Kartoo

http://www.kartoo.com/

Kartoo is a new type of meta search engine that we have never had before. This site searches using the most of search engines, such as Alta Vista and Teoma, except Google. The biggest characteristic of this site is showing the search results as beautiful map using Flash. In this map, we can show many kinds of image sizes of each result and it tells us the size of actual site. And the distance between each site tells us how close the each site is. We can know these things visually, not seeing lists as other typical search engines.

This site is meta search engine, using other engines, so we can search something in almost all search engines through this engine. And we can look at the search results visually. It is very clear to understand which one is biggest (or famous) and how each site is related each other. We can know them visually, it is very useful when you need search something in specific area because you can know the relationship in between each result. But if you want search general or broad thing, it might be not so appropriate. In that case we would better to use other normal engines such as, Google, Yahoo! And Alta Vista. This site can be really useful or nothing at all. It really depends on what you would like to search, so I would give it 3.8 out of 5.

Flat Wire

Some of you might have already heard or seen the the Flatwire infomercial. What this product is is an innovative approach to electrical wiring. Created by Southwire company, this is an innovative way for homeowners to wire easier. Everyone experiences the tangles of wires whether it be from your computer desk or your entertainment system. Flatwire is a new type of wiring that is virtually paper-thin, it allows for televisions to be connected to stereos to power outlets without the mess of conventional wires.

Affordances

• Paper thin wiring.
• Bends at any angle.
• Virtually disappears if you paint over it.
• Adhesive so it can be applied right onto walls.
  

Drawbacks

• Only supports conventional wiring.
• High-cost.
• Has not broken into the computer technology world.

This technology has been out for a while but it hasn't really improved much. I cannot wait until they apply it to computer wiring such as cat-5 cables, usb cables, dvi cables, and just conventional power source cables for computer parts. In reality my entertainment system is not that messy looking, my computer desk however really needs help.

Official video.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SuTd0MqBmCk

Future of Multi-touch interfaces

The future of computer technology will undoubtedly involve the addition of multi-touch interface. Keyboards and mice are things of the past as Jefferson Y. Han of New York University created the first multi-touch screen. Already this concept has been applied to new technologies such as cellphones and iPods, with Apple's iPhone being the most prominent of the cellphone world.

Before the the introduction of this interface, the concept of touch screens was limited to only one cursor point, the iPhone features an exact two point cursor, allowing for the maximizing and minimizing of pictures and web pages. Other than that the two point cursor allows for users to type faster without the lag of the old one touch interface.

The genius behind this new technology is definitely Jefferson Han as he leads the technology in this innovation. He demos the affordances of his new eight-foot touch screen interface that looks like it came right out of a science fiction movie. As he demonstrates the abilities of his interface, his actions are incredibly fast, so much more than it would be on a conventional interface that involves a keyboard and a mouse.

Affordances

• Multi-User friendly.
• Ability to manipulate applications.
• Ability to size virtual keyboard for user-preference.
• Unlimited canvas size, ability to zoom and zoom-out unprecedentedly.
  

David Pogue, a fellow blogger states, "in any case, I spent quite awhile trying it out, and it’s spectacular. The visual response to your touch is immediate and satisfying, and there are lots of multi-touch gestures that work. One of the sample programs featured an ever-expanding “family tree” of every known species in nature, complete with photos; by dragging and expanding, you could zoom in infinitely to the branch of this massive tree that you were interested in. The photo-manipulation and mapping modules were also amazing."


Official Video of Perceptive Pixel by Jefferson Han
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGDNFpOMcA

Video on Photoshop with multi-touch technology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmHNr9EH1iU

Jeff Han in TED expo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUAnwbooNOs

FON (FON Wireless Limited)

http://www.fon.com/en/

Introduced in the United Kingdom in 2006 FON Wireless Limited was launched into the world of communication technology. It is a company created by Martin Varsavsky that systematically runs shared universal wireless networks. Due to the rapidly increasing implementation of wireless internet access it is easy to see why this program is so widely needed. “WiFi for everyone” reads the slogan. One of its principal goals is to make the Internet affordable. FON’s members, or rather “Foneros” agree to share their WiFi with others. The incentive for doing this is that they can in return freely access all of the FON wireless access areas. For non-members, the company sells access at a very low cost. Hence why it is “for everyone”. In addition to being able to access the WiFi technology, Foneros are able to advertise their own websites, personalize their FON Spots and easily communicate with other Foneros as well as non-members who are connected through that Fon Spot. Not only does this make it easy for organizations to communicate with people internally, it enables and encourages communication world- wide. This interaction is secured with two different signals (one private and one for non members). This new communication technology is gaining popularity and acclaim with an array of big businesses and individuals. Ranking this communication tool on a scale from one to ten, I would give it a perfect ten. Now more than ever, we find need for wireless access. FON is making that need easier to find. Who knew that roaming the world could be done free?

signtel.inc

http://www.signtelinc.com/

sign language public address and emergency system (signtel interpreter)

Signtel.inc is a company that was established in January of 1999 and is headquartered in North Haven Connecticut. Their mission is to create and bring innovative assistive technology and assistive devices that will better serve the deaf, hard of hearing, deaf blind, visually impared and deaf low-vision communities.

One product that they have is a sign language public address and emergency system (signtel interpreter). This communication device allows members of the public who are deaf to be addressed by sign language and the hearing to be addressed by text.

The sign language public address and emergency system comes with a microphone in which you can speak into and it will translate the message into sign language or if you have a speech you can type it into the system and it will translate the text into sign language.

The signtel interpreter is a windows based communication program which will provide real time translation of spoken or written English into sign language facilitating one on one communication between the hearing and the deaf .

This system is alot better than the old tele-typewriter (tty) which tended to be cumbersome and time consuming not to mention less private as the deaf/ hearing impared person would have to go through a live operator to relay messages from one to another. Not only was the tele-typewriter not private for the people using it but not all words in the english language can be interpreted into sign language such as different phrases that we use the deaf person whould not understand so the (tty) caused problems with accuracy.

This is a great communication tool for any company that already employs people who are deaf or hearing impared or will at some point in the future. The signtel interpreter system will also encourage the hearing people to interact more closely with the deaf or hard of hearing both in the workplace and in social situations.

For the relative ease of use and the fact that it opens doors to communicate with people we would not normally be able to communicate with due to the language barrier this product gets a 4.8 out of 5.

Organizational Emergency Alert System

Misato Nonaka

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/eas.html
http://www.albany.edu/sunynyalert/faq.shtml (SUNY NY Alert)

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is designed to provide and receive emergency information at nation, state, and local levels via broadcast stations, cable, and wireless cable systems quickly and automatically. For example, the National Weather Service (NWS) have used the EAS to relay local emergency messages such as weather information to alert the public of dangerous local weather conditions and other emergencies through the media such as television, radio, and Internet. SUNY NY Alert is one of the good examples of the Emergency Alert System, which allows the University to send out critical emergency information about the campus through email, phone, and text messaging to all students and faculty who registered for this alert system. This system will also be used to alert the campus community in the event of a weather related emergency such as a campus closing and violence on campus and in a community around school.

Although EAS costs a lot for setting up and periodic testing of the system, I rate EAS as 4.8 out of 5 because it enables to inform and alert people about the emergency events so quickly and automatically so that people can not only keep tracking what is happening but also take actions as quickly as possible and also it will save a lot of money overall. Since multiple alternate sources of warning are available, people can reach at least one source to gain emergency information even if one link in the dissemination of alert information is broken down. Due to its efficiency; quick, broad, effortless, and costless, EAS plays a very important role in such a big organization like SUNY Albany because sending out information especially emergency messages takes a while due to its size. With EAS, you do not need to cry over wasting time to come to a closed campus!

