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ID Those Cables (Both Common and New)August 11th, 2011As Apple adds superfast Thunderbolt ports to all new Macintoshes, the technology is beginning to appear on PCs, too, under names like LightPeak, Intel’s code name for the multi-partner project. The Information Age has already given us numerous connectors and cables, but the relentless march of progress means we’ll see more. This quick cable review will show you what’s up today, and offer a glimpse of tomorrow, as well.
Cable standbys If you still use an older computer as a server or mail station, you still need parallel, serial and SCSI devices. Many PCs still have PS-2 type keyboard and mouse ports. And, there are the Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) connectors (for keyboard, mouse, modems) that Apple abandoned in favor of USB. Today’s major Cable players Despite the rise of wireless everything there are still physical RJ-45 ports for Ethernet on most computers. USB has gone from 2.0 to 3.0 with the peripheral-connector looking the same, but it has five hidden pins for SuperSpeed 3.0 capability. The computer end of the cable, however, gets a new piece above the existing, square-ish Type B connector. FireWire will not likely develop beyond its current 400Mbps and 800Mbps forms, using the connectors/cables shown in Illustration below. It is much less widespread than USB, but it’s been around since our Macintosh laptop rentals came in rounded, candy-colored cases.
Monitor connections VGA is the oldest, most prevalent monitor connection, while today’s other popular protocols are DVI, DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort. A variety of adapters are available to connect most kinds of computer rentals to most kinds of monitors, regardless of what ports are built in. I/O for tomorrow New Apple models like our iMac rentals have Thunderbolt, which uses the same connector as a Mini Display Port to carry audio, video, user data, network data and power. You will see Thunderbolt adapters with audio, Ethernet and other connections, as well as cables that use some or all of the available 100W of power to run external devices. On iMacs or MacBook Pro rentals, a single Thunderbolt port provides two channels with 10Gbps of two-way throughput each, twice as fast as USB 3.0. You can connect Mini Display Port-equipped displays directly, or other kinds with appropriate adapters. Thunderbolt handles data, too, so firms are also developing adapters to connect FireWire 400/800 and USB devices to the new ports, with the peripherals working at the same maximum speed as on their own native buses. At CRE Rentals, we work at maximum speed all the time, too, with maximum effectiveness to meet your need for computers, plasma rentals, conference gear and post-production technology. One call or e-mail puts our experienced Account Executives on the job just for you, finding the solution you need – now. (Need it even faster? Use our Quick Rental Quote form.) Say “Hi” to the Awesome New iMacsMay 10th, 2011The new iMac models (released Tuesday, May 3rd), show that Apple is still at the top of its game. Let’s take a look at what makes the 2011 iMac a winner.
Quad-core processor in every model The previous iMac models offered quad-core processors (Intel Core i3, i5 and i7) on some models, but all iMacs now have at least a quad-core i5. The four “stock” models include two with 21.5-inch screens and two 27-inchers, with the former getting 2.5 and 2.7GHz i5 chips and the latter offering 2.7 and 3.1GHz i5′s. Build To Order ( BTO) models get you the most potent CPU’s: a 2.8GHz i7 with the smaller screen, and a 3.4GHz i7 with the larger, which will make them among the fastest (and definitely the coolest) computer rentals available. Advanced graphics Three new AMD Radeon HD cards offer two to three times the graphics performance of previous iMacs. The base 21.5-inch iMac (same size as the current iMac rentals) has 512MB of dedicated graphics memory. The top 21.5″ version and the base 27″ model have the mid-range card (also 512MB) and the top 27-inch model boasts the best card with an incredible 1GB of video memory. (The BTO option gets you 2GB of memory.) All models support a second monitor up to 30 inches in size – which brings us to Thunderbolt. Lightning fast data transfer Thunderbolt is a new high-speed connection that works with multiple devices (using adapters for some). In addition to new Thunderbolt devices, you can connect USB and FireWire drives, scanners, cameras, etc., as well as LCD monitor rentals and other