Re-furb's Offer Real Value in the New Economy

It's been said that every setback holds the seeds of new opportunity. One of the new opportunities that is a result of the recent economic downturn is the vitality and viability of the re-furb market. The variety and quality of refurbished equipment is now greater than it has been in decades.

One of the reasons for this new class of re-furb's is the fact that many businesses took advantage of the slow workloads and reduced pricing of technology during the recession and upgraded equipment. Unfortunately, there were also many businesses that did not weather the storm and their assets were sold at auction to retire debts. These dynamics of the recession created a surplus of used computer equipment and machinery that is unprecedented. While some of the used equipment is too old to be marketable for many purposes a healthy percentage of the items were lightly used and relatively new models.

While excellent deals exist on everything from copiers to CNC machines, this Tech Corner article is about the opportunities for saving big money on computer equipment.

Several companies now offer good, relatively late model business grade computer equipment at discounts over 50% less than what comparable new equipment would cost. Since many of these items include either manufacturer's warranties or warranties from the seller, the risk of buying refurbished equipment and getting stuck with a bad unit is greatly reduced. There are also several companies that offer support and customer service with the refurbished equipment that rivals the programs offered with new equipment purchases.

One company that I have referred several 1Goal Clients to (and dealt with personally) is Stallard Technologies or STI. They have a good track record for quality and service and they offer the kind of desktop PC's, notebook computers and servers that are up to the task of running the most powerful industry software. I should disclose at this point that while I am a satisfied customer, I am not affiliated with STI in any way nor do I get any compensation from them for any sales or promotional considerations.

For users of the CV Solid manufacturing software, STI offers a wide range of refurbished computer equipment that will run the program quite well, but you must be careful to select a model with the right specs.

Here is a link to an example of a desktop PC with good specs to run Solid:

Desktop PC Typical Specs

Here is a link to a notebook with good specs to run Solid:

Notebook PC Typical Specs

Refurbished equipment like the models at the links above are an excellent value if you do not need new state of the art equipment. You should read the warranty information and call STI directly if you have any questions or concerns before making a purchase.

If you are not comfortable with refurbished equipment, the specs for these units can be compared to new computers from other companies to help you select one that will run Solid well. Be sure to get a business model computer with the Windows 7 Professional operating system. Some home computer systems may have the same specs as the examples above but a different version of Windows that will not run Solid as efficiently as WIN7 Pro.

 

Getting Your Working World in Sync

If you own a smart phone and you use Microsoft Outlook you are just a Google app or two away from getting your working world in constant synchronization no matter were it may take you on any given day. If you have already discovered this little gem of free apps then you already know how nice it is to be able to enter a new appointment, note, reminder or business information one time, anywhere and have it follow you everywhere. If not, read on because I think you are going to like this one.

First thing, if you haven't already, you've got to get some Google in your life. For years I have been recommending that my customers run their email through a Gmail account even if it's just a passive forwarding arrangement. The reason is that Google has the best free spam filter available anywhere and it will virtually eliminate all the junk that you don't need if you use email for business. It's easy to setup a free Gmail account but if you need help or would like to do it via Google's invitation method just give us a call. To find Gmail or any of the other apps that are discussed below - just Google it! A Google search for the app name will take you to a page with a download link and instructions.

Next, you need to sign up for Google Calendar, another free app that lets you access a fully functional online calendar from anywhere you can get on the web. Unless you want others to be able to see it, it is private and as secure as anything out there these days for keeping your schedule.

Next, you need to download and install the Google Calendar Mobile app for your smart phone. The process varies from phone to phone but its a pretty simple chore in all cases I have seen. On my Blackberry the calendar was included in the Google Mobile Apps which was a free option already on the phone that just had to be activated. See the help files for your smart phone and find out how to set the Google Calendar as your default phone calendar if you are not prompted to do so during installation. When this is done your smart phone and your Google online calendar will automatically be in sync. Now you have a robust online calendar that syncs with your phone, but if you use Outlook on a primary PC there is one more step.

Next, download and install the Google Calendar Sync software on your primary computer with Microsoft Outlook that you use at work or home to maintain your schedule. There is more than one application by Google with a similar name so I an going to provide you with a link to the one you want right here:

Click Here for Google Calendar Sync download and instructions

After you get the calendar sync app installed open the options form that looks like this:

Set the sync options to 2-way as shown above and set the time interval to sync every 20 minutes or so. Once you save your settings and close the form - your world is in sync!

Now, no matter whether you make a new entry in Outlook on your primary computer, on the web from a public internet connection or on your smart phone will at the jobsite - within a few minutes the new entry will be updated everywhere you might possibly need it. Because of the many fields available in the appointment forms, the large character space in the notes field and the alarm feature you can use this handy sync setup to track all kinds of information as well as never having to worry about missing an appointment again.

As with all technology, there can be bugs. The most common glitches will happen with the smart phone. If you begin to see your appointments in duplicate or your phone's calendar stops working the problem is with the settings on your phone most likely. It works well with BlackBerry and the Droids, but there are phone specific settings that must be attended to

As always, we hope you enjoy and benefit from this free information. Please give us a call if we may be of assistance in any way.