FLOWSTATES

Scanning Documents to Box (in the cloud) with a Fujitsu ScanSnap N1800

2011-11-30T09:43:00.001-08:00

Several months ago a friend at Fujitsu gave me a brief demo of the new Fujitsu ScanSnap N1800 network-attached color document scanner. As a gadget nut, I was completely drawn to the sleek design and "iPad-like" touchscreen interface. The N1800 is a network-attached device, meaning it does not need a desktop PC to drive the device. It connects directly to your network with an Ethernet connection. The scanner has the scanning software baked right into the device and uses a touchscreen for user interaction. Think of it more as a more powerful, miniaturized Multi-Function Peripheral (or MFP). The general intention of a scanner like this is to be able to scan directly to a network drive or a Microsoft SharePoint site. The scanner also can be configured to, scan-to-email, scan-to-fax service, and scan-to-FTP, all with the software bundled with the scanner out-of-the-box.

Hands-On with Canon imageFORMULA P-215 and DR-C125 Document Scanners

2011-11-27T16:09:00.000-08:00

As an ECM professional and Capture expert, I get the opportunity to play with a variety of document scanners. Canon is a brand that I have not had the pleasure of working with too much. So I was excited to be able to play around with 2 new scanner from Canon this week, the imageFORMULA P-215 "Scan-tini" mobile scanner and the space-saving DR-C125 desktop scanner. The one that peeked my interest most is the P-215 mobile scanner.

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Manage All Your Cloud Storage Accounts with Otixo

2011-10-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you have multiple cloud storage accounts with a large number of files scattered arross those different services on the web. Wouldn't it be nice if you could access all of those cloud-based "drives" just like a hard drive attached to your computer? Upload, transfer, share files between different cloud applications with one interface? Well, I just discovered an amazing app that can do just that and more! It is called otixo.com and it is awesome!

Otixo is a web application that lets you access all your online files with one simple interface. Think of it like Windows Explorer for all of your cloud drives and services. You can connect cloud services like Google Docs, Dropbox, Box.net, MobileMe, FTP, etc., into one "Finder-like" or explorer interface.

YouTube Mobile Site Has Safe Search Turned OFF by Default

2011-10-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

I just learned the hard way that Google's Mobile YouTube site (http://m.youtube.com) has the Safe Search feature turned OFF by default. My 10.5 year old daughter entered a search term that I would call inappropriate and the results were even more so. Adolescent curiosity took her to one of those search results. Thankfully, it only took her a few seconds to realize her mistake and I am glad she had the wherewithal to alert her mother and I of what she did. After a nice long talk about a subject that is a bit emabarasing for both parent and child I turned my attention to her iPod Touch. You see, I do restrict a number of apps and function on the devices that my children use. In fact, I removed the YouTube app all together at one point. What I couldn't understand is that Google has a feature called Safe Search and usually it is Turned ON by default. Meaning, if you want results that are possibly inappropriate for young people, you have to go and actually turn OFF the Safe Search option. I was sure the same was true for the m.youtube.com website that my daughter was using. I was wrong. I checked 2 iPod Touches, 1 iPhone 4, and 2 iPads and the results were the same. The Safe Search feature is OFF BY DEFAULT!

So, before I go any further here is how you turn it on.

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A Look at LogMeIn Ignition and the NEW File Transfer Feature

2011-10-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

LogMeIn Ignition
LogMeIn, Inc.
Genre: Productivity
Price: $29.99
Release Date: December 16, 2008

LogMeIn Ignition is the most expensive app I ever purchased for my iPad, but it is still one of the most useful and favorite apps I use. If you are not familiar with LogMeIn Ignition here is a brief description from the App Store:

"Remotely control your PC or Mac, plus view, transfer and save files or folders – all with a single app on your iPad or iPhone. Ignition is a one-time purchase that runs on both your iPad and iPhone and works with LogMeIn’s award-winning free software. Install LogMeIn for FREE on an unlimited number of remote computers to access from your iPad and iPhone. With your files, applications and desktops right at your fingertips, you’re finally free to go."

