We have entered the age of on the go computing. But Google wishes to take it a step further. You’ve probably heard of their Project Glass initiative, which many people call Google glasses. These look like futuristic sci-fi glasses, and take being constantly connected to the next level.

A Computer Above Your Eyes

The famed Google augmented reality glasses allow users to read email messages, access online maps, take pictures, record video, and video chat with friends and family members – all without having to use their hands.

A Stream of Useful Information

Google glasses are activated using voice commands. You can just request a bus schedule and it will be displayed for you. Or you can ask for directions to a theatre, and a map will be displayed similar to how it would be on a smartphone.

According to a video created by Google, the company’s augmented reality glasses would also allow you to check your day’s schedule and update your plans if things change. For example, in the video a Google glasses-wearing consumer is going to the subway. As he hits the entrance his glasses tell him that subway service is suspended. The glasses then calculate a walking route to his destination.

An Unobtrusive Technology?

Supposedly Project Glass isn’t made to bombard users with an unending stream of technology. It’s actually meant to make it easier for them to access the technology they want when they want it. For example, a user might want to take a picture of his girlfriend standing on a bridge over the Chicago River. Instead of fumbling around for his camera or smartphone, he just presses a button on his Google glasses to take the shot.

Another worry many people have is that Project Glass could be used as an advertising platform; pulling up ads for companies that are related to the one you are physically in. You can look on YouTube for Project Glass parodies and find some fairly humorous ones.  But whatever you think the future of Project Glass is, this technology has opened a world of possibilities.

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People and businesses commonly use Gmail these days. This makes sense, as it is simple to use, free, and Google makes good products. If you use Gmail, you are likely not using it to its full potential. Gmail has several tools that make it easy to keep your email organized. We have outlined a few below and if you need instructions on how to implement these tools, follow the links.

Label your messages: Labeling your messages is an easy way to keep your inbox tidy. This feature permits you to add brightly colored labels for particular people or certain topics. For example, you can create an “Urgent” label and apply it to messages that you need to take care of immediately. Or, if you get a lot of email from your friends that you want to read later, you can create a blue label called “friends.” This will enable you to scan your inbox and more effortlessly address the messages you need to.

Free up space with archiving: Do you like to have a clean inbox but have a ton of emails that you don’t wish to delete? By archiving messages in Gmail you are able to move them to an “All Mail” folder to get them out of the way. You can access them anytime this way but they won’t be cluttering your inbox.

Add a signature: Tired of typing your name, phone number, and email address at the end of each of your Gmail messages? Why not create an email signature? Gmail allows you to save signatures that you can then simply drop into the base of your messages. This is a great time saver for anyone who writes a large number of email messages during an average day.

Filter your incoming messages: Filtering is a very nifty feature of Gmail. It will automatically label, file, delete, or archive emails. You can pick the “Filter messages like this” option from Gmail’s “More” menu and specify what an email will include to have a certain action applied to it. For instance, if you are looking to hire someone you can have any email that includes the words “resume” or “job” sent to a particular folder.

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Voice over Internet Protocol technology allows people to make phone calls over the Internet and it comes with one major benefit: It is more economical then landlines. VoIP technology, as it is typically known, frequently saving users between 30 to 50 percent on their phone bills.

Businesses today, of course, are still struggling through the nation’s sluggish economy. Many are running on tight budgets with skeleton staffs. Today’s businesses, then, can use any form of savings they can find. The reduction in phone costs that VoIP provides would seem to be an easy avenue for savings. But are businesses actually embracing VoIP technology? Are they utilizing it to slash their yearly costs?

A Move Toward VoIP?

Heavy Reading recently did a study that shows that not as many organisations as you would think have made the switch to VoIP. The same study, however, shows that number is changing. The study shows that in 2011 roughly 31% of businesses in North America used VoIP. Heavy Reading has estimated that by 2015 this figure will rise to 66.6%.

Businesses are Switching to VoIP

So, the study suggests that the amount of companies that will use VoIP will double by 2015. Currently, traditional circuit-switch phone lines make up 68 percent of business lines in North America. So by 2015 will there actually be such a significant change? This is hard to say but as people get more informed about the advantages of VoIP it is probable that business owners will make the shift in the next few years, even if it’s not as fast as the Heavy Reading study forecasts.

A Bright Future for VoIP and Business

VoIP technology provides voice communication that is as clear and reliable as traditional landlines. Let’s also remember that it can be significantly cheaper. Upper management may be slow to make the move but the great advantage of VoIP, is that employees will not have to get used to anything new. Phones work just like they do with a landline. So you if think VoIP is a passing fad, think again.

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Many of us get our entertainment, news, and pay our bills online. So, it’s not a surprise that we access our music over the Internet as well. Many individuals subscribe to on-line music-streaming services that are either free or cost money. The benefits are many. People don’t have to move their music files onto different devices and they can listen to it anywhere they have internet access.

