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China, Electronics Superstore of the FutureSeptember 2nd, 2010At the end of the year, China will become only the third nation ever to boast a $5 trillion economy. The nation is on track to have a 2010 economy worth some $5.36 trillion, behind the U.S. ($14.2 trillion) and slightly ahead of Japan ($5.06 trillion), which it will knock from the number two spot. China’s economic future will affect the whole planet, and every industry from autos to electronics. Computers and electronics China’s economy has grown at breakneck speed for the last 15 years, with the growth rate for the first two quarters of 2010 being downright supersonic. Electronics, computer and communications firms are well represented among China’s top 100 firms, about 30 of which have annual revenues over $1 billion. The largest, named Legend Holdings – the firm that bought IBM’s Lenovo laptop lines – had almost $18 billion in sales for 2006, the most recent year for figures.
The new Japan? From the 1950s through the 1980s, Japan was America’s chief economic rival in certain core industries like computers and semiconductors. A slew of books were published with various predictions of just how fast the Land of the Rising Sun would leave the U.S. in the dust. In 1987, Japan was selling American firms 1MB memory chips for about $400. (If you were to max out the RAM on one of CRE’s iMac rentals at that price, it would cost you $6.4 million for 16GB.) In the late 1980s, newspapers reported economic gloom and doom for the U.S. and proof of Japan’s ascendancy. A decade later and Japan’s economy was toast. Japan squandered all the headway it made in the 1980s and 1990s by strangling its own economy over the last 15 years or so. As the Japanese started their long slide, China was still mainly an outsourcing destination, for getting your widgets mass produced at a good price. Since then, however, China has grown into a nation full of entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators, and everyone knows it: Apple, Oracle, IBM and every other forward-looking U.S. firm has one, three or half a dozen Chinese partners or vendors. What next? On the practical level, expect more and more digital gear to be manufactured (and designed) in China. Before long, Chinese firms will likely be supplying CRE with some of its LCD monitor rentals, and providing American consumers with the digital gear and gadgets needed for both work and play. Who says? In July of this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that total annual growth by the end of 2010 would be 3.3% for the U.S. and 2.4% for Japan. The same report predicts a 2010 growth of 10.5% for China. CRE recognizes a good performer when it sees one, whether it’s an industry, a product or a process. Whether you need top-performing Mac Pro rentals or the extra digital horsepower of AJA Io HD rentals, contact our experienced Account Executives or fill out the Quick Rental Quote online form. We are top performers, too, and when you need our support and expertise, you’ll get our very best, very fast! Tech and Gadget Lovers Unite for Gizmodo DayAugust 19th, 2010For fans of high technology, from hardworking devices like CRE’s Xserve rentals to hard-playing iPads, there is always a good reason to celebrate. Combine this kind of energetic tech love with social networking (another great love affair for a few hundred million folks) and what do you get? You get an opportunity to talk geek-speak with other fluent speakers and use your computer, smart phone or other favorite communications device to text, talk, tweet and e-mail in concert with tech-lovers all over this shrinking globe. Tech day for the globe Gizmodo is a popular and well-respected technology site (they insist on calling it a blog, but that seems a little too humble) that has been covering every electronics-, computer- and future-oriented subject for serious gadget-lovers since 2002. And despite arguments you might get from the entrenched denizens of the rapidly fading print media, Gizmodo is also a journalistic enterprise. Its staff and contributors have nailed some big scoops, making the news most recently by buying and blogging about an iPhone 4 prototype that an Apple employee left behind at a bar. (This led to the editor’s house being raided and searched by the authorities, by the way.) Gizmodo’s content is linked to and republished around the globe in, at last count, eight languages. Gizmodo’s London, New York and San Francisco staffers organized “meetups” for precisely 7PM (EDT) on the 11th, while loyal readers and fellow conspirators organized them in scores of countries around the world. You can probably guess that there are zillions of tech enthusiasts in such hardwired places as L.A., the Big Apple, Hong Kong and Amsterdam (and #1 Seoul, of course), so there were meetups in all languages and cultural settings. The overriding thing that tied everyone together, of course, was love for things like the latest Android devices. Because of its own avant garde image, Apple and its products were also popular topics of conversation, especially the recent Macintosh upgrades (by the way, CRE rents iMacs and other models) and the camera-equipped iPad 2.0 that is supposedly “on the way.” Great Gizmodo gallery People were able to RSVP via the Gizmodo site’s meetup links, and also showed their colors on Facebook, followed faraway events on Twitter and enjoyed what Gizmodo itself termed “equal-opportunity social-media sharing.” The final tallies about