The main feature or use of LogMeIn Ignition is the ability to Remotely Control other computers over the Internet in conjunction with the LogMeIn Free PC software. Recently LogMeIn updated the iPad app to include a very powerful File Transfer function which makes this great app even better. I want to take some time now to show you what these new features look like and explain why you should love it to.

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Managing Documents in the Cloud with OfficeDrop's iPad App

2011-10-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of those blog posts that intersects my professional and my personal life. During the week I happen to be an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Technical Lead for a large financial institution. This is just to say that I spend a lot of time working with document imaging systems. The length that companies have to go through to capture, store and view paper-based data is staggering. Most of these enterprise systems are not very exciting or innovative. Outside of my work-life, I don't normally think too much about imaging my personal documents. But, I will say that on occasion it is important that I have capture important documents in an digital format. If you follow my blog, you may have already read my post titled "Scanning to the Cloud with OfficeDrop". You could say that this post is part 2 of that original post. This time around I am going to focus on OfficeDrop's new iPad app.

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Cordcutting with an Over-The-Air (OTA) Antenna

2011-09-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Cordcutting is the act of "cutting the cord" between you and a crappy cable company. Most cordcutters are not looking get rid of TV, we just want to find ways to watch content on their TVs for less money and with more control. If you are new to cordcutting take a look at my Introduction to Cordcutting, it covers the basics. A critical part of the cordcutting strategy is the ability to watch regular network TV (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS) for free using an over-the-air antenna. Many people that grew up with cable may not remember the days of using rabbit ears on your TV to pick up a signal. The principle today is the same but the signal is now all digital and is capable of broadcasting crystal clear HD to your TV for free.

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BOXEE BOX by D-Link Video Review

2011-09-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome, to my video review of D-Link's BOXEE BOX. BOXEE BOX is a content and media streaming solution that leverages the Internet and your local network to find and play video, music, photos, and apps. The intent is to unleash the vast array of content available on the Internet and make it usable on your TV. I use BOXEE BOX to support my cordcutting strategy. If you want to read more about cordcutting, take a look at my post titled "Introduction to Cordcutting."

BOXEE is the type of product that is hard to describe to people with words. I believe the best way to understand what BOXEE can do is to show you. For this blog post I produced a number of videos that demonstrate some (not all) of the key functions of BOXEE BOX.

An Introduction to Cordcutting

2011-09-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

I am a Cordcutter and have been for over 3 years. Cordcutting is the act of canceling or getting rid of your Cable or Satallite TV service and turning to alternative means to find content to watch on your TV. There are many reasons people attempt to "cut the cord" and it may differ depending on who you talk to. Here is a list of reasons my family and I kicked cable out to door years ago.

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How To Setup Google Voice as a Landline with the OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter

2011-07-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

As a Virtual Employee, I spend most of my workweek on the phone in my personal home office. I have a cell phone, but it's not very cost effective to use valuable wireless minutes on long conference calls. So I set out to find a better, less expensive way, to add a dedicated phone line to my home office. It didn't take me long to me to find the OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter by Obihai Technologies Inc.

The OBi100 is first (maybe the only) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) ATA device to support Google Voice without the need of a PC. This means you can plug this little device into your home network and attach any landline phone you have available and start making calls using your Google Voice account in minutes. The best part of all this is the cost. The OBi100 only cost around $39 on Amazon.com. No, that is not per month. Since Google Voice currently is free and allows you to make and receive unlimited calls in the US and Canada, all you need to buy is the OBi100 for $39.

My 5 Favorite Games For The Apple iPad

2011-03-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe the Apple iPad is almost a year old. I personally didn't run out and buy mine on day one, but I did buy it very soon after release. At the time, I was using an ASUS Eee PC 1000HE netbook for my personal mobile computing and it was alright for doing basic web browsing and checking emails. I purchased the iPad to replace the netbook, but I never realized how much I would use my iPad for gaming! Like other gaming platform such as Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360, not every game is good or makes best use of the specific platform's strengths. The iPad is a very unique gaming platform. The large 9.7 inch touch-screen makes for an excellent game board or immersive first-person shooter (FPS). You can even interact with some games just by tilting and moving the iPad around. It is truly a unique and engaging platform for gaming. After almost a year gaming fun on my iPad I present to you a modest list of my top 5 games that exemplify gaming on the Apple iPad.