displays. There is one Thunderbolt port on 21.5-inch models and two on the 27″ models, carrying two simultaneous streams (in and out) at up to 10Gbps, over 20 times faster than USB 2. Top tech firms such as AJA (maker of our AJA Io HD rentals), Avid and Western Digital are already making Thunderbolt products including displays, storage devices, audio/video interfaces and more. Details, details The iSight camera is gone, replaced by the same HD FaceTime camera that debuted in the recently revamped MacBook Pro (along with Thunderbolt). Other common components are 4GB RAM standard (max 8 to 16GB depending on model), 1TB hard drives (512MB on base model), SDXC card slot (32GB to 2TB), FireWire 800, four USB ports and audio in/out. Solid State Drives (SSDs) up to 256GB in size can be added as a BTO option (with an interesting twist). Finally, of course, the iMac has Gigabit Ethernet for hooking up to networks and Ethernet disk raid rentals. Every iMac comes with a wireless keyboard, plus either a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad. CRE will keep you posted as to when the new iMacs will be in stock, what configurations will be available and so on. Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive about the new iMacs, or anything else you need to get the job done. We’re here with the solution – and if you already know what it is, save time with the Quick Rental Quote form. Ultimate Pen Tablet: Wacom Intuos4 XLFebruary 3rd, 2011
The Intuos4 line from Wacom comprises leading-edge “digitizing tablets” that are used as alternative input devices for creating original hand-drawn art or editing digital art files of all kinds. All the models have been reworked with a black-on-black scheme; are slimmer than their predecessors; and have a new 16:9 aspect ratio. Operations are handled via 8 programmable ExpressKey buttons and a four-function iPod-style Touch Dial, and the tablets work with both PC and Macintosh computer rentals. Along with redesigning the tablet, Wacom revamped the well-reviewed product line with sizes ranging from small, medium and large to extra large (XL), the model that CRE Rentals now rents! While all sizes of the tablet are capable and produce excellent results, the XL Pen Tablet is the one that serious digital artists will crave. As part of a workflow with digital video and an AJA Io HD rentals, Wacom’s Intuos4 XL is a dream device, especially with a redesigned pen that is far more responsive, supporting 2,048 sensitivity levels as opposed to the previous model’s 1,024. Power and flexibility with a Pen Tablet The unit’s ExpressKeys default to Alt, Shift, Ctrl or the Mac equivalents, while the Radial menu is an onscreen display that can be programmed for various individual operations, and is particularly useful for launching Photoshop Actions. It comes with presets for basic operations like cutting, copying and pasting, and provides a range of media controls for music and video files. There are also four Touch Dial presets for cycling through layers, automating scroll and zoom, rotating the canvas and selecting brush sizes. The Pen Tablet can be hooked up to everything from an iMac rental or LCD monitor rentals which takes advantage of the tablet’s wide screen format. Serious, high-end device Tablet The LED labels are extremely helpful and keep your work on track. The Intuos4 XL Tablet is a phenomenal product and a tremendous improvement over previous models. So, if you’re in the business of inking, scanning, drawing and retouching still or motion graphics – from editing video to doing digital photo retouching – this is the finest tool in the toolbox, bar none! Call or e-mail our Account Executives and they can explain the time-saving advantages of the Intuos4 XL Pen Tablet now available for rent from CRE Rentals. Event Planning on the iPadJanuary 13th, 2011In November 2010, Filemaker, Inc., released a new set of templates for the iPad version of its “personal database,” Bento 3. Bento 3 Event Planner is a The templates link so information flows from one to another without requiring redundant data entry. For organizing everything from small company meetings to trade shows, Bento 3 Event Planner syncs data among Macs, iPads and iPhones. Although the iPad and iPhone both run the latest iOS (4.2), Bento apps for each are sold separately. If you’d prefer Bento 3 installed on MacBook Pro rentals for your conference management needs, that can be done, too. Another approach for event planners Event managers and conference planners did not sit still waiting for Bento 3 Event Planner, of course. You can also assemble a number of separate iPad apps to customize your own approach to conference management. Here are a few suggestions:
