Small Biz Technology Advisor Blog

by Christopher G. Erckert
Small Business Technology Advisor

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins March 11, 2007 — three weeks earlier than last year. DST will also last one week longer in the fall as well, changing back to standard time on November 11, 2007.

While some in the tech industry are calling this the next Y2K bug to widely affect computer systems. There is a simple way to pro actively keep the new DST from disrupting your day to day business activities.

The Big Fish

Most computer applications run off of your operating systems clock. Follow these tips and you’ll take care of most issues.

• Windows Desktops/Notebooks: Run Windows Update on all your desktops and notebooks
• Windows Servers: Have your IT guy apply the Windows Updates (it can get tricky especially if you’re running exchange)
• Apple Desktops/Notebooks/Servers: Run Software Update

Minnows

Some phones are smarter then others. Ironically most pure mobile phones will automatically be updated by the carrier (e.g. Verizon, T-mobile, etc) over the network with no need for user intervention. However, most so called smart phones need a bit more user intervention.

• Palm Devices (Windows and Palm OS): Download and install the right update here.
• Other Windows mobile Devices: Update via active sync if you’ve already run windows update as noted above.

Personal note: Over here at Evo Networks we had to update both Mac/Windows computers, a Mac Server and Palm Smart Phones, and we found a few duplicate dates in our calendar apps but otherwise, it was a fairly smooth process and definitely not a Y2K ordeal.

by Christopher Erckert
Small Business Technology Advisor

I found this wonderful and timely article on a timeless debate: Is a mac right for my biz? This non techie article explains the benefits and potential hiccups you might run into. Read the full story at The Register here.

Found this in the Sept 22nd issue of Long Island Business News: For all those small business owners who can’t afford an assistant to proof their work or simply can’t bring one along on business trips, this software is for you. NextUp’s TextAloud can convert text to speech, but unlike the those utilities built into your operating system, this software doesn’t sound like HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

TextAloud reads text from email, web pages, reports and more, aloud on your PC. TextAloud can also save your daily reading to MP3 or Windows Media files ready for playback on your iPod, PocketPC, or even on your TV with Tivo’s Home Media Option.

It’s also a great piece of software for those who have to plow through lots of material. Once the documents are converted to mp3s you can get your reading done at the gym, in the car, even the shower.

At $29.95 it certainly is worth a try. TextAloud is compatible with all flavors of Windows and can purchased/downloaded right from their website.

If you haven’t heard, there has been quite a bit of battery shenanigans going on with Dell and Apple laptops/notebooks. It all stems back to certain lithium-ion batteries containing cells manufactured by Sony Corporation of Japan. They pose a safety risk that may result in overheating under rare circumstances (pr from dell and apple). What this really means is that the battery can overheat, melt the computer, start a fire, and or explode.

I already saw a teaser clip from Fox News about how this could be a new threat for air travel, but the reality is that when these things defect, it’s much more of a snap, crackle and pop. Think hot rice crispies, not C4.

Over 4 million batteries are part of the recall, spanning multiple production years and models so don’t take any chances and go to Dell’s and Apple’s respective battery recall pages. With such a highly publicized recall, business owners will surely face litigation if they fail to check their laptops and a employee or customer gets burned. Not to mention the bad press if your laptop goes up in flames at the next corporate event (see picture).

At Evo Networks, we use both Apple and Dell laptops. We ran a check on our batteries and while we had models that could possibly be affected we lucked out, because our specific battery serial numbers were not part of the recall.