Robolase

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2140922/internet-link-remote
Robolase is a newly formed network based technology which allows surgeons to perform microsurgery on cells via the internet. For example the live sample could be in Australia and the surgeon could be in America performing the operation. This is done by using network microscopes and lasers and the connection is operated at a bandwidth of over 1 GB/ second which makes it possible to be done. This allows for surgeons and doctors to communicate with one another internationally without having to travel to a far away location.
Robolase has many advantages. First of all it makes it much more convenient for surgeons to operate and work on live samples. They don’t have to travel which saves a lot of time and this time saved allows them to begin working on the sample immediately. Also it allows for the surgeons with the most expertise in their particular to field to help certain patients with care that other doctors could not provide for them. Machines also tend to be much more accurate than the human hand resulting in better quality care. The efficiency of the internet use allows doctors to communicate freely and effectively from a distance.
There are also a few disadvantages relating to this technology. One of the major concerns is the reliability of the server. If the server fails or is not sufficiently working then the whole procedure could go wrong. Even just one glitch in the system can cause a doctor to misinterpret information or wrongfully make a move.
Overall I would rate this as a useful technology in a medical organization. It has already advanced what we can do in medicine greatly and will only continue to become more advanced at connecting doctors to doctors and doctors to patients in various locations. Overall I would give the Robolase a 4.5 out of 5.

AIM PRO

http://www.aimatwork.com/aimpro/

AIM Pro is a form of AOL instant messenger that is intended for business use. It has many of the same functions of the aim that we all use everyday. Using AIM Pro it is easy and efficient to keep in contact with others. It helps connect people all over the world making it simpler to conduct business from a distance or to keep in touch with others. The thing that sets AIM Pro aside from the regular AIM is that it is set up particularly for businesses and colleagues. AIM Pro has a video and voice conferencing feature, a built in calendar, easy tools that are located right in the messenger box that allow you to receive and send files, power points, and even make your own desktop available to others. Another difference that makes it more efficient for businesses is that users are allowed to use their own names as their screen name instead of a made up screen name so that it is easier to identify people among one another. The features themselves are also very easy to use. At the top of each IM box there are tabs that let you choose what you want to do. The options include video, voice, share and files and when you click on each one they give you very simple instructions on how to perform the task that you want done. It also has a much more professional look visually than the basic AIM has.

Like previously mentioned, it has its advantages. It’s easy to navigate, can connect people in the same building or in a different continent and its features allow each person to see exactly what the other person is looking at on the computer. AIM Pro not only allows information to be transferred through files and power points or messages, but also through voice and video which can be very helpful especially when a large audience is involved.

Certain disadvantages include the fact that this process is through the internet so connections could be lost or one person computer may be slower or faster than the other which could possibly distort information being transferred, particularly in video and voice conferencing. It also may be lead to the decline of face to face interactions and that always is a risk of losing personal contact with employees and clients which could hurt the company in the long run.

I would recommend it to be used in large organizations where it may be hard to be in contact with people all the time or when they are in completely different locations. I think it is probably more beneficial to use it among employees, rather than using in with clients because it is more oriented to business end of things and clients may benefit more from a more personal approach. Overall I would rate AIM Pro to be a 4.5 usefulness in organizations.

Yugma

Frank Fazzino

http://www.yugma.com

Yugma is a form of desktop collaboration software that allows you to that allows other people to see a real time copy of the whatever you are viewing on your desktop. You can view any application and is functional for any computer. The best part of this is that multiple viewers can also share keyboard and mouse functions on that desktop from their own. This can be used for multiple people to work on projects at the same time. This also can be used for technicians to give technical support to help others with problems on their computers. This software is equipped with several features such as whiteboard that can be used to have a conference online even if the employees are not in the same room. It has visual tools allow you add to drawings or graphics by drawing lines, shapes, or just freehand to emphasize parts of the graphic. with these Yugma sessions is the ability to record and save any presentations or documents. these documents can be saved on the web and can be viewed by other employees or clients at anytime.
The advantages of using Yugma is that applications can accessed and edited at anytime by many users. To make an account is free and supposedly easy to use without needing any training. It is also accessible through Windows, Mac and Linux. The disadvantages is that you need to pay for professional services for your business based on how many people that are joining Yugma. It's pricing gives also limits up to 500 people. The disadvantages aren't that inconvenient because the services include both training and technical support for those people.
For a business, I would give this a rating 4.5 out of 5. It is ideal for multiple people to work on and give presentations at the same time in a quick and efficient way. It is also great to way to have meetings when the whole staff can not be present but with this may come the negative effects of using whiteboard rather than face to face but it is better than not having communication at all.