The online storage-site-cum-utility, Dropbox is a great way to do backups, distribute files and much more. Dropbox syncs the documents you can’t afford to lose in 2GB of free online space. Create an account, download the app(s) for your device(s), and you’re in business. Office2 HD recognizes that document types “.doc” and “.xls” are the global standards. For opening and editing Word and Excel documents on the iPad, Office2 HD gives you near-total control over MS-Office documents. Desktop Connect means the “I left it on my desktop” excuse is a goner. Desktop Connect lets you control your PC or Mac’s desktop from an iPad. Meeting planners, of course, need this functionality during events, whether on tablet PC rentals or an iPad, since remote access to the desktop is crucial. Voice Memos enables recording voice memos on the go. Oddly, the iPad did not arrive with such a feature (but there is now an app available); Voice Memos is very handy and the fastest way to capture those fleeting thoughts (the ones worth saving, that is). CRE Rentals is an expert event planner and can supply you with iPad rentals to suit your event needs (Note: we stock “standard” iPads; for apps noted above, we can add them using trial versions and/or free downloads, upon request). To learn more about our services, call or e-mail an Account Executive, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form. 10 Great Things About Office 365 (Part 2 of 2)November 18th, 2010
5. Stable and crash-resistant Reliability is nearly as important to users as security, since downtime costs money. Microsoft Online Services’ Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets 99.9 percent uptime. To make it happen, Microsoft has SAS 70 and ISO 27001 certified data centers around the world hosting “redundant network architecture,” so an outage at one means instant backup from another with minimal service interruption. 6. Compliant Microsoft’s attention to detail is evident in the careful transition plan it lays out for users upgrading to Office 365 from its Business Productivity Online Suite. Complying with numerous laws, standards and regulations around the globe requires this same focus. For the U.S. market, Microsoft has even added features to help users comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 7. Compatible With a sluggish economy keeping companies from upgrading hardware and software, Office 365 seems a no-brainer. It works everywhere, on everything, supporting not only Windows 7 and Vista but the SP3, Home and Media Center editions of XP, too. Users of CRE’s Mac Pro rentals can use the Office 365 applications as long as OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or 10.6 (Snow Leopard) is installed. The online administration portal works with the latest versions of IE, Firefox and Apple’s Safari, while the Outlook Web Apps can be accessed with all those browsers plus Google’s Chrome. 8. Up-to-date on the server side, too Office 365 provides companies and their users all the functionality of Microsoft’s latest server products. The services run on Exchange 2010 SP1, SharePoint 2010 and Lync. Client software is Microsoft Lync 2010 for Windows and Communicator for Mac, while the enterprise edition includes Office 2010 Professional Plus. 9. Single sign-on If your network runs Server 2008 Active Directory, you can configure a single sign-on so that users can be automatically authenticated to use Office 365. 10. Office Web Apps These Web Apps are not meant to replace the full-sized Office applications. For comprehensive document creation, you need a powerful, local application, but when you’re away from your “Office” and need to do a quick edit, that’s where Web Apps shine. They are “special duty” tools offered in the increasingly popular Software as a Service (SaaS) model. No matter where you are, or whose computer you’re using, you can create or edit content with the same familiar interface as Office applications. At CRE, we continue to make special, high-end tools available to media content creators – Xserve RAID rentals, Final Cut Pro workstations, etc. – while also staying abreast of productivity advances on the Web. Wherever your business is taking you, we can help you get there. Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form – now! WordPress: Will It Work for You?November 2nd, 2010Web site software ranges from template-based applications that make things quick and easy (like Apple’s iWeb) to programs so complex that beginners, and a surprising number of longtime users, get lost (Adobe Dreamweaver). Of course, “code heads” can build sites with a simple text editor, since no matter how you create a Web page it’s the HTML behind the scenes that brings all the pieces – text, images, colors, links, etc. – together as a (hopefully) compelling whole. As the Internet matured, “Web log” diaries became “blogs” while specialized tools allowed small business owners and writers to create a Web presence by themselves. Word Press…it’s not Dreamweaver Frankly, it’s not like any of the major site-building applications. Developed for writing content, WordPress is not your best choice for creating a site with a broad range of page types and media. Yes, there are templates available for making WordPress “sites,” but that’s not its strength. It’s great for SEO In its standard form, WordPress is good for SEO, but only gets into “great” territory after you install the “All In One SEO” plug-in. This tool greatly increases the number of SEO options, and adds some very potent capabilities. Among other things, you can stop the “spiders” from crawling through your archive pages, which eliminates the chance of their mistaking them for duplicate content. There’s more to SEO than what’s on the page In practice, the impact of on-page SEO will pale in comparison to what you do with backlinks and off-page SEO tactics. WordPress is designed to help writers, in particular, because “content is king.” WordPress has got the goods behind the page, too WordPress outputs “proper HTML” and has plenty of available plug-ins to help with SEO tasks, plus provide solid analytics. As opposed to the output of some high-cost, high-learning curve programs, HTML from WordPress is neither non-standard nor “tainted” in any fashion. It’s not push-button simple Once you become familiar with WordPress, it could save you a great deal of time and effort, but when starting you must allow time for a steep learning curve. The bottom line is that the look and feel of blogs are not dependent on the tools, but on the skills and know-how of the designers using those tools. The skills and know-how of CRE Account Executives is what gets you the right Mac Pro rentals for your production personnel, and the perfectly planned package of convention rentals for exhibits, booths and breakout sessions. You can call or send an e-mail, even fill out the online Quick Rental Quote form – we make things easy. You’ll encounter no learning curve working with CRE. You get straightforward solutions, on your schedule, at your site – and done right! 5 Unique Web DestinationsOctober 21st, 2010
Wolfram|Alpha is “a work in progress,” like the Web itself. It is evolving. Designed by math wizard Stephen Wolfram, the site will keep learning its job, and doing it better as time goes on. The technology undergirding the site is designed to develop, over time, an “understanding” of your questions to provide the best answers. If you’re impatient, though, stick with Google. Metafilter has a spirit of togetherness something like a small-town college or high-tech startup. There are other “review and comment” sites like StumbleUpon and Digg, but Metafilter, the recognized “cream of the crop,” isn’t free like those. Dubbed “MeFi” by its fans, the site has kept out the bulk of the Web’s roving roughnecks by requiring a $5 fee. The quality of the answers available from AskMeFi is such high quality that, for many people, it alone justifies the cost. Internet Archive (IA) is where you go to see what Apple.com looked like on day one, or see what the celebrity gossip sites were obsessing about in 1999. IA truly is a Web “time machine” that has embarked on an historic task to “back up everything that has ever been, or ever will be, on the Internet,” and as of mid-2010 had cataloged nearly 100 billion Web pages. Popurls is considered by many to be the perfect home page for data diving info fanatics. It’s based on neither bookmarks nor RSS feeds, but simply pulls current headlines from major blogs, news sites, opinion pages and vlogs (video blogs) into a one wide-open Web “space.” On Popurls, you don’t have to check any boxes, assemble any links or install any “apps.” You can scan, gaze, graze or dive deep into many levels of links, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. If you are not trying to accomplish anything, no problem – it’s fun, too. Etsy is the site that has become the “Earth Mother” version of eBay, as the computers and cameras give way to handmade clothes, crafts, furniture, artisan pieces and