As part of outsourced IT services, your computer support company in Toronto should be sharing business building tips like this!

     You’ve no doubt seen these digital-looking images popping up in magazines and street advertisements over the past months, and they are getting more and more popular. What is it? A “Quick Response” code or QR code for short.

     A QR code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.

     This concept was initially created by Toyota for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing; however, QR codes have been largely adopted by advertisers that want to target mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). QR codes can be used to display text to the user, to add a vCard contact to the user’s device, to open a URL or to compose an e-mail or text message. Users can also generate and print their own QR codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR code–generating sites.

     So how could you use this? Some companies are smartly using this technology to drive sales by allowing people flipping through a magazine or waiting at a bus stop to get more information on a product, connecting the dots to get people to buy much faster than these types of media originally offered. Others are putting QR codes on permanent coupons or on their business cards to allow would-be prospects an instant way to get more information about a business.

     You can get a free QR code by going to: http://qrcode.kaywa.com

Talk to your computer support provider next time they are providing IT services for you, if they have more tips like this can help your business become more high profile!

      First, you assign an email address to your printer and connect it to the Internet through either a wireless or wired connection. To print something, simply send an email containing your document to your printer’s address – it’s that simple! You can print images, Microsoft Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and photos. You can view and manage print jobs sent to your printer using your printer Job History that is available on HP’s ePrintCenter.

      One downside is that some documents printed with ePrint may appear different from the original in style, formatting and text flow. For documents that need to be printed with a higher quality (such as legal documents), you might want to go the traditional way of printing directly from your PC. The HP ePrint service is available free of charge with your HP ePrint-enabled printer and does not require any special software or smart phone apps to work.

   Thanks to new “PC On A Stick” technologies, you can carry your desktop around on a simple USB device. Simply plug this specially equipped USB device into any PC and you’re instantly working on what appears to be your own desktop. Unplug it, and all traces of your data vanish! Here are the top 3 options:

MojoPac: This is a free software option that enables you to “clone” or copy your desktop applications and files to a virtualized machine that will work with any USB device, be it a pen drive, iPod or external hard drive. However, it will only work with Windows XP computers and lacks encryption capabilities.

Ceedo Personal: This inexpensive software product will give you a near-perfect facsimile of your desktop on any USB device. At $39, you’ll get Windows 7 compatibility and integration with secure TrueCrypt devices.

CheckPoint Abra: Out of the three mentioned here, this is the most secure. You’ll pay a bit more ($140 to $210) but it will give you security encrypted access to your cloned desktop

The volume on an iPod can be raised to 115 decibels (db) which is the equivalent of standing next to a moving subway train and only 5 db short of an ambulance siren. The average individual can tolerate up to eight hours of sound at 85 db before suffering hearing damage. For every 5 db over 85, the exposure time before irreversible
damage gets cut in half, say audiologists.

Because so many earbud users have suffered hearing damage, Apple was taken to court; but a federal appeals court exonerated the company, noting that Apple puts warnings on its packaging and iTunes site and offers instructions on how to set volume limits on iPods.

To hear music at a reasonable volume, users can purchase headphones with in-ear monitors (IEM) that reduce noise. You can also have an audiologist make custom earbuds for you to ensure a perfect fit and reduce background noise. They cost about $400 but will save your hearing.

Taking good notes during class and meetings – even with the most rapid-fire professor – just got a whole lot easier. The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen may look like your average pen (it’s about the size of a Sharpie), but it also packs in a voice recorder and up to 2 GB of storage. So far so good, but here’s the really cool part: Not only does the Pulse remember everything you’ve written in digital form (you can sync your handwritten notes onto your PC or Mac and even share them online), it also keeps track of whatever was being said while you were scribbling a detail — just tap a word to hear all of what Professor or Executive Motormouth was saying at that particular moment.

What’s the trick? The Pulse Smartpen’s infrared sensor uses the tiny dots on the custom (and required) Livescribe notebook paper as reference points.

for more info: http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/