The Tech Gap

I Promise to Not Complain About Hardware Costs or Limited Capacity

IBM introduced the 305 RAMAC computer on September 13th, 1956. It was the first computer to include a disk drive! The IBM 350 Disk File included a stack of fifty 24" discs and weighed in at just over a ton, requiring that it be moved around with forklifts and delivered via large cargo airplanes. The capacity of the disk file was 5 million 7-bit characters … or about 4.4 MB. The drive could have been increased to over 5MB but IBM marketers didn't think they could sell a product with that much storage!

Oh, the annual lease was $35,000 – there was no "buy" back then! Does anyone want check my calculation of what they'd charge to lease the 500GB drive I just bought for $89? Dollar for dollar and byte for byte, without regard to constant dollars, it'd be just a tad under $4 Billion!!

Still complaining about today's hardware costs?

gll

This Super Slurpr is Scary!!

A Dutch hacker, Mark Hoekstra, has announced his latest attack on the WiFi infrastructure. Last week at the NJ Society of CPAs Technology Show I delivered a presentation entitled "Over the Shoulder of a Wireless Hacker" and the group (200+) was quite engaged. They were very interested as I stepped them through the tricks and techniques the bad guys employ to steal from the rest of us. There was a lot of discussion around the concept of "stealing" open bandwidth.

Now I know that "guns don't kill people...." and I'm sure there is someone, somewhere that can think of a legitimate use for this device, it's just not me, now.

The Slurpr reportedly grabs up to six WiFi signals and aggregates them into a single connection. It claims to run Linux from a CF card and includes a 266M Hz MIPS CPU with 64MB RAM. Both the hardware and software will be released utilizing Creative Commons licenses so users can build their own Slurprs and and modify the software. Think of this as using SIX straws to drink a milkshake .... you can down it pretty fast that way, right? And now think of a conversation with your doctor where she tells you that you shouldn't be drinking milk shakes. Well, you shouldn't be STEALING WiFi EITHER!!!

Go figure.

gll

Ten Years is a LONG Time to Wait!

In the spring of 1997 I discovered a keyboard-based scanner and experienced an accounting technology "Eureka" moment. My vision was immediate and clear … practitioners across the land would be working and scanning and we'd all soon be highly efficient in our digital, paperless offices. I bought one (I've long since forgotten the brand) and hauled it off to Dexter, Michigan to show it to Creative Solutions' then VP of Development, Jon Baron and share my vision for the software they should build. The bad news is the keyboard barely worked (it was basically unusable) --- and the good news is that Baron's group didn't build what I had described but rather engineered a much more full-featured document storage system that was released a few years later as FileCabinet Solution – now FileCabinet CS -- and launched the paperless revolution for practicing accountants. The rest is history, albeit still in the making. It's with that backdrop that I now point out a modern-day keyboard-based scanner that actually does work – the KeyScan KS810 (its soon-to-be released big sister, the KS811, includes fingerprint & Smartcard readers) is a pretty solid USB2 color scanner supported by clever software (much better than what I proposed back in 1997!) that makes the occasional scan as simple and easy as a mouse click. There's something almost natural about using the keyboard for scanning! Using the included KeyScan NoTouch™ technology you activate and complete your scanning process simply by feeding the documents to the scanner feeding slot. If your scan is other than your chosen default job you can interrupt and correct on the fly. As I said --- pretty clever. Perhaps over-priced at $195 but in the whole scheme of things, not bad.

gll

PS: Oh, yes --- it DOES have a Twain interface!

USBs --- They're EVERYWHERE!!! Help!!!

I have been seeing USB-mania popping up all over the neighborhood at Technology & Public Accounting. It seems as though we'll have to redo the old mantra --- "A practicing accountant can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much hard disk space, er... have too much bandwidth, I mean,  have too many USB ports on his or her desktop." Here are a couple of utility items that appear really silly at first blush, and then, after a moment of reflection, actually make some sense. I introduce, for your consideration: a USB pen holder and a USB tape dispenser. Both serve a similar purpose of combining something you already HAVE (i.e. a pen holder or tape dispenser) on your desk with something you NEED there (I.e. more USB ports). As goes the old saying --- "necessity is the mother of invention".