housewares. Some features will remind you of the famous, oversized auction sites, but the look of the photos and the layout – in addition to the way bids, purchases and seller ratings are done – keeps it feeling comfy and homey. There is a real intimacy to Etsy, since it truly is concerned with objects made with both great skill, and great care. At CRE, we approach our jobs with great skill and great care, too. Whether you need convention rentals for a big conference, or a dozen potent Mac Pro rentals to finish a post-production job for TV, CRE Account Executives have the know-how to get you set up right. Call or e-mail, or fill out the handy online Quick Rental Quote form, and let us help you overcome whatever obstacles stand between you and a successful, finished project. Office for Mac 2011: ReviewSeptember 16th, 2010Microsoft doesn’t suffer from many corporate news leaks, probably because, as various industry watchers have noted, the top management itself keeps dribbles of information coming regularly. On Wednesday, September 8, 2010, the firm announced some more features for the upcoming Office for Mac 2011. Light (if you prefer, “lite”) versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint will now be available in your Web browser. You don’t even have to use Internet Explorer, Microsoft having apparently learned its lesson about locking out competitors. These Office Web Apps can also be used offline, as they are placed on your hard drive in the default installation setup. Another feature coming in Office for Mac 2011 will be the “broadcast slideshow” feature, a recent upgrade to PowerPoint 2010 for Windows, that lets users show their PowerPoint presentations to others through their Web browsers. If you’re setting up a breakout session with CRE’s convention rentals, don’t forget this great alternative presentation method as a fail-safe back-up if something goes awry with your big-screen slideshow. Collaboration nation A very exciting new feature is co-authoring for document editing and sharing, which will allow multiple users to change and update Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents. (It is not yet clear whether these features work with the Office Web Apps.) To work with users outside your default computer network, businesses may need to be running SharePoint Foundation 2010, while individuals can use their Windows Live ID. This is one of the areas that needs some clarification in the next set of “product dribbles” from Microsoft HQ. One interesting observation from a longtime MS-watcher is that Gates & Co.’s ads certainly feature a lot of Mac laptops. CRE’s MacBook Pro rentals were already popular, but it seems that Microsoft is emphasizing portability and wireless workflows in its Office for Mac 2011 campaign. It makes perfect sense when you think about it – it’s about ultraconnectivity, one of Bill Gates’ big unfulfilled dreams. Concerning connectivity, using Office Web Apps will require SharePoint, but it is still not known whether SharePoint is required for the co-authoring to work on the Mac platform. Sadly, one of the most popular tools in Office for Windows 2010, the OneNote scrapbook that holds text, charts, images, audio and video, will not be in Office for Mac 2011. Also gone, but not to be missed, is Entourage, the former (underwhelming) e-mail program on the Mac side. It is being replaced with Outlook for Mac in Office for Mac 2011. A new scheduling assistant feature in Outlook lets you view your calendar(s) right in-line with your mail, a very handy-dandy thing. CRE is the solution provider when you need the best Macs, PCs and peripherals for your digital work flow. From Xserve RAID rentals to Final Cut Pro-equipped Mac Pro rentals, we’ve got what you need to cut that mountain of digital assets down to size and push those pixels into place. For any work needing the most precise and potent tools, CRE is your best, most knowledgeable source. Fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll get you outfitted to conquer that digital mountain in no time. New Mac Pro: Apple’s Fastest Computer EverJuly 29th, 2010Apple may have dropped “Computer” from its corporate name – ostensibly to emphasize its “i” strengths, as in iTunes, iPods, iPads and iPhones – but the biggest news lately is all about their desktops and laptops. With new and scary-fast offerings in the Mac Pro, iMac and MacBook Pro lines, plus a new desktop Magic Trackpad and some iPhone happenings, there’s a lot to report. We’ll start today with the Mac Pro and work through the rest of the Apple crate in subsequent blogs.