Google Maps

Misato Nonaka

http://maps.google.com/

Google Maps is free-mapping technology service offered by Google. This service is not simply showing a map but also including business locations, contact information, and driving directions. Moreover, there are 4 different modes of displaying maps; street view, traffic, satellite, and Terrain. It helps users get desired locations with various images and integrated business information easily and quickly.

Google Maps is such a user-friendly technology so that almost anyone can use it without any difficulty. Private users will any individual, who are interesting in traveling, visiting, and shopping. Some organizations, companies or small business owners use Google Maps publically to post their address with business hours and contact information.

Advantages of this mapping technology are following:
-Get more and detailed information by just typing address of desired locations.
-Candidate or possible address will come up on screen if the address is wrong.
-An icon to print out a map.
-Detailed directions including approximately time to the targeted point from users point.
-Easy to control; Double left-click to zoom in, and double right-click to zoom out
-4 types of viewing maps;
1) Street view - View pictures of surroundings an area and navigate within street-level imagery
2) Traffic – View major high ways near the desired location
3) Satellite - View a satellite image (or a satellite image with superimposed map data)
4) Terrain - View physical features (ex: mountains and vegetation, with elevation shading)

Disadvantages of Google Maps are privacy issues, the printing function, and street view function. Since anyone can see any location, surroundings and directions, it might violate someone’s privacy. Some people do not feel comfortable to reveal one’s address. There is no specific regulation to protect it. The other disadvantage is that 4-display features are not available for printing; only the simplest map view is available. Street view function is problematic too. If the desired location is big, users might not get the specific view that they wanted. For example, if you type “1400 Washington Ave. NY”, which is State University of New York at Albany, the street view does NOT show the entrance but the small area right next to the main building. Users, who are unfamiliar with desired location, might get confused by this image when they actually get there.

Since Google Maps is powerful but easy to use, there is no special skill required. Just type address where you want to search and choose additional function to different views if needed. If you want to zoom, double left-click and double right click to zoom out. A scroll in the mouse is another way to zoom in and out. Drag and move the mouse will lead you to the desired direction on screen.

Affordances and technology attributes might enhance business and knowledge. It makes users to find locations with more detailed information such as contact and general information, images of surroundings, and link to homepages. There is a function to send the map to others so that it will help reduce time and cost (free to use it) for both users and others. This service is used most commonly fort raveling, shopping, and visiting to search desired locations and detailed directions.


Google Maps makes organizations and individuals more efficient and broadly in searching information. People can search places just typing address and click icons, no special skills required!! Google Maps is easy to use offering not only locations or directions but also organizational information, views, and easy ways to share information with others. Therefore, I will rate usefulness of Google Maps as 4.8 out of 5.

Citation
http://local.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=7060

Twelve Language Speaking Global Translator

Jennie Willis

www.Franklin.com

The Twelve Language Global Translator makes foreign communication easier. This hand held digital translator is fluent in Chinese, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. This pocket size translator has a digital screen and full key board. The machine translates words and phrases and is able to speak them back out loud; in a human voice as opposed to a digital one. The global translator also has access to over 400,000 words and 12,000 phrases. It also includes Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian alphabet. Lastly, this translator provides a spell checker to fix misspelled words to avoid confusion when trying to accurately translate. The Global Translator works to make communication more efficient and easier between language barriers.

There are many advantages to the Twelve Language Speaking Global Translator. One of the top advantages is its ability to speak. This allows travelers to be able to communicate with natives more effectively. It avoids the confusion of language dictionaries and pronunciation. Another advantage of this machine is the wide variety of languages it is fluent in. This gives users more options and again makes traveling to these places more comfortable. The spell checker on the Global Translator is a great advantage. When users are trying to translate a foreign word they may not spell it accurately. With the spell checker they are more likely to get the accurate translation they are looking for.

The main disadvantages of the Twelve Language Speaking Global Translator is that its use is only limited to twelve countries. If a traveler decided to venture elsewhere than there is no use for this product. Also when typing foreign words into the machine it may be difficult to know how to spell the unknown words. The spell checker may not be able to pick up on the mistakes because of the inaccurateness of the word. It may be hard to pick up on the complexity of foreign word spellings.