participation will be a bit longer in coming, but estimates suggest that there were almost 400 meetups worldwide and some 1500 RSVPs from over 70 countries – and lots of folks sent pictures, too. At CRE, we know and love technology, too, and make it our goal to keep you both informed about it and supplied with it. Whether it’s one of our great plasma rentals for an exhibit booth, or a breakout session setup including our Audience Response System rentals, we’ve got what you need for conventions, conferences and corporate meetings. We also outfit many of the Southland’s film and TV production and post-production firms with the Mac Pro rentals and other high-power tools they need to do their magic. Contact one of our Account Executives, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll do some of our own special magic for you, too. Is Software as a Service (SaaS) Right for You?August 18th, 2010Technology seems to breed acronyms like nothing else, from company names (IBM, AMD, NEC, etc.) to products and processes (MP3, DVD, VoIP and so on). There are a few newer ones floating around that are supposed to describe a new way of providing companies with high-tech tools, something like a subscription or monthly package deal. It’s got two main acronyms – TaaS (or TAAS) for Technology as a Service and SaaS (or SAAS) for Software as a Service. Check the technology service menu The idea is that you should order tech services like you order food a-la-carte – one from Column A, two from Column B and so forth – and thereby keep your IT expenses (and employee count) at a manageable level. There are many ‘technology service ‘ companies that work with their various vendors and partners to deliver affordable, tailor-made TaaS/SaaS programs to their customers - small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that lack sufficient capital and staff resources to implement and manage their own computer, communications and IT functions. Apple iPhone Unlocked: More Power Unleashed?August 5th, 2010
With locked devices, iPhone users were only able to use apps from Apple, while developers had to get their software pre-approved by the Cupertino firm. Apple can still choose to disable jailbroken iPhones – with “hunter-killer” upgrades to the iOS, the iPhone/iPad/iPod touch operating system – but users are exempt from legal liability for unlocking them. Consumers become empowered In addition to jailbreaking, other new exemptions will allow iPhone and other smartphone owners to, among other things, defeat the access controls that tie their phones to a single carrier and bypass the defense systems of apps (often games) to plug security holes. The exemptions are considered a big victory by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which had urged the Library of Congress to base all rules on the simple principle that consumers actually own the high-tech devices that they buy, and should be allowed, even empowered, to modify them. The biggest change will be the arrival of scores of new apps that users can try out, whether a phone’s maker likes it or not. If you are an iPhone aficionado, it is not just about your movie-watching and game-playing. There will be a surge of R&D for apps that turn smartphones into masters of short-range control as well as long-distance calling. Smartphones can be very capable handheld controllers for presentations at conferences and three fairly mature technologies are key. Wireless technologies for communication The three most widely used short-range communications and control protocols are Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and IR (infrared). Apps built for these communication channels will, one day soon, control entire racks of audiovisual rentals from up close, upstairs or half-a-world away. With unlocked phones, even proprietary apps can be developed for a firm’s own private use, while there will likely be a lot of new goodies at Apple’s App Store (and, in the post-jailbreak era, other companies’ stores, too). You can count on all kinds of developers to come up with all kinds of different ideas to give you control over all kinds of diverse devices. With the proliferation of unlocked smart phones and further tech advances with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and IR, it won’t be long before you’ll be reprogramming your interactive kiosk rentals with a smartphone, or using your iPad to control a media player showing your presentation on one of CRE’s plasma rentals. Technology news is breaking 24/7, worldwide, and we will keep you posted on things that will help you work smarter and get better results. Smartphones are not toys to us, but powerful business tools. And when you need trade show rentals or office equipment rentals, CRE is a tool, too – your personal tool for getting the job done, whatever it is. Complete the Quick Rental Quote form, and let us know what we can help you get done. Today, tomorrow or whenever you need us, we’ll be right here – and ready! New iMacs and Other Apple GadgetsAugust 3rd, 2010Apple has done it again – and again! The Cupertino company just recently announced updates to the Mac Pros, but that was just the start, apparently. It has also retooled its iMacs, introduced some “insanely great” accessories and debuted a new, improved LED Cinema Display. Apple has been criticized in the past for over-hyping some relatively underwhelming product changes, but every one of the recent product introductions has been certifiable Big News. New and potent iMacs rental
