Saturday, November 28, 2009

Fingerprint time attendance system

Fingerprint time attendance is a highly efficient time monitoring technology. It can't be easily beaten by other up and coming technologies since it uses a simple yet reliable method to monitor the employee's time - the fingerprint. Instead of an awkward face, voice and other forms of recognition for time attendance, a mere thumbprint will log-in or log out a person at work.

The technology is also safe from possible fraud because employees have to literally cut off their thumb just to remotely fool the system. Fortunately, the popularity of fingerprint technology has decreased the price of this gadget that small offices can now consider this device. A small business will be able to implement this system and with a few employees, the fingerprint scanner could be running in just a few days. The most affordable version of this system costs no more than $250.

At this price, businesses will be able to implement a system that will log the time-in and time-out of the employees. However, many fingerprint time attendance systems can be easily integrated with accounting applications such as QuickBooks. This can easily help the accounting department but this feature will easily shoot up the price of the system and will limit the number of users. For this reason, integration with accounting application is only recommended when there are more than 50 employees in the company.

A fingerprint scanner for a time attendance is a simply but very useful tool. But careful consideration on features is recommended to choose the right product at a reasonable price.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

All-in-One PCs for the Office

An "all-in-one" PC is a form of personal computer that does not come with a separate CPU (Central Processing Unit). Thanks to technology, the hardware needed to run the computer is placed below and at the back of the monitor. The DVD slot and other peripherals are usually placed at the back of the computer monitor as well. It provides the ultimate convenience for office since it saves on space and they usually come in larger screens. Users simply attach a keyboard and mouse to use the PC. The all-in-one PC was designed for family use since it's built to handle media, games and document processing well. But businesses can also benefit from the design.

Aside from space, it's powerful for most (if not all) basic functions in the office, good screen size without asking too much. There are impressive all-in-one PCs that do not cost more than $400 especially the basic configuration. With that price, you get a good processor (Atom), a hard drive that's no less than 160GB, 18.5" or more in screen size and Windows 7. Most all-in-one PCs will immediately work with fewer configurations especially if the office has Wifi. Your office can also enjoy this type of PC for entertainment because of its ability to handle most high-definition videos.

The only disadvantage of the all-in-one PCs is that many of the designs offer limited upgrades. But the current configuration and for basic office needs, the all-in-one PC will work well for various offices for many years.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Smart iPhone Apps

iPhone is not just a fad phone. Under the right circumstances, the phone can become a powerful office device that can aid professionals anywhere. The following are free applications for entrepreneurs that transform the phone into a powerful office tool.

Whiteboard - Have a virtual drawing board in your iPhone that can be viewed and manipulated by another user. The application works perfectly on Wifi and the application can be used for collaboration for better ideas. You can use the ease of interaction with iPhone to create clear notes during the meeting.

Voicenotes - Have an idea in mind? Don't use the iPhone to write notes and waste time. Simply launch Voicenotes in your iPhone and dictate your idea. It's a simple but highly efficient voice recorder. The best thing about the application is that it's straightforward so there's no confusion on how to use the application.

Free RSS Reader - The name of the application says it all. This RSS reader will get you connected to the latest news on your preferred subject. It will take time to configure because of the keywords required but once the application is fully configured, it will work with virtually no additional tweaking.

Remote Desktop Lite - Never miss a file again with this application. Accessible via Wifi, 3G or EDGE, the application will allow you to access your PC anywhere. Although there is no sound support, the application should be good enough to view files and even manipulate your computer from a remote location. A business version exists but small business and solo professionals can gain a lot from the free version.



Thursday, November 19, 2009

Office collaboration tool

Two heads are better than one - this is the idea of online or offline collaboration tools as they provide a platform for business and individuals to share what they know. The power of the internet has practically destroyed the boundaries of ideas. Aside from sharing ideas in one area, the world can contribute if users allow them.
The following are popular formats for online collaboration: project management and document creation. A collaborative tool for project management is basically an online manager but allows everyone to contribute and provide updates. This is often established by project managers but many small office tasks can also benefit from this tool.

Document creation, on the other hand, allow users to provide additional information on the document at will. Google Docs and WriteWith are two of the most popular collaborative tools for document creation and editing.
There are also collaborative tools that are not necessarily for business processes. Ning, Nexo and WetPaint are considered "heavyweights" in this category because these sites are online boards for members. These sites allow users to blog, post videos, photos and other multi-media for everyone to see. This is not necessarily collaboration but this is very useful for information sharing. But online collaboration is not just based on project management, document creation and social networking. There are even sites that allow free video and audio conferencing. These tools might require software to run but they can be used for free. Collaboration doesn't have to be a tedious process with the help of these online tools.