Technology and time management.

This page provides checklists of items that you might consider buying to improve your or your organization's productivity at a reasonable cost. The temptation to purchase new technologies or software to improve personal or professional productivity must be tempered with answers to the following questions:

1. What are your needs and how is the purchase going to help meet those needs? Forget the curb appeal.
2. What is your budget?
3. What is your technological competence? Measure this by the degree of mastery you have with your existing products?
4. How much time do you have to devote to learning how to use your new product? What percentage of your existing product/s do you use?
5. What is the cost benefit related to the product on a time and $ cost basis?

2010 Jan 15. In the past couple of years I have been using the following products with great success to improve my productivity and save money.

• Wireless USB headset: which allows you to listen to video on the computer while you walk around or type or have conversations on Skype, Yahoo, MSN while leaving your hands free. Microsoft ZX600 cost between $35-$70 CDN. I like this unit because it hooks onto one ear, is comfortable, light and unobtrusive. Make sure if you buy a headset that it is USB connected - much better quality sound, even it is not wireless.
• Magic Jack: A matchbox sized USB connected piece of hardware that gives your computer phone capabilities using his speed Internet (VOIP). Cost less than $50 CDN including your first year of service and approximately $20 a year after that. A plan can be purchased for non USA or Canadian countries for pennies a minute. Other than that you get free phone calls to and from any phone. I have been using mine for two years without a problem. When traveling, if I can find free hi speed Internet e.g. libraries or McDonalds I can turn my computer into a phone. Here's the good news, your computer (Magic Jack) is given a real phone number and people can leave you a message if you don't answer. When you retrieve your Email the phone messages are in your Email back as sound (WAV) files. Just open and listen. There is a Contact File which stores all your favorite phone numbers and a record of all incoming and outgoing calls. This is clever technology, it works well and has no hidden costs. Look out phone companies. Buying from phone companies a VOIP service just doesn't make sense if you have a computer and high speed Internet. Did I mention you can talk on your Magic Jack while working on your computer, leaving your land line free.
• Buying a cell phone? Make sure you get one with a keyboard so you can text. Save money. I have a Samsung Vice which has a very good camera (2.0 meg) slide out keyboard and numerous features at a low phone price.
• Going to USA from Canada. No need to buy an expensive roaming package for your cell phone. Buy a text messaging package and use text instead of phone calls.
• Bluetooth. For as cheaply as $15 you can buy a bluetooth earpiece to use with your cell phone. Numerous advantages over having to hold your phone up to your ear, especially when working on the computer. Much better than using the speaker phone functions.
• For all these attachments for the computer a USB hub is needed. I have a four port, self powered hub made by LOGIIX which gives me solid connections. It is compact and has an extension cable and work well with the Magic Jack (even though they don't recommend a hub).

• 2006 considerations: (May 21, 06) I will be adding links to all products mentioned-use Manufacturers in meantime).

In response to the question of which hardware to buy - a desktop computer, laptop, notebook or sub-notebook computer, handheld computer, P.D.A. (Personal digital assistant), a or computer and a P.D.A ?  If your work, or other activities require you to continuously record and retrieve data while you are on the move (away from you desk) then you will benefit from a handheld unit which has a permanent Email connection such as a P.D.A., Tablet PC or Smartphone. Remember to keep paper back up for important phone #'s and data until you have a fail safe electronic back up copy. See combination of the PDA and the cell phone - a viable consideration.

Key productivity items:

1.   A good desktop computer or laptop/notebook/Tablet PC. The tablet PC is a fast growing market segment. High productivity gains are achieve with the new technologies available for digitizing handwritten notes and drawings and being able to store or transmit these instantly by MSN or Email.

2.   Smart phone or P.D.A. (overview), if you are technically proficient, need to collect or have access specific types of data, need a portable data base, and have the time to learn another item of hardware/software.

Other items to add to your technology arsenal:

Software: Download trial versions of software from web, CD's, etc. E.g. www.tucows.com Get a 60 day trial of MS One-note.

Email: AOL, Eudora, cc:Mail, Lotus notes mail, MS Outlook (avoid Outlook Express).MS mail exchange, Group wise.

Fax: Delrina, Winfax, STF. Very often integrated with better Contact Managers. Computer fax software is a quick low cost solution.