The base 21.5-inch iMac has a 3.06 GHz Core i3 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card, 4 GB of RAM, a capacious 500GB hard drive and an SD card slot that’s SDXC-compatible. The upscale 21.5-inch iMac begins with a 3.2 GHz Core i3 but has an upgrade path to a 3.6 GHz Core i5 unit – plenty of oomph for running Final Cut Pro with CRE’s Aja Io HD rentals. The 27-inch model’s base unit has the same 3.2 GHz Core i3 paired with an ATI Radeon HD 5670 graphics card, and has an optional 3.6 GHz Core i5. The 27-inch line-topping iMac has a 2.8 GHz Core i5 with an ATI Radeon HD 5750 graphics card, with an upgrade path to a 2.93 GHz Core i7 chip and even an optional 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD). This is the kind of power and speed that used to require Mac Pro rentals. Prefer a “real world measure” to the technical terms? Put it this way: Many functions are up to two or three times faster on these new iMacs. That’s some upgrade, and it means the work you actually do will get done faster. Other new Apple gadgets Along with your iMac, or any time after you buy it, you can get yourself the new Magic Trackpad (MT), a standalone version of the built-in MacBook and MacBook Pro trackpads. The MT is wireless, like the iMac’s keyboard and Mighty Mouse (MM), and allows users to make the same multi-finger, multi-touch gestures, including swipes and zoom-pinches. To support the MT, MM and the wireless keyboard Apple has released a Battery Charger with six rechargeable batteries to cycle in and out of the units that need them. Apple also introduced its new 27-inch LED Cinema Display, replacing both the 24- and 30-inch models. The new display is, like its predecessor, an LED backlit system that supports the Mini DisplayPort-equipped iMacs, minis, Mac Pros, MacBooks and MacBook Pros. With the same 2,560 x 1,440 resolution as the 27-inch iMacs, the display will be right at home with any Mac user on any platform. It will be available in September, when CRE will add it to our wide-ranging line of LCD monitor rentals and plasma rentals that offer you every type and size of large screen you could possibly need. You know that CRE has everything you could possibly need as far as anything computer-related, but we also have you covered with entertainment industry rentals and even office equipment rentals. Call or send an e-mail to our experienced Account Executives, or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form, and get what you need to get the job done. We’re here for you, to make sure it all gets done on time, on target and on budget. Cloud Computing: Ready for Prime Time?July 27th, 2010
In the 1990s, Scott McNealy, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, said, “The Web is the computer.” The ultimate dream of the cloud boosters is people accessing files stored “in the cloud” (”on a server somewhere”) with minimalist workstations called “thin clients” – a keyboard, a monitor and a network connection. Is this really how people would work, given the chance? Many of CRE’s creative clients doing high-end work on Mac Pro rentals would probably say, “No way,” at least for now. Local = control More and more people are becoming cloud-savvy, because that’s where their Web sites are located, of course. Many businesses also use online storage to archive materials. There is a good business rationale for this, as well as for storing many kinds of work-in-progress in the cloud, like projects that require collaboration for editing, design and/or distribution. However, the notion that all files are “virtual” – which means “unavailable” when the power goes out – scares the heck out of many designers, A/V pros and content producers. Is this really the Big Idea that McNealy and other cloud fans want to implement? For this all-cloud-all-the-time scheme to work, we need far greater network speed and much more bandwidth. Even when these and other sticking points are unstuck, human nature is still blocking the road ahead, holding up a big sign that says, “I have trust issues.” If you just hired some extra artists and put them to work on computer rentals to finish an urgent project, would you honestly trust the only copy to be out of your sight – rather, out of anyone’s sight? No local work copy? No way! Step by step towards computing in the cloud We haven’t space to cover all the security issues, but the phrase “heightened security threats” pops up a lot in cloud computing discussions. Local storage is safer than cloud storage for the simple reason that cyberspace is still a battlefield full of hackers, viruses and malware. “From the frying pan to the fire” seems an appropriate precautionary statement about moving prematurely to cloud computing – for now. So, consider Xserve RAID rentals – they are solid, tangible proof that you have your work at hand, safe and sound. You can get acclimated to the cloud by getting a free online storage account (and actually using it). With each passing day, the Internet gets faster, safer and easier to use, but it’s still got a bit of the Wild West in it. Perhaps some people will be comfortable leaving their animation files on the cloud and using Apple’s imaginary Web app, Final Cut Virtual, to work on them (perhaps with their iPhones). Others may take a bit longer to feel safe doing that. Your mileage, as they say, may vary! At CRE, one thing that never varies is the expertise and professionalism of our staff. Whether you need the fastest iMac rentals anywhere or a broad array of convention rentals, CRE is your one-stop shop. Call us, send an e-mail