I rather like that tape dispenser ---- I wonder if they'll send me one for review ---- hmmmmmmm.

gll

I Have a Serious Case of Monitor Envy

And in this case, size most definitely DOES matter! I'm very concerned that I can't find a price for the Radius 320 Seamless Display, a 50-inch diagonal screen that has magically lost all those annoying borders. It appears to "join" three 20.1" LCD panels into a continuous display system --- the result being a viewing experience approximating 50 inches! I'm sure it's one of those "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" deals.

It's supposedly OS independent but you'll need at least three DVI video drive sources at 1600 by 1200 resolution. The manufacturer claims no special drivers are required.

Here's a datasheet. Download SeamlessDisplay_Radius320.pdf

If you want to get this for me as a gift, I'm perfectly willing to wait until Christmas! [smile]

gll

Picture Your Laptop as Checked Baggage

Our friend Rich Oppenheim has been pondering the idea of CHECKING his laptop! As far as I'm concerned that will happen when the TSA workers pry my cold, dead fingers off my tablet ..... er, ah .... well, maybe Rich is right and we should start at least considering the possibility.

Until now, when your laptop traveled with you, it was safely stored in the same location as you - under your seat, in the overhead bin or on your lap. With the threats impacting every aspect of air travel, your laptop may soon not be allowed to travel with you.

Checking your laptop as luggage presents a few problems. First, the loss of work time while at the airport and in the air. Second is the possibility of the laptop being stolen. Third is the potential for damage while the luggage handlers play Frisbee with the bags.

A few ideas to overcome the risks:
Lost work time – plan your work time well
Stolen laptop – backup your data, use passwords, remove sensitive data before travel
Damage – use a better protective case. Consider the Otter Box.

Of course, one can use all sorts of technology to reduce both the need to travel and travel time itself and therefore reduce all sorts of risks.

Richard Oppenheim

Another SOHO Security Solution

My friend Rich Oppenheim is at it again --- this time his find is of particular interest to the small firm practitioner. I was so intigued by this little device that I asked Rich to expand on this post for a future issue of The CPA Technology Advisor. Watch for the article!

D-Link, a long-time manufacturer of networking solutions, is shipping SECURESPOT, a hardware device for internet security for the home and SOHO market.

The SECURESPOT (DSD-150) is cable connected between the broadband modem and wired or wireless router. This provides security for all computers on the network including anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-popup and other security software programs. Setting preferences is done through a browser based interface. 

With the broadband continuous connection, virus and security feature updates are provided through an annual license. For the home user with children, each individual computer can be locked for specific content, unknown email senders and track activity. 

The advantage is that each computer on the network will have the same high level of security. The disadvantage for the CPA is security on the road. While the network is very secure, when using the laptop at your local coffee bar or hotel, other security protections will be needed. You can buy a second Securespot and use the D-Link Bridge to maintain security.

MSRP is $99.99, including one-year licenses for up to four computers.  Annual update for up to four computers is $79.99 per year.  Additional annual licenses are $19.99.

Richard Oppenheim, CPA.CITP, currently provides advice through the Oppenheim Business Group. He can be reached at richopp@oppenheimgroup.com.

I've decided -- I LOVE my new Treo 700p

My new Treo 700p looks almost exactly like its Windows Mobile cousin, the Treo 700w. The major differences are the operating system (obviously), a better 320 x 320 pixel display and the simple fact that the 700p is wonderful while the 700w has been almost universally panned. Damn shame, too, because I really was looking forward to returning to Windows-land in my PDA/Smartphone.

A few cosmetic changes from my beat-up, rag-tag 650 model --- the back logo shows the ACCESS Powered stamp --- indicating the new owners. The keyboard has almost square keys instead of the familiar oval keys and they are now angled towards the sides in a smile pattern. The back lighting seems better and keyboard and buttons have blue outlines on the app keys and are brighter.

The 700p has two new dedicated send and end call buttons -- green and red which are devoted to initiating and ending phone calls. The end key also turns the screen off and keyguard on and,finally, the 700p's center 5-way navigator seems larger and is a lot easier to grip and thumb around with.

Unfortunately some moron decided to move the menu key to the bottom right of the keyboard. The home key is now part of the application buttons on the far right and can't be re-programmed, so I guess I'll have to be! Other than those few  changes the 700p and the 650 seem pretty much the same .... until we get under the hood. Once there you soon discover the wonders of this new unit.

