iampowered: Productivity Archives

RIM and Yahoo! bring more to the BlackBerry

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Our friends at Geek.com report that Research In Motion, manufacturer of the BlackBerry device, and Yahoo! announced a new expanded partnership to bring Yahoo! services to the BlackBerry. Under the partnership the two companies will work together to introduce Yahoo! Go for Mobile to the BlackBerry. Yahoo! Go for Mobile will allow BlackBerry users to access the "full range" of Yahoo!'s products with the single click of an icon.

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MS to run Linux with virtual server

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

CNet reports that Microsoft will support customers who chose to run Linux with Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 R2, software for running multiple operating systems on one machine.

In addition, the company on Monday said that it has now made Virtual Server 2005 R2--which the company had charged either $99 for up to four physical processors or $199 for an unlimited number of processors--a free download. The announcements were made in conjunction with the LinuxWorld conference in Boston this week.

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Tips on How to Make Your Work Day Sane

This entry was posted in the following categories: Guides, Productivity

Ellen McGirt at FORTUNE wrote a story with advice on how to make your work day sane. Here's the top line:

Give yourself a time-out. Devote an hour to uninterrupted thinking and planning every day.
Show your technology who's boss.
Keep your meetings rare.
Say no. "Sorry" isn't the hardest word -- "no" is.
Delete. Cut out or delegate anything on your to-do list that doesn't have long-term consequences for your work.

Read the complete story here.

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Time Management: Lessons From Ben Franklin

This entry was posted in the following categories: Guides, Productivity

In the quest to use our time better, we often turn to books from Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People) or Peter Drucker ( The Effective Executive ) or a host of others. Justin Fox, the author of a recent story that appeared in FORTUNE Magazine, reached for the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin was an advocate of starting his day thinking, “What good shall I do today?” At the end of the day, he’d reflect on his day’s work by asking himself, “What good have I done today?”

Justin Fox states:

This emphasis on setting goals for the day ahead and taking stock afterward remains a staple of time-management advice. (At least, so I'm told.) There's clearly something to it: I know that I'm far more likely to accomplish something when I have a well-defined to-do list for the day. But in a work world where conflicting, competing priorities are the norm, it's really hard to stick to such a list. Which is why most of us seldom get around to devising one.

This is an article that is worth taking a "time out" to read.

Palm opening retail stores

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Palm has opened a few new retail stores in recent weeks. Like most of Palm's retail locations these stores are located within airport terminals.

The new stores now listed on the Palm retail website include: Charlotte Douglas International Airport (main terminal), Orlando International Airport and in Ohio in the Cleveland Hopkins Int'l Airport.

Palm's list of retail locations can be found here. There are now 24 Palm retail locations in the US.

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Uncluttering Your Closet

This entry was posted in the following categories: Home / Office, News, Productivity

Even though iampowered.com is supposed to be focused on how to engage technology to enable everyday life, sometimes it makes sense to just step back and look at (and think through) a particular organization issue. Take your closet as an example. How much time do you waste trying to find something to wear or the appropriate belt?

A recent story from the ABC television affiliate in New York talks about getting your closet organized and has some helpful tips.

One thing to note, the article refers to “closet organization systems,” which appear to be ways to segment what’s in your closet, into four key areas: long hanging, short hanging, shelves and baskets/drawers (to organize accessories jewelry, belts, and ties).

Later in the article, it refers to “closet organization systems” as what the key areas mentioned above are built with (inexpensive coated wire products to custom-built wood systems).

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Best Buy's new approach

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

In a story from CNet News, with several concept stores located in the Midwest, Best Buy is gathering data about consumer behavior in retail outlets that are quite different from the "big box" stores normally associated with America's largest consumer electronics retailer.

The new stores, with names like Eq-life, Studio d and Escape, are helping Best Buy understand how to improve the shopping experience of a new class of technology buyers.

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Google wins Usenet copyright case

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Google has won a legal action brought over a Usenet posting that the search giant archived and partially displayed in search results. Writer Gordon Roy Parker had claimed that this breached his copyright in the posting, a chapter of an e-book.