or fill out a Quick Rental Quote form and we’ll help you get where you need to go with the best hardware, software and services, bar none. PowerPoint Presentation in Your PocketJuly 22nd, 2010Our recent gadget blog mentioned a potent hard-drive-based media player that could connect with CRE plasma rentals to create a low-cost, high-impact presentation system. For all of you who use PowerPoint, we’re going to share some creative and cost-effective ways of bringing a presentation to your seminar or breakout session. You could present the PowerPoint show from your connected laptop – or from a CD or DVD containing the presentation and the standalone PowerPoint Viewer application – but PowerPoint is notorious for its propensity to stutter and crash. The most dependable playback format is a universally supported video format like AVI, where you will have a smooth, flawless presentation with no glitches. With an AVI file of your presentation, you can then leverage the power of a neat piece of equipment we found in a rather unexpected place. Convert PowerPoint presentation to video Literally scores of applications, from freeware and shareware to commercial packages, can convert PowerPoint presentations to AVI. Most allow a trial period before buying, although they might watermark your video, so find out about that. PowerVideoMaker Professional, for example, converts PowerPoint files to AVI , MPEG or WMV formats, while PPT To Video Scout will convert to AVI and over half a dozen other formats. There are plenty of converters to choose from, and several Web-based conversion sites, as well. Mention “karaoke” and most people think of rolling carts full of audio equipment. You can still have a big rack of karaoke gear if you want, but the Flexible power with AVI movie Convert your PowerPoint file into an AVI movie and load it on the PK-6000 via USB. A touchscreen with great navigation tools offers intuitive control, and the PK’s mini-gooseneck microphone lets you speak over the program material as it runs. The device has a built-in FM transmitter so you can use it as a PA, but you won’t need to if you connect it via the included RCA cable to one of CRE’s LCD monitor rentals or other big displays. In addition to its presentation chops, the PK has a digital mixer for tweaking mic volume, echo level and tone settings. You can make an honest case that the Acesonic Pocket Karaoke was made for presenters as well as singers. There’s nothing in the manual that says you can’t talk instead of sing, or play business presentations instead of Toy Story. At CRE, we don’t let any obstacles get in the way of working smarter as well as harder, and can offer you creative solutions to even the most daunting audio, video and post-production challenges. If you need meeting rentals, simply fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we will get you what you need to capture the meeting presentation on video. It’s San Diego in August for Three ConferencesJuly 20th, 2010SPIE Optics + Photonics
Interactive poster sessions, as well as group discussions focused on specific technical topics, enable you to join your peers and colleagues in delving deep into important subjects, and are open to all paid attendees. Wi-FI laptops or tablet PC rentals may be just the ticket for your conference team, whatever your goal at the conference. There will also be general admission and invitation-only admission to various social, networking, professional development, student and SPIE membership events, where digital recorder rentals might come in very handy. If your goal is to spread the word on your own product or service, presentation aids like plasma rentals are easily arranged. If you want to capture contact information and develop prospects, you might avail yourself of CRE’s interactive kiosks, now with 17-inch touchscreen interfaces. Whether bringing a message, gathering information or both, CRE can equip you to succeed. ASR Access
ASR Access features range from a fashion show and centralized lounges to business seminars and places where you can meet, network, make buying decisions and gain valuable insights. Whether you need a full-size exhibit space with plasma rentals, or some audio visual rentals to lead a breakout session, CRE is prepared right now to prepare you right. CLASS@ASR runs concurrently with ASR at the Convention Center with over 100 designers that cross over from surf/skate lifestyle lines into the prestigious fashion market. Also staging across from ASR in the Petco Park parking lot is Crossroads, committed to the independent nature of skateboarding culture and a uniquely relaxed format. It’s almost like three conferences in one, but if you get the right convention rentals from CRE Rentals it can be one big success. NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference
To reach the decision-makers of over 130 retail companies – chain drug stores, supermarkets and other mass merchandisers with some 80,000 retail outlets and $200+ billion in annual sales of prescription medicines, OTC preparations and home healthcare goods – the dramatic, colorful plasma rentals still cannot be beat. If you will be having key meetings with others in the exhibit area or the “Meet the Rx Market” sessions, consider outfitting your team with laptop rentals. No matter what you need to accomplish at one of August’s San Diego conferences, CRE is here to help. Whether you’re attending, exhibiting or both, we have the hardware, software and know-how to make your presence a success. Call, send an e-mail or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form and let our experienced Account Executives help prepare you for a successful conference (or two, or three). Safety and Security with Surveillance SoftwareJuly 15th, 2010Even people who keep up on surveillance technology are amazed by the With the right equipment and setup, a business owner can watch over his 20,000 square-foot store, the warehouse in the back and every approaching street and sidewalk, too. Early on in the computer era (back with the VCRs in the Stone Age, the 1980s) one of the first ideas for surveillance systems was to split the screen and let you see two camera views at once. That is a quaint memory now that today’s software lets you view 16 or even 32 cameras in any grouping that you like, across one, two or three monitors – even a monitor wall, if you want. Total flexibility There are commercial software packages that are quite capable, even bordering on consciousness, after a fashion. Then, too, there are any number of proprietary applications that are bundled with certain manufacturers’ gear, and you can always hire a programmer to create something special for your unique needs. Most of these packages will share common capabilities, and differ on the implementation, the number of cameras supported and connectivity schemes. However, they all share a common feature set. You can record the camera feeds if you choose, and often into various formats and on various media. Gone are the days when all surveillance video feeds were recorded to VHS tapes, a costly approach and an archivist’s nightmare. Today the video can be compressed and saved to hard drives, flash memory or burnable CDs/DVDs. With the advent of Blu-ray recorders, 25 and 50GB of video can be written to single- and double-sided discs, respectively. Compressed with quality New compression schemes such as mpeg4, particularly Apple’s h.264 version, reduce video files to a fraction of their original size, while maintaining excellent quality. These compression schemes are called “lossy” since there is some loss of original information. There are also “lossless” compression schemes if it is important to save as much detail as possible while still conserving storage space. Remember, the former tools squeeze the files smaller than the latter ones. You are advised to check out a variety of compressed video types to see what you will get from your system. You need to know the quality of the archived video before you can decide how to proceed. Then you can calculate just how much media you will need to save what you are recording. It may also be, of course, that you only save segments of the video stream in which there is movement or other activity. The hardware and software available today can be motion-sensitive, light-sensitive, sound-sensitive or some combination, in order to trigger the recording only when it is necessary. CRE follows all the different high-tech trends, even for technology we don’t rent, as part of our commitment to helping you prepare for whatever comes your way. Need some PC or Mac computer rentals or Xserve RAID rentals for an important project? Simply fill out the Quick Rental Quote form and we’ll be on it right away. There’s no time to spare. The future is headed our way and it’s coming fast! Tech Update: Media Players, 3D Cameras and More Pads!July 13th, 2010Introducing an HD Media Player
In addition to accessing media from a hard drive (not included) or a USB device, the GTV connects to the Internet with an optional Wi-Fi adapter or included Ethernet port. You can stream RSS feeds (video and text) – as well as other content from Flickr, YouTube, vTuner, Netflix, etc. – to both PAL and NTSC TVs. To insert a GoFlex drive, the only kind that will work with the GTV, just open the door on the front, slide it in and play media from the drive, over your network, off USB-connectable devices or via online services. 3D Cameras from Sony With 3D breaking out of the movie theater and into homes with 3D TVs and Blu-ray titles, could cameras be far behind? Of course not. Sony is out of the gate with two new 3D Cyber-shot cameras. Two 12.2 megapixel models, the DSC-WX5 and DSC-TX9, use Sony’s 3D Sweep Panorama technology to create 3D images. You move the camera from side to side and capture up to 100 images that are then combined to create two “stereoscopic” frames. These are then viewed on a 3D-capable TV via HDMI, the sort of high-end connection found on CRE’s LCD monitor rentals. Alternatively, using what’s called the Sweep Multi Angle feature creates 3D-style images from a burst of 15 frames. The multi-angle views can be seen simultaneously on any TV connected to the camera. The new 3D cameras rely on the same new Exmor R CMOS Sensor in the new Cyber-shot models. The 3D DSC-WX5 and DSC-TX9 models should hit the stores by the end of September. Pad Madness Grows
Included software ranges from an e-book reader, Internet redio, e-mail and Web browser to a calendar, alarm clock, movie player, music player and image viewer. Cydle has not announced a release date or pricing so stay tuned. CRE stays abreast of all the technology that can affect your work and your life. Whether you need Audience Response System rentals or a room full of iMac rentals for a seminar, our expert Account Executives are ready to advise you and provide just the right solutions. Give a call, send an e-mail or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form and see how fast we’re on the job for you! |
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