Archive for: business
OTRS is an open source trouble ticket system for easily managing support requests in a multi-agent interface.
The application can auto-convert e-mails into tickets (e-mail piping) which “eliminates the need of using the web interface” for customers.
OTRS is used by large organizations like Opera, MySQL AB, BitDefender, Suse & has very nice features like:
- transfer of tickets between agents
- auto-calculation of hours worked on a ticket
- powerful reporting
- canned responses
- multilanguage support
- themable web interface
- role-based user management
- & much more..
OTRS is built with Perl & can work with different databases (e. g. MySQL, PostgeSQL, Oracle, DB2 and MSSQL).
The Lenovo ThinkStation E20 range kicks off at $599, with a choice of Intel Pentium, Core i3, Core i5 or Xeon processors, up to 16GB of DDR3 memory (spread over four DIMM slots) and an optional NVIDIA Quadro graphics card.
On top of that there’s a choice of 7,200rpm, 10,000rpm or MLC SSD storage, with optional RAID 0 or 1 setups. Connectivity includes gigabit ethernet, audio in/out and eight USB 2.0 ports, along with optional eSATA and FireWire. Lenovo will pre-load Windows 7 Professional 64, but you can also have the 32-bit version, Windows XP x64 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
No sign of preorders being taken as yet, but that will apparently kick-off midway through this month. Pricing is from $599, but don’t expect that to get you a Core i3 or i5 machine, or much in the way of memory.
Press Release:
Lenovo Combines Workstation Performance with Unprecedented Price in New ThinkStation Workstation
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – February 9, 2010: Lenovo (HKSE:992) (ADR:LNVGY)today announced the ThinkStation E20, the first in a new series of entry level workstations. Starting under $6001 the new E20 offers professionals working in computer aided design (CAD) and digital content creation (DCC) fields the performance they need at an extremely affordable price. The E20 also sets a high bar for green design by using more than 50 percent recycled plastic content.
“We’ve found there are a number of CAD and DCC professionals who are currently getting by on desktop PC hardware due to budget constraints,” said, Mark Cohen, vice president, Enterprise Products, Lenovo. “They’re running workstation-class applications and could benefit from using true workstation hardware. We designed the ThinkStation E20 with these users in mind to put true workstation performance within their reach and enable them to realize significant productivity gains associated with using the right tool for the job.”
Price and Performance
With models starting under $6001, the E20 offers workstation-class performance at desktop-level prices. It comes equipped with:
Choice of the latest Intel Core i3 and i5 Processors as well as Pentium and Xeon 3400 Series Processors
Choice of independent software vendor (ISV) certified graphics solutions – Intel Core HD graphics or NVIDIA Quadro discrete graphics up to the FX1800
Support for Error Correcting Code DDR3 memory
Certifications from leading ISVs like Autodesk, Siemens and Dassault Systemes
“Users can experience certified, tested and optimized workstation solutions at near PC prices with the Lenovo ThinkStation E20 workstation, based on the Intel® Xeon® 3400 processor series or the Intel® Core™ HD graphics,” said Anthony Neal Graves, general manager, Workstation Group, Intel. “Users who once relied on high-end desktops now can benefit from a real workstation experience.”
Built for a Greener Environment
The ThinkStation E20 leads the PC industry in its use recycled plastics. More than 50 percent of the plastic content comes from post-consumer recycled materials. Additionally, it achieves a Gold-rating by the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool and is GREENGUARD certified for its environmental attributes. The E20 also meets the high energy efficiency criteria for Energy Star 5.0 and features an 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply.
Pricing and Availability2
The ThinkStation E20 workstation will be available in mid-February with models starting at approximately $599. The workstation will be sold through Lenovo business partners and www.lenovo.com. For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook.
If the name of this post turned you off, I don’t blame you, what’s fun about flow charts? If your’e still reading this, you’re nuts, because honestly, what’s fun about flow charts?
