Choosing a bar code scanner

It could appear like a straight forward matter, choosing a POS scanner, but if you’re running on a tight budget, the scanning distance is probably the most important criterion that will have a say.

For instance, if you’re scanning from long distances, what you need is a laser scanner, but for shorter distances, such as at POS terminals, an image scanner should fit the bill (pun unintended!). Also, if the bar code is small, manual scanning is recommended, but for longer bar codes, consider automatic scanning.

One area that’s often overlooked is that of the scanner software. It’s important to make sure that your computer systems and the software you’re using for the scanner are compatible.

Doing business with used computers

Many enterprising minds have come up with the concept of starting a personal business in the field of electronics – both new and used equipment. However, some of the ‘extra brilliant’ ones have found success in dealing with wholesale computers.

One of the theories behind the success of wholesale PCs and laptops is quite simple – lately, any electronic gadget gets outdated so quickly that customers are lining up to get the latest versions. And, as a result, the old ones get discarded and wind up in the wholesale market.

Then again, there’s the ‘budget customer’ market, and it’s this market the wholesale businesses target. And it doesn’t even have to be a computer user… there are agencies that will buy computers in bulk just to collect the processors and other high-tech parts.

Dealing with warranties

Is it surprising that some folks tend to look at warranties for any product even before deciding if it’s the right product for them? Not really — it could mean a lot to make sure what kind of service you can expect before making the purchase decision.

For instance, if you’re looking to buy a laptop, definitely you’ll be looking at the laptop warranty. But what does it cover? If it says ‘lifetime warranty’, it doesn’t necessarily mean the laptop is covered so long as you own it. It just means that the warranty is valid so long as the laptop is working — in other words, the laptop’s lifetime. Not yours!

It always pays to read between the lines (even if it’s fine print) when looking at warranty clauses. On the other hand, you could buy some personal property insurance from some of the established coverage providers on the Web.

IBM creates world’s smallest 3D map

IBM scientists have created a 3D map of the earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on one grain of salt.

The scientists accomplished this through a new, breakthrough technique that uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex — 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil — to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometers at greatly reduced cost and complexity.

As reported in the scientific journal Advanced Materials, IBM Researchers used this new nanopatterning technique to create the smallest map of the world in 3D, measuring only 22 by 11 micrometers, “written” – on a polymer – at this size 1000 world maps could fit on a grain of salt.

In the relief, one thousand meters of altitude correspond to roughly eight nanometers (nm). It is composed of 500,000 pixels, each measuring 20 nm2 and was created in only 2 minutes and 23 seconds.

“Advances in nanotechnology are intimately linked to the existence of high-quality methods and tools for producing nanoscale patterns and objects on surfaces,” said physicist Dr Armin Knoll of IBM Research – Zurich.

“With its broad functionality and unique 3D patterning capability, this nanotip-based patterning methodology is a powerful tool for generating very small structures,” he added.

Source IBM
Image courtesy of Advanced Materials

Why Canon?

For as long as I can recall, if there’s an imaging product that I’m looking for which Canon makes, then that’s I’d buy. Why not Sony? Or Brother? Well, they are equally great brands, but when it comes to digital imaging, it’s got to be Canon.

My scanner/printer is a Canon A190, the projector I use at work is one of the latest Canon ultra portable models (the SX7) and, of course, I have a Canon camera – the PowerShot A1100 IS. In fact, I took it with me to Frankfurt last winter, and even in minus 9 degrees it was performing without a hitch for hours in freezing winds.

It’s not just that I love the ruggedness of the camera or the Canon imaging products… it’s probably their world famous lens, equally in the lines of Carl Zeiss or Leica. The PowerShot A1100 IS throws 12.1 megapixels backed by a powerful 4x optical zoom. You don’t find this combination very often. Plus, it’s got something that most, almost all digital cameras are coming without lately — it’s got a viewfinder! If you’re like me and love to see your image hugging your camera to your cheek, then the PowerShot A1100 is for you.

