Presentation Conference Wizard | Projector Rental

Being on the road presents a unique set of challenges for those people that must travel from trade show to trade show. One of the most common of these challenges is making sure that the information presented is the most current. While email and other modern technologies help a great deal, what about those pesky last-minute changes?

Enter the Presentation Conference Wizard!With the Presentation Conference Wizard, presentations can be run over a network or the Internet. This eliminates the necessity of making sure that the file on your hard drive is the most current edition. While this software may not be best used as the primary method (what if there’s not Internet connection?), it can be used quite effectively as a backup and help you avoid the needless explanation about changes that are not reflected in the presentation. The only catch is that it requires the older PowerPoint 97 to work.

Need a laptop or projector rental for your next presentation.? Contact an IT specialist at VernonComputerSource.com

D-Link xStack DGS-3627 - Networking for Growing Businesses

Small business owners are always on the lookout for ways to keep up with their larger competitors.To help you in the networking department, here is one of the best networking devices that were designed with the small business in mind.

Small businesses often start out, well, small.However, if all goes as planned, the business will grow and its technological needs will become more complex.Before long, the switch you have been using to network your small battery of computers will not cut it anymore.Instead, consider the D-Link xStack DGS-3627 as a starting device.This device was created with elasticity in mind.As your needs expand from simple networking to VoIP, multiple IP addresses, etc, it will continue to serve your company admirably.

The only drawback that we have seen is its complexity.If you are not experienced in networking, you may want to hire a consultant to guarantee you get the most out of this piece of equipment.Other than that, the DGS-3627 promises to save time and money that would otherwise go toward frequent upgrades.

Rent a Mini Projector Before Buying One

Mini projectors have become increasingly common on the market – so much so that choosing which one is right for your needs isn’t always a simple choice. Most people that spend time moving from one trade show presentation to the next will tend to look for the smallest and lightest model, but will that be enough to do what is needed?

Before grabbing the smallest projector you see, there are a few things you need to consider. Certain aspects like resolution, connectivity, and the presence of audio are often overlooked in favor of sheer size (or lack thereof). Without pausing to consider what features you need in a projector to adequately reach your audience, you could find yourself extremely disappointed in your purchase. On the other hand, some buyers get too caught up in relatively unimportant aspects, like contrast. Be sure you know what you need.

By resisting the urge to get swept up in the excitement of the smallest and latest technologies, you can find a projector rental that serves your needs that you won’t have to strain yourself to carry around.

Netbooks for Business

With the economy struggling, small businesses are looking for new and inventive ways to cut costs. One of the best ways to do this is something that does not appeal to many – using netbooks instead of notebooks. Many are turned off by this idea because of the underpowered nature of netbooks. However, don’t be too hasty to dismiss these mini-computers as toys.

Netbooks often get a bad rap in the power department. Many businesses that are reluctant to use them still rely on notebooks that are four or five years old, making the netbook more powerful than their current machines. And the netbooks often have many modern features that simply weren’t available when many currently used notebooks were new. Sure, the smaller keyboard makes long-term typing uncomfortable, but this is remedied with an inexpensive keyboard/mouse combo.

However, there are some businesses that simply can’t rely on netbooks. If you have one of these businesses, perhaps you should consider renting notebooks as a cost-effective way to stay current with your computing power needs.

Portable Speakers for Trade Shows

Traveling from trade show to trade show often means lugging a lot of gear around.  However, the ever-forward march of technology has made much of this gear smaller, lighter, and easier to set up.  Laptops and mini-projectors will help you show your presentation, but what about the information that people need to hear?  Built-in laptop speakers are a joke and effective speakers are often cumbersome.  Harmon Multimedia has taken care of this with their JBL On Tour speaker system.

While it is obviously designed with mp3 players in mind, the speaker system can be hooked to a laptop with a standard audio jack.  Instead of the tinny, barely audible sound from the built-in speakers, the JBL On Tour provides a clear, crisp sound that can be heard around a booth on the showroom floor or in a moderately-sized conference room.  The speakers pump out 3 watts per channel and come in a case that closes to protect the speakers from the mishaps of the road. 

Don’t let a great presentation be ruined by a lack of audio.  Shop around and you can find great sounding portable speakers that can make all the difference.

Corel Home Office - An Effective, Low-Cost Microsoft Office Replacement

As we have mentioned before, money is always an important concern for small businesses.  This plays a significant role in selecting business software.  While Microsoft Office is almost universally considered the best, many small businesses cannot afford the high price.  With Corel Home Office, they don’t have to.

Unlike many lower-priced alternatives, Corel Home Office looks and functions very much like Microsoft Office.  It also runs better on low-powered Windows-based netbooks, which are attractive to many small businesses because of their low price. 

 Corel Home Office ships on a USB stick for easy installation on machines with no CD drive. The installed software takes up 124MB of hard drive space, and comes with reduced-featured versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  All three programs use an MS Office 2007-like ribbon interface, but users do have the option to switch to the more traditional menu-based interface.  These Corel programs will even open the new MS Office 2007 formats.