Column: Tech upgrades for 2016

As the task of keeping our gadgets upgraded demonstrates, there is a lot in the realm of technology to understand or even just to be aware of.

For the mobile businessperson or so-called frequent flier, two big technology products have just hit the market that really make an impact. The first is Microsoft”™s new Surface Book, featuring a high-resolution screen that packs a massive 3000 x 2000 pixels, offering high definition within 13.5 inches of screen real estate.  The laptop/tablet offers up to 16GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, providing the power of a desktop in something that can fit in a backpack (along with a change of clothes).  Additionally, the Surface Book offers up to 11 hours of battery life ”“ or in traveler”™s terms, enough juice to work continually while flying across the country, and then land and still have half the battery life.  That”™s a big deal.

The second product for the businessperson on the go is in phone form, specifically, the Samsung Note 5. This phone packs enough power to act as a backup work station, which is especially helpful for on-the-road presentations or laptop failures.  The Samsung Note 5 is great at multi-tasking, with a bullet-proof Android operating system that allows a user to be completely mobile ”“ no need for a printed boarding pass, and presentations can run off of the Samsung Note 5 without missing a beat.  (To a lesser degree, the iPhone 6S rivals the Samsung Note 5 in size, and for those Apple-loving users who can”™t give up the operating system or user interface, the iPhone 6S is as close as they”™ll get to achieving all of these features.)

On the desktop level, the next big technological advancement is Windows 10.  The reason (at least in part) is that the Surface Book comes with it already installed. Microsoft has brought back the comfortable familiarity and easy accessibility of the Windows 7 user interface, and incorporated some of the Windows 8 features. Windows 10 is also very lightweight, so to speak, in that it requires a much smaller system footprint to run and runs much more quickly.  Apps running on this operating system will also update faster and will perform better.

The best new app for anyone is Everypost. This app basically allows any user with a mobile device or desktop to generate posts with just a few key strokes, and then sends out the post to every social media platform connected to it ”“ whether it”™s Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram, this app posts to all of them at once. Other apps offer similar services, but this app tries to be all things to all people. Everypost only posts across social media platforms, and can post audio, video, images, text ”“ everything.

Another app that is proving its worth is Microsoft Lens. This app allows users to scan documents at almost any angle, and can then autocorrect the document and render it as a PDF. Microsoft Lens also integrates beautifully with the Microsoft Office product; together, they offer some optical character recognition, which is when a computer can translate scanned or handwritten images into a digital form.

For those that don”™t use Microsoft Office, Turboscan is a product very similar to Microsoft Lens, offering the ability to take pictures, recognize optical characters and render as PDF.

The majority of business executives at the highest levels today did not have a cell phone or Internet access when they were in high school, let alone elementary school. Understanding the technological advances of today”™s generation takes some effort, but the efficiency and expanded accessibility that come along in the form of apps and operating systems make the required learning worthwhile.

 

Al Alper is CEO and founder of Absolute Logic (absolutelogic.com), which since 1991 has provided technical support and technology consulting to businesses of up to 250 employees in Connecticut and New York.  He is also a national speaker on IT and security issues and author of, “Revealed! The Secrets to Hiring the Right Computer Consultant.” He can be reached at al.alper@absolutelogic.com or 203-936-6680.