I would rate this new technology a 4.5 out of 5. I think that it is a very useful tool for communication. The Global Translator works to make something that once was a struggle when traveling easier. The purpose of this tool is to make the act of foreign communication a more effortless process. The purpose of this product is also to recognize the importance of communication, especially between speakers of different languages.

FullThrottlev6.com

Jennie Willis

FullThrottlev6.com is a website dedicated to cars. In this website users use the discussion bored to post questions about their cars, post car parts for sale, videos, or surveys. The website’s participants actively respond to these posts by providing feedback, answers, and by making purchases. Also users can send individual messages to specific people on the site in order to keep communication private between two users. In addition to this, there are live chats that allow multiple users to communicate all at once, as well as individual Instant Messaging. Anyone can join, regardless of their car type. This website is beneficial to organizational communication because anyone involved in a car organization can access the website and participate in the activities provided on the site.

The advantage of this website is the support it provides to car enthusiasts. If a problem is found with ones car they can access this website and ask for the free opinion of people who actively participate in cars as a hobby. Also the website is very helpful when selling parts from a car. This website allows users to go right to their target audience to sell their parts. Also because users develop relationships with each other on this website they are not selling to complete strangers, like they would on EBay; for example.

A disadvantage of this website is the accurateness of the information received. Since users are asking for the opinions of non-professionals when seeking advice about their car, they do not know how trusting their source is. Another disadvantage of this website is because it offers free speech about a subject that users feel very passionate about, conflict develops between users.

Overall I would rate this website a 4 out of 5. Its user friendly layout and easy accessibility contributes to this positive rating. Another positive of the website is the broad scope of communication it provides to people involved in this kind of organization. It is a very useful tool to car enthusiasts and allows them to share their love of cars with others.

Limewire

A peer to peer networking application began to boom nearly a decade ago with the beginning of Napster. What started as a way for peers to share .mp3, .mpeg, and .mpg files over the internet gained huge popularity, and became the norm for consumers looking for music. Another similar networking utility to Napster, Limewire, is very widespread in our population today. Limewire allows for a consumer to retrieve a file of nearly any song or video that they would like, and have it stored in their computer's memory where they can use the file whenever they'd like. As more peers search for the files, the transfers continue and there are more satisfied users on the network.

However, as the peer-to-peer transferring goes on, the ones who are really losing out in the deal are those artists that are actually releasing CD's and losing sales. I know personally, I have not bought a CD since using Limewire, as I can get any songs I want at any time. I know that many others carry this same mentality, and thus, it is a very difficult trend to break unless Limewire and other applications such as iMesh and Kazaa are eliminated completely. With the continuing adaptations done by the peer-to-peer networks, this would seem to prove very difficult to accomplish.

DotPag.com

This is a new tool that can be used to track everything your have to do in your busy schedule. DotPag.com allows you to organize all your important dates into a internet based system that allows you to access it from anywhere. It is available on your mobile phone, labtop, or any computer anywhere in the world. It is free of charge which can save you time and money as is stated on DotPag's home page. It's great for people who travel because you can access it from anywhere. The site is password protected and can help you stay very organized. Another great feature is you can store emial addresses and blog subscriptions on your DotPag so they are all just a click away. It is a very fast and easy to use online organizer. www.DotPag.com

Verizon Voyager

The craze of the holiday season for 2007, the Verizon Voyager, has ceased to see its popularity decline as we head into 2008. The release of the iPhone pushed Verizon to come out with a newer, better alternative to the cell phone industry to keep their customers from leaving. Thus, we saw the development of the Voyager.

The Voyager introduces a full-size keyboard, touch screen, television, full internet browsing, a camera, speakers for surround sound, and Bluetooth. Essentially, the Voyager contains everything that you could ask for in a phone, and then some. This one-of-a-kind wonder has revolutionized the capabilities that customers can take advantage of, and has become one of the most desired products on the market.

