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Archive for the ‘Telecommuting’ Category

So, it comes as no surprise to learn that LG are prepared to launch their own tablet PC and it will be competing against the likes of the Apple iPad and others. However, on closer look, it seems that it to be creating a new niche for itself due to the presence of a new technology, the 3-D technology. Yes, the LG Optimus Pad will be coming with the 3-D capacity within the 8.9 inch touch screen display of it and this is probably the first time that you will be witnessing the occurrence of the 3-D technology within a tablet PC at an affordable cost.

The 8.9 inch display of the LG Optimus Pad might not seem that great initially, especially given that the Apple iPad features a display that is 9.7 inches in size. However, the LG Optimus Pad clearly overtakes the Apple product will comes to the technology that is used in the screen. It will be using the 3-D technology, while the Apple iPad’s touch screen display will be capable of supporting only the 2-D content. This is a vast difference that is so enormous that it is difficult to explain in words. Along with the fact that it will be providing support to this latest technology, the screen of the LG Optimus Pad will also be able to accommodate a resolution of 1280 x 760 pixels.
The 3-D LCD capacitive touch screen display will be using the IPS panel technology in order to bring this tablet PC in the most extreme thinness.

As a result of this new technology, it is expected to have just 149.4 mm in terms of height. In the LG Optimus Pad will be the dual core 1 GHz processor that will be able to run the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system quite efficiently. The new operating system will be having a number of cool animations that will be requiring a lot of processing power. However, the powerful 1 GHz processor in the LG Optimus Pad will be capable of handling this without breaking a sweat. The processor is going to be assisted by the presence of RAM that will be in the range of 1 GB, although it has not been officially confirmed the LG. The LG Optimus Pad will also be coming with a dual five megapixel camera that can not only shoot full HD videos, but also shoot them in the 3-D mode as well. It will be able to record the videos in the 1080 p full HD mode in the 2-D mode, while the 3-D will be recorded at 720 p HD mode.

Is telecommuting right for you?

Unfortunately for some, many jobs are simply not prime candidates for telecommuting. Careers that require physical labor, or require facilities such as a lab, hospital, etc. are obvious non-telecommuting scenarios. Employees or management executives who spend much of their time attending meetings or who need to interact with employees face-to-face probably will find the need to spend much of their time on-site.

But for those that spend the majority of their day in front of a computer, on the phone or for those that simply do not need to be physically in the office five days a week, telecommuting can be the perfect fit.

Confronting the telecommuting issues

Once the decision has been made to allow for the option of telecommuting, both employee and employer need to agree on a number of basic issues. The following points can serve as a checklist and step-by-step process for successfully implementing a seamless telecommuting solution that works for everyone.

1. Decide on which employees will be allowed to telecommute. Before implementing any technological aspects of telecommuting, the first step is to determine which employees or specific job positions can benefit the most from a telecommuting scenario. Individual work habits of employees should be considered as a basis for identifying possible telecommuting candidates. Working from home carries with it distractions that are not present in the office environment. Personal phone calls, a crying baby, friendly neighbors, television, and a variety of other distractions can be counterproductive to those who do not have the discipline it takes to be a telecommuter. In the beginning, allow just a few workers telecommuting privileges so that all the “bugs” can be worked out.

2. Decide on a PC. Virtually all employees will probably already own a home based PC. The first step for successful telecommuting is to decide on whose PC to use. If the decision is made to use the already existing home PC, the machine will need to be updated with e-mail profiles, VPN and firewall software, and the appropriate applications needed to do the job. It is also a good idea to partition hard drive space to be used for work only and also to implement a reliable means for data storage and backup. Most importantly, the home PC will require current and up-to-date virus software to be installed at all times.

A better choice is to have the employer provide a laptop PC that can easily be transported between home and office. With this option, all of the appropriate software can be installed by the company’s IT department. The convenience of a portable laptop also makes for easy maintenance, repair or replacement if necessary.

3. Decide on the Internet connection. The essence of telecommuting involves the transfer of information from one location to another. Since telecommuting requires transfer of both data and voice, a high-speed Internet connection in the home is required – a dial-up connection simply won’t cut it. Not only is dial-up painfully slow for even the most simple tasks, it will never be able to handle voice and data due to the low bandwidth and high latency. Implement the fastest Internet connection possible-you won’t regret it.

4. Decide on telephony endpoints in the home. Once the broadband connection is in place, you’ll need to decide on just how the telecommuter will make and receive phone calls. For purposes of reliability and ease in which others can reach the telecommuter, it is best to have a variety of telephony endpoints in the home. Certainly you will need to decide on an IP-based telephone. It is also a good idea to equip the telecommuter with a IP headset to enable hands-free communication. In addition, having a cell phone in place provides for one additional access point.

The IP-based phone eliminates the need for the telecommuter to use their home phone number for business, as well as the need to have two separate business phone numbers. The IP phone can be set up to provide one number access from both home and office. Since the phone uses the same data connection as the employee’s e-mail and file access, it provides seamless access to voicemail and other features used most often within the office environment.

Although the IP phone is the best choice, a more economical option is to connect an analog phone to a one-port gateway in the home. The disadvantage of this option is that it does not provide all the features of an IP-based phone such as caller ID, message waiting, etc.

5. Set up VPN access and firewalls. Undoubtedly the telecommuter will need access to files located on the corporate file servers. The next step is to set up VPN access and firewalls so that the user can safely and easily access corporate files over the Internet. The necessity for VPN access is also another good reason to use a company owned laptop.

6. Configure existing PBX with a gateway extension. To provide remote workers with the full benefits of PBX functionality-i.e. complete voicemail features, access to calling plan discounts, access to corporate directories, call transfer capabilities, auto attendant, etc. it is advisable to implement a PBX extension or gateway to the existing PBX.

With the PBX-IP gateway, callers can reach the telecommuter by simply dialing the telecommuters normal office number. If the telecommuter is unable to answer, the call will automatically be forwarded to their office voicemail box. The telecommuter connects to the corporate gateway and eventually to the corporate PBX using their IP phone, their IP headset or their analog phone connected to their one-port home gateway.