intro to Android may spur you to investigate more fully which is best for you.

Android overview

You’re not going to rent laptops from CRE and find Android on them, but you will find it on the majority of smart phones that are not Apples or Blackberries. After some early bumps in the road, things settled down with version 2.0, nicknamed Gingerbread. Google has polished this version three times (it’s presently at 2.3), improving the soft keyboard, adding copy/paste, beefing up gaming performance and including support for VoIP and Near Field Communication.

You won’t find Android running any PC desktop computer rental, either, although low-end, small-screen “netbooks” and tablets use versions as old as 1.6. The newest Android version for phones is 2.3, but Google was smart enough to see the future of multiple mobile devices. Version 3.0, Honeycomb, the first tablet-enabled release, supports larger screens, multicore processors and graphics acceleration. In February 2011, Motorola debuted its Xoom with Honeycomb 3.0 tablet, a failed competitor to the iPad rental.

Future of Android

Honeycomb versions 3.1 and 3.2 followed quickly in May and June – adding USB transfer, solving a problem with 7-inch-screens and allowing media files to load directly from SD cards – but the development path is a bit cloudy at present. Some Google partners are hinting that Honeycomb 3.3 is in the works, while Google keeps talking up its “hybrid” OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. This is the long-awaited “Android for all” that will power all sizes and types of devices, from tablet PC rentals to in-car entertainment systems.

Finally, the Android Market claims “200,000″ items, but Apple’s App Store has more (and better) products – for now, anyway. Google recently introduced its Google+ service, but has inexplicably let its “other OS,” Chrome, languish for over a year. It may be that some kind of consolidation of all these products is in order. We’ll keep tabs on that for you.

Call or e-mail an experienced Account Executive for everything from high-end post-production gear to trade show convention rentals. Already know what you need? Use the Quick Rental Quote form right now!

Remembering The Man Who Made the Future

October 6th, 2011

The 2000′s didn’t start out well for technology, as the dot-com bust tore through Silicon Valley and other centers of high-tech power. There was one fellow at the time, however, who saw nothing but great opportunities ahead. Because of what he has done in the decade or so since then, he has been hailed as the

“CEO of the Decade” by Fortune magazine,
“Best-Performing CEO in the World” by the Harvard Business Review,
“Person of the Decade” by the Wall Street Journal and
man behind the “Brand of the Decade” by Adweek.

This person is Steve Jobs, who passed away Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at his Northern California home.

Remaking industries

You can get the whole Apple history elsewhere if you don’t know it already; we are focusing on the astonishing events of the last decade, as Jobs and Apple remade entire industries. Music and entertainment have been revolutionized by iTunes, and personal communications by the iPhone. Meanwhile, computers like MacBook Pro have been at the forefront of advances in mobile computing.

The decade of the 2000′s started with the revolutionary Bondi Blue iMac and futuristic OS X, and ended with a mature, industry-leading iPhone and Apple’s insanely great tablet – the iPad. It was January 2001 when Jobs announced his “digital hub” strategy. The analog era – with its records, cassette tapes and chemically-treated film – was at an end. The world and everything in it would “go digital,” with distribution over an ever-faster Internet.

Only (and always) “the best”

Always at the center of Jobs’ strategy and Apple’s approach would be the best hardware, the best software, the best OS, the best service and the best user experience. The proof of their success is discovered by every CRE customer that rents a Mac Pro or Apple laptops. And as a leader in iMac rentals and other Apple gear – as well as the specialized peripherals needed for digital media, like Ethernet disk RAID – CRE has adopted the same approach of offering “the best”.

The Future…

Steve Jobs has had a powerful effect on the world’s future and his legacy remains with the amazingly successful company he has left behind. Apple will continue to lead the technology industry with “out of the box” thinking and innovation … a tribute to the man that started it all – Steve Jobs.

Our sincerest sympathies to his family and friends.

New Technologies and Strategies for Marketing Events

October 4th, 2011

When you develop marketing strategies for events – the trade shows where you’re exhibiting, the presentations or company conferences you put on – you always need to pause, consider the current “best practices” and adapt them to your message. Then, too, there are always new technologies popping up to assist your marketing efforts. Don’t get caught up in the “new toy” excitement, though. Yes, those iPad rentals are very cool, but what’s even cooler is that they’re powerful tools for promotion. Let’s get up to speed with the latest new technologies and strategies for marketing events.

Social sales

Social media is where strategy meets new technology head on. While some marketing experts always capitalize it (“Social Media” seems so much more important) and act as if it’s the only technology you need, it is but a part. Not only that, but certain parts of social media may be more valuable than others – like the parts you don’t write, such as positive comments on your blog. Use them in your marketing materials, splash them on our eye-catching plasma rentals at your booth and “re-tweet” any that come from Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, it is great for strategic marketing campaigns and lead generation, too. In fact, you want to combine/leverage all of your communication channels to build better relationships with customers, stakeholders and the media. The quickest way to get a handle on all this may be to take a gander at successful competitors. Early adopters (and bigger firms) can blaze the way for you, while saving you from costly errors.

Don’t forget that you have a legion of experts to assist you – your customers. You should poll them on an ongoing basis – even use Audience Response System rentals at one show to get ideas for the next one. Customers will let you know (right away!) if you need to optimize your shopping cart, tweak your service model or make other improvements. Listen to them. They’re your “partners in commerce.”

Quick codebusters

The Postal Service plans to use QR Codes and other high-tech tools, so why don’t you? You can easily create your own QR Codes with low- and no-cost applications. These codes are among the most effective ways to engage customers, as they are easy to scan with webcam-equipped laptop rentals or smart phones.

Richly relevant

Video animation and “rich media” can draw people into your exhibit area, as well. LCD touchscreen monitor rentals fairly beg to be touched and used, and exhibits are only one place they shine. You can use them for customer service training, too, to improve sales results and efficiencies.

Fact is, CRE has many ways to help you improve sales results and efficiencies. Our high-tech rentals support you on-site with your workflow, while our expertise with event production services supports you off-site with trade shows and conferences. One call or e-mail (or a few clicks on our Quick Rental Quote page) gets the ball rolling!