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Scanning Documents To The Cloud with OfficeDrop

2011-03-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

I work with Enterprise Content Management (or ECM) systems for a living and have an extensive background in Imaging or Document Capture. But yet, at home I struggle to find a good way to capture important documents and keep them intelligently organized. I have a rather nice Fujitsu fi-5120c desktop scanner, but it rarely gets used. I tried a number of consumer-focused scanning tools in the past but none of them seemed very inspired. I usually find that they are just too cumbersome to configure and use, even for me. So I gave up trying for a while while and my scanner sat on the desk collecting dust.

A few months ago, while I was getting organized for tax time, I decided to fire-up the internet search engine and look again. This time I trained my focus on a "cloud" based scanning solution. I wanted to see who in the industry was trying to leverage online storage infrastructure to store scanned documents. Well, I found one service in particular that seemed to be doing just that and they have a nice desktop scanning tool as well. The service is called OfficeDrop.

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Make dialing conference calls on a Blackberry easier with this simple trick

2011-02-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

I am a Virtual Employee and that means I spend a lot of time on the phone in conference calls. I often dial into those calls on my company-issued Blackberry Curve. Dialing conference calls on a Blackberry can be annoying because once you call the conference call number you also have to enter some sort of passcode. I usually forget the passcode and have to go look it up. But when you are on-the-go that can be hard to do in the amount of time the conference call allows you to enter the number. I found a simple little trick that makes dialing conference calls on a Blackberry much easier.

Exclusive First Look at the ILINX Tablet!

2010-11-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

At the Nexus ECM 2010 conference in Bellevue, WA Shadrach White (Twitter: @shadrachwhite), CTO of ImageSource Inc, announced the ILINX Tablet. It is an Intel based tablet running Windows7 that is aimed squarely at business users.

ImageSource is a leading Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions provider and software company so this announcement will certainly get people talking.As an ECM professional and avid Apple iPad user myself, I was quite shocked today at Shad's keynote presentation. I am also very excited about the concept and I think it takes a lot of guts for this company to dive head first into the business tablet market. There is something to be said about being first and that is certainly one goal of ImageSource with this product.

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Hiking Catawba Falls with my Vibram FiveFingers

2010-06-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Over the Memorial weekend I took the family hiking near Old Fort, North Carolina to see the amazing Catawba Falls in the Pisgah National Forest. This was the first real hike I completed using the Vibram Five Fingers KSO shoes.

For those that are not familiar with Vibram FiveFingers shoes. As you can see from the picture above, the main feature immediately recognizable is the individual toe sockets. Vibram points out that "The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised. That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception." Time Magazine even named Vibram FiveFingers as one of the Best Inventions of 2007.

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The Perfect Apple iPad Case - REI Tech Wrap Sleeve (X Small)

2010-04-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

I purchased an 32GB Apple iPad last week and one of the first things I needed to figure out is how I was going to protect it when it was not in use. I am not a fan of using hard-shell, or silicone wraps/cases on my gadgets because I believe it takes away from the intended design and usability of the device. The Apple iPad is even more so. I love the design and form-factor of the iPad so much I really don't want to add anything to it. But, I still need something to put it in when it is not in use or if I want to transport the iPad from home to the office.

I started looking online for a case and didn't find anything that looked like what I wanted. I am very particular about my bags/cases so I decided to go to my local REI (www.REI.com) to see what they have that might work. Once I started looking around in the computer bag section of the store it didn't take long to find exactly what wanted. It's called the REI Tech Wrap Computer Sleeve and it is perfect! Product Link: http://www.rei.com/product/795066

Video Review of the

REI Tech Wrap ~~Computer~~ iPad Sleeve

Here is what REI has to say about the Tech Wrap Sleeve:

TSA checkpoint-friendly X Small REI Tech Wrap computer sleeve fits netbooks and portable media readers with up to a 10 in. screen and features plenty of organizational options.