But seriously, from time to time whether for school, for personal projects, or for work, flow charts are visually appealing to many and offer a clearer view than perhaps a report detailing the same information. So in order to get people on board with visually appealing processes, you need an application that works exactly to that point and that application is Lovely Charts.
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Ever find yourself in a situation where you need to send a document for a client or employer to sign? I have. But doing so is hard. Not everyone (myself included) has faxing facilities or are willing to pay the fees for using online faxing services.
Creating contracts only takes a few minutes after signing up (which in itself takes “ten seconds”, just as the banner promises). Basically, you first create a contact then create a template for your document using the rich text editor that’s built into the service. Then you create your document like in the screenshot below.
Before you send your document you have the final chance to customize it as you can see in the screen below. You can add in extra terms and monetary amounts. You can also decide if the document should have an expiration date. The feature I like the most was that you can choose several ways for the recipient to authenticate the document such as via Twitter or OpenID.
When you’re done, click ‘send and save’. Then, on the final page, customize the e-mail the person will receive and then send the document along with the documents URL (this is included as standard). This is an quick and easy way to process documents and contracts online.
Check it out at www.docshaker.com
There’s a lot of sites out there that offer collaboration tools. From the simplified office collaboration tools like Google Documents and Zoho Writer, to the more sophisticated like Basecamp. In the end each of them appeal to different markets, different segments of the industry and each of them function differently. So with those options we choose one that best fits our needs and we run with it. But what if there was a sexier option, something with real personality, but still maintaining all the same functionality?
Now there is. Introducing WIPspace, the creative collaboration tool that offers up multiple levels of engagement in a sleek, sexy, yet functional package. The image blow is a visual diagram of all the things WIPspace is capable of.
You feeling it yet? There’s real fire under this engine, and the multitude of offerings it has makes it a very robust package. Working on projects or movies, this space allows you to fully interact with off-site teams, and engage the client all at the same time.
Be sure to watch the videos and test drive it. Let us know what you think and how it compares with Basecamp or some of the other collaboration tools out there.
NEC is a company that’s been around for a while, and chances are if you’ve worked in anything related to tech from design to IT, then perhaps you’ve come across an NEC product. Known for innovation, they’ve really outdone themselves with the creation of the NEC CRV43.
Rather than struggle with a dual monitor setup, NEC went ahead and just combined the screens into a massive 43in. curved display that not only gives you the same dual monitor feel, only with out the need for two screens, but it also fully immerses you with the curved design making it easy to follow your work on the screen. Now while I love the concept, and the idea of reducing two monitors into one is ideal, it’s the price tag that worries me.
I can probably pick up two monitors for under $500. Both of them would be LCD screens, at least 20in+, so the price tag of approximately $5,000 seems just a little steep. Now not sure about you all, but I don’t come around 5k all that easily, so again, what is it that really makes this monitor stand out? Aside from being curved, HD, and having a seamless display? You be the judge.
Real estate, whether it’s hot or not, one this is true, it’s all about the location. With that in mind, for those of us that are seeking a place to hang our hat, to call our home, there’s lots of apps out there that can help us find that dwelling. Whether your single, married, roomates, there are apps out there that can help you find the right place for you. In the UK there is one specific app that we had a chance to play with, and that’s MousePrice.
MousePrice is an extremely web and mobile app that can share pricing of real estate, provide you quotes, and some basic information based on your needs. The web app is a very simple website that asks you three questions before you submit and move onto your information. In an effort to increase transparency in the industry MousePrice puts as few roadblocks between you and the results. Finding the properties available in the area you selected then makes it easy for you to find the place that best fits your budget.
Alternatively the mobile app for the iPhone works just as effectivly. After inserting some basic information on the location you want, or using your specific location at the moment, it will map out, using GPS, the entire area providing you drop pins to click on in order to get your information. Once the information is displayed, properties in green mean the value has gone up, property in pink means it’s gone down, and yellow properties simply mean that there is not enough information to accurately give you the most recent information.
Interested? Well if you’re in the UK looking for a bit of real estate, I’d be curious to hear if you’ve used this and if you like it. If you’re a real estate agent, do you find this effective for what you do? Leave a comment and let us know.
