New technology you need to get your hands on
Head Strong
It’s only little but Sagem’s new H4 headset packs in a few nifty features. With up to five hours talk time (100 hours standby) this little fella has a range up to 10 metres and comes with a built-in background noise suppressor, to have you hanging on every word. A neat feature is the two-number storing tool, so you can dial your favourite two numbers straight from the headset.
Features:
Bluetooth 1.2 compatibility
Volume control
Weighs 8.7 grams
Product: Sagem H4 headset
RRP: $99
Hot stuff
With the interest in hand-held PDAs continuing to grow, O2 has released its latest offering, the Xda Flame. The big claim to fame is its 3D graphics processor, which O2 claims is a first in the PDA-phone space, for games, video, and even business charts. And an Intel processor helps keep the everyday tasks running smoothly, as does the Microsoft Office Programs for Windows Mobile.
Features:
3.6-inch touch screen
2GB ROM
128MB RAM
Product: O2 Xda Flame
RRP: $1,499
Time Saver
If you’ve got a growing pile of business cards that you haven’t had time to enter into your database, a device like the new CardScan might be right up your alley. Simply scan a business card or drag and drop info from an email signature and CardScan will interpret and add the information into an electronic address book. And to sweeten the deal, there’s a 30-day guarantee period, so if it hasn’t improved how you manage contact information, they’ll refund your money
Features:
Synchronise with Outlook, PDAs, smart phones
Free online backup service
Two-year warranty
Product: CardScan Executive
RRP: $349
Money, money, money
It might not be sexy, but every business needs some kind of accounting software. Cognito has released its latest product, with the MoneyWorks Gold 5 offering bank reconciliation, cash flow management and budget reporting. For importers and exporters there’s multi-currency support and per-transaction exchange rates, plus new report writing capabilities and user-defined fields and filtering make it a more comprehensive version to previous editions.
Features:
Prompt payment discounts
Improved bank statement importing
Universal Mac version
Product: MoneyWorks Gold 5
RRP: $895
Big Disk
We all know how important storage is, and your equipment doesn’t have to look ugly. LaCie’s Ethernet Big Disk (part of the d2 range designed by Neil Poulton) aims to look good while it keeps your files stored away. The Gigabit Ethernet enables storage up to 2TB (2 terabytes equals 2,000GB), as well as file sharing between Windows, Linux and Mac computers. Set-up wizards should have even novices up and running in no time.
Features:
Windows, Linux and Mac compatibility
USB 2.0 for additional connections
Wired and wireless connectivity
Product: LaCie Ethernet Big Disk
RRP: TBC (see Camille)
All Yours
Dell says it has strengthened its commitment to SMEs with the launch of the Vostro range of notebooks. Vostro, Latin for ‘yours’, comes with tools that address backup, performance and networking support for businesses without dedicated IT departments, and doesn’t come with any pesky trialware pre-installed. Wireless ready, expect to be lugging around 2.4 to 2.8 kilograms, depending on the model.
Features:
Vostro 1000, 1400 and 1500 models
Windows Vista Business
AMD dual-core processors
2GB to 4GB RAM
Product: Dell Vestro Notebooks
RRP: From $949
