More articles by Gerry Blackwell
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Leading Mobile Tools for Professional Users By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published November 5, 2010 Your working life happens on the run. Here are some tools to help you keep up. iPad Makes Free Phone Calls By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published September 1, 2010 With some free software and low-cost hardware, the iPad can call anywhere for free. Seven Techniques to Ease Windows 7 Migration By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published January 28, 2010 Migrating to a new OS doesn't have to be hard. Here are some straight forward guidelines. Web-based Collaboration Apps: Top Options By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published January 22, 2010 Web-based collaboration tools range from document sharing tools to online conferencing solutions. Which options are best for your needs? Palm Pre: Good Interface, Few Apps By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published October 2, 2009 The Palm Pre, a competitor to the iPhone, includes a QWERTY keyboard. But it's not likely to stop the hordes flocking to the iPhone. HP ProBook 4510s: Well Priced, Stylish By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published July 1, 2009 The Hewlett-Packard ProBook 4510s is a stylish and reasonably muscular 15.6-inch widescreen notebook. Does Skype Work for Business? By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published April 29, 2009 Certainly the Skype voice-over-IP technology works in business settings, but is it truly adequate? Online Backup: How to Pick the Best By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 25, 2009 Online back-up services are now plentiful and cheap. Here's a guide to selecting the best service. 4G: Here It Comes, Ready or Not -- Part II By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published December 30, 2008 Xohm, the WiMAX-powered wireless service that Sprint and partner, Clearwire launched recently in Baltimore. It has been widely hailed as the first 4G mobile service in the U.S. Is it? 4G: Here It Comes, Ready or Not -- Part I By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published December 3, 2008 The 4G era has begun. What will it mean for enterprise IT and telecom managers - beyond higher mobile wireless data speeds? It depends who you ask, and who you believe. Microsoft OCS: The next step By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published November 19, 2008 Release 2 fills many of the feature gaps that customers noted in the initial release, but is this the end of the evolutionary road? Techology for Tough Times By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published November 19, 2008 Can spending money on technology help your small business survive the economic crunch? Let the debate begin. Review: BlackBerry Bold By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published November 5, 2008 Fits the bill nicely for corporate and other business users committed to the BlackBerry platform and looking to upgrade. Picking a Hosted PBX Provider By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published October 29, 2008 There are many clear advantages to hosted VoIP services, but it may or may not be for your business. Green Backups: The SimpleTech [re]Drive Review By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published October 22, 2008 SimpleTech offers an attractive data backup drive that's kinder to the environment. But does its function match its form? We put it to the test. CallWave's Fuze Kicks Web Meetings Up a Notch By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published October 2, 2008 IP-based service combines high-def imaging with collaboration tools, presence, and IM —and packages it for mobile devices as well as PCs. Tele-Commuting Trend Taking Off for Small Biz By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published September 24, 2008 Working from home isn't just a cushy perk. It makes good business sense, and studies show it's on the rise for small business. We look at the advantages and what it takes to implement an effective teleworking policy. Microsoft Caters to Small Business Needs By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published August 29, 2008 Combining a passion for fresh food, community and the environment, Than Hua built her business using 'friendly and familiar' Microsoft technology. Review: D-Link 10" Wireless Internet Photo Frame (DSM-210) By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published August 20, 2008 D-Link’s pricey new digital picture frame uses Wi-Fi to pull images and information from network computers and the Web. Review: The ClickFree Automatic Backup Drive By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published August 13, 2008 If you can plug in a toaster, you're qualified to backup files with this dead-simple external drive. If only everything technical were this easy. The Hosted Advantage: Doing better for less By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published August 11, 2008 Thrifty New England-based credit union solves several communications problems with a hosted phone system from VoIPnet Technologies. Tuning In to RFID and Wi-Fi By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published June 24, 2008 Worldwide market leader AeroScout believes Wi-Fi can push RFID into the mainstream. In the Cloud: Storage Meets Collaboration By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published June 23, 2008 Share, edit and store your documents – without investing in a whole lotta hardware. Clickable.com: SEM Meets SaaS By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published April 18, 2008 Search engine marketing is a tricky art, especially for small businesses. We look at how one company cut through the confusion with help from Clickable.com. iPass Offers Worldwide Hotspot Access to SMBs and Consumers By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published April 3, 2008 Until this week, iPass only provided access to its high-speed Wi-Fi service to enterprise customers. Now, there is a pay-as-you-go model that is perfect for small business and consumer users. Data Backup Review: Backup My Info By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 26, 2008 Lots of companies sell online data backup services, sos what makes one better than the others? Backup My Info might cost more, but we found the extra money is well worth the investment. Point-of-Sale Software: Even Smallest Shops Benefit By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 21, 2008 You don’t have to be a Wal-Mart to take advantage of retail technology. We take a look at how point-of-sale sofware helps one very small business be more efficient and responsive to its customers. Phone.com: Your Virtual Phone Company By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 1, 2008 If you want a phone system that projects a professional business image and lets customers reach you no matter where you travel, Phone.com offers a simple, and (mostly) affordable alternative. Zana Network: Resources for Every Small Business By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published February 27, 2008 A global small business marketplace, Zana Networks offers sales, marketing and other business tools and resources. A look at how it's helping one company grow. Review: ASUS AIR Internet Radio By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published February 2, 2008 The interface is awkward, but the sound quality, design, and easy set-up more than make up for it. Altogether Now: Comparing Collaboration Software By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published January 31, 2008 Collaboration software is all the rage in the mid-to-big business circles, but small businesses can reap the same benefits with software programs geared — and priced — for their needs. We take a look at three of them. Review: Motorola Q9h/ Global - A Real Keeper By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published January 24, 2008 Available as the Motorola Q 9h in Canada and the MOTO Global in the U.S., this Smartphone's thin Apple-like industrial design makes it one of the coolest-looking PDA phone ever. Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Review By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published January 16, 2008 Notebooks don't come any more compact than Fujitsu's ultraportable LifeBook U810 -- especially not if they're fully capable, Windows Vista-powered Tablet PCs. Is this 1.5-pound, $999 keyboard- or pen-input convertible the right traveling partner for you? The Mac Leopard Roars By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published December 23, 2007 The new Apple operating system may well have PC aficionados lining up to switch to the Mac. Does Leopard live up to all the hype? Toward the Wireless Office By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published December 9, 2007 Early adopters are already unwiring their enterprises. What will it take to make the dream of an all-wireless office a reality? Big Brother's Watching � and Saving You Big Money By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published October 16, 2007 A construction company finds that time-tracking their mobile employees with a Web-based GPS system from ADP and Xora can save them more than $200K in the first year. Paradise By The Dashboard Light By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published October 2, 2007 For its 20th birthday, Act 2008 gets a dashboard feature. Get ready to upgrade. Microsoft PowerPoint 2007: Improved, But... By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published September 28, 2007 PowerPoint 2007 boasts a new user interface and a slew of useful new features, but also requires some re-learning -- and some frustration -- for experienced users. Microsoft Excel 2007: A Calculated Change in Excel By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published September 10, 2007 How heavily you currently rely on the spreadsheet could determine whether you appreciate or lament the changes found in the the latest version. Recording Skype Calls By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published July 14, 2007 Several vendors have moved to provide important VoIP features that Skype omitted. Skype's Uphill Battle to Win North America By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published June 30, 2007 Region accounts for less than 10 percent of Skype's worldwide user base, but they're working hard to change that. Microsoft Word 2007: A Word of Caution By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published June 5, 2007 Word 2007 offers plenty of new features and enhancements, but is it worth the upgrade? Is Office 2007 Worth the Upgrade? By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 15, 2007 Office 2007, while it contains some startling visual changes and may provide real benefit to some people, is a mixed blessing. Is it worth the upgrade? Trendnet ClearSky Bluetooth VoIP Conference Phone Kit By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published February 27, 2007 While Skype-based conference calling has some clear attractions, this early production unit disappointed on sound quality. Skype as Your Office Phone System? By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published January 16, 2007 With CallButler software adroitly handling calls, small companies can 'look' big and save big. FoIP (Fraud over IP) By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published July 7, 2006 VoIP providers beware; there are lots of ways criminals can steal your network capacity and otherwise fleece your operation. Mobile Messaging: Part III - The Mob-E-Mail Battleground By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published July 7, 2006 RIM isn’t the only game in town in the fast-growing wireless e-mail market anymore. There are plenty of other device vendors and platform providers ready to give enterprises and individuals a choice. Mobile Messaging: Part II - The MMS Conundrum By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published May 22, 2006 Analysts agree that multimedia messaging has been something of disappointment, but disagree as why or where its future lay. Mobile Messaging: Part I - Voice Makes Room For Text, MMS By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published May 19, 2006 Voice makes room for text and Multimedia Message Service. ThinkPad Lite...Really Lite By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published April 27, 2006 Lenovo aims its first branded notebook at the low-end market, and it provides decent performance and great software. But is that enough to compete against other, more established players (Dell, anyone)? Integrate and Automate Your Business By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published April 13, 2006 Getting all of your major business processes to play nice isn't easy — but it can be the single most effective way to grow your company. A company called Basic Communications did it, and we'll show you how. UMA . . . and beyond By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 30, 2006 That great subterranean grinding sound you hear might just be the rocking of the foundations of telephony as we know it. An Online Office By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 28, 2006 It's not perfect, but Simdesk offers a roster of online tools that let you run a business from anywhere on the road. WLAN Sickness: Rubbish or Reasonable? By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 15, 2006 A decision not to install Wi-Fi at a Canadian college has reopened the question of just what long-term exposure to RF radiation could mean to our health. A New Breed of PDA By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published July 28, 2005 PalmOne's new LifeDrive could be just the ticket if you're tired of carrying a laptop on the road. We put it to the test. It Bends, It Flips: It's a Monitor By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published March 31, 2005 This 19-inch monitor from LG electronics bends over backwards to give your customers a view of their own. Is it worth the price? Wireless Mt. Washington By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published May 30, 2003 A New Hampshire consulting firm has engineered a Wi-Fi link atop the highest mountain in the northeast United States to provide a continuous Web cam in the worst weather imaginable. Wireless LANs: Assessing Total Cost of Ownership By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published November 7, 2001 Installing and operating a wireless LAN may sound like a cost-effective and productivity-enhancing move for your business. But is it? An analyst from Gartner applies the consultancy's TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) methodology to alternate W-LAN scenarios. Assessing Total Cost of Ownership By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published November 7, 2001 Installing and operating a wireless LAN may sound like a cost-effective and productivity enhancing move for your business. But is it? The following is designed to illustrate some of the methodologies and analytical tools required to assess such infrastructure changes. Case Study: Home-Grown Corporate WLAN Breeds Success By Gerry Blackwell | Article Published September 27, 2001 Unable to find an affordable WAN solution for his rural insurance offices, one Canadian entrepreneur took up the challenge and built his own. His business is now reaping multiple benefits. |
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