Today I came across a very interesting new video news site, which aims to provide news from not just one source but as many as possible. Newsy is the video news service that introduces a topic and then goes through relevant sources to find the best opinions from around the web.
Newsy covers topics such as world news, business news, technology, environment and more. The format of each show is simple, the introduce a basic topic and then search the web for the leading views on that specific topic for the day. Thus, it is kind of a news video aggregator, as it provides the leading sources in one simple place.
Im sure Newsy will become quite a popular site, simply because of how easy it is to see the latest news from multiple sources in one place. However, most users want to see a large number of headings in one simple place and normally the easiest way to do this is text, because there is still a limitation to how much you can fit into a view.
Entrepreneurs and start-ups alike are prime candidates for branding opportunities. Existing companies looking at changing their appearance, their direction, or product/service may also be looking for a way to change their existing branding, and what’s quicker than instant?
Nothing.
BrandStack is the quickest way to get your new logo and start building your brand. The depository has hundreds of designs, but along with the logos, you also get domain names pre-registered for you along with other additions that will get your business off the ground instantly.
Previously known as Incspring, Brandstack is literally stacking the layers of possibilities to make your endeavors as profitable and successful as possible. Founder Wes Wilson is always looking for designers who want to upload their extra logos to the site and further expand what it has to offer. A definite most for those looking to purchase and build, and designers looking to sell their extra or new designed logos.
Give BrandStack a try and take the stress of the creative process off your shoulders and start with the real details that will help build your company for your customers.
Today I came across a very interesting marketplace, Gazhoo. Gazhoo is a marketplace to buy and sell documents, images, templates and more. Gazhoo seems to have everything from venture capital documents to a stock standard business agreement.
Gazhoo is a great marketplace for business professional who don’t have too much experience in the industry but are trying to get something started. Gazhoo allows users to view half of the document for free in a simple window very similar to Docstoc. Once you have viewed the document and made sure it is the one you want, then you are able to purchase at an affordable price from their very simple marketplace. Prices vary depending upon the document, but they start at about $5.00.
So if you are looking for affordable secure documents then head over to Gazhoo. However, make sure you still have them looked over by a lawyer if you are planning on releasing after your own moderations.
It’s come often during my late night work sessions that energy drinks just don’t 
do it, and soda is just overdone, not to mention sludge for the body. After a long time of coding, designing, writing, or developing, I just want to take a break, relax and kick my feet up to some good tunes, or a good movie. Nothing scratches that itch better than a good glass of wine.
I’m by no means a wine expert, so I can either fumble my way through wines I will mostly not like, or I can turn to the experts of Hello Vino and adapt my tastes, my menu, or my event to the wines that will make it a success. Hello Vino has added a mobile app that has helped me select a wine on the go while I’m shopping for an evening with friends or just with my wife. The application does a great job of pairing wines, giving you reviews, and pricing it for you to find exactly what you need on so many levels.
The database consists of over 1 million unique wines, all of which will surely find their fan base on the go always on the hunt for the perfect wine.
For those of us that have had to make PowerPoint presentations time and time again, using the same templates over and over again, it becomes increasingly frustrating because you think there is only so much youc an do. Well luckily, with some savvy searching, and perhaps a little creativity on your end, Powerpoint can become something new, thanks to the bevy of templates on TemplatesWise.com.
Powerpoint presentations can get a fresh face lift with these new, unique backgrounds that can ressurect the drab into the fab. By what I can tell, this site has hundreds upon hundreds of new templates for you to use, that are easy to find based on their categories. You can preview them, and download the ones you like. They also include packs for charts and graphis, looped music, and other creative for your presentations that will keep your presentation visually attractive while you share the important information.
I’ve used this site for a few public speaking engagements already, I’ve been very impressed with it, and I recommend you give it a try. As PowerPoint has gotten on in age, it’s nice to see creative sites like this offering the facelift that it has so badly needed.
You can follow them on Twitter as well.