Internet:   Need an ISP - Internet service provider - monthly fee/charges for connect time,
   Browser software: Netscape, Microsoft Explorer, or free downloads.
   Search engines: Google, Lycos, Yahoo, Excite, Alta Vista,Web Crawler, Look Smart.

Spreadsheet: MS Excel, Lotus 123

Desktop Publishing:  starter - Microsoft Word or Publisher, Corel WordPerfect. Professional - Quark Xpress, Pagemaker and Apple Design Suite.

Presentation: PowerPoint, Persuasion, Astound

Suites (contain elements of all above, plus features of  PIM's, Contact Managers & Data bases)
 Lotus Smartsuite, Microsoft Office 98/2000/3-Small Business &  Pro version, 7Office (www.7office.com)

Personal information managers (PIM's):

 Day-Timers, Starfish Sidekick, Goldmine, Roledex, Lotus Org, 2., Pack rat, Echo, Now up-to-date& Contact, Claris Organizer, Microsoft Outlook.

Contact Managers:

Choose a Contact Manager with as many features that you can afford. The one user license price range is from $50 to $300 CDN. If you have business contacts as part of your data base, look for features that include personal customization, flexibility, web connectivity built in, and Email linkage. Read the reviews in computer magazines (current and  backdated issues) for more detailed information. All the hardware/software developers bring out continuous updates of their version of Contact Managers and P.D.A's , so you can never really be "caught up" in this area - but you can develop new skills continuously so you don't have to play "catch-up." Once you have learned the basics you will get a good return on your "learning time" investment. See links below to some web sites of developers. What is important is, to get all your contacts into a versatile data base  (Contact manager),  and start automating your contact lists, time scheduling, letter and report writing, Emailing and faxing. Data can be easily transferred from one product to another if you decide to switch.

 Act, (Act Mac 2.8), Maximizer, Touchbase/Datebook, Ecco, Janna, Goldmine Make sure you have web integration-download key data from website into your Contact Manager.

Sales force Automation (if you have numerous employees involved in the selling process):

 Customized ACT, Telemagic, Contact Ease, CBS, Market Master, Westware, ChangLabs, Diamente CC

Contact Managers with relational database (for data mining):

Lotus Notes, Full Contact, Filemaker pro. (Mac & PC),

Data bases:

 Microsoft  Access 98, Foxpro, Lotus Approach, Oracle, Lotus, Sybase

Project Management / Decision Making: See my Project Management resources page for more software, support groups and PM information

CA-Superproject, Microsoft Project

Desktop computers:

Personal Computer (PC):   486 to 300 + Mz. Pentium, . These are speed of operation specs.
The standard at the retail level is above the 200 MHz mark and up to 400 MHz. (1999), now 3.0 +MHz. - 2005). Hard drive size is a second major consideration; 2005, 40 - 80 Gigabyte.
All major Mfct. IBM, Toshiba, Compaq (H.P.) , Dell. Custom  built computers from independent, local suppliers. Cheaper and can be higher quality specs. Get references first.

Apple/Macintosh: Power Mac. A class of its own. Easier to use, less crashes - new ones cross platform, but if you buy Apple and work with PC people you may need to buy a PC and MAC. (2000). Integration software improvements coming out in fall of 1999, i.e. Virtual PC 3.0 etc. Need to boost Mac Ram to at least 64 k to make this software work efficiently. This writer migrated from Apple to PC for business use. Apples 2006 integration of MAC and PC affirms the customers needs.

Portable computers:

Laptop: All major mfct. IBM, Toshiba, Compaq, Dell Apple/Macintosh, Gateway, Etc. This writer uses an IBM Think pad purchased in 2004. I was using a Micron, but needed a faster processor (over 400 MHz) to run the MS Contact Manager program. Wireless (Wi-fi) is a very useful addition to the laptop. Highly recommended (2005)

Notebook: All major Mfct.

Sub notebook: Toshiba 2030, Libretto 50 CT , Apple 2400. Note: CD ROM and disc drive separate units.