Partially made from 100% recycled PET polyester fabric, each sleeve keeps ten 16 oz. plastic bottles out of landfills

Checkpoint-friendly design meets TSA screening requirements for not having to remove laptop from sleeve, reducing the hassle of airport security checkpoints

Book-style design zips open and lays flat with computer on one side and pockets on other; X Small size fits a netbook or portable media reader with up a 10 in. screen

Zippered neoprene sleeve provides protection for your computer; vertical and horizontal access accommodates use of a variety of carry bags

Internal letter-size document pocket keeps papers organized; zippered, divided pocket helps keep small items separated and easy to find

External zippered front pocket features an organizer panel and enough space for small peripherals or cords

Haul handles on top let you tote sleeve with ease; attachment points allow use of shoulder strap (sold separately)

Logitech Squeezebox Duet - Video Walkthrough

2010-04-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

The iPod revolutionized the personal music experience, but the Squeezebox Duet will revolutionize how you listen to music in your home!!!

I am really blown away by this product. Last spring I took some time to wire my den and back porch with in-ceiling speakers. I had an old Onkyo A/V receiver that I installed in a closet to power the 2 rooms. My grand plan was to get this all setup for the Logitech Squeezebox Duet. I looked at the Sonos Music system but it was way out of my budget. The Logitech Squeezebox Duet was more than worth the money.

The install was a snap. It really only took a few minutes to setup. I did a little homework before I got the device and went ahead and installed the SqueezeCenter software on my computer first. So when I plugged in the hardware everything worked right away. No issues.

The interface is so slick and intuitive. Simple, efficient, and familiar to anyone that has used an iPod or any other portable MP3 player. I was amazed at how responsive the system is to the controls on the WiFi remote. Going from track to track, or album to album was instant, no lag. Really, I have used other music streaming systems before and some of them had a distinct lag in the controls. I am very happy to report that Slim Devices and Logitech got this right with the Squeezebox Duet. This is one of the few products that exceeded my expectations.

Check out the Logitech Squeezebox Duet on Amazon.com

Using Picasa 3 for Basic Video Editing

2009-05-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

The newest version of Google's Picasa photo management software has some new tricks up it's sleeve. Picasa 3 (beta) now includes the ability to perform some basic video editing and publishing. This article will walk you through some of the basics of this new feature.

Introduction

I am a long-time user and big fan of Google's Picasa photo management software. Using Picasa totally changed the way I manage, organize and share my personal photos. For a long time now I have struggled with how to manage my growing library of digital video. With the newest version of Picasa I may have found what I have been looking for. Picasa now integrates digital photos and video much more seamlessly and adds some extremely useful features that make it a potential powerhouse for managing your personal video library.For those of you following along at home, you may want to gather a few things before we get started. First of all, you will want to install the newest version of Picasa by going here: http://picasa.google.com . As of right now this version only supports Windows XP and Vista. For my demonstration I will be using the 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

A Few Notes on Digital Video

Until very recently, digital video was still very cumbersome to manage. Most camcorders still use some sort of physical media like a digital tape or optical disk. This made things hard to manage on your computer. You couldn't easily plug in your camera and just "copy" video off your camera. Times are changing and camcorders are starting to catch up to digital cameras. The most notable camera that is helping get digital video on your computer more easily is the Flip Video Camera. The Flip Video Camera is a small point-and-shoot digital camcorder that does not use any tape or disks. It uses it's own internal memory to store your digital video. The camera has a built-in USB connection so you just plug it into your computer when you are ready to view or transfer your video. Best of all the Flip Video Camera can be purchased for around $150. Far more less expensive than older style camcorders. For this article I will be using video clips from my Flip Video Camera. For more information on the Flip Video camera you can go here: Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (Black).