So we thought we would share with you some information about some of the more common streaming services:

Pandora: Pandora has been around awhile, and it is very popular. It’s clear to see why: it’s easy. After navigating to the website, type in the name of a song or artist you like and Pandora will create a radio station determined by that information. It chooses songs by artists with a comparable sound. As you listen to your station you can select the thumbs up or thumbs down symbol on the songs and Pandora will modify your station based on this new information. Moreover, you can “seed” you station with different artists to further customize it. You can listen to Pandora without making an account but in order to save your stations, you must create an account.

Grooveshark: Grooveshark is similar to Pandora. But you can also build your own playlists manually, all without creating an account. However, people who want to save their play lists will have to sign up for a free account. Like Pandora, Grooveshark also provides recommendations for songs that you might like based upon your past musical selections. Grooveshark also has an interesting feature: You can improve the service’s database of music by adding your own favorite songs and artists if you cannot find them in Grooveshark’s current collection.

Rhapsody: Rhapsody’s appeal is based on its huge database of music: more the 14 million songs. Unfortunately, this service is not free, it is $10 a month for unlimited music.

Spotify: Spotify is a Swedish music-streaming service that was launched in 2008. It has quickly grown to one of the most recognized and widely used services out there. People like the versatility of Spotify. When you search for an artist, you can listen to a complete album or choose to use the radio function and Spotify will find similar artists for you to enjoy. Another advantage of Spotify is that you may create your own playlists and share them with other users if you so choose.

It’s been a little while since Windows was considered cool but the Kinect may change all that. The Kinect is a voice and motion-sensing device which was originally designed as a feature for the Xbox gaming system.

A version of the device also works with Windows-operated PCs, and shortly after its release in February, people started developing innovative ways to use it.

Innovative Uses for the Kinect

For instance, at the Chicago Auto Show a few months ago, the chief marketing manager for Nissan North America used Kinect for Windows to create a virtual tour of the Pathfinder’s improved interior. This proved particularly beneficial because the marketing manager only had the Pathfinder’s empty shell to exhibit at the Auto Show. A large screen powered by Kinect showed visitors just what they’d be viewing if they were actually sitting within the completed body of the new Pathfinder. The screen, for instance, displayed the car’s dual moon roofs and several other features.

Microsoft is cooperating with companies to develop applications for the Kinect. This not only encourages ingenuity but it puts the Kinect at the center of many of the most recent innovations. An example of a company that is working closely with Microsoft in this manner is Boeing. Boeing used the Kinect to make virtual tours of its jets. Another example is a healthcare facility in Canada. They are using the Kinect’s gesture-recognition capability to swipe through CT scans. This removes the possibility of getting germs on their hands from a keyboard or mouse.

Kinect: A Solid Hit

Microsoft hit a home run when they developed the Kinect. The Xbox 360 was last year’s best-selling video game console, and they have the Kinect to thank for that. Since November of 2010 Microsoft has sold in excess of 18 million Kinect devices.

It may seem hard to believe, but Windows and its creator might have actually found something that is not only useful, but cool, which can do nothing but good for their reputation.

These days, when you post an open position on the Internet, a huge selection of people respond. Many of these people are eligible candidates for the position, so you call them in for an interview. But how do you sift through them and find the truly innovative and enthusiastic people? Since the interview is basically all you can go on, your interview questions are essential.

It’s important to create a job interview strategy that pin points what you’re looking for in an employee. If you ask the same cookie cutter questions that everyone else does, you are likely to get cookie cutter answers.

Ask the Right Questions

Rather then asking people what their previous positions were, ask them the way they positively impacted their positions at their previous employers. Did they develop any processes that improved efficiency? Did they help their employers save money, if so, how?

One of the most popular questions to ask a candidate concerns their strengths and weaknesses. Avoid asking them to list these; almost everyone has predetermined answers. Instead ask them what they bring to the culture of a company, or ask them what they do to make their job more satisfying. The answers you get to these types of questions will help you to gauge the actual ingenuity of the person you are interviewing.

Another simple way to measure a prospective employee’s creativity is to ask them to perform a task. For instance, you could ask them to brainstorm ideas for an ad campaign, or write a short essay about their ideal work environment. Whatever it is, it is something your interviewee will not expect and it will give you a snapshot of their creativity.

In today’s marketplace, employers have the advantage of choosing amongst many accomplished people. So to be able to find the very best, they need to alter the types of questions they ask in job interviews.

There aren’t many people who look forward to going on business trips. They are an inconvenience and expensive for the organization. Business travelers often feel rushed, which results in lack of sleep and poor eating habits, which exacerbates stress. Not to mention dealing with Airports and long-term parking. As a result, many businesses choose to use videoconferencing whenever possible. But do you think that business travel is on its way out? Will Videoconferencing replace it completely?

The End of Business Travel?

Do we want to strive for the extinction of business travel? Perhaps not, think about the differences between in-person meeting and videoconferencing.

When people across the globe sign on to a videoconference, they typically introduce themselves quickly, if necessary, and then dive into the goal at hand. Brainstorming does not often play a large part in videoconferencing; this is partially due to the worry that their connection may fail. Also, there are many distractions within the individual’s office that can make fluid conversation tough.