The Voyager would be good for organizational communication because the capabilities of full internet browsing would allow for employees of the business to find necessary information in meetings without having to carry around a laptop, or even worse, have to go find a desktop. Rather, the full internet browsing on the phone would allow for one employee to search for information over the web and report to the other co-workers in meetings without disruption, all while helping to complete the task easily and effectively. Also, its e-mail capabilities would allow for much easier communication amongst co-workers. The Voyager could find its way into a more widespread business scene in the coming months, however as of now, will remain the desired phone of many consumers for their personal lives, as its popularity continues to soar.

Expedia

by Gilad Hakami
www.expedia.com

Expedia.com is basically an online travel agent. It gives there customers
everything they need for researching, planning, and purchasing a whole
trip. It books airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises,
vacation packages, business packages and various attractions.. Traveling
in a business is a very large aspect and using expedia, which is an up
and rising technology, speeds up the process. There is even a section
called business travel where it lists deals for short amounts of time
including round trip flights, car rental, hotel even restaurant
reservations, and other accommodations for business travelers.
There are many advantages to Expedia.com. It doesn't take a computer wiz
to navigate Exepedia even if you're a beginner you'll sail through the
site, this helps with workers who are not familiar with this new
technology. When it comes time to book your vacation, the information
fields are clear and easy to fill out.
There are also some disadvantages about expedia. Some customers have been
unsatisfied with various aspects such as lost reservations, erroneous
hotel accommodations, and bad pricing policy (prices are always subject to
change even in the middle of booking and they don’t always have the lowest
rates). All these disadvantages can hurt a corporation if someone is
trying to go to an important last minute meeting with big clients
everything needs to be perfectly booked and arranged with no room for
error.
I feel that a corporation can easily benefit from a website like
expedia.com because it makes booking a business trip so easy and can be
done at any point in the day. If someone is trying to go to an important
last min trip it can be set up via the web, with hotel, airfare,
restaurants, casinos, and car rentals. It has the largest search engine
for these accommodations than any other travel agency.
I think that out of a 5 point rating skill I would rate expedia a 4
because it is useful easy to use, has a large searching database which can
broaden areas a business can travel, relatively cheap prices, easy to
incorporate into a business, and can also save a corporation money by not
hiring a personal travel agent for the company.

search engine - kartoo.com

http://kartoo.com/

kartoo.com is a French website that is a search engine. However, it is not youor normal search engine like google or yahoo where when you type in a subject, a list of websites related to your subject appear. With kartoo.com you get a map that has relevant websites that link to related aspects of the paticular subject that you are interested in. I like this website because it is different in how it displays what you are looking for and is not so bland and boring as google or yahoo.
I would give this a 3 out 5 because kartoo.com does not tell you how unique each link it gives you is to your subject that you are researching.

Loki

Loki

By Stephan Wright

www.loki.com

Loki is a browser add-on that allows users who are traveling or at home to search and browse the Internet catered to their specific location. Loki is the basic concept of a search engine but, your computer knows exactly where you and makes your search results location specific. This is perfect for business travelers, college students, and vacationers who don’t know their way around where they are and don’t know their exact address or zip code. The unique thing about Loki is that it doesn’t use GPS technology; instead it relies on WiFi technology.
Loki has partnered with many of the popular location based websites, such as Fandango.com (a website that gives you movie times at theaters near whatever location you enter in) and accuweather.com (a website that gives location based up to date weather forecasts). Easy to use channels give one-click options to find certain types of attractions around you, such as restaurants, movies, weather, news. All of this happens with the “Find-me” button that instantly tells you where you are. So far 75% of the U.S. population is mapped out on their site. If by chance your location isn’t within the coverage of their network, users can enter in their location and Loki will forever remember it.
Their SMS feature allows you to text friends and co-workers to tell them where you are and any personal message they want to add to the text. Also, the “Address” feature highlights all the addresses found on a page and gives users instant directions to that location from their current location. Loki can even automatically change your time zone for you, updating you calendar and never leaving you doing math in your head of when your next meeting is.
This is a great add-on for any member of your organization that is being sent on a lot of trips away from the office. Never again will you have to worry about getting your bearings on your next trip out of town.

