Business Tech Tools

Do you want a cellphone that centers on delivering e mail (BlackBerry), digital photography (Nokia), PDA (Palm Treo), or MP3 player (Apple or Samsung). Over the next year or so, the cellphone industry will duke it out trying to find the ideal gizmo that will do most things well. I also believe that you will see a backlash, especially from seniors, against all this technology and someone will release a cellphone that does one thing well… be a great mobile phone.

THE ONLINE COMPUTER
Last year we saw online storage explode
with sites like Flickr and YouTube make storing and sharing photos and video online simple. In the next few years you will see companies make their software available online and allow customers to rent it by the hour. This would allow a cellphone to act as an input device, letting business people access an online computer and work on their own online files.

FLASH DRIVES
These little storage miracles let you bring all your files with you when you travel. Most fit on your keychain and have grown from 1-gig a year ago to the massive 16-gig locell from CellDisc. There are no moving parts so you can bang ’em around and they just work.

THE RETURN OF THE MAC
Now that Macs are running Intel chip sets, they can run Windows using a program called Bootcamp or Parallels Desktop. This, in addition to the Mac’s superior software, quality, and lack of viruses will allow Apple to find a foothold into the business world. Their iPod has won over millions of new fans to Apple’s products and consumers will look at their other products too. With no compatibility issues left when exchanging Microsoft Office files between PCs and Macs most of the speed bumps have been removed and Mac should grab a bigger slice of the pie.

SMALLER, LIGHTER AND MORE POWERFUL LAPTOPS
This has been a major trend for the last few years. But as the boomers age and road warriors look to slim down, they will be looking for lighter and smaller laptops that don’t sacrifice speed and storage. Every hardware maker is moving in this direction from the 5.2-pound Apple Macbooks to the ultralight Sonys and Toshibas. If you are looking to move in this direction and want an ultralight you may have to give up an optical drive to get thinner and lighter.

iPOD FOR BUSINESS?
The iPhone captures e-mail, plays music, incorporates your Safari web browser and lets you access your address book and calendar, but its true brilliance is that it focuses on being a great phone. Current versions of the iPod and Nano let you sync your calendar and address book with your computer which is cool if you need your tunes and don’t want to make changes or additions on the road. Expected to hit markets in 2008, it is widely thought that Rogers will be the phone’s carrier in Canada.

A NEW OS
Both Microsoft and Apple plan major new operating system releases this year. Microsoft will release “Vista” this winter and will trumpet increased security, an instant search feature, tabs for the Explorer browser, a side bar for all your widgets, and improved back-up and restore features. Apple will release “OS-x Leopard” featuring a back-up program called “Time Machine”, an ability to have four desktops show in one window called “Spaces”, new mail features like stationary, iCal group scheduling, and 64 bit processing.