The tremendous punch packed by the new Mac Pro makes it, once again, the fastest Mac available, after losing its top ranking some time back to a Core i7-equipped iMac. The new tower Mac can access up to 12 processing cores for 50% more performance, now fueled by up to 32GB of RAM. This makes the Mac Pro the prohibitive favorite for audio, video, animation and post-production, and will bring a new rush to working with HD or SD in Final Cut Pro when paired with CRE’s AJA Io HD rentals. Digital artists and content creators will feel like their spaceship got a new rocket or two whichever CPUs they choose – Intel’s quad- and six-core Xeon processors, the quad-core Xeon Nehalem or the Xeon Westmere with four or six cores. Apple claims buyers can choose from “1.3 billion possible configurations of the Mac Pro” when ordering, and it feels like about half of the options involve processors! Dual displays? Nope – six! The new Mac Pro maxes out, as stated above, at 12 cores with two six-core Intel Xeon Westmeres running at 2.93 GHz. (Other CPUs may have faster clock speeds, up to 3.33 GHz, but the Westmeres are the most efficient, effective workers.) Apple has left NVIDIA behind, now offering the ATI Radeon HD 5770 or 5870 graphics card. Each has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory (fast!) and get this – support for as many as six simultaneous displays. Get one or two Xserve RAID rentals, some LCD monitor rentals and send for lots of take-out, because with this kind of setup you will get a whole lot done, and you’ll have so much fun you just might want to keep going. The new Mac Pro also has a dual 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 slot, for expansion purposes, and can be configured with up to 8 TB of internal hard disk and SSD (Solid State Drive) storage, the latter offering a first for the Cupertino firm. The new models should hit the retail channel sometime in August, meaning CRE will soon offer the latest, greatest Mac Pro computer rental. Apple’s been busy! Apple has also revamped its standalone Cinema Display line (one model now, 27-inch), juiced up the surprising iMacs (available for rent), upgraded its MacBook Pro line and released a desktop Magic Trackpad. The company is also in the news with its iPhone, as the government has decreed that consumers can now “jailbreak” the device. All of this news and more will be in forthcoming blogs, so check out our new posts every Tuesday and Thursday. Don’t forget that we’re here every other workday, too, with not just the best and newest computer rentals but everything you need to attend, produce or exhibit at a conference or convention, from Audience Response System rentals to plasma panels. Call or e-mail an expert Account Executive, or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form that’s just a quick click away. We’re here with solutions, so just let us know what you need to solve! Hello, Solid State Drive (SSD); Bye-Bye, Hard DriveJuly 6th, 2010About the slowest thing your computer has to contend with is the hard drive. While CPUs are in the nanosecond range, hard drive access is measured in thousandths of a second, quite slow in the world of light-speed processors. On top of that, most computers crash because of hard drive problems, as they are extremely complicated eletromechanical beasts. Want to work faster? Want to say goodbye to hard drive crashes? You will, with Solid State Drives (SSDs), which represent the next step in storage evolution. The future has already started, and CRE is on the leading edge once again with MacBook Pro rentals equipped with this superfast memory. It will take some time for the prices to come down to “old-fashioned” hard drive levels, but now that SSDs are being mass-manufactured it is happening just like it did before. More and more computer makers are offering them as options. But the really astonishing thing is this: SSDs address just about every weakness of standard hard drives, and will completely replace them in the future. SSDs really are amazing, which is why they are taking over, and soon! How Solid State Drives work
Their advantages are many and dramatic – no moving parts, no noise, less heat and zero vibration. Because there are no spinning platters and moving read/write heads, there are no crashes due to hardware malfunctions. They draw less power, as well. All of this means tremendous reliability, over a million hours MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) and incredible speed. A fast 7200rpm hard drive has an access time of between 5 and 10ms, while the SSD clocks in at a staggering 0.1ms. Yes, one-tenth of a millisecond. Clearly, this is the future of data storage, at least for work in progress. It may or may not be the best long-term archiving solution, which is why other media (hard drives, optical media, tape) will remain in use. Benefits of SSDs As previously noted, CRE now has MacBook Pro rentals with superfast SSDs. You may not notice that the laptop is a bit lighter, but you will definitely notice that it is quieter, cooler and faster. SSDs can also withstand drops and impacts that would send read/write heads scraping across your regular hard drive’s disc platters, obliterating data on their way. You would have to physically crush or smash an SSD with a crowbar to experience that kind of data loss. Whether you need the swift SSD-equipped MacBook Pros, the potent Mac Pro rentals, other computer rentals, or A/V and convention-related technology, CRE is your one-stop shop for all of it. We have the expertise, the equipment and the experienced Account Executives to help you find the right solution for your particular challenge. Give us a call, send an e-mail or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form. We will put together a quote right away so that you get the laptop rental with SSD or other rental equipment when you need it – guaranteed! |
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Among today’s top Content Management Systems, the 800-lb. gorilla is 
The World Wide Web is, and always will be, a work in progress. It is evolving, just like the people whose sites and surfing habits make it what it is from moment to moment. Here we offer up a number of unique, diverse destinations that offer both serious help and ways to spur your creativity. Without further ado, here are five very different sites offering you both personal and professional value.
As opposed to those older hard drives, SSDs are simply gargantuan versions of 