Picasa 3 Video Editing Walkthough

For this walkthrough I will assume you already have Picasa 3 installed and running with some video files already in the application ready for editing.

1. Select your video files.

Find and select the video files you want to edit. For my example I am going to take 3 individual video files that I took using my Flip Video Camera . The three video files I am going to use are all in the same folder or album so I can just select the album. Once you have selected the files or album you want to use click on the new Movie icon at the bottom right part of your Picasa screen.

2. Edit Your Movie (Movie Tab)

Once you are loaded up in the Movie Maker sub-application in Picasa you will be taken to the Movie tab. On the left-hand side you will be presented with some basic settings to configure your movie. This is where you can load an audio track so you can add music to your video. This also where you will set your transition style for how the video will look in between your clips. I have selected Wipe for my transition style. This is also where you will set the video Dimensions. I have left my dimensions to be same as the original 640x480 resolution. But, if you want to reduce your file size or make your video ready for YouTube upload this is where is where you would do that.

3. Edit Your Slide (Slide Tab)

The slide tab is where you can edit your title or other text only slides. Picasa creates a title slide for you when you go into the Movie Maker mode. By default the title of your movie is the title of your folder or album in Picasa where the video clips came from. If you want to edit your movie title this is where you can do it. Just type in the text on the left-hand side. You can also adjust the color of the text and background. You can also change the font style and size from here.

4. Adding More Clips To Your Movie (Clips Tab)

The third tab on the left-hand side in the Movie Maker mode is called Clips. This is where you will go if you want to add additional video clips to the movie you are working on. The "Get More..." button will take you back to the Picasa Library where you can search for more video or photos to add to your project. Once you find one and select it you can move back to the Movie Maker mode by clicking on the Movie Maker tab at the top. Back on the clips tab you select or highlight the clip you want and click on the "+ Add" button. This will add the clip to the end of the project. You can move your clips around just by clicking on a clip and dragging it to the desired position in the movie. Also, you can remove a clip from your movie by selecting it with a left-mouse-click and performing a right-mouse-click action and selecting "Remove" from the menu.

5. Create Your Movie

Once you are done adding video and editing your setting you can view your movie by click on the green arrow "Play" button that sits below the video preview window. When you are happy with your end result you now need to publish your movie or "Create Movie." The "Create Movie" button is found on the lower left-hand side of the screen. Simply click the button to initiate the process. A progress bar will appear and a new window will show that your draft movie is "In Progress..."

The time it takes to make your movie will depend on several factors. The speed of your system and how long the movie is are two of the most important. Once your movie it complete the screen will refresh and your new movie will begin to play. From this screen you will have a few new options for actions you can do to your completed movie.

Take Snapshot: Allows you to take screen captures of specific frames in your move. You can then save your screen captures as images in Picasa.
Upload to YouTube: Does as described. A windows will pop-up where you can enter specific information about your movie so it can be uploaded to YouTube.
Export Clip: This function allows you to export or save a clip of the current movie. You can move the sliders under the video to export a specific scene.

Conclusion

Well, that was a very short walkthough of the basic video editing and publishing features of the new Picasa 3 (beta) software. Now that you have made your movie you can most of the things you can do with pictures, like email it to a friend or family or blog about it. Looks like you even can Geo-Tag the movie. I am very happy to see these video editing features creeping into Picasa. As digital video cameras like the Flip become more pervasive the need to do basic editing and sharing is a must. Google is smart to being getting into this sooner than later. Finding a good, cheap, and easy video editing software can be hard. Window Movie Maker that comes with Vista is not bad but Windows Movie Maker doesn't work with my Flip Video files. Picasa 3 had no problem reading and editing my video files. That is a huge plus. Funny thing is that the resulting video file made by Picasa is a Windows Media Video file *.WMV. The details on that I plan to look into. Well, thanks for your attention and I hope this was informative. Please feel free to comment about his article and I will try to also field any additional questions that may come up about Picasa 3. Thanks.