It runs on two AA batteries, which I consider highly beneficial to anyone who’ll be shooting for a long time away from any access to charging the camera. I packed off with two rounds of Lithium batteries, and even after 400 snapshots, they were almost as good new. Plus, I have the comfort of knowing that I wouldn’t have to run looking for an electrical outlet and wait while the recharging takes place.

iPad sales hit 1 million

Apple sold 1 million iPads in its first 28 days on the market, and users of the tablet computer have already downloaded 12 million software applications.

The iPad, typically a cross between a laptop and a smartphone that features a 9.7-inch touchscreen, touched the million sales mark faster that the iPhone, which sold one million units after 74 days.

The tablet computer sold 300,000 iPads on April 3, the launch day, and made it 500,000 in the next six days.

The iPad is positioned as a media consumption device suitable for video, games, electronic books and magazines and Web browsing.

iPad users also downloaded 1.5 million digital books.

Project management — Made easy

The very first concept that comes to mind at the mention of the word ‘project’ is ‘planning’. A project is seldom successful without planning. Then again, in the IT age, planning doesn’t necessarily mean paper and pencil and calculations. It’s been made easy for you — you have project management software.

As the term suggests, it’s a program that helps you manage your project better. Whatever the nature of your project, the software can tackle a number of areas and supply you with critical data to take decisions. It can also provide you with updates, statistics and reports, resource management tools, Gantt charts, objective tracking, marketing intelligence, reminders, email notifications, what not.

However, thanks to the Internet, it doesn’t mean that you have to buy any expensive project management software. You could lease it online, which means there is no installation since the software is Web-based. Just log into your project from anywhere and check out your project right away.

Most of these software products also feature cross-browser compatibility, so no worries about which OS you may need on a particular computer. Plus, since the project management software is online, anyone in your team can use it, with access to centralized data as well.

Leave an impression with a thermal printer

Your POS is most likely your best bet your last chance to score an extra point with your customers. You want the POS process to be without any hassles, efficient, quiet, speedy and — of course — economical to you. You can actually achieve all this and more with a good thermal printer.

Thermal printers have evolved over the years to become some of the most reliable POS systems. They have have become multifunctional, more quiet, need nearly zero maintenance and call for a very low inventory of accessories — matter of fact, all you need to stock is thermal paper.

There was a time when business owners and customers alike used to complain that the print on the thermal paper had a tendency to fade over a period of time.That is not the case anymore. For instance, the new Epson receipt printer features a technology that not only prints in dual color but also keeps the receipts readable for a long period — perhaps even 50 years!

The new Epson TM-T88IV POS thermal printer shown here is among the newest in the range of POS printers. Its rugged design works great in high-volume settings. It’s also 25 percent faster than the previous models and is capable of wired and wireless interfaces.

Spring loading made easy

We all know how ’shaky’ or unstable a spring can be, due to the locked tension within it. And the hassle really surfaces when you try to install a bare spring into a fixture — especially when the compressed forces get released accidentally and the spring flies out — most likely in the most unpredictable direction.

This problem can be easily overcome with the use of spring plungers.

A spring plunger is just a hollow, threaded body that holds the spring inside it. A plunger is attached to one of the cylinder, which conveys the spring force. Now, since the spring is ‘captured’ inside the body, it cannot ‘escape’, and all you need to do it lock it into place using the threads. The end of the body is designed to make used of an allen key or a screwdriver.

Keeping up with the Graphics

Not too long ago, a computer was thought of as a machine to get paperwork done efficiently. Well, lately, as we all know, the computer can be spoke about in the same breath as graphics. And to get the best of graphics from your computer, you might want to install one of the better video cards available out there.

There’s no need to be intimidated by the term ‘video card’. if your graphic needs are basic, chances are you’ll not another graphic card other than the basic one that came installed on your computer. If you’re planning some of the latest games, then you’ll need to look for a dedicated video card, such as the NVIDIA GeForce graphics card or Radeon CrossFire.

The price will be determined mainly by the type/capacity of the video card as well as the interface. An approximate price could be anywhere between $35 and $140. Thankfully, sites such as buy.com give plenty of options to choose from.