Pros: -easy to use add-on, straightforward interface, WiFi is easier to find in hotels and places of travel than GPS technology, mobile version offered for WiFi-enabled Windows mobile device.

Cons: -no version for Linux, only works in the United States, Mac OS X users must download Firefox, it won’t work with Safari (the standard browser for Mac users).

Rating: 4 out of 5, because it isn’t as Mac friendly and is still in the Beta version, which means it still has some kinks that need to be worked out.

Kerika, the smarter alternative to e-mail

Kerika, the smarter alternative to e-mail

By Stephan Wright

www.kerika.com

Kerika is a program that allows organizations of any kind work on projects in a virtual environment. The program exists in pages that can contain process flows presented in graphical webs that can be as basic, complex, or creative as you want. Each item in your web can be turned into links to new pages filled with documents, pictures, and presentations. You can post pictures, share documents, create progress reports, keep track of document modifications, including which member made changes, and even conduct live chats with members that are online at the same time as you. This allows documents to evolve, getting reviewed by others and even gaining commentary from your clients. The great thing that Kerika can bring to an organization is that it is capable of bringing together people working from home, offices, and coffee shops.
At $6.95 a month per user, this software offers its members something that many free products can’t…privacy. Kerika lets you set up private servers. Members have full control over access. In other words you decide who is allowed to see and download certain materials by either an individual or domain/group basis. You can even share projects with people who don’t use Kerika, using their e-mail addresses.
There are many advantages to implementing Kerika into your organization. The software minimizes the need for countless e-mails between members and maximizes productivity in a central location. The software works on Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows, creating a seamless integration between members without compatibility issues. It requires minimal training or support and overcomes file-sharing issues such as firewalls by using a relay server.
The only negative is that it isn’t free, but you get what you pay for. It comes with a thirty-day free trial and then like aforementioned it is 6.95 a month per user.
It deserves a five out of five rating because of its extreme compatibility and its basic design.

Video Conferencing - Cisco TelePresence

Cisco TelePresence combines high-quality audio, high-definition video, and interactive elements to deliver an in-person meeting experience over your network.
The overall Cisco TelePresence key consists of endpoints, management software, and multipoint switching capabilities, taking advantage of the reliability, quality, and security of the existing network infrastructure.
As globalization increases the need for communication among colleagues and partners, the likelihood increases that business discussions will include not just multiple people but also multiple locations.
In a nutshell, Cisco Telepresence is a new, advanced system that allows for video conferencing to be as real as face-to-face interaction. It is important because of the expansion of industries and businesses that are extending all over the world and the ability to communicate with workers in these places is vital.
Some advantages are that it eliminates many of the constraints that we are forced to deal with with other forms of global communication such as e-mail or instant messaging which are text-based. Some of these constraints include missing social cues such as facial expressions, reactions and tone of voice that are not available via text-based communication. It also enables you to expand your business to just about anywhere without having to worry about information or messages that you would send by e-mail being misinterpreted. Organizations can also use this if they have a big facility and face-to-face meets are inconvenient for people that have to meet woth eachother.
I would say that this technology would get a rating of 3 or 4 because it is not as common a technology as e-mail at this juncture. Perhaps within the next 5 years or so, Cisco TelePresence will regulary available to all organizations, businesses and people.

Verizon FiOS

Verizon FiOS http://www22.verizon.com/Content/ConsumerFiOS/

FiOS is the latest in fiber-optic technology. It delivers laser-generated pulses of light, riding on hair-thin strands of glass fiber, all the way to the home. When FiOS connects to the personal computer, users will have access to blazing fast speeds. The internet is transforming right under our fingertips. Verizon is now providing this new service that allows for faster access to online gaming, video chatting, downloading feature films and CD-quality audio.
Verizon FiOS Internet Service is a broadband service designed to provide Internet access with extreme connection capabilities. Verizon states its service can maximize connection speeds of up to 50 Mbps or 30 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps or 5 Mbps upstream, depending on the user’s location. FiOS is provided on a fiber-optic network. Many features and services are included such as access to newsgroups, up to 9 Verizon.net email accounts, online services, and 10 MB of personal Web space.Verizon FiOS Internet Service is the fastest and most powerful connection they’ve ever offered. This makes for better and faster communication between people in their personal and business lives. Verizon also offers its customers FiOS TV which uses their state-of-the-art fiber optic network.
Verizon FiOS TV is the newest advancement in television entertainment. FiOS TV has an extensive channel lineup with more than 300 digital channels and 22+ local and national HDTV channels, and Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and 2,300 On Demand titles at any given time. With FiOS TV, you get clear color and vivid sound, and sharp pictures. Verizon FiOS scores a 4 out of 5 because this technology is fairly new and not accessible in all locations. Verizon is the first company to offer these technologies to consumers and this creates the disadvantage because businesses and personal customers may have a loyalty to their current provider.