The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time

Face-to-face interactions tend to be more meaningful and allow conversation to develop easily. Meetings may go longer should this happen, but the benefits of it can be excellent. New ideas come from the creative progression of conversation. While it’s true that every meeting may not turn into a positive brainstorming session, it can be a great opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships in the office.

Business Travel is Here to Stay

Yes, business travel is an inconvenience and videoconferencing is convenient. However, there are occassions when meeting face-to-face is the best option for generating the most imaginative business solutions. For this reason, don’t expect savvy business executives to ever completely replace business travel with videoconferencing.

Remember enjoying sci-fi movies as a kid and thinking we would have jetpacks someday? Or teleporters? We don’t have these technologies yet but we do have lots of remarkable technologies that seem straight out of a science fiction movie. Our cars can direct us around a city, via GPS. We can carry tablet computers around with us that hold all of our data. And we can get in touch with associates all over the world at the push of a button.

So, with all of this technology, why don’t we have jet packs yet? What factors are keeping us from making these technological leaps?

Building a Better Battery

Batteries power nearly all of our technology, particularly as we move into a more mobile world. For that reason, the more limited our batteries are, the greater limitations we have technologically. They are an integral part of our technology, so we need to focus on improving them before we can really make leaps in technology. Luckily, researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University are designing a more efficient lithium-ion battery, which we discussed in a blog post last week. This may solve this constraint in the next few years.

Improving Internet Access

The second limiting factor is related to access. Basically, not enough of the world’s population can access high-speed Internet access. It may well seem as if every public library, bookstore, and cafe’ provides its patrons with access to high-speed wireless Internet, but this is mostly a mirage. The vast majority of humans do not have quick access to the web. Until this happens, we’ll be needlessly limiting the growth of technology. The more minds that are connected on the Web, the greater the odds are of reaching the next tech breakthrough.

The Business of New Tech

Finally, there is the business end of things. Technological progress is stunted by arcane things such as patent law. Businesses take their time introducing new gadgets and services as they must first traverse a minefield of laws and government regulations. These laws are necessary. However, they need to be clear and easy to understand so new technology isn’t bottled up needlessly.

While these are a few of the things that prevent technology from advancing, it still is developing at a rapid pace. So who knows what is in store for us in the next year or two.

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Businesses can use Adobe Photoshop to generate professional marketing material easily. It is a very robust program with many features so it’s no surprise that it can cost over $600, depending on the version. Many small business owners don’t want to spend this much, and they don’t require all the features that come with it. However, there are some alternatives to Photoshop that are low-cost or free.

These programs probably won’t contain all the elements that Photoshop boasts, but they have more than enough photo-editing features for the majority of small business owners. Here are three of the highest quality free photo-editing programs available today:

GIMP

GIMP is very user friendly and contains most of the features from Photoshop that a business owner might need to create marketing material. The beauty of GIMP is that it’s absolutely free!

Paint.NET

Did you ever use MSPiant? It was included with your Windows operating system and was very basic. Paint.NET is its successor and is a lot more powerful then its forerunner. One fantastic aspect for designers is an unlimited undo button. Paint.NET is a free program; the only negative regarding it is that it only works on Windows machines.

Picnik

Picnik is fast, free, and easy to use. It works on the Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems and you don’t need to download files to use it. It has some exciting special effects as well, making it a well liked photo-editing program.

In the end, if you’re searching for a program that allows you to create professional marketing material, it is not necessary to spend a lot. These programs will let you accomplish this task at no cost.

Your smartphone is wonderful. It can steer you to that trendy new fusion restaurant if you are lost. It can play your favorite sitcom as you go to work on the train. It can play your favorite song at the touch of a button. But it can’t do any of this if its battery is dead.

A Better Battery on the Way?

A team of engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University may have found a way to make a battery that lasts longer and charges itself within minutes, rather then overnight. This story reports on these research efforts. This is fantastic news for smartphone users everywhere.

According to the article, Northwestern’s researchers have found a means to extend the charge-life of a new lithium-ion battery by a factor of 10. Even after 150 charges—which researchers say represents a year or more of operation—this new battery would still be five times more efficient than the today’s lithium-ion batteries.

A Charged Battery for a Week

Here’s the bottom line: The new cell phone battery could stay charged for more than a week and then charge itself in just 15 minutes. This is excellent news for you: It could mean that your iPod won’t run out of juice while you are working the treadmill at the gym. But the new, better battery may have a much greater impact: According to the Northwestern story, this new battery technology could result in smaller and more powerful batteries for electric cars. This may help the United States—and other countries—cut its reliance on fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

The new battery technology isn’t available yet for consumers, but the Northwestern researchers say that it could hit the market in 3 to 5 years. This is a big step. When we look at advancements in technology, we tend to ignore the batteries that power our latest gadgets. Battery constraints are one of the factors holding back an even greater technology revolution. The hope is that the research done at Northwestern University can change this.