The Benefits and Advantages of Cloud Storage

In the world today technology continues to rapidly advance and improve. This is true not only in the entertainment world with things like 4K TVs and new video game systems, but also in the business world and in technology that people can use on the go. There is perhaps no better area that this is evident than in the area of data storage, specifically "cloud storage".

To someone that works on the go or someone that is frequently using different devices to access files and work, cloud storage is in many ways a dream come true. In essence, cloud storage is a backup and storage service on the internet. Cloud storage allow people and businesses to sync files, photos, videos, and much more across a wide range of devices and can be accessed from anywhere there is an internet connection. While the adaptation and growth of cloud storage started off slow, it has grown rapidly over the last couple of years and there are now many different companies that offer cloud storage solutions for both individuals and for businesses.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of cloud storage, other than a backup of your files that can be accessed from anywhere there is internet, is the ability to sync everything in your cloud storage to so many different devices. In the past, traditional desktop and laptop computers were the only way to access files stored on the cloud. However, with the rapid advancements made in mobile technology, smartphones and tablets can also access, view, and edit many of the files that are stored in the cloud. This is a great advantage for anyone that works on the go as they can pull up that spreadsheet while riding the bus, view and study a PowerPoint presentation while sitting at the airport, or view photos and videos while eating a bite of lunch. In addition, many of the popular cloud storage services allow you to save files to your smartphone or tablet to view them even when you do not have a internet connection.

As cloud storage has continued to grow, so have the number of organizations that offer cloud storage solutions. While there is perhaps no perfect storage provider that can meet the needs of everyone, there are a few that tend to stand above the rest. The three most popular and perhaps best storage solutions are Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft SkyDrive. All of these providers offer free cloud storage up to a certain limit ranging from 2 GB to 15 GB, and also offer paid subscription plans for much greater storage capabilities. For example, Google Drive offers people with a Gmail account and a Google+ account 15GB of storage with the option to increase storage to 16 TB. All cloud services have different benefits and bonuses, the great thing about the expanded field of choices is the ability to chose the right one for you.

In the end, cloud storage may not be the perfect solution for storing all you data. Plans can be expensive for large storage options and security can occasionally be a concern. It is however a useful tool for the right data and a huge benefit for people that use many different devices. One tip is that people should not put all of their files online nor should they keep them only on the cloud. It is a good idea to keep a physical backup of your data where you can always retrieve it if you cannot access the internet or the company has issues syncing your files.There are always going to be some risks to relying on the internet for your files, though as technology advances this is becoming less and less of a problem. Ultimately though, if you can find the right storage provider that meets your needs and can utilize the "access anywhere" capability of cloud storage, than working on the go may just get a little bit easier for you.

Power Bag for Working on the Go

If you are like me you have lots of little devices that tag along with you everywhere you go. There is nothing worse than being on the road and worrying about your batteries holding out throughout the day. Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a way to charge up your phone and Ipad and Ipod and other handy devices, all while on the road? Well, now there is.

Fūl has designed the Power Bag that can carry and charge your devices. The Powerbag contains a 3000 mha battery, a 6000 mha battery or a 9000 mha battery to fit your charging needs. It also contains pockets of various sizes and connectors to charge literally thousands of different kinds of devices including USB and Apple compatible connectors. With everything inside the bag, you never have to worry about leaving another charger behind in your hotel room while you are traveling.

Other features include adjustable straps, a power button on the outside of the bag, a plug-in to charge your bag and a meter display to check on the charging. This bag truly is invaluable to the traveling techie. Power Bags comes in three different styles including backpack, messenger and briefcase and run anywhere from $140 to $300. A 3000 mha battery in the messenger style bag is only about two pounds to add to things that I carry around with me anyway, and to be able to have them all together and charged is totally worth it. Powerbags can be puchased at BestBuy, Amazon, Staples and many more locations. For more information on Powerbags please visit their website.

Short-throw projectors only require half the projection distance of traditional projectors. The projector can be placed just a foot or so from the screen. This is nice because it keeps the projector and screen near each other instead of having a long throw projector that people can accidentally block.

