Tech Tidbits: Quick Tips & Slick Tricks

July 7th, 2009

Now this was a fun blog to write. Actually, “assemble” might be the better word, as it has little bits and pieces from all over the tech landscape. Be forewarned, however—you’ll only find it fun and interesting if you’re into PCs, Macs, the Internet, low-cost flash memory, high tech storage solutions, and the new solar-powered cell phones.

Okay, so the last one’s a ringer (pun intended), but the fact is that we will have photovoltaic cells 100 times as efficient as today’s models by 2016 or so, the prognosticators say. Until then, you can make do with the latest generation of lithium-ion (Li-Ion) cells that are rechargeable hundreds of times, with each charge lasting four to six times as long as a comparable alkaline battery. Isn’t progress great?

High-tech traveling using Flash Memory

If you are traveling on business, and your destination is amply equipped with Internet-connected computers, you can leave your laptop behind. Just open a free online storage account from one of the many vendors and upload your working files for later use. MediaMax, File Qube, Mozy and ADrive all offer from 1 to 50GB, absolutely free.

When you can’t use that web-archive option, perhaps for security reasons, then the next best thing is to take your files on flash memory. Sure, there are small form-factor hard drives, even ones that run right off USB power, but with SecureDigital (SD) and SD High-Capacity (SDHC) cards hitting 32GB in capacity—and the size of a postage stamp, or smaller—there is no more efficient storage.

There’s always more to store

Speaking of flash memory, for Pete’s sake don’t buy “thumb drives” with permanently embedded chips. They come in all shapes, colors and (mostly small) sizes, but the common factor is that they are not upgradeable. When you bought your  cake-slice USB thumb drive, it had an insanely huge 256MB of storage. Definitely not up to today’s storage options.

Need a cost-effective solution? Try the SD card and get 128 times as much storage and pop it into an SD card reader or carrier. This alone will upgrade your  solution.

Strategic Rentals – Laptop & Projector

If you are traveling to make an important presentation, you need to be prepared for anything. First, will a projector or large-format display be available? Do you have everything to make the appropriate connections from a laptop? If unsure, play it safe, and rent a projector and laptop rental from CRE.  There are a number of persuasive reasons to do so.  One, the laptop will be set up with exactly what you need—PowerPoint, the proper ports, the correct cables for the connections, etc. Two, it will be running perfectly. Three, your rental will be delivered where you need it, when you need it and backed by CRE’s 24/7 technical support.

Using your own laptop for an all-important presentation? Don’t leave anything to chance – why not rent a laptop to have as back-up, in case any technical issues arise during the presentation.

Whether you need two identically prepped laptops or a single AJA I/O HD rental for that looming post-production deadline, contact one of CRE’s knowledgeable professionals today and get what you need, when you need it and exactly where you want it. CRE sweats the details so you don’t have to.

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