Treo 700p includes a 312 MHz PXA270 Intel XScale processor and has upped the internal program memory to 128MB, of which 60 MB is available to users. This makes the 700p blazingly fast as compared to the 650. This, for me, was a HUGE selling point! My first sync with my tablet-PC was so fast that I actually thought it had failed!

The 700p also improved on the major drawback of the Treo 650 --- stability (or lack of it!). I've found the 700p MUCH more stable. In running it over the past three weeks I have yet to lock it up to the point of needing a soft reset --- which is at  least a daily occurrence with most 650s. The 700p allows 2GB cards (maybe 4GB too, I've heard) and the camera and display remain adequate and good, respectively. Like the 650, the 700p continues the Bluetooth implementation  and supports using it as a wireless modem. Married with the new high-speed EVDO service this allows me to connect my  laptop, via Bluetooth through my Treo, to the Internet at broadband speed. Sprint charges me $40 a month for the "all you can eat" DUN service. That's only 3 or 4 airport or hotel WiFi connections to break even --- and there's no question that EVDO is equally fast and far superior on the security front. The amazing thing is that EVDO allows you to receive calls while the Internet connection is active --- rather like the relationship of a dial tone to DSL.

I use Sprint (Verizon also has EVDO) and find they have made a lot of recent progress on the EVDO front. In my experience, I usually get around ~250 kbit/sec. Connections have been seamless and the system is a joy to use. I have noticed that the phone itself gets warm during extended sessions --- but that's certainly not a problem.

Built-in software now handles the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe files with ease --- something that was sometimes kludgy  with the 650. Pocket-Tunes is also built-in, but I'd suggest you keep your iPod! The new phone also supports SprintTV --- most certainly a "solution in search of a problem", but cool, nonetheless.

Bottom line from here --- it's worth the price.If you already have a 650, trade up. If you don't --- why the heck not? And PLEASE don't tell you have a Blackberry --- it's a lousy phone with limited applications and the form factor feels like you're holding a pancake to the side of your face.

gll

A new way to mouse your laptop

My friend Rich Oppenheim has been up to his old tricks again --- scouring around looking for fun and useful new topys that the profession can use to help make ever day a bit more manageable. Here's his latest "find". [BTW --- if you appreciate Rich's occasional post why not drop him a note and tell him so? His email address is at the bottom of the article.]

I use a laptop for everything. In my office I have a wireless mouse and keyboard from Logitech. On the road, I can carry an extra wireless mouse or use the standard touchpad which my fingers never seem to get quite right.

There is a new mouse from Newton Peripherals called the MoGo Mouse. This skinny device is a PCMCIA sized full functioning mouse. When not in use, the MoGo is stored in the standard PCMCIA slot. With no batteries to replace, the MoGo MouseBT recharges in the PC card slot less than an hour.

MoGo MouseBT is Bluetooth-enabled which means your laptop has to have Bluetooth connectivity. The mouse uses an optical sensor for cursor control. You flip down the short stand to elevate the mouse into working stance. It has left and right click and a center scroll bar that provides the same function as a wheel.

MoGo MouseBT sells for $69.95. If you want to get away from fingering your touchpad, take a gander at MoGo.

Richard Oppenheim, CPA.CITP, currently provides advice through the Oppenheim Business Group. He can be reached at richopp@oppenheimgroup.com.

Bluetooth Fabric Keyboard

This caught my eye at CES --- a rollable fabric keyboard! It's called the ElekTex and it's from Eleksen. It's fairly lightweight and very flexible --- clearly designed for portable computing. And, it uses Bluetooth for connectivity. It's100 % fabric and claims to be water-repellent. It appears to be quite durable too. The 68 key standard keyboard ships with a PDA stand, runs on AAA-cells, and when rolled up it will fit nicely in your pocket. It has a standard QWERTY keyboard design, is charcoal gray and sports embedded LEDs indicating keyboard Bluetooth connectivity status.

I'm not ready to go but one just yet but someday --- soon --- maybe when Sprint gets the Treo 700w --- and I start to travel WITHOUT my trusty Tablet-PC.

gll