A New App for Teachers

It seems as though there's an app to help with every career these days, and now that is true for teachers! And it's about time. Teaching isn't just about teach. There are so many records to keep and so much paperwork to keep organized. That's why two former school employees, Ben Threadgill and Ryan Haight, got together and formed BrighterLogix, a company that makes software applications for teachers and schools. Their goal is to make the paperwork and organization part of the job easier for teachers.

As of right now, Threadgill and Haight are the only employees at their one-year-old, Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company, but they've already created the app "SideKick." SideKick is a lesson-planning application that is customizable and has already been adopted by several school districts, as well as several individual teachers.

For example, in Oklahoma, Catoosa Public Schools is using the software. The principal of one school that teaches pre-K through first-grade students, said the teachers love it. "It's been working very well. They've made lots of enhancements that have made it very user-friendly for us," Kerry Sitton told Tulsa World.

The founders of the company are no strangers to the education world; Haight worked in the Catoosa Public Schools technology department, and and Threadgill worked for Western Heights Public Schools in Oklahoma City. By working the field and getting a first-hand look at the technology offered to teachers and other educators, the two men realized most similar technology was expensive, complicated, or just too inflexible.

Threadgill said his experience proved to him that lesson-planning was an important first task to accomplish, "Teachers often write them out on paper, make copies of them and hand-walk them to the office to submit them." But SideKick changes that. It involves a searchable lesson plans database and an interactive calendar that allows teachers to make plans day by day. It also incorporates state standards that teachers must comply to.

Currently, the two creators are signing more individual teachers up to use the apps in hopes they'll take them to their school districts.

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The Ins and Outs, Ups and Downs of the New 3GS iPhone

Technology today is seeing amazing heights, and Apple is at the top of those heights, with the creation of iTunes, the iPod, Mac book and now the iPhone. The 3gS iPhone is one of the most innovative pieces of technology of our time, with the ability to read maps, make movies, edit photos and movies, and voice recognition. With touch screen functionality you can navigate with just a touch of a finger between applications, pictures, messages, and phone numbers. The iPhone has become even more affordable with a price of $199 with a two year contract from AT&T.
The easy to recognize face that is identical to the original iPhone with the exception of the bright, high quality, high resolution 480 x 320 3.5-inch display is easy to hold in your hand with the slightly curved back. However they haven’t found a way to cut down on smudges and fingerprints, But alas, the smudge loving plastic cover is needed now that the iPhone has so many technologies like GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. One of the down sides to the new body shape is it will not fit in the original iPhone docking station, and it is sold separately for about $30.00.

The Apple 3G S iPhone has improved on the call quality that may not be noticeable when you upgrade but in a side by side comparison there was an obvious difference. Apple has also had to lengthen the life of the battery because 3g does require more power, not to mention the support of all the cool new applications and music, video and pictures. If you are in an area where 3G isn’t a necessity you can dig down into the menu and turn that feature off.

You’ll notice that the camera is the same as on the original iPhone although images were a little crisper and sharper. The camera will now ask permission to use GPS to geotag photos with your current location. Geotags allow you to have an image tagged to a map position so you can have landmarks to refer to and make maps a little friendlier.

Outside of the cool features I think it is important to mention a few pros and cons of the programs.

- Power Point documents can now be seen on the new iPhone but to save any files you still have to email them to yourself.
- If you sync MobileMe calandars your calendar subscriptions like iCal or Gcal will be disabled
- However, even though the full Exchange Suite is not available the core elements work really well, like email, calendar and contacts. Unfortunately, enterprise contacts and calendars coexist on the same device with personal contacts and calendars.

Over all the new 3GS iPhone has all the bells and whistles any tech loving on the go person could want and outside of renting laptops for business trips it really can keep you in touch with your office and fits nicely in your pocket. However, if you are going to pay around $170.00 a month in cell services I do advise doing your homework as some of the application conflicts just might be a deal breaker.