Kaltura

http://www.kaltura.com/

Kaltura is an online site used to help create group collaborated videos that users can contribute material using wiki technology. You have the ability to use videos that are already uploaded to sites such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Flickr. The final video then can be embedded in web pages anywhere on the internet that support such functions. Kaltura allows for group collaboration such as bands and artists to interact with their fans and have them help create music videos or an online collage of fan material. With Kaltura, senior high school classes can create end of the year videos that all students can contribute to with photos and videos that they may have and members of the student body can monitor the progress of it and can show it during graduation. Families can create videos of family parties and vacations that others can contribute with pictures and movies that they may have and post them where others can view them. Nonprofit organizations can create a video to help spread their cause and can allow anyone to add content to it and help get involved. Small organizations can create online ads to help spread the word of their company and ask for any member of the organization to add any input they may have into the video. They also can create new hire videos for new members of the organizations and how-to videos that anyone in the organization can create and add to and then post them in a common area for new members to view and learn how the organization works. In a classroom, teachers have the ability to create a collaborative video with their students that all can participate in and the teachers can monitor the progress. I give this technology a 5 because it is a great for group collaboration and organizational communication. It has the ability to get everyone involved and all members have an option to have their input in it just like a wiki page, and its ability to allow people to work on it from home or from their office.

Monster.COM

www.monster.com

Monster.COM is an internet based job search website located in Maynard Massachusetts which was founded in 1994 by Jeff Taylor. The main purpose for Monster.COM is to connect companies with career minded individuals. With the help of innovative technology and services the purpose of this website is also to give employers more control over the recruiting process along with being able to search for the best possible candidates for a job throughout the country. Monster.COM consists of language sites in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Singapore as well as many other countries. It is no wonder why this site has more than 12 million visitors each month. Along with helping employees find an employer that will meet their wants and or needs Monster.Com has gone a step further and partnered with CareerPerfect.COM to help job seekers with the help of professional resume and cover letter writing services which will hopefully land you your dream job. And as you can tell by the vast number of countries that are using Monster.COM to find jobs you may need all the help you can get as you are no longer competing against just other people in the United States for the job but also people in other countries as well.

The benefits of Monster.COM are many as stated previously Monster.COM is beneficial to anyone looking for a new job. As you can just visit the website and see all of the job openings that are available for the particular job you are looking for. If you are running a company it is also beneficial to you as you are able to search pretty much around the world for the best candidate for a certain job you are trying to fill. Monster.COM is also helpful if you need help writing a resume as Monster.COM has a partnership with CareerPerfect.Com a professional resume and cover letter writing service.

Of course their are some disadvantages to Monster.Com it has increased the competiviness in the job search market as you are no longer competiting with people in the United States but around the world as well. Another disadvantage to Monster.Com is that it is on the internet so is you do fill out an application online using this service your personal information might be stolen as has happened in the past.

All in all I would recommend this website to anyone who is looking for new employment as there is a vast array of jobs available. This would also be a great place for any business to search for the best suited person for a job as you can search from candidates from around the world. Another recommended use for an organization would to list all jobs available here rather than in newspapers and other mediums as all you need to do is list it on this website and anyone with access to the internet would be able to browse your job openings.

With the great services that this website offers I would give Monster.Com a rating of 5 out of 5. This is a one stop shopping for anyone seriously interested in finding a new job. And with the help they are able to provide you in your resume writing you will be able to find your dream job in no time.