Parker, who represented himself in the suit, publishes online under the name “Snodgrass Publishing Group”. One of his publications was an e-book entitled “29 Reasons Not To Be A Nice Guy” and at some time he posted Reason 6 from this book onto a Usenet forum, the worldwide network of discussion groups.

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SNAPfeed to help journalists

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Sprint and the Associated Press have teamed up on a new technology to make it easier for reporters to file video with their networks.

The technology, called SNAPfeed, uses the Sprint Power Vision (EV-DO) network to enable reporters to send broadcast-quality video wirelessly.

The technology allows 60 seconds of video to be sent in fewer than 10 minutes. The solution is being marketed as an alternative to satellite phones or trucks.

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Viruses for RFID tags?

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Geek.com is reporting that scientists at Amsterdam's Free University have managed to put a virus in something as innocent as an RFID tag.

The discovery proves that the low memory capacity of the RFID tags is no defense against them being used to upset inventory systems, which may be used to scan the tags.

The discovery may cool wide adoption of RFID tags until the chips' security can be locked down.

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pcAnywhere 12 Announced

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Symantec on Tuesday announced version 12 of its remote control software. The update brings pcAnywhere back to basics with a simplified user interface, while expanding support for additional platforms including Linux and Mac OS X.

Users can take advantage of tabs for flipping through multiple open sessions within a single window. A new gateway feature, meanwhile, enables administrators to use a single server to access an entire internal network, reducing the potential for security attacks. pcAnywhere 12 will be available at the end of March for $199.95 USD.

Microsoft Releases Several Excel Patches

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Microsoft rolled out two patches for vulnerabilities as part of its monthly Patch Tuesday effort, fixing six vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office, and a less significant but still dangerous flaw within Windows.

The patch dealing with the Office vulnerability contained fixes for five issues within Excel, including malformed range, file format parsing, description, graphic and record flaws. In each case, an attacker could take complete control of an affected system if the user was logged in as an administrator.

Microsoft also fixed a flaw that occurs when using a malformed routing slip within an Office document. Remote code execution as well as a complete system takeover would also be possible through this vulnerability.

In a twist from past Patch Tuesdays, this update additionally disclosed that users of Microsoft Office for Mac products were also at risk. All Windows Office versions from 2000 onward were vulnerable, Microsoft said.

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Google's new Calendar function is coming

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Tech Crunch has broken the story on Google's super secret Calendar project. From their site:

About CL2

CL2 makes it easy — even effortless — to keep track of all the events in your life and compare them to what your friends and family have going on in theirs. We’ve designed a calendar that works for you — helping you add events from email, friends, and other public calendars — so you don’t have to spend all your time maintaining your schedule.

CL2 even helps you discover new events you might be interested in. We think it’s a great tool for managing your daily schedule, keeping track of what everyone in your family is doing, organizing events for a club or team, or creating public events that you can promote to the world.

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Microsoft's official Vista lineup

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Microsoft has finally finalized its Vista product line. Instead of 8 versions, there will be 6, with three of those for home users, two for business, and one for emerging markets.

Microsoft is also required to release a couple of European versions without Windows media player installed due to court ruling issues.

Microsoft likes to point out that XP already ships in 6 flavors with Vista versions organized by what people plan to do with their computer, not what kind of hardware they have.

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FasTrak For Fries -- Coming Soon to a Ballpark Near You

This entry was posted in the following categories: News, Productivity

Venturing to the concession stand at the ballpark can seem to be a daunting task. For sure, you don’t want to be missing any action while waiting for all the transactions ahead of you are being processed.

You figure, at a ballpark, the food is pretty much ready-to-go. So the bottleneck happens when it comes time to pay.

According to a recent story in The San Francisco Chronicle, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are now promoting the tap-and-go cards for use when buying something quick and cheap. Yes, “contact-less” credit cards.

With this type of card, after the cashier rings up your sale, all you need to do is hold your card (or cell phone or key fob) an inch or two above a radio-frequency reader, which quickly flashes green and beeps to indicate that you've paid. For purchases of less than $25, no signature is required.