The writer favours this group of products in conjunction with a paper based Day Planner. Both fit into a standard briefcase. The subs. weigh  2.5 to 4.0 pounds and have approx. 10 to 11 inch screens. They have the power and storage of desktops.  How can they be so small, light and still powerful. They are basically laptops without
the CD/DVD players and the floppy drives. Both of these can be purchased separately and connected with ease if necessary. Note: After years of using this category of product I would now (2004) only choose a laptop with a CD/DVD player and burner.

Good news is they can be linked to your P.D.A. by infra red or with a cradle link or Bluetooth.

Handheld (HPC - handheld personal computer): Hewlett Packard OmniBook, Apple eMate300, Compaq PC, NEC 700. Philips Velo 500, CasioA-20. See link at top of page for updated models.

Palmtops (PDA - Personal Digital Assistant): Apple Newton 1990's), US Robotics now Palm, Sharp PI 7000 ZR 5000, Texas instruments. 3Com See link at top of page for updated models.

Electronic Organizer/Telephone directory: Sharp Zaurus/Wizard, Texas Inst., PSION, Casio. If you don't want to buy a PDA consider this older but still efficient, cost effective technology.

 EXTERNAL SUPPORT, peripherals:

 Phone*: Smart phone would be the writers preference for 2005. Aug. 2005 Motorola is bringing out a new phone to compete with Treo and Blackberry.

• Infra red - linking handheld / portables to desktop. For data transfer between units (2005) Bluetooth technology
• Headset: highly recommended for busy people or if you make notes during your conversations.
   Hi tech phone: mobile or desk.  E.g. Analog cellular phone: Rogers, Cantel, Nokia. Note these are Canadian companies.
• Voice mail - a must to save time.
• Modem (can be included in computer).
• Fax machine - stand alone*: We recommended this as your first business purchase in 2000. Low cost, effective. 2005 update. Still a useful business tool although many of its uses have been taken over by Email. Cheap enough that it would be considered a valuable personal or business resource even for occasional use.
• Printer: A must buy. Consider Laser. Price drops make these practical from a cost and efficiency perspective. Laser printers are now inexpensive enough to make them serious consideration (2005). Lower printing cost per page, 1-3 cents per page.
• Scanner: Don't buy the very cheapest - you will regret it. These are stripped down internally for the mass market "price point."
• Copier: Consider whether the printer needs to be networked with other computers in the house or office. If so you need to purchase this feature in addition to all the other considerations.
• Multifunction / Integrated unit -  printer, scanner, copier, and fax. Brother, Panasonic, Canon and H.P. were $700 with or without colour.. 2005 - prices dropped so significantly, as low as $200, which make this type of product a serious consideration for the home or small business. However, If  one part of the unit  goes for repair, do you take a holiday too?
• Cardscanner: for reading and entering data from business cards into your computer/data base. Only needed if you receive more than a few cards per week or if you need all the data on the business card. If you just need a name and a phone number it could be just as quick to type the info. into your MS Outlook contact management program.
• Power Inverter. These book sized devices provide 110 volt power in your car to operate or recharge laptops, printers, card scanners, digital cameras and even electric tools. There are two major categories. The smaller inverter up to 300 watts power (approx. 3 amps and cost $50-$75) can be plugged into the cigarette lighter receptacle. This inverter is good for running your laptop, recharging your digital camera or operating a printer. The larger inverters can be hooked to the battery of your car and be used for emergency electricity supply or running larger amperage demand tools and household implements and office equipment. Power ranges from 500 to 1500 watts and prices range from $75-$300.

WIRELESS communication services/hardware: USA customers use Cingular, Sprint or AT&T. Canada use Rogers, Bell or Telus.

 GSM - Digital PCS: Microcell (Fido - North America).
 CDMA  - Digital PCS: NETWORK: Bell Mobility, Clearnet (Mike - North America)
 TDMA - Digital PCS: Cantel  (Nokia phone 2160 phone AT&T PCS)
 Satellite: MSAT
 Pagers: Check your local providers

MULTI-USER workstations:

 Server: DELL IBM Esc
 Workstation: DELL, IBM etc.

OTHER COMMUNICATION HARDWARE: CALL DIRECT CATALOGUE : 1-800-328-3222

Final word: technology - hardware/software: define needs, evaluate products, reconsider needs and invest